Factions in Clare

Clare has various organisations and factions, who can help or hinder the task force as a whole, or individual agents. You cannot begin as a formal member of one of these factions, but it is something you can achieve in play.

The Council

The ruling council of Clare is made up of representatives of the other factions, so the Council can be expected to reflect their views based on their influence, as well as the Council having its own goals. This group created the task force and is responsible for providing the majority of the funding. Staying on their good side is likely to be essential, and any subversion of this group should be treated as a serious threat. Losing the support of the Council would not be fatal to the task force once established, but would certainly be a serious blow.

The Council is currently made up of:

House Avanti	Ferros Cabal	House Gabrielli	House de Lumiere
2 seats	2 seats	2 seats	2 seats

The Watch

The Watch have a dual role of law enforcement and militia, and are probably the second most important faction to stay on the good side of. While the Magistrates are generally held to be incorruptibly impartial, regular Watch members are not and a low or high opinion among them may cause problems or make things easier for the task force.

The Magistrates are appointed by the Council for their dedication to upholding the Law; these positions are not available to player characters, but other positions in the Watch are. Magistrates hear cases, but most day to day practical decisions are made by the regular rank structure in the Watch. The Watch report to the Council, but the Magistrates also have judicial oversight and can veto instructions they deem unconstitutional.

While the Watch wear whatever clothing matches their cultural preference, they’ve retained the distinctive burnt orange tabards as uniform from the days when Clare was with the Enclaves.

House Avanti

House Avanti were minted in the immediate aftermath of the secession from the Enclaves, made up of those who led the move to indendence. Avanti is essentially a trading conglomerate and is very rich because of it. House Avanti is currently the most influential bloc in the council, and has a vested interest in open borders so that it can maintain its trade income and influence.

Ferros Cabal

The old ruling Cabal of Clare. House Avanti, supported by trade profits and Venucci investment, rose above them in power and influence after the secession. Ferros are the most significant opponent of House Avanti on the Council, favouring a more militaristic stance for Clare, leveraging their strategic position to make solid military alliances and building up the city’s defences, rather than Avanti’s softer approach of political and trade agreements. Ferros Cabal can be recognised by their distinctive tags with the Cabal words - "Invictum Ferros" or "IF".

House Gabrielli

House Gabrielli are a House that relatively recently rose to prominence, known for various “commercial enterprises”. It’s a fairly open secret that much of their power and influence comes from criminal activities. House Gabrielli are also adept at gathering information, both within Clare and in the foreign nations.

House de Lumiere

A House very interested in scientific advancement. House de Lumiere advocate for greater use of alchemy and science in the daily life of Clare and secondarily for closer links with Venucci, which puts them at frequent odds with Asura Cabal.

Asura Cabal

A Cabal largely interested in furthering its understanding of thaumaturgy. Asura Cabal advocate for greater use of thaumaturgy in Clare and secondarily for closer links to the Enclaves, which puts them at frequent odds with House de Lumiere. Asura Cabal can be recognised by their distinctive white tags with black mask.

Maddonite Church

The Maddonite Church has an organised structure in Clare and is accepted as speaking for the Maddonite faith the city. The Church formerly held a seat on the Council, but lost the position to House Gabrielli when they rose to prominence. Representatives of the Maddonite Church almost always wear blue flowers, the symbol of the Church.