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
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
