14. Factions of Rin

THE SHELLS OF LIGHT
The Shells of Light are a group from the southern land of Sarnath. Since the curse took over Rin, they have taken it upon them as their mission to lock away the undead and purge the curse.
Unlike The Way or the Disciples of Order, many of the Shells of Light believe in only one god called Nophis, referred to as Our Maker. Nophis is said to watch over all living things; when one dies, they are beyond Nophis' reach and pass into the afterlife, which they call the Beyond. Many of the Shells see the curse as an affront to Nophis, but the bulk of their forces are made of sellswords that think it is the right thing to do to prevent the curse from consuming the world. They are led by a goat named Bishop Joyce, who is almost never seen in person, served by a council of Advisors. The Shells have taken residence in a former prison named the Tower of Silence, in the heart of Rin, and have expanded to many different forts and villages since. They are easily identified by their red and gray gear. The symbol of the Shells is a horseshoe with an eye in the center: http://i.imgur.com/8XQnDPW.jpg.
The Shells all come with different titles denoting their purpose within their forces:
	Agents are the most common of Shells out in the wilderness. They do most of the dirty work, acting as standard troops to round up the cursed and take them away. They come in many different shapes and sizes, being mostly sellswords. Their uniform is made of cloth and boiled leather, as well as a bandanna over the mouth and nose.
	Mancers serve as additional fighting forces, acting as support. Their most important task is to use their magic to wipe the cursed's immediate memories, so that they are more passive. Many of them are also priests of Nophis, providing both morale and healing spells. Every group is sent with at least one Mancer. They wear long robes and scarves to pull over their lower faces.
	Snatchers are sent when searching for higher profile targets. They are incredibly agile, and masters of stealth. They are not as lethal as others, but they are trained in immobilizing their targets with toxins and traps. They wear very light armor, usually made of only cloth, with masked pull-on hoods.
	Breakers are elite warriors, forgoing subjugation in favor of bloodshed. They are strong, tough and deadly as they come, the majority being buffalos, earth ponies and minotaurs. They carry heavy weapons such as greatswords, war hammers and greataxes, as well as explosives such as firebombs. They serve as shock troops when storming undead hideouts. When near death, a Breaker will enter a berserker rage, blindly charging their targets and doing heavy damage. They wear heavy plate mail armor and tabards with the Shell symbol on it, as well as horned greathelms.
	Skippers are only used in the highest scale missions. They are set in charge of developing siege machines, as well as forging weapons and armor for the Shell forces. If there is a truly massive amount of undead holed up in a fort, village or castle somewhere, Skippers will be on the back lines providing heavy firepower from ballistas, rams and trebuchets. They wear cloth armor as well as bandannas, and also often wear goggles to protect their eyes and enhance their vision. Some Skippers are put in charge of training animals such as war dogs or owlbears for combat.
	Wardens serve as guards in Shell forts and bases, and are seldom seen doing field work. Their job is to prevent the undead from escaping a facility. They usually carry crossbows and a baton. They wear the same gear as Agents, only with their colors inverted.
	Marshals are high ranking Shell troops and tacticians. They are in charge of planning raids on undead settlements, and are in charge of issuing orders. They answer only to Advisors or Bishop Joyce. Their fighting styles are as diverse as an Agent's, although they are not usually the ones to be fighting on the battlefield. Their uniform is made of chainmail with a red and grey tabard. They wear a red cape and a feathered cap to further identify them as Marshals.
	Drones are the menial workers in Shell facilities, and unsuited for proper combat. They wear only a grey tunic with red trimming, as well as do-rags, headbands or caps.
	Advisors are the most elusive of Shells. They are the assistants of Bishop Joyce himself, and serve as a council in the Tower of Silence. They wear red and grey finery, and a golden brooch in the shape of the Shell symbol.
	Couriers are in charge of carrying messages from Marshals or Advisors between one settlement and another. Only the swiftest races are chosen for these tasks, such as pegasi, zebras and griffons. They are not very capable combatants, carrying only a dagger and wooden shield, but are as fast as they come. They wear light cloth armor, along with hooded cloaks to distinguish them as Couriers.
The ultimate goal of the Shells is to break the curse on Rin, but they have also taken it upon themselves to capture those that are cursed, effectively leaving Rin under quarantine and preventing the curse from spreading to the rest of the world.


THE MASKED ONES
The Masked Ones are a mysterious travelling circus troupe known for their strange animal masks which they wear. Despite their odd appearance and behavior, their performances are highly popular in Rin. They were originally formed by the old king Elstred IV's brother Ballum. The full story can be read here: http://pastebin.com/UpdRb6ku
The curse has barely affected the Masked Ones. To this day, they travel the wilds of Rin in a group, steadily growing larger in numbers due to being relatively safe to travel with. Each member wears a distinct animal mask, such as birds, frogs, rabbits, dogs, pigs etc. The leader of the Masked Ones traditionally wears an owl mask, continuing the traditions of Ballum and the first of their kin. This leader is joined by a select group called the Inner Circle, whose masks are all of noticeably higher quality than the rest of the group; they almost look lifelike, fitting over their faces perfectly.
While they are entertainers and performers by tradition (presenting such acts as acrobatics, singing, dancing, juggling, feats of strength, magic tricks and fortune telling), the Masked Ones are in no way a trustful people. They speak their own language to communicate with one another, and some of the Inner Circle are outright derisive of outsiders, calling them 'barefaces'. They are not entirely honest either; some that have interacted with the Masked Ones have found themselves deprived of certain valuables. In addition, it is rumored that the Inner Circle possess strange magical powers to keep the prying out of their camps, but this has yet to be proven.
Up until recently, the Masked Ones were led by a mare named Shoeshine, but they are currently disbanded in light of a recent attack by the Shells of Light. Her and three others are the only ones known to have escaped from the Shells intact. All the rest have been captured and taken to their prisons.

THE DISCIPLES OF ORDER
The Disciples of Order are a population of Crystal Ponies living on the eastern islets of Rin. Unlike the mainland, who follow The Way, the Disciples of Order believe in an omnipotent force as their deity named Norad, or Order. Chaos, being the absence of Order, is a path of sin and transgression, defying the natural state of things. The symbol of the Disciples is a rhombus with an X in it: http://i.imgur.com/5DD1dmK.jpg.
Disciples of Order (known as Brothers or Sisters) must follow a strict code according to their tenets. They are expected to bring balance to all things, acting with moderation and punishing extremism and lavishness. Furthermore, they are forbidden from any form of indulgent behavior, such as drinking or eating in excess. Those who break their laws are given an option of either a trial by jury or trial by combat, where they or an elected champion fight to the death against a second champion elected by the tribune. In this manner, Order is said to make his will known through the two combatants. The punishment is to be cast into the Great Maze, a vast cave system underneath the ocean floor supposedly home to an entity known as the Adjudicator.
Elite paladins of Order are known as the Shallow Brigade, and are an uncommon sight on the mainland due to their ascetic lifestyles. The leader of the Faith of Order, known as the Earthmover, is hardly ever seen at all, and when they are they always have their face concealed, being clad in yellow garbs. The Earthmover does not speak, but has a priest known as a Vessel that speaks the Earthmover's wisdom for them.
The training of a Disciple involves 90 days and 90 nights of being blindfolded. Through their sight deprivation, a Disciple will be granted a higher purpose by Order and see with their third eye. They can only eat once a day and subsist on water, and are only clad in a ragged robe. Furthermore, initiates are taught to abnegate the self, as vanity is the domain of the Chaos. An initiate of Order will never speak of themselves directly, instead referring to themselves as "it". When the 90 days and nights are complete, they are visited by the Earthmover and Vessel themselves and declared a proper Disciple.

THE RESISTANCE
There appears to be an underground rebellion of cursed ones that seeks to overthrow the Shells of Light, led by someone simply known as Doom. Almost nothing is known about them, however.

THE CAPRICONS
The Capricons are a proud race of dark-coated goats with white spots and six spiraling horns. They are the original inhabitants of where Lomar is today, and once had a great city there called Capra. In old times, Capra was said to have been the most beautiful city in Rin; however, it was destroyed in the year 10 52 by dragons, angered because the Capricons would not stop killing their young; they would steal dragon eggs from their nests and hollow them, decorating the shells and using them as lanterns. The remaining Capricons retreated to the nearby hills, living in a single settlement.
The Capricons abhor outsiders, resenting the fact that Lomar was built on their once-mighty city. They keep to themselves, being outright hostile towards ponies, especially those from Lomar. They have been known to answer with rage and disgust at merely being greeted, even attacking and attempting to kill those that stray on their grounds. Nevertheless, the people of Lomar left food outside the walls of the city for the Capricons, for they did not farm. They had no choice but to accept this begrudgingly. Now that Lomar and the rest of Rin has fallen to the curse, the Capricons are dwindling in numbers, seldom seen outside of the hills they inhabit.
The Capricons follow a unique religion that worships a god of fire named Yazkur-El. They worship flame and light in all forms, shunning darkness. Capricons are not allowed to be seen during the night, retreating to their homes and singing prayers to their god to bring the dawn. They are also known and feared for their ritual sacrifices via immolation, believing that their god will bring them great prosperity if they do so. The more renowned and powerful the individual, the greater the prosperity brought upon them by the sacrifice. However, these sacrifices are only done in times of dire need, if there is no other option.
Their sacrificial beliefs extend to their prowess as fighters. The highest aspiration of a Capricon warrior is a glorious death in battle with an enemy, so that their god may accept their sacrifice and not only grant their people boons but provide the warrior with eternal ecstacy in the next life. A martyrdom in defense of their allies is considered to be even better. When a Capricon senses his time is near, he will enter a berserker state and charge willingly to his death, taking as many foes with him as he can. The more eyes that bear witness to his deeds, the greater the reward will be for all Capricons involved. Other practices of the Capricons include the use of red, orange and yellow paints and dyes to distinguish themselves, ritual scarring of the face and upper torso, and gazing into flames to glimpse visions of the future. It is also a common practice among Capricons to conjure fire with their bare hooves, known throughout Rin as pyromancy. They are known to use it in their rituals, or to attack their enemies in combat. Pyromancy is relatively common throughout the known world, but only the Capricons use it in such a dramatic manner.