Argo the Bureaucrat:
A semi-legendary figure in The House, particularly among academics. He was a Slyph, a colleague of none other than Wise Paracelsus himself, who studies the man Contracts throughout The House. It is said his diary contained secrets of untold power. He disappeared some fifty years ago.
Children of Neith:
Nationalist group in The Basement who seek to rid the lower level of all non-Sluagh influence. Named for the spider idol brought from Far beyond, they often dress in dark robes and bronze masks.
Church of Safekeeping:
An ultra-conservative religious movement dedicated to upholding The Master's unspoken contract with his chosen servants (the Boggarts). They are based in Cinderhall, in a cast iron fortress built in the living flame of The Fireplace.
Fianna Saoirse
A revolutionary separatist movement whose goal is to keep the Free Dominions independent from the Ruling Council.
Inbetweens:
The tangled maze of passages that exists between the walls and under the floors. The undisputed domain of molds, fungi, outlaws and dangerous predators
Porcelain Guard
The army of the Free Dominions, known for their bright red greatcoats and white enamel cuirasses. They are slowly, and some that controversially, being integrated into the Imperial Army.
Symposium:
The administrative body that guides the Free Dominions. It's members are drawn from besiness and academic leaders.
Tri-Starred:
Nationalist group that seeks to restore The Realm as the imperial power that controls the entire House. So-named because they have removed two of the five stars that comprise the crest of The Realm - the ones representing Tsarina Arcadia (who issued the Brothers Edict and signed the Astraviya Treaty) and Grand Duke Ludmillen (Oberon's nephew who declined the throne, which led to Arcadia's coronation).