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In The Secret World, factions represent secret societies that hide behind the shadows of the real world.
Players must become a member of one of the joinable factions in order to participate in the game.
There are three factions that players are allowed to join and they are the Dragon, the Illuminati, and the Templars; in addition there are also non-joinable in-game factions as well as groups that have appeared in the ARG's.
The three factions were originally introduced by Ragnar Tornquist via Twitter at the end of his "viral marketing", Three Are Coming, event, revealing them as both player and NPC factions. A flash based quiz was later added to the front page of the Dark Days Are Coming website; interested visitors were asked to take the quiz and reveal their faction. A new quiz became available with the launch of the Secret war in August, 2011 and the original quiz is no longer available.
Factions are chosen during character creation and are permanent; there are no restrictions for race, ethnicity, or abilities. The three factions are designed to be equal and balanced in power and ability, but faction specific special abilities do exist. The goal in choosing a faction is for players to pick based on the ideals and mindsets of the group as a whole, rather than the one with the most powerful abilities.
Each joinable faction has a headquarters where players can gather, find vendors and trainers, and other facilities: the Dragon in Seoul, South Korea, the Illuminati in New York, United States, and the Templars in London, England.
In PvE, players of all factions are allowed to group together and finish missions. PvP will pit the factions against each other. Players will be distinctive by both faction and role as everyone will be wearing uniforms.
Furthermore, despite any similarities to real life, all factions in The Secret World are purely fictional. They are not tied to any religion or mindset in the real world.
Other Factions
The Phoenicians
The Phoenicians are the fourth member of the Council of Venice, although a long time member of the Council, the relationship is turbulent.
The Phoenicians were originally introduced at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo as "An Old Enemy." In addition to the name, the logo of the ship with a lion's head on the sail was flashed.
Two years later, during the Council of Venice systems malfunction, The Dark Places started tweeting about Carthage, Yam and Baal, the traders in purple, and "the 4th." These tweets lead to the discovery of the Phoenicians and their flag.
Orochi Group
One of three NPC factions introduced at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo. The only pieces of information provided were the name and the logo, a knot with eight lines and the kanji symbol for "big snake". Assumed to be corporate iconography, this symbol is later seen on the uniforms and shipping containers belonging to the Orochi Group. There may also be a connection between the group and the The Filth.
Approximately a year later (August, 2010), in the first developer diary, a radio broadcast was heard saying, "...terrorist attack on the headquarters of the multinational Orochi Group. It's been over a week since the first reports of widespread destruction in this now abandoned commercial district of Tokyo."
Two years later, during the Council of Venice systems malfunction, The Dark Places started tweeting about Carthage, Yam and Baal, the traders in purple, and "the 4th." These tweets lead to the discovery of the Phoenicians and their flag.
The Rising Tide of Change
One of three NPC factions introduced at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo. The only pieces of information provided were the name and the logo. Perhaps the most confusing image, The Rising Tide of Change logo appears to be some sort of coat of arms, or perhaps a stained glass window such as those in churches. It incorporates an image reminiscent of a rising sun beneath a pair of eyes. A similar emblem appears on a man's belt buckle in one of the concept artworks released.
The Council of Venice
The Council of Venice, formed from the Dragon, Illuminati, Phoenicians, and Templars, monitors the secret world. Whether the Council also includes the Orochi Group or the faction currently only referred to as 'The Rising Tide of Change' is unknown.
The Council holds dual functions; to keep the secret world from erupting into public and to monitor the "gentleman's agreement" between the factions. This agreement allows the Dragon, Illuminati, and Templars to carry out their secret war by designating both the locations and rules.
Sanctuary of Secrets
Present since the They Are Coming Back ARG event, SoS has been a mysterious group operating from the shadows. They're said to collect and hide dangerous secrets the world can never know of, and hide behind puzzles and names of history. They're led by an oracle who has seen a bleak future and desires to change the course of events.
According to the new developments in the ARG, The Fool's Journey, Sanctuary of Secrets is a faction that follows the oracle named Melissonomoi. Some members of the Sanctuary of Secrets are called Apis, which indicates beekeepers. SoS is a neutral faction that's goal is to act according to visions of their oracle, collect information and safeguard that information. Their current mission, according to the ARG, is to prepare chosen people of the community for the coming change called the end of a great cycle.
The oracle changes in "cycle[s] of oracles." The last time there was a change of oracles, some of the order went rogue and caused wars with the gathered information they had.
Other secret societies seem to be eager to get hold of this guarded information that the Sanctuary has to gain more power over other societies.
They
Nothing is known about Them except that They are always watching, and are very capable of making you disappear.
At the time when A friend was posting on the forums, he seemed particularly paranoid of Them, making constant references to being watched at all times:
This forum might not live for long - in fact, the first people to make it here were prevented from posting. THEY do not want us to communicate with each other, and THEY have eyes and ears everywhere.
