The Cult of Malus is made up from the vile worshippers of the Dark Lord himself. They engage in black magic rituals and blood sacrifices to enhance their already awesome necromantic powers. They are evil to the very core, wreaking havoc wherever they may be. They prey upon the weak and innocent, using those who survive their ruthless attacks in gruesome rituals to their god. The one drawback that discourages even some of the most corrupt individuals from joining the Cult of Malus is that one day they must give up their life to Malus and forever become one of his undead servants.

The Cult of Malus has been known to have dealings with the Grindmasters and the Reapers, usually in the trafficking of bodily goods. A good number of the members of the Hunters Guild, mostly assassins, are followers of Malus, so they are allies as well.

The list of enemies the Cult of Malus has acquired over the years is quite long. The most prominent would be the Pagan Hunters. The Pagan Hunters and the Cult of Malus are constantly at each other's throats. Aside from the Pagan Hunters, the Arbitrators are often nipping at the heals of the worshippers of Malus because of their illicit deeds. The Church of He also spends a good deal of effort preaching against the Cult of Malus, although they never take any physical action against them, at least not to the best of anyone's knowledge.

Skruul Keep is the main temple to Malus. Located in the swamps of Aerdmoor at the base of Mount Cracken, this twisted spire is host to the horrible ceremonies dedicated to the black lord.

Bluther the Blackhearted is the high priest of Malus. Bluther was once a mighty fereg noble, but that was centuries ago. He died in a battle with some Pagan Hunters, but has since been resurrected by Malus as a lich. He now mandates the orders of Malus from his hidden tomb, located somewhere in the deep Mists. He is never seen anywhere in the True Realms, commanding his followers through a series of lesser priests and demon overseers.

The Dwellers, or as the are more commonly called, squatters, are the destitute and homeless. They received the name squatters because that is what they do, they find a suitable place and squat there. The Dwellers shanty towns are known throughout the True Realm, and nearly every large town or city has at least one. Their largest resource is information. It is a safe bet that anything happening in their town has been observed by a Dweller. Life for the Dwellers is a hard one, having to fight every day just for enough food. But, even through this hardship they have managed to organize to protect themselves.

The Dwellers have several allies. The first and most important ally are the Freemen. The Freemen helped to form the Dwellers and often give advice on how they can protect their rights and their freedom. Another ally is the Church of He, which often disperses food and clothing to the poor, who are often members of the Dwellers.

The Arbitrators generally dislike the Dwellers. They only need a little provocation to make an arrest. They have a powerful enemy in the Cult of Malus, who often preys upon them for victims in their blood rituals. The Dwellers don't care much for the Anarchs either, primarily because the Anarchs use them as a reason why the current system doesn't work yet they do nothing to help change the situation.

The Dwellers have no actual headquarters as they never really congregate in very large numbers. The leaders move about from place to place, never holding meetings in the same place twice.

Snavely Razzoo is the old druga that keeps this guild going. His dogged persistence and highly charismatic voice have gotten his brothers and sisters out of trouble numerous times. He struggles to get on the good side of the common folk, and then he uses that as leverage against the local ruling body. The uproar caused by the locals is usually enough to delay the Dwellers upheaval until a new place can be found.

The Evenstar Warriors are a group of terrorist Karanesti. Their main goal is the genocide of all other races. They believe that this is the only way that the karanesti can ever be reunited with their elvish cousins in the Mists. They are responsible for countless acts of arson, murder, and espionage. Because of their destructive nature they are most often in hiding.

The only group that has ever worked with the Evenstar Warriors are the Purifiers, and only the karanesti faction. The members of the Evenstar Warriors refuse to work with any other guild because of their tainted racial memberships.

The Evenstar Warriors hated everyone who isn't karanesti. This makes just about everyone their enemy. The Arbitrators are their most persistent foe, having orders to kill any Evenstar Warrior on sight. The Evenstar Warriors have also recently made an enemy of the Mistrunners Association by attacking barges and disrupting trade through the Mists. The Mistrunners Association has hired numerous assassins and bounty hunters from the Hunters Guild to seek out and destroy every member of the Evenstar Warriors.

The Evenstar Warriors have a secret hideout somewhere in the deep Mists. Since they are considered outlaws in every True Realm, even Aerdmoor, they cannot maintain a headquarters outside of the Mists.

The maniacal leader of the Evenstar Warriors is Pencha the Cleanser. She is convinced that one day all the karanesti will join her and help overthrow the other unclean races of the True Realms. Pencha is actually half karanesti and half elvish, and she does have a few contacts in the Faerie High Court.

This religious group pays tribute to the Norns, or the three Fates. They believe that everything that happens is due to fate. Most members of the Fated practice the divine arts, prying into the future to see what is supposed to happen. Once they have seen the future, they do their best to make sure that it happens as planned. The only thing that the Fated will not do to ensure the safety of the future is risk their own lives, that is what others are for.

The Fated have hired members of both the Crimson Brothers and the Hunters Guild on numerous occasions. They use this borrowed muscle to enforce their teachings. They generally keep a contingent of Crimson Brothers on retainer to protect themselves.

The Pagan Hunters are a sworn enemy of the Fated. They believe that the Fated are guided by false prophecies, and therefore they are heathens spreading lies. The Arbitrators have been known to step in and resolve a few conflicts started by the Fated as well. But, as long as they stay in line and don't break the laws, the Arbitrators tend to leave them alone.

The Fated have their main headquarters in Wayfarers Way. They make their home in the old city library. The crumbling building houses an unknown multitude of the Fated.

Keeper of the Fates, Duncan Julian, is a swarthy psion who is quite deluded and very misguided. He uses his powers of divination to look into the near future. If his vision is not clear enough, he merely makes an educated guess as to what it means.

The Freemen is an assortment of former slaves and refugees. They fight for the common man, resisting oppression wherever it rears its ugly head. They are revolutionaries and freedom fighters. When they aren't fighting tyranny the perform actions against slavers and rob from the rich.

The Freemen are strong allies with the Dwellers. It was the Freemen who originally got the Dwellers to organize. The Freemen also have some ties to the Tricksters, as many Freemen have taken up the craft of thievery. Another important ally are the Nomads. Several Nomad tribes are made up entirely of Freemen.

The Arbitrators are often forced to take action against the Freemen because of their reactionary activities. The Mistrunners Association is also an advocate for the disbanding of the Freemen. This is probably because of the Mistrunners Association with most of the Freemen's targets. Luckily the Mistrunner Association wants to save face and won't act openly against the Freemen.

The Freemen have their headquarters in Unterway. It is from here that they launch their forays into the city above. It is hidden in a secret labyrinth beneath the Unterway's sewer system.

The rambunctious leader of this motley crew is a former charek trading baron that goes only by the name Robin of the Hood. Basing his group upon on old earth legend, Robin appeals to many of the poor and under privileged. Robin and his followers swear they won't rest until everyone enjoys the fruits of freedom.

This secretive guild secures components for necromantic spells and potions. They are also producers of toxins and poisons, most of its members having specialized in alchemy. The manner they use to acquire most of their goods is not quite on the up and up.

The Grindmasters often use the Reapers as a source for their products. When the Reapers can't supply enough parts, a contract is quickly drawn up with the Hunters Guild. The Grindmasters have disposed of many "problems" for both the Hunters Guild and the Tricksters. Another source, for the really rare items, is the Orchid Preservation Society.

The Arbitrators know good and well what the Grindmasters do. Because of this they work very hard to find enough evidence, solid or circumstantial, to make an arrest and conviction. The Freemen have also been known to act against the Grindmasters, as the local poor are often victims when the Reapers run dry.

An old warehouse, reeking of death and decay, located just outside the wharf of Mount Cracken in Aerdmoor, serves as the central guild hall for the Grindmasters. They have a large stockpile of "ingredients" here.

Grona, a hunchbacked and wingless anduran is in charge of this odd group. She was once a powerful necromancer, but years of abuse have left her with little Pa. Other guild members are trying to remove her from power, but her strong ties with the Reapers and the support of her younger brother, a prominent member of the Hunter's Guild, have kept her in control so far.