Faction Relationship Matrix 1

# FACTION RELATIONSHIP MATRIX: COMPLETE REFERENCE

## I. THE MATRIX: ALL FACTIONS AT A GLANCE

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## II. FACTION RELATIONSHIP DEFINITIONS

### Enemy Tiers

Existential Enemy: Direct, ongoing conflict; elimination of one faction required for other's survival

Ideological War: Fundamental philosophical opposition; passive-aggressive sabotage

Ancient Enemy: Historical grievance; may actively cooperate against greater threat

Eternal War: Supernatural opposition; conflict predates civilization

### Alliance Tiers

Secret Patrons: Hidden financial/political support; plausible deniability maintained

Mercenary Alliance: Transactional; hire each other for specific jobs

Mutual Respect: Professional relationship; some shared values; limited cooperation

Ancient Kinship: Historical connection; cultural/magical bonds; latent cooperation potential

### Neutral Tiers

Trade/Neutral: Economic exchange; no political alignment

Mutual Suspicion: Cautious coexistence; watch each other carefully

Fascinated/Wary: Intellectual interest mixed with danger; unpredictable

Diplomatic Mystery: Relationship unknown to most; possible hidden alignment

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## III. DETAILED FACTION RELATIONSHIPS

### UNIVERSITY ↔ CHURCH

Status: Cold War (Ideological Rivalry)

Nature:

- University claims empirical truth; Church claims spiritual truth

- Both seek monopoly on "correct understanding" of reality

- Compete for royal patronage, student recruitment, scholarly prestige

Flashpoints:

- Magic legitimacy (Church views sympathy as demonic or divine, depending on doctrine)

- Medical authority (University physicians vs. Church Hospitalers)

- Heresy trials (Church prosecutes University researchers; University defends as science)

- Tarbean governance (both claim advisory roles to Maer)

Hidden Truth:

- Amyr likely funds both sides to keep them fighting; weakened factions serve Amyr interests

- Some University Masters secretly consult Church on magical theory

- Church fears University will prove God doesn't exist; suppresses sympathist research

### UNIVERSITY ↔ AMYR

Status: Mutual Suspicion (Intelligence War)

Nature:

- University suspects Amyr controls much of world politics

- Amyr monitors University for dangerous research (Naming, Sympathy applications)

- Both gather intelligence on each other through agents

Flashpoints:

- Masters who disappear (Amyr suppression of dangerous research)

- Restricted archives (University forbids certain texts; Amyr enforces)

- Chandrian research (both study; Amyr wants monopoly)

- Elodin (Amyr liaison? University wildcard? Unknown to most)

Hidden Truth:

- Amyr has agents within University Arcanum

- University has discovered some Amyr operations; chooses ignorance for stability

- Both want Naming research; race to understand first

### UNIVERSITY ↔ DOCTORS

Status: Contempt (Professional Hierarchy)

Nature:

- University views Doctors as unscientific charlatans

- Doctors resent University monopoly and elitism

- No formal conflict; widespread mutual disdain

Flashpoints:

- Patient recruitment (University physicians undermine Doctor reputation)

- Rare ingredient access (both need dragonroot, silverleaf, etc.)

- Anatomical research (University dissects corpses; Doctors object on principle/profit)

- Poison research (both study; ethical disagreement)

### UNIVERSITY ↔ MAER'S COURT

Status: Patronage (Dependency)

Nature:

- Maer funds much University research in exchange for magical advancement/military advantage

- University Fishery produces war machines; Maer benefits from monopoly

- Maer appoints some University Masters; influences curriculum

Flashpoints:

- Research funding allocation (Maer wants practical magic; University wants pure research)

- Student recruitment from nobility (draft for Maer's benefit vs. scholar independence)

- Magical defense (Maer wants superior war sympathy; University reluctant to weaponize)

- Elodin question (Maer demands results; Elodin refuses performance metrics)

Hidden Truth:

- Maer controls University more than publicly known

- University Masters actively lobby Maer to weaken Amyr influence

- Both fear Church gaining magical knowledge

### UNIVERSITY ↔ CHANDRIAN

Status: Existential Enemy (Apocalyptic Research)

Nature:

- University researches Chandrian to defeat them

- Chandrian actively erase University knowledge; suppress research

- Each fears the other's discovery

Flashpoints:

- Researcher disappearances (Amyr suppression? Chandrian erasure?)

- Forbidden archives (what knowledge does University guard?)

- Name hunting (University seeks Chandrian names)

- Magical backlash events (are these Chandrian interference or University experiments?)

Hidden Truth:

- University knows far more about Chandrian than publicly admitted

- Some Chandrian research is hidden in Master's vault

- University fears that understanding Chandrian requires becoming Chandrian

### CHURCH ↔ AMYR

Status: Ideological War (Control Struggle)

Nature:

- Church officially answers to Tehlin hierarchy; Amyr secretly controls Church policy

- Church resists Amyr control while being fundamentally dependent

- Both claim "divine" authority; struggle over which is legitimate

Flashpoints:

- Heresy trials (Amyr influences which heretics Church prosecutes)

- Hospitaler operations (Amyr embeds agents in healing orders)

- Religious doctrine (Amyr wants policy aligned with their strategy)

- Chandrian knowledge (Church forbidden from knowing; Amyr enforces)

Hidden Truth:

- Amyr is effectively the true Church authority

- Some bishops secretly work for Amyr; others resist

- Church knows Amyr controls them but can't openly rebel without fragmenting