One's affiliation simply refers to their membership or association with one, or more, of Nodd's major factions.
An individual usually cannot be a full member of more than one House at a time, though Houses can be more tolerant of cult membership, depending on the respective House and cult in question. Some will join a House and then later leave it to join another, but this has its own set of risks and consequences and they are unlikely to be welcomed back.
The Six Arcane Houses
Each House represents one of the six Major Aspects of Nodd's world and their rituals and beliefs represent that wholly. Joining a House is the primary way to learn the most powerful magics but requires a dedication of the individual to the House's particular way of thinking and beliefs.
Each House has a citygod at its head, though this position can be seen as a dubious honor. Citygods are essentially prisoners in their own towers and are said to be wildly corrupted. Even so there are many who aspire for the role or similar in search of the power it brings.
- House Viviria, encompassing the Aspect of Life
- House Umbrasia, encompassing the Aspect of Death
- House Vorn, encompassing the Aspect of Flesh
- House Psilysium, encompassing the Aspect of Mind
- House Omnillian, encompassing the Aspect of Control
- House Morphoria, encompassing the Aspect of Change
If one were to wish to join a House the most common method of making contact would be through an Initiation Party.
These gatherings are held regularly by each house and many cults to draw in fresh blood. These tend to be showy and alluring, and any attendants are carefully attended to, if not outright spoiled with every indulgence the house has to offer.
Those curious may freely attend and speak with established mages, partake of exclusive amenities, and sample various spells and artifacts.
From here, one may request to proceed with an official initiation, if desired.
A fledgling mage has a couple options when it comes to being accepted as a disciple of a particular house or cult. While cults may vary in their procedure, all houses currently accept disciples on the basis that they successfully complete one of three options: trial, tribute, or apprenticeship.
Trials
A prospective disciple may choose to complete a trial to be accepted into the house. These are harrowing, sometimes deadly tasks that test the mettle of newcomers. Higher ranking mages - savants - are known for seeing the trials as an opportunity for hazing, and often the tasks will be made impossible, distasteful, or meaningless.
As most savants would prefer the luxury of having an apprentice, trials are intentionally made an exceptionally off-putting choice.
Tributes
A would-be disciple with access to lots of gloam or other resources may be able to make an ample enough tribute to bypass the need for a trial or apprenticeship. In some rare cases, this may also be a favor of some kind.
Apprenticeships
An initiate will most often choose the route of apprenticeship to grant them acceptance. For one turn, the student will shadow their mentor and obey their every command.
Needless to say, this experience varies greatly depending on the mentor. Much of Nodd's slavery is in fact apprenticeship for various houses and cults.
Unless there's the potential for a significant tribute, most prospects will be pressured to enter into an apprenticeship, over completing a trial.
Final Rite
Once a disciple has been accepted into the fellowship, their goal is to work towards taking on the Final Rite. Completing this will grant them the rank of Savant, and is the primary goal of most enrolled in a house.
The Final Rite is a trial unique to each house and cult. Unlike the initiation trial - which may be anything a savant decides - these challenges have been carefully crafted by the most powerful mages in that house.
Unaffiliated
Many citizens consider themselves "unaffiliated", meaning that they have no particular official tie or association with any one house or cult. This does not mean they never deal with any of these groups, simply that they do not consider themselves closely tied. Similar, a citizen who is "affiliated" with House Vorn, for example, may not be an actual member - they simply associate heavily with Vorn in its ideologies, goals, in business, or in some other manner.
Cults
Numerous cults exist and are constantly vying for power, membership, and recognition. Cults have immense variety in their goals - some aspire to become fully recognized as Houses by the Council while others could be seen as hardly more than a celebrated book club.
The most prominent and known include:
- Cult of Byle, a cult focused on filth of various sorts
- Cult of Amyrnum, a cult that pursues a universal definition of beauty
- Cult of Quelsh, a strange cult that attempts to resist and endure the city's darkness
- Cult of Gorgharia, a cult that believes in power through consumption
- Cult of the Nameless, a cult that sacrifice self identity while active in its halls