need help coming up with factions.

[Queshire]

I need some help coming up with various factions and organizations for my setting.

Some explanation; my latest setting stands on the brink of war. Something happened to the Emperor. Some say he's dead, some say he's dying, some say he got sick of all the responsibility. Nobody knows for sure. The Royal Palace says that everything is just fine and to go about your business but nobody believes them as the Emperor hasn't been seen.

Now, the Emperor is vital to running of the Empire. Before he came about it was a bunch of small kingdoms and city states fighting amongst themselves. The Emperor managed to unite them by being the biggest and baddest guy of the lot. The threat of the Emperor's wrath and the ability to make that wrath come true through overwhelming force was key to keeping peace in his domain.
SO! With how important the Emperor is to the Empire nobody can predict what would happen if the Emperor was gone. Now that it's seemingly happened everyone is gathering up as much power as they can and trying to get rid if any power that might threaten them while they wait for the other shoe to drop and the massive power struggle to start in earnest.

Like I said, I need some help coming up with who this everyone is. I know I want to have primarily factions and organizations instead of single people or geographical locations. I have a certain flavour I want so it's nothing against you personally if I don't go with your suggestions or end up tweaking them a bit. I could come up with all the factions myself, but I think you guys would be able to think up things I wouldn't. (Also I'm lazy)

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[ThinkerX]

Factions...

Ok...

1) Merchants Guild - got stinking rich under the emperor, pretending very hard everything is ok. Not exactly popular.

2) Priestly faction One - the dominants. This bunch became the dominant religion because of the emperors influence - he effectively made them the state religion, aka Constantine. However, they've always thought the empire would be better as a theocracy.

3) Priestly faction Two - the outcasts. This is a collection of faiths which didn't do to well under the emperor. At best they're tolerated, often as not they are actively persecuted. They see the vanishing of the emperor as a chance for a comeback.

4) The Old Guard - nobility from around the empire that found themselves sidelined while the emperor was in power - maybe they were shunted off into a ceremonial rubber stamp 'senate', and used that as a base to hatch plans. Some are fairly decent, as nobles go, but others are basically pond slime in fine clothing. They want more power. They might try allying themselves with one or another of the priestly factions.

5) The Underclass. Empires tend to be tough on those at the bottom of the heap - brutal taxes and brutal treatment. Slave and serf revolts were major issues both in the roman empire and middle ages on earth. So, with the emperor out of sight, this bunch is aiming for nothing less than an all out systemic revolt. No friends, except *maybe* one or another of the priestly factions, and then only in a limited way. These guys manifest mostly through an inexhaustible supply of agitators - hang one, and three more materialize out of the wood work, plus there are always rumors of minor rebellions and escapes attributed to them.

6) The Military. One of the top Generals is thinking that the imperial throne would look a lot better with his butt plopped in it, and a bit of military discipline would be just the thing the empire needs at this point. Now, if you have several generals thinking this, and they can't come to terms...welcome to the age of military anarchy.

 

[nightbug08]

Mmm those are the standard 'empire at it's own throat' factions. It might be interesting to add some sort of outside power, barbarians from somewhere or other, just to turn up the pressure and to get them all to cooperate in the end.

 

[ALB2012]

Rival claimant's
whoever it was who got deposed for the emperor to take charge
The 'people' - someone has heard about democracy/meritocracy/republics or whatever and thinks it is a good idea to try
Prophet (thinking Paul Mo'adib from Dune)
No one can rule alone - it is impossible (ask the tzars) so there will be an administration, a council, a set of governors etc. To deal with the outlying regions, to administer the daily boring tasks his majesty doesn't have time or inclination to deal with - tax, food allowance, ordering pens, paying wages etc. Some senior civil servant/grand vizier/high councillor who thinks she can do a better job.

Also what about other races? Is there just one race? Are there classes? Are women on an equal footing to men? Joan of Arc/suffragettes/Empress Maud.

Seer - oracle etc.

Maybe it is just some loudmouth who by force of personality and a big gob has gathered followers - there will always be SOMEONE upset with the status quo.

Maybe the emperor is the good guy - he united the country - maybe he isn't evil but he DOES need to do what needs to be done to keep the country together (think Vetanari from Discword). Maybe there are some who profit from war - slavers, mercenaries, armies, weapons dealers?

 

[skip.knox]

I can think of no better source than the Byzantines. A close second would the the Ottomans. You could turn to the Russians but that's even more complicated than the other two.

Byzantines I know better than Ottomans. So:

Janissaries. That is, a military faction normally the Emperor's elite guard but now either without their Emperor or maybe already suborned.

Monks. The monasteries play a huge role in Byzantine history. The usual tension was between the Patriarch and the monks (though sometimes they were allies). In any event, the monks were adept at stirring up the mob.

Popular factions; most famously, the Reds and the Greens, who were essentially betting factions at the Hippodrome. They got connected to controlling neighborhoods and to organized crime and so wielded much power. One of their riots got so bad they nearly overthrew the emperor.

Rural nobles. Armenians particularly, but others. I know you said no geography, but these regional loyalties got duplicated at court, so even if I thought you were an idiot, if we were both Georgians or Serbs or whatever, we'd stick together in a crisis. The rumored death of the emperor would qualify.

An ousted dynasty. These were often blinded and/or tonsured and packed away to monasteries. But they were still out there and they could still stir up trouble.

Oh, and a postscript. The reason why all this happened in Constantinople is because of the city's overwhelming importance. We don't see anything like this in the Holy Roman Empire, for example, in part because there was no German equivalent of Constantinople. The city was so big, so rich, so historically important, commercially powerfully, spiritually dominant, that anybody who was anybody had a house there at the very least, and contrived to spend at least part of the year there. Your own world will be more believable if your main imperial city is similarly dominant.


Hope that helps!

 

[GroundedTraveler]

Love the Constantinople history stuff.

My two thoughts: Often in these sorts of fights three is a "royalist" faction. A group that just wants to keep things the same and in the absence of their king/emperor will look for an heir. Yes all of the factions are likely to be looking for someone that will replace the emperor, these guys are looking for as little change in the overall situation as possible.

What we have been talking about here have been faction-classifications. You wouldn't necessarily need one of each. Two military factions for example with pretty similar motivations could exist and yet still be opposing the other. Or not. Factions that combine, change allegiance or other forms of betrayal can make for interesting stories if characters are caught between them. (Or better yet behind those betrayals).

 

[Asura Levi]

ThinkerX gave you a neat list, you could add to it heirs, legitimate or otherwise.
Maybe one of those generals was really close to the emperor and help him uniting everyone. Now that the emperor is gone he believes that he is to succeed instead of that young brat who hadn't fought the bloody wars.
Or the emperor might not have a child and some relative (from those nobles) think his youngster, and therefore himself as regent. Even worst if the emperor had a daughter and succession laws are a bit confused, if not completely nonexistent.

You can do a lot with the list you have so far, mixing matching then would create dozens of different conflicts. And besides those who want the throne itself, that is always those who are a bit less 'selfish' and just want that very fertile/productive province they already take care, therefore starting a rebellion for independence, etc...

You have a big bomb in you hand man, let it explode,

 

[Gurkhal]

What strikes me is that there should be a shitload of different separatists and patriots just waiting to win back their independence since the empire is so new. So pretty much a faction for every city-state or former kingdom that can clash with both pro-empire groups as well as with each others as old hates flare.

 

[crash]

Can I just ask what the level of technology and society of your world? If it's Medieval, then the factions would probably be on the lines of imperial family vs. nobility vs. clergy vs merchants vs peasants/serfs. If we're talking more on the industrial side, than it might be more like imperial family and nobility vs government and/or military (military could side with the imperial family/nobles) and/or middle class (could side with the lower classes) vs the working class.

And, to add to this, maybe take into consideration political philosophies. Is there anyone who wants to change how the empire is run? Are there groups how would want a constitutional monarchy and limit the Emperor's power. Is there anyone who wants to establish a republic, or does the military want to set up their own government run as a junta. Are there people going out to the workers, peasants and serfs promising to free them from the tyranny of the capitalist (or mercantilist) elite for a socialist tomorrow. Do those with religious power want to establish a theocracy, and if so, is going to be like Renaissance Rome or post-1979 Revolution Iran? Also, what is the religion like on a structural level? Are we talking the Byzantine politics and bureaucracy of Roman Catholicism, or the intense focus on law that several schools of Islam? And separatists? What about them? Do they just want some autonomy? Or are they looking for full independence? And on top of that, do the separatists want their old monarchs back, or do they want something completely new?