Playable Factions

Akashul

Control specially marked cities
Organ Rat citizens are gradually converted into Dream Thralls

A melting pot of exiles and misfits from other places. Somehow, it managed to form a government of its own (although it's more of a ruling cartel than a proper administration). The exploitation of Dream Thralls is central to its economy.

Amagoss

Control cities in the Blisterlands region
May not acquire cities outside of the Blisterlands region

An upstart princedom based in the eastern Blisterlands. The Grand Prince draws much of his legitimacy from a sworn commitment to resist encroachment from Gesh.

Bahastis

Acquire citizens belonging to the Mugat, Water Caste, and Palace Lord cultures

After Rassabor fell, and the Old Empire began to unravel, Hahir sailed a great fleet to the imperial colony of Zalanika. The goal was to join forces, regroup, and then take back what was lost. Instead, he was condemned as a traitor and coward. So, his seasoned mariners simply carved a new realm out of Zalanikan territory.

Children of Eternity

Stockpile the Love resource
Negotiate is 25% cheaper, while Capture is 25% more expensive

A heterodox sect that was expelled from Furun for questioning the infallibility of the Ash Prophet. They profess a more open and inclusive form of the same religion. Having spent many years in exile in Curse, they have begun to see the frequent birth defects endemic to the island as a kind of divine blessing.

Chirping Tribe

Use the Steal action on foreign cities
May not acquire new cities outside the Screaming Forest while not in complete control of that region

A Gorger tribe that exalts the war god above the rest of the traditional pantheon. They practice massive ritual sacrifices of living prisoners. The rituals are accompanied with boisterous vocalizations. The use of mind-altering substances during such celebrations is not officially condoned, but is nevertheless widely practiced.

Cult of the Present

Stockpile the Goods resource

The Hasharn uplifted the Leg Fiends from a species of giant centipede native to the Steam Mountains. Their purpose was to serve as crafters and artisans. When their masters left, the Leg Fiends lapsed into a deep crisis of meaning. Those who survived this crisis sought meaning in material possessions.

Dakal

Fully control entire regions
May not acquire cities at the expense of Guras Mog

In the days of the Old Empire, Dakal and Guras Mog worked together to resist imperial domination. After the Empire fell to its own creations, Dakal took the opportunity to aggressively expand west. It overextended its resources so much that it couldn't keep a slave uprising from spiraling out of control, with disastrous consequences.

Drowners League

Control specially marked cities
The Steal action costs Depth instead of Violence when used on coastal cities

The League is more of a community of pirates and plunderers than a proper nation. A popular pasttime is to raid coastal communities and drag victims and valuables into the sea.

Eastern Margraves

Fully control entire regions
May not gain cities at the expense of the Western Margraves while the Vermilion Court still lives

Once the Vermilion Court's fabricated legitimacy was exposed, its border margraves rose up in rebellion. Those in the east and the west have coalesced around different visions for the future. The more densely populated and cosmopolitan east prefers a more centralized future, and hopes to restore the Old Empire just the way it was (but under different leadership).

Fever Kingdom

Acquire citizens belonging to the Feverling culture

After losing her entire brood to a violent purge, Gassa the Feverling knew that her people needed a nation of their own. A bitter civil conflict in the Shallow Sea provided the perfect opportunity.

Furun

Control specially marked cities

A severe theocracy for a severe land. Furun is led by the Ash Prophet, who listens to the eruptions of the volcanoes in the Chorus of Hell, and interprets their messages. There are no laws except the Ash Prophet's word.

Gesh

Gain cities by using the Negotiate action

An aristocratic oligarchy that prides itself on its sheer antiquity. To be eligible for high office, one must be able to trace their ancestry at least 11,000 years. Today, Gesh seeks to forge an empire of its own through consent rather than force. The ruling families believe that such an empire will last longer than anything that came before it.

Guras Mog

Control specially marked cities
May not acquire cities at the expense of Dakal

In the days of the Old Empire, Dakal and Guras Mog worked together to resist imperial domination. After the Empire fell to its own creations, Guras Mog stayed cautious, and consolidated its home region. This has left it in a good position to challenge the rise of a new power to the north.

Ha Soom

Control cities of any kind

Formerly a province of Lom Kamad. When other parts of the undersea polity started purging Feverlings in retribution for the invasion of the Shallow Sea, Ha Soom refused to participate. When it went so far as to accept refugees, it was formally ejected.

Lom Kamad

Control cities in the Shallow Sea region
Gradually purges Feverling citizens in any cities it controls

Not long ago, this was a sleepy, undersea, agrarian nation that liked nothing more than to mind its own business. Then refugees from the Shallow Sea started pouring in, with horrific stories of a Feverling invasion. Popular opinion was inflamed, setting the nation on a rabid anti-Feverling crusade.

Lords of the Abyss

Stockpile the Depth resource
Gains +20 equilibrium control on aquatic cities, while suffering -20 equilibrium control on land cities

A powerful cabal that claims to take directions from the unfathomable abyss below their floating cities. Traditionally, their main interaction with the rest of the world has been to ferry the obsidian mined in the west, to the mainland in the east.

Malahar

Control specially marked cities

Once, Malahar was just another Adunid chiefdom. Hulking swamp brutes don't make compelling nation-builders, so its future prospects were limited. Then, a swarm of Itshas arrived, fleeing the loss of their mountainhome in the east. The co-operation of the two cultures has allowed Malahar to expand far outside of its original borders.

Night Kingdom

Raise your per-turn yield of the Fear resource
Cannot lose Night Forest cities to the Negotiate action

A nation of the highly insular Night Apes. To keep with the theme, it is led by a Night Queen. The current one is purported to have ruled for almost 1,700 years. While the Night Apes are long-lived, they're not that long-lived. Instead, the priesthood quietly picks a replacement whenever the previous Queen passes away.

Obsidian Guild

Raise your per-turn yield of the Goods resource

A commercial syndicate dedicated to mining obsidian on the largely inhospitable Black Island. In a world where almost all surface deposits of metal ore have long been exhausted, obsidian is a highly valuable commodity.

Republic of Nowhere

Complete landmarks using the Build action (landmarks finished by others don’t count)
Each turn, there's a small chance that an adjacent independent city will voluntarily join the Republic

A coalition of desert communities that share a disdain for centralized power and absolute authority. The name is colloquial. A proper name has not yet been approved by the many committees that insist on having a say in the matter.

Rockbreaker Empire

Control cities of any kind

This nation traces its origin to a slave uprising at a quarry. Normally, such uprisings would be slaughtered to the last sapient, and this one nearly was. However, Dakal (the nation that controlled the area) had expanded with such wild abandon that its military resources were too exhausted for the task.

Second Expedition

Control cities of any kind
Starts with an unusually large stockpile of resources

After the founding of the Fever Kingdom, some Feverlings felt the need to try to replicate the success elsewhere. That was the First Expedition (it failed). The Second Expedition is driven by the more pragmatic need to find a new home after being expelled at the end of an internal power struggle.

Silent Tribe

Destroy factions by conquering their capitals
May not acquire new cities outside the Screaming Forest while not in complete control of that region

While Gorger tribes normally worship a pantheon of celestial spirits, the Silent Tribe worships a sinister voice from underground. It tells them about the Great Silence, when all life on Urukon will be dead and the world will be still. The tribe sees it as its destiny to help bring this end about.

The Eclectarchy

Acquire relics using the Excavate action, or by capturing the capitals of other factions

The isolation and relative resource scarcity of the Coral Maze has given rise to a society where ideas carry more cachet than property. To stand for election, one must present a vision for the future, and specify how many years it'll take to accomplish that vision. The winner gets to serve for as long as they originally quoted.

The Fist

Gain a higher total population
Respond is 50% cheaper in the Midden region

A league of self-proclaimed freedom fighters based out of the labyrinthine warren-cities of Midden. They aspire to free the sapients of the world from the yoke of caste and social stratum. Taking the revolution outside of the Fist's well-protected heartland has, however, proven difficult.

The Hegemony

Control finished landmarks

The Old Empire of the Mugats created the Hakkatas to help end the final few wars it needed to win. The Hakkatas rebelled, and the Empire ceased to exist. The Hegemony is a creation of these Hakkatas, who want the world to see them as wise builders, and not just violent beasts.

Tribe of the Star

Control specially marked cities
May not acquire new cities outside the Screaming Forest while not in complete control of that region

The final bastion of Gorger traditionalism. This tribe reveres the Gorger pantheon in the proper order, with the Steady Star at the head. For many, this offers a refreshing contrast from the Chirping Tribe's drug-fueled orgies of violence, and the Silent Tribe's stark nihilism.

Unbroken Path

Stockpile the History resource
Excavation has a +25% chance to find relics

A monastic state based out of a derelict bunker complex in the middle of the Glass Desert. They seek to preserve the collected knowledge of this world, until civilization is once again ready for it.

United Cantons

Acquire the Goods resource using the Trade action (other sources don't count)

The mercantile city-states of Singsong don't like each other very much. But they like foreigners even less. Thus, they maintain a tenuous military alliance to preserve each other's independence.

Vermilion Court

Acquire citizens belonging to the Palace Lord culture

The Court styles itself as the government-in-exile of the Old Empire. Recently, its ruling family has been shown to be impostors, with no link to the ruling dynasty of the Empire. The Court of course denies this, but outraged border margraves have nevertheless risen in rebellion.

Western Margraves

Gain a higher total population
May not gain cities at the expense of the Eastern Margraves while the Vermilion Court still lives

Once the Vermilion Court's fabricated legitimacy was exposed, its border margraves rose up in rebellion. Those in the east and the west have coalesced around different visions for the future. The more sparsely populated west sees the jealously centralized control of the Old Empire as a mistake to be corrected.

Zalanika

Control specially marked cities

A former colony of the Old Empire, frequently used as a dumping ground for exiles, prisoners, and other undesirables. Officially, Zalanika recognizes the Vermilion Court as its lawful overlord. However, the distance between the two makes this recognition an empty gesture.

Next: Regions To Index