Editing The Endless Wilds (section)

=People of the Post-Bloom World=
In these trying times, it’s easy to be shoehorned into a particular profession. Such choices are limited these days, but are vital to the success of mankind even in these circumstances. But there is one profession more important than the others, that of the '''Hunter'''. Hunters come from just about all walks of life, be it martial, social, professional, Magical... the diverse nature of Hunters make them the best (if only) group to actually go out into the Wilds and tame it, inch by inch, gathering the resources it has to offer. Odds are that a player will be portraying a Hunter in the course of a story in this setting.

==Professions==
The '''Guardsmen''' are the protectors of any settlement in this age. They generally keep the populace protected from without, though they also perform protection from within in the smaller settlements, where there isn’t as many people to perform either task by itself. Essentially, the Guardsmen are the martial profession of choice for those getting into the field, learning to use blade, bow, and bullet alike. In the larger Capitals, it is common to see a police force separate from the Guard. '''Policemen''' are tasked with protecting the cities from within, be the threats standard criminals, Druid spies from the Wilds, or corruption from the upper echelons of society. Policemen are proficient in smaller blades and firearms, but also have a better grip on the social aspect of dealing with the unruly, sometimes able to defuse a situation before it gets bad.

While there are still Mages that venture about, using magic in more traditional ways, they are better known in two capacities. '''Magineers''' specialize in the operation, repair, and optimization of various forms of Manatech. If it’s broken, odds are that a Magineer can fix it. The better Magineers can also use Manatech in ways that it wasn’t intended to be. A Mana-Torch, for instance, can be optimized to become, say, a magical flamethrower if the Magineer is good enough to do so. As such, Hunters who come from this background are usually tasked with the weaponized Manatech. On the other hand, the '''Magisters''' are those who research and develop the Manatech to be built in the first place. They are the ones who draw upon thousands of years of magical knowledge as well as the consultation of their contemporary scientists to come up with the Manatech that offers at least some level of reprieve for a troubled people. Their extensive knowledge of the inner workings of Mana and spellcraft lend to an ability to resist the corruption Mana can bring upon them, allowing them to work as raw spellcasters when they are Hunters in the field.

'''Businessmen''', a recent profession in terms of existence after the Great Bloom, know that there are opportunities abound in the fight to reclaim their world from the Wilds. They work with many of the other classes and are becoming the driving force for further development of Manatech, investors of expeditions into the Wilds for further resources. Some question their motives, but their results are concrete. Ruthless, and ready to start thriving rather than just surviving. Despite these advances, vestiges of the royalty of old remain in the Capitals as the '''Politicians''', although their methods have changed. Some of the settlements and Capitols have changed to a less formal, more democratic society. Others devolved into oligarchies with experts and elders at the helm. Even others maintained their feudal hierarchies in name and structure. But in any of these cases, the Politicians are able to do the talking, to get people together for a common cause. Or perhaps to drive them apart, depending on the people.

==Notable People==
'''Kolle Mollenar''': Inventor of the Mana-Siphon, founder of Second Osenvar, and leader of the Consortium. While Kolle is best known for his fight against the Wilds and his journey to reclaim Osenvar, he understands that the next move is always more expensive than the last. He runs the Consortium on the manufacture and sale of Mana-Siphons for the time being - the agricultural economy of Second Osenvar will be unable to finance a push to eliminate the Cores by itself.

'''Anvar Kell''': Hero of Valeria’s worker rebellion and ordered the execution of its former ruler, Grand Duke Weidlig. He rules Valeria as a police state through the Valerian Front given the constant threat of loyalists against him and his circle.

'''Grand Duchess Melicia''': Successor to Weidlig’s rule of Valeria and leader of loyalist efforts against Anvar Kell, bolstered by those who were disgusted at her predecessor's execution (including some of the workers who fought under Kell). She wishes to return Valeria to the way it was before the rebellion and keeps the pressure on Kell's fragile government.

'''Edgar Veddis''': A Halliwellian entrepreneur who founded the Veddis Stadium in the outskirts of town. He makes a surprising fortune hosting entertainment and sporting events, even in the trying times after the Great Bloom.

'''The Aarn''': Elven hunter who survived the Great Bloom and founded Aarn. Entirely corrupted by the Wilds; speaks to emissaries of the Cores who enter his tower from the Dungeons. He is old and dying, and the Wilds are slowly losing their control over him.

'''Mr. Smith''': The Dwarven master of Aarn’s criminal factions. Secretly working for the Consortium to cause a war between the ruling council and the Aarn to allow the Consortium to take the whole town over.

==Factions==
'''The Consortium''': Based in Second Osenvar and nominally headed up by Kolle Mollinar, the Consortium is a powerful and bureaucratic organization. It produces and sells Mana-Siphons to groups of settlers or established cities as well as trains Mana-users of all varieties. Their largest power base, the Consortium Citadel in Second Osenvar, is a closed and mysterious place, with countless closed-off rooms and strange happenings. The steel spire, a rebuilt skyscraper from the ruins of Old Osenvar, is a symbol of the Consortium’s power and wealth, a symbol that many groups would like to see destroyed. While the Consortium has branches in almost every major Capital (except for Aarn, who refuses to allow their representatives to enter to this day,) they remain painfully slow to respond to requests for parts or Magineers. Few Mages can afford their prices, but the training and official recognition the Consortium provides is invaluable.

Mr. Smith, the head of the criminal forces in Aarn, is working with the Consortium. He is trying to incite a war between the ruling council and the Aarn to create an opening for them to take over an entire city, growing the Consortium power base exponentially. This plan is secret to all but the highest managers of the Consortium, some of who disagree with this strategy. Of all the factions, the Consortium has the most power and resources to face the Cores head on, which they staunchly refuse to do (publicly, due to the risk, privately, because it helps perpetuate the Mana-Siphon economy and generate more revenue for a better push against the Cores).

'''The United Front''': An attempt by the elders of Aes Kalon to unite the warriors of the various cities in an orchestrated effort to defeat the Wilds and bring normalcy back to the world. While, in principle, that a United Front would be logical to take on an enemy as large in scope and power as the Wilds, mankind isn’t always as logical as they should be at times. The following are some issues that plague the creation of the United Front:

* Isolation of cities: While the cities and settlements of the world were independent before, the isolation of them between the large areas the Wilds now control has made them even more fiercely independent.

* The Wildsbane: Other cities have a sort of informal hostility towards Aes Kalon given this artifact, making life much easier than those in other cities. Also, other cities want it for themselves.

* Sulinad: People already depend on Sulinad as a go-to place for many matters martial and strategic.

* Ideological differences: Certain ideological mismatches has made unity hard to enforce. The Halliwell Freestate, for example, is hostile to any form of attempts to rein in the blatant criminality going around in their city.

'''The Valerian Front''': Formed by the workers of Valeria when it was under the rule of Grand Duke Weidlig, led by Anvar Kell. Now it is Valeria’s crumbling police force, lacking much of the spirit and discipline it had in its earlier days. Yet, there is a smattering of support in other cities, were a poor disgruntled class of workers are. Though each group of these workers do not yet have enough clout to challenge the current status quo - it's easy to denounce supporters of the Valerian Front as a distraction against the effort to tame the Wilds - it is easily possible that persistence may win more and more hearts and minds as time goes on.