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Next, you demand more information about these rival factions. You need to know who you will be dealing with.
First of all, there are the Soulless. According to Karlee, there are many names for them – Aberrant, Homo Degenesis, the Demiurge – but the most common one is Psychonaut. She calls them monsters who infect men, beasts and even the very land with their presence.
There are different breeds of Psychonaut. The type that dwell in Franka are called Pheromancers. They enslave men and insects alike with their pheromones and incorporate them into hives, with themselves as the queens. This sounds a little far-fetched, but Karlee insists that it's true.
The Frankan natives oppose the Pheromancers. Most of the tribes have banded together under the banner of the Resistance, who fight against the Psychonaut threat with fire and pesticides. They can be found everywhere, but they're based in the city of Toulouse.
Next, Karlee describes a variety of factions that have spread to Franka from Borca.
Spitalians; soldiers who double as doctors focused on eradicating the Psychonauts and their infection. They apparently have a significant presence in the nearby city of Mulhouse.
Anabaptists; a rapidly growing cult devoted to burning the evil that infests the world and bringing about paradise. They have more influence further to the north and west.
Chroniclers; secretive hoarders of Bygone technology. Apparently they are the only source of the Protectorate's currency and have total control over most of Europe's economy.
Apocalyptics; scumbags and gangsters who exploit the downtrodden and create something called Burn using spores taken from Psychonaut territory. They also have a big presence in Mulhouse.
Hellvetics; gun-totting knights who rule the Alps with an iron fist. They're the finest warriors in Europe, but rather thrifty. There's a lot of them in Mulhouse, due to its proximity to their territory.
There's also the Africans, who have a much stronger presence in the south. While Europe struggled with the Psychonauts for centuries, Africa apparently united and created a civilisation equal to the Protectorate, if not greater.
While they also have a number of factions, Karlee only really mentions the Neolibyans, clever merchants who are eager to steal Bygone technology from Europe and put it to use in African cities. Herrmann spits when Karlee mentions them, but she just shrugs – they pay even more than the Chroniclers, apparently.
Finally, there are the Sleeper – you're one of them, according to Karlee.
She confesses that she doesn't know much. All she knows is that there was a Bygone organisation called RG – Recombination Group. Its member hid beneath the earth in an effort to survive the Eshaton and occasionally, they emerge. They wield Bygone weapons, speak with magical voices and lead pale legions. She has only ever heard of them in stories though, stories that end with the Sleepers being defeated.
