Factions

The nations of Paradigm are host to many orders on many levels. Some are tiny whilst others are huge, some are malevolent whilst some are benevolent. Members of these orders are always grounded in their convictions, nobody every joins an order just to 'try it out.' Members of these orders can be found throughout Paradigm, but each of them have specific areas that the majority of the orders issue from.

The Swords of God
The Swords of God are a militant religious order whom believe that all other races beside human are both a mistake in nature and an active threat to human superiority, The Swords are committed to complete genocide of all non-human species but they can be extremely helpful and generous when dealing with humans. They donate generously to human charities and causes, including offering themselves as bodyguards, guards to merchant caravans, and providing aid to the needy. Despite this, Swords are merciless killers when it comes to all non-human races, Oddly, the Order has yet to be named a terrorist organization or banned from societies.
 * Type: Religious
 * Open to: Humans only
 * Outlook: Malevolent
 * Base of Operations: Al-Kabir

The Janes
The Janes are an order dedicated to spreading peace, harmony, and unity. Named after the famous Minister Andream Malcon Jane who was martyred for her belief, the Janes believe that all life, all creatures great and small, and indeed all single individuals have a specific purpose in life and the Order dedicates itself to helping said individuals find that purpose. The Janes are made up largely of Priests, Teachers, Ministers, and Zealots and they can often be found running homeless shelters, educational institutions, and centers of philosophy. Janes often work with specific individuals as hirelings, advisers, and teachers.
 * Type: Social
 * Open To: Any race
 * Outlook: Benevolent
 * Base of Operations: The Pradamir Savannah

The Order of Heaven and Earth
If any sentence in the Eastern Dynasty can inspire terror. that sentence is The Order of Heaven and Earth. Formed by the four singularly most powerful Elementalists whom ever lived: Tiantang (Heaven), Diqiu (Earth), Huo (Fire), and Shui (Water) This Order specializes in assassination. The entire membership is made up of the most dangerous killers in Paradigm, and they specialize in high ranking individuals such as rulers, nobles, law makers, and generally anyone that the ruling Damiyo feels is a threat. Their prices are outrageous but their reputation is spotless: The never fail to execute their target and relentlessly pursue that target until the mission is complete. The Order of Heaven and Earth are the Masters of the Masters, the organizers and leaders of the 13th Hour.
 * Type: Militant
 * Open to: Easterlings only
 * Outlook: Malevolent
 * Base of Operations: The Eastern Dynasty

The Puren
The Puren believe that the sins of humanity will come back to destroy them. They believe that the gods created the races as servants and helpers, and that the races in turn rebelled against their creators. Because of this, the Gods are biding their time until they return and teach their wayward children a lesson. The Puren thus move from community to community, using their formidable;e influence, wealth, and-if needed-military prowess to put humanity back on the right track so the Gods will be appeased. The Puren believe that one day, and one day soon, the retribution will begin when one singular Easterling Elementalist does what no Elementalist can do: Master and control all four elements. This being, The Avatar, will be the herald of the Gods' wrath and alone can put the world back into balance and prevent the Gods from wiping everything out and starting all over again.
 * Type: Religious
 * Open to: Any race
 * Outlook: Philosophical
 * Base of Operations: The Eastern Dynasty

UPDATE: When the Puren learned about Fam, they went into a frenzy of excitement. In the Dynasty they have become alarming, as there are reports of many Puren arming themselves is anticipation of the 'holy war' that Fam will soon propogate.

The Golden Orb
The Order of the Golden Orb is a religious organization dedicated to spreading the Way, which is the official state religion of the Empire. The Way is the worship of The World Tree as Creator and Guide of Life and the religious tenets and precepts follow this tradition. Because the Order is so immensely large and powerful it has garnered quite a new enemies both within Government and without and, sadly, sometimes church officials do become corrupt as lose sight of their calling under the effects of power and authority. On the whole, however, the Order is good and prosperous and does whatever it can to make life easy for the needy. Soup kitchens, financial assistance, and sometimes even legal assistance are all provided to those known to be followers of The Way. Both the Order's influence and power are very great. It is a very old organization, with very old ties to government, education, and financial institutions and for tens of millions of people it is the safe haven in the sea of the world's evils. Members and priests can be immediately recognized by the symbol of The Way: A golden sun on a white background.
 * Type: Religious
 * Open to: Any
 * Outlook: Conversion, mostly beneficial
 * Origin: The Western Empire

The Order of The Pristine
The Order of the Pristine is a philosophical order established three centuries ago by the venerated monk Yang En, and it has spread throughout the continent. Pristines dedicate themselves to achieving spiritual peace and harmony with all things through truth. Spiritual truth, scientific truth, religious truth, and most importantly personal truth are the tenets of the Pristine. They seek to find truth and meaning in all things, events, thoughts, and people and believe that once one has waged his greatest war: Dispelling the lies we tell ourselves; enlightenment will be attained. Pristine monks are to a one pacifists, using violence only as a means to defend life and never seeing it as the solution to a dilemma. All Pristine monks, male and female alike, wear as little clothing as possible to symbolize that they themselves are truthful and have nothing to hide.
 * Type: Philosophical
 * Open to: Any
 * Outlook: Philosophical
 * Origin: Eastern Dynasty

The Pax Entropica
The Pax Entropica is a well-known terrorist organization operating within the Western Empire. It was founded and led by the master Artificer Dune Celborn, the Lord of Entropy, supposedly after an Imperial nobles treachery lead to the murder of Dune's wife.. The Pax is dedicated to exterminating the Western Empire. With a standing army of at least 1500 made up of spiraggan, Thanes, orcs, goblins, and Harrigan the group commits acts of terrorism such as mass murder, kidnapping, arson, and public executions as it slowly builds toward its goal of 10,000 members, at which point Dune has openly declared that the Pax Entropica will launch a full scale attack against the Western Empire. Emperor Kigh has declared The Lord of Entropy to be public enemy number one and has promised title, land, and holdings to anyone whom can bring the Lord of Entropy to justice.
 * Type: Militant
 * Open to: Evil races
 * Outlook: Terrorist
 * Origin: Western Empire