Blackstaff Tower Factions

The following are the active factions in the Blackstaff Tower campaign. Factions are rated in three scales: Global (up to Rank 50), Regional (up to Rank 25), and Local (up to Rank 10).

Global Factions

Global factions have cells and operatives in many of Faerûn's nations and regions. Rank in Global Factions goes up to Rank 50.

	The Harpers "Down with tyranny. Fairness and equality for all." A scattered network of spellcasters and spies, the Harpers advocate equality and covertly oppose the abuse of power, magical or otherwise.
	The Heralds "We are they who remember, and who judge in accordance with that memory." An order that trains and supports the heralds of all the Realms, responsible for registering heraldry properly, recording the goings-on of high and low, and adjudicating questions of propriety and law brought to them.

Regional Factions

Regional factions have cells and operatives primarily in one of Faerûn's nations or regions, though they may have allies or the occasional outlier in other areas. Rank in Regional Factions goes up to Rank 25.

	Lords' Alliance "Though others may call us a Savage Frontier, we stand as shields against the tide of barbarism." The Lords' Alliance is made up of the myriad agents of the Alliance's member cities: Amphail, Baldur's Gate, Berdusk, Elturel, Gundarlun Island, Iraebor, Leilon, Longsaddle, Mirabar, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, Sundabar, and Waterdeep.
	Order of the Shining Hand "In discipline, contemplation. In contemplation, magic. In magic, enlightenment." The Order of the Shining Hand is a small Northern alliance of monasteries associated with the gods of magic. These monasteries are associated with Mystra and Azuth primarily.

Local Factions

Local factions operate out of a single city or area within a single region. Rank in Local Factions goes up to Rank 10.

	Blackstaff Tower "A spell uncast that might have been put to good benefit is as useless as a spell wastefully cast." The apprentices, former apprentices, and agents of Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, this faction is an informal one, seeking to further the Art and to help control profligate and deadly uses of magic by the unscrupulous. Their power base is in Waterdeep, though there is a scattering of its members around Faerûn.
	Citadel Adbar For Adbar! For Harbromm! For the sons of Moradin! Perhaps the oldest of the dwarven civilizations currently in existence in the North, Citadel Adbar is a mountain-nation of dwarf-folk. They are renowned for their metalworks and their reclusiveness, though they do make a point of maintaining diplomatic relations with those places with a notable dwarven population.
	House Melshimber Only the finest of wine and words. Best known for their scholarly pursuits and fine wines, Waterdhavians in the know like to say that the Melshimbers have combined those two interests to master the art of gossip and information-gathering.
	House Husteem When swords clash, we are there. A House of land-owners and mercenary company owners, the Husteems have a reputation as belligerent and forceful.
	The Iron Ring It is by clanking iron that one turns strength into coin. Operating out of Skullport, the Iron Ring is a new consortium of slavers, dedicated to ending the constant sniping against one anothers' operations. Instead, they have closed ranks against any other slavers in Skullport, and have basically laid claim to a virtual monopoly of slaving in the dark port.
	The Knights in Silver By Moon and by Star, by the Bridge Unseen, and the Lady's Silver Tresses. The Knights in Silver are the fairy-tale knights of Silverymoon, clad in silver and riding to rescue goodly folk from the dangers that threaten them. Based primarily around Silverymoon, it is not unheard of for one of the Knights to occasionally undertake a period where they act as knights-errant, riding out into the world alone as a test of strength, to live their ideals away from the comforts and safety of home.