Factions of Stormspire

It's time to share some of Shipspire's factions (and their stats). You can read more about what the faction stats (influence, impression, etc.) mean here.

All of these factions will be active in the city by the time my players visit. Some might have more prominent roles in the story, while others will be in the background. I'm sure my players will pull a switcheroo and get invested in the background factions, but that's the joy of running games.

High Captain

The island of Stormspire is ruled by a High Captain, an elected leader who rules for 2 years before a vote of all the other pirate captains is called. A High Captain uses their own wealth and men to run and patrol the town.

Stormspire is getting close to the end of the second year under High Captain Aldrich Stormspire (the High Captain traditionally takes Stormspire as their surname during their rule).

High Captain Aldrich and his followers have gotten used to the luxury and power that the High Captaincy brings and want to keep the title. The High Captain has been looking for ways to expand his wealth and has fostered a budding relationship between his faction and the Relic Hunters Guild, which has a direct link to the wealthiest people in Empyrean.

Faction Stats
Type [pirate, government]
Influence: 3
Impression: 5
Relationships
Relic Hunters Guild: Ally
Cult of the Howling Wind: Rival
Cult of the Eye: Neutral
Storm Delvers: Neutral
Smugglers Coalition: Neutral

Relic Hunters Guild

The Relic Hunters Guild is the only legal guild in Stormspire, at least from an outsider's perspective. They are headquartered in Empyrean and their charter is to find ruins and explore them, returning any scrolls, tomes, or relics to the Magi in Empyrean. Relic Hunters get paid handsomely for their spoils.

Their objective—securing all magic items for Empyrean's powerful—puts them at odds with most of the other factions on the island, who wish to buy, sell, or transport such illicit goods to folks other than high-handed Magi.

In a major turn of events, the High Captain has been giving this guild more preferential treatment, a stark change from the disdain that past High Captains have offered.

Faction Stats
Type [bureaucratic, treasure hunter]
Influence: 2
Impression: 3
Relationships
High Captain: Ally
Cult of the Howling Wind: Rival
Cult of the Eye: Neutral
Storm Delvers: Rival
Smugglers Coalition: Rival

Cult of the Howling Wind

As mentioned in a previous post, the Cult of the Howling Wind is mostly treasure hunters and raiders; no one really likes them. But one of their kind has decided on a reckless gambit. Zula, self-proclaimed Stormbringer, also known as the Storm Witch, has thrown her hat into the ring for the High Captaincy.

Not too many people are happy about the current High Captain buddying up to the Relic Hunters Guild, or the taxes he's has been levying on the docks and warehouses. Zula promises to return the island to its roots as a town free of oversight and burdensome taxes. Most are distrustful of her and the cult, but she has been attracting a not-insignificant minority of supporters.

Faction Stats
Type [religious, pirate]
Influence: 2
Impression: 3
Relationships
High Captain: Rival
Relic Hunters Guild: Rival
Cult of the Eye: Rival
Storm Delvers: Rival
Smugglers Coalition: Rival

Cult of the Eye

This is a new religious cult that has formed in Stormspire; you can read more about them in this post. They are mostly ignored by the other factions, but have slowly been attracting new followers amongst the citizenry and sailors.

Faction Stats
Type [religious]
Influence: 1
Impression: 2
Relationships
High Captain: Neutral
Relic Hunters Guild: Neutral
Cult of the Howling Wind: Rival
Storm Delvers: Neutral
Smugglers Coalition: Neutral

Storm Delvers

The Storm Delvers are a group of salvagers and treasure hunters; they make their living stripping the wrecks of both merchant and pirate ships that end up in the Worldstorm. When those pickings are slim, they explore the isles in hopes of discovering ancient relics to sell.

Faction Stats
Type [salvager, treasure hunter]
Influence: 2
Impression: 2
Relationships
High Captain: Neutral
Relic Hunters Guild: Rival
Cult of the Howling Wind: Rival
Cult of the Eye: Neutral
Smugglers Coalition: Ally

Smugglers Coalition

A loose coalition of smugglers—although they prefer to style themselves as merchants. They typically act independently but when dealing with the other factions, and especially during an election periods, they make sure their voices are heard.

Until recently, they were strong supporters of the current High Captain, but most of them are not fans of his new relationship with the Relic Hunters Guild. They are also not supporters of Zula Stormbringer's bid for the High Captaincy and are looking for a captain to support in the upcoming election.

Faction Stats
Type [merchant]
Influence: 2
Impression: 2
Relationships
High Captain: Neutral
Relic Hunters Guild: Rival
Cult of the Howling Wind: Rival
Cult of the Eye: Neutral
Storm Delvers: Ally

What do you think: enough factions to make things interesting in a mid-sized pirate town? Do any catch your attention? As a player, what factions might you might to dig into deeper? Are there any types of factions that you feel are missing? Let me know in the comments!

Next up, I've been working on pirate stat blocks! These stat blocks can apply to any ancestry and will hopefully have some interesting interactions—think knocking people and being knocked off ships!