The Astral Tribunal is filled with photokinetics--creatures who can control light with their minds. The powerful Astrals lead the Tribunal, with other photokinetics following their lead. An ancient war between the Astrals and the Foundry led to the end of the plane's natural light source--so the Astrals have supplied all light to Mentalis since then. This gives them more power than any other faction, putting them in control of the plane and its inhabitants. They have created a type of creature unique to Mentalis, called the Luminals, which are artificial beings made of pure light. They're unstable under stress, but very good at releasing energy in short bursts; for this reason, the Astrals use them as soldiers, although as they are all sentient, some do not agree with their assignments.

The Mesmerics are a group of mentalists. They excel at creating hallucinations and illusions, which they use to manipulate others into doing things for them. The most powerful Mesmerics can create the illusion of any wish's fulfillment, and so have turned themselves into Djinn--but once their payment is received, the illusions shatter and the wishes end. (They may or may not be trying to take control of Mentalis from the Tribunal...we haven't exactly settled on that yet.)

The Foundry of Damnation, also just called the Foundry, are a cult of mediums. They not only commune with the dead, but have varying levels of control over spirits and the undead. The souls of Mentalis usually pass through the Darkveil, the barrier between life and death; but because of the Foundry's constant manipulations, the Darkveil is extremely unstable. Sometimes, it will spit souls out that have already crossed over, resulting in Spirits wandering the plane. Other times, it will prevent recently dead creatures from passing through, resulting in Zombies and other undead things. In the end, the Foundry's goal is simple: use enough sacrificial offerings to bring back their demon master, Hothraxis (name subject to change...it used to be Joe ), and bring down eternal night on Mentalis. (Related note: Hothraxis was sealed away by the Astrals in an ancient war...read the story and flavor topic for more details.)

The Flamehearts are pyrokinetics (fire manipulators). This faction is the least developed, and we haven't quite settled on a concept for them. If you have ideas, please contribute them to the story thread! The best compromise we have so far is that 40% of Flamehearts are sentient, while 60% are bestial (often pets or prey of the sentient Flamehearts). They can all control fire psychically. The sentient ones live in the city, but are extremely hot-tempered, and so highly disliked by other citizens. Although their fire provides light, creating a constant light source would take patience and consistency that Flamehearts simply lack, and so none can take the place of the Astrals--and if anyone tried to make them, they would take it as an affront and burn them, possibly to death. Because they are so hated, they are perfect sacrifices for the Foundry, as no one would investigate a Flameheart death. When a Flameheart is very powerful, a moment of strong anger can cause them to become engulfed in flames, leaving only a firey shell in the form of their old bodies--they become fire Elementals.

The Silent Shepheds, or just the Shepherds, have a psychic connection to both nature and each other. They dislike the other factions for various foundational crimes against nature, but are generally peaceful. Rather than antagonizing others, they prefer to stay out of society and live in the forests outside the city walls. They have the ability to instill their psychic connection into nonliving, natural materials, creating earth Elementals and organic Golems. As the power struggle within the city begins to weaken the light on Mentalis, plants and animals in the forests are dying--and so the Silent Shepherds are silent no more, vowing to destroy anything that would destroy nature.

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