The city is run by five wizard factions.
That’s not hyperbole. Every guild, every street patrol, every merchant contract, every courthouse, it all traces back to one of the Five. If you want to live in Wuh-Zhei, you align. If you want power, you swear to a faction.
That’s the system. That’s the deal.
Eighty years ago, the Senate fractured. Three factions formed a voting bloc. One withdrew. One went rogue. And from that void, something began to rise, not another school of magic, from under the rubble of the lowest plates of the city…
A faith.
The Senate
After liberating themselves from the tyranny of the three gods, wizardry became the only thing left holding reality together. Four of the five wizard factions are a fusion of opposing schools. The overlap of each opposing school’s philosopy forged into doctrine.
- The Paragons — Evocation + Abjuration
Stability through strength. Shields, fire, and moral certainty. - The Optimists — Conjuration + Necromancy
Creation and recreation. Everything always has a chance to matter or be matter or be recycled. - The Transneuroclasts — Enchantment + Transmutation
They shape minds and matter alike. Change is their avatar, you will be improved. - The Gilded Gaze — Divination + Illusion
They see everything. Or think they do. The truth doesn’t matter if it’s believed. - The Chronomancers — Time
They aren’t a fusion. They’re a foundation. The clockwork between the gears. The faction that keeps things moving.
Together, these five hold the city in delicate equilibrium. Not peace—just balance. Barely.
And Then There’s the New Faith
No arcane formulas. No sigils. No spells written by ancient hands.
The New Faith channels divine magic through belief alone. It’s raw, responsive, and rising fast in the cracks left behind by wizardry. Some call it a miracle. Others call it heresy.
But no one’s ignoring it anymore.
About Those Pins
Everyone in Wuh-Zhei has a pin. It’s more than a badge, it’s identity, allegiance and even access. A physical magical sigil keyed to your faction. If you were born in the city, you got one before you had teeth.
The above six factions are ‘the pinned.’ Players choose which they belong to at character creation. It’s not optional.
Yes, it comes with mechanics.
Yes, it will matter.
Yes, people will check it.
More on that soon.
