Factions in Runes of Magic are not what
I have come to expect in an MMOG. Most of the time the factions are
at odds with each other and when you “get in good” or raise your
reputation with them you gain certain benefits. Well in Runes of
Magic they are simply a piece of lore. There is only really a good
side and a bad side in Runes.

The humans and the elves
worked
together to cure what ever is plaguing the wold at this time. So all
the playable characters in game got along with all of the NPC's in
all of the cities. As a human you could even travel to the elven
starting area or vice versa. So since I had set out to bring
information to you all about the factions in the game, I’ll give
you a closer look at the lore portion since they really don't effect
game play at all, at least not directly.

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While the faction groups
below have no
real impact on the game you will run into them from time to time.
Outside of the title under their name its hard to tell them apart. You
will probably interact with those from the Phirius Workshops more
frequently than any other as they seem to give out daily quests and
also you can buy stuff from them through out the game. So if you spot
one of the faction members in the land of Taborea

Factions

The Eye of Wisdom – This is
a group
of politically active mages and researchers. They collect
information about the old world; specifically that of the magical
variety. They do this both for their own knowledge and as they see
it for the good of Varanas.

The Order of the Dark Glory
– The
original army of Varanas formed out of a group called the
“association of steel group”. Those that call themselves by this
name are no longer directly associated with Varanas. Those who still
serve the city are now called The Guard of Varanas. The order of the
Dark Glory are the elite fighters from the “association of steel
group” and now maintain the largest mercenary training facility
called the Obsidian fortress. Many leaders are sent here for combat
training and understand what it truly means to lead.

Adventuring Guild:
Silvershadow
– A
group of people who took it upon themselves to train all of the
pioneers that have come and will come to Varanas in the art of basic
combat and survival so that they may live.

The Guard of Varanas – When
the elite
fighters left to venture deeper into the wild areas those that were
left behind were fostered by the Silvershadow to form the Guard of
Varanas. They remain there to this day keeping peace in the city and
surrounding areas.

The Council of Varanas – A
group that
is loosely tied together that forms the governing bodies of Varanas.
They are made up of several of the other prominent groups in Varanas
such as the Guard, the SilverShadow and the Eye.

Ailics Fellowship – Ailic
was a mage
in the Eye who mysteriously disappeared one day. About a year later
a person showed up claiming to be Ailic and started gathering people
from all walks of life and even some of the more despised races.
Since that time they have become known as the foremost group in
almost every vein of research.

The Vahtos Academy – The
Vahtos holds
a certain amount of mystery, taking its name from its leader who is
rumored to have been alive for over 200 years. Most do not believe
this as they just think it is now a title that is passed from one
leader to the next. None however dispute the fact that he is the
most powerful mage in all the land.

The Holy Circle – This is
essentially
the church for Runes of Magic. Just like in life some people support
and follow while others don't. Outside of that they don't seem to be
that active.

Phirius Workshops – The
craftsmen of
the land. Those that are members of the Phirius are masters of their
trade and work tirelessly to become so. The leader holds the title
“Grandmaster Phirius” and it has been such for hundreds of years. While
they claim their main focus is in architecture and
construction they are masters in every trade and often travel to very
dangerous locations to obtain the rarest of materials. So if you
want something of quality it’s wise to seek somebody from the
Phirius Workshops out.

Zurhidon – The group to end
all
groups. They attract the most highly trained from all of the other
groups. They are said to be in possession of the Zurhidon Stone
Tablet which has the names of all of the lands demons arranged in a
magical order. They also say that all of their actions are directed
by the Enigma. Nobody knows if this is the rumored Enigma Rune which
is said to be a rune that possesses more power than all other runes
combined or an actual person. Either way the Zurhidon are known for
their ruthless pursuit of whatever it is that they want. Put simply
if they ask for something you give it to them or die.

As you can see, many of the
factions in
Runes revolve around magic which makes sense given the nature of the
game. There is an amazing core for lore that can go on and on for
quite some time. I even see a possibility for some type of alignment
or reputation added to the game surrounding all factions except maybe
the Zurhidon.

An example of how they
could
incorporate one group like “The Order of the Dark Glory” would
be play on the fact that they are a mercenary group. So if you were
closely aligned with the Order through the quests you choose then
when you entered the town you would be ignored unless you
specifically addressed somebody in which they would suddenly treat
you like you were their most favored champion. There could also be a
back ally area used for a black market that you could only enter into
if you were aligned with the appropriate groups. I would even be
super excited if the incorporated a form of decisions through quests
and that is what set up your alignment.

The options are endless as
to what they
could do and how they could set up the faction alignment options. So
play on and tell us what you think about the faction and how they
might incorporate a new faction alignment into the game.


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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