upon Khitus’s most treasured, dwindling resource into unassailable political might that forces many tribal rulers to bow to them rather than the reverse These are but a few of the many challenges ahead The balance between tribal and factional power coincides with the enormous climactic difficulties across Khitus They reinforce the cataclysmic change that has descended upon the world, and how each struggle resolves itself paints a bit more on the canvass of the shifting world Faction versus Faction Most Khitan factions recognize each other primarily as competing threats Each one pursues such a specific agenda that each monitors (and works to counter) any potential competition out of respect or fear Each action demands a balanced reaction within an intricate game, of which the game pieces are the Khitan people The games within games never end, all played seemingly for the game’s sake since complete agendas are nigh impossible to ascertain Whole plots conclude, rekindle, and conclude again with little fanfare Subtle as they are, the machinations among the factions can mean life or death, and everyone of import should know his or her place within them or suffer the consequences The most overt and inevitable conflict between factions rises between the Shadazim and the Trakeen, since they both sell appeals of faith to the same desperate flocks The struggling masses can embrace the worship of an ancient god as readily as an absent Dragon King, as both factions know Theirs is a direct competition where absolute demonstrations of righteousness are difficult They both dazzle the new faithful with simple displays, so success depends upon subtlety … and treachery Where Shadazim and Trakeen meet, palpable tension pollutes the air between them, and the wary yield neutral ground that never remains so for long Similarly, the Gare Attessa and Water Guild find themselves in direct conflict despite having very distinct agendas and origins Wherever water resources are stressed to the limits, both groups find strength for different reasons The Raetanni assert authority based on perceived water needs, which can undermine an existing ruler That perceived weakness simultaneously gives the Chroniclers opportunity to dig deeper into that sovereign’s affairs The power often grows simultaneously in the same place, leading to a three-fold battle for control Knowing this, few welcome Raeten interference in a local water situation, just as the Chroniclers naturally 164 resist Guild assertions that “desperate times” justify their harsh measures Other factional conflicts covertly rage just beneath the social veneers of civilization • Every Khitan faction employs informants, enforcers, thugs, and spies to further their ends, whether benevolent or nefarious, and undermine others • Kuad Ahir who display their mental talents enrage the magic colleges; the Dramidgeth and Rakarth are not above employing lies (or assassins) to enrage a populace already skeptical of such powers • The Quath Manhar, certain their enforced protection is just and necessary, are at odds with the Pale, whom they regard as a blight upon the land • Most factions are so uncertain of the Yenfansa that they keep a wary eye upon any Devil’s Child in their midst, ready to employ savage methods whenever they perceive a threat These conflicts make everyone’s existence on Khitus more precarious Everyone knows if you cross the wrong person, you get a knife in the ribs or poison in your cup Few outside of royal courts understand the dangers of befriending the wrong person Just as the world’s climate is in the balance, so too is Khitan political power, and many fight for their shares The factions already upset traditional tribal loyalties, and any failure to assert their agendas carries the risk of expulsion from local or regional situations entirely They are all capable of monstrous acts to keep themselves relevant, justifying them by their own policies and politics Woe to the traveler ignorant of these allegiances and conflagrations, for he is certainly lost Factions versus Themselves Subtler still are the internal conflicts within each faction What does it take for one Chronicler to turn upon another or one Rakart to offer his fruit to a rival and add him to his chain? The Nyutu troupes keep their distance from each other, relying upon the uniqueness of their entertainments to eke out livings Shadazim of different gods are at once allies and adversaries, depending on each god’s virtues, and the same can be said of the Trakeen and their varied Daragkarik All of the magic colleges disparage or outright loathe the others On the surface, the Pale seem the most unified, though none know the inner intricacies of their organization and they may hide cutthroat ruthlessness behind their draperied palanquins