There are about eight different factions that have prominent roles in the game, with varying levels of interest in the central plot. Two that emerge very quickly are the Silver Ravens of Sembia and the Red Wizards of Thay. The former are ostensibly in Archenbridge to oppose the foundation of an enclave by the latter.

The Silver Ravens are a tricky group to deal with for a few reasons. Almost without exception, they have an insufferable level of nationalistic pride. They also run a wide gamut of moral and ethical boundaries. Some Silver Ravens are noble and forthright, others are incredibly despicable, and the rest fall somewhere in the middle. To use their own phrase, the Silver Ravens are a "tangled basket" -- often operating in an intricate and dizzying fashion, with various sub-groups being completely unaware of the goals and actions being taken by the others.

In contrast, the Red Wizards of Thay are sharply divided on their goals in the Dales. Beyond their interest in May Farrow, the enclave regularly quarrels about their political policy, trade agreements, and even how they present themselves in public. The official leader of the group is a reasonable young enchanter named Caed Marr. He is regularly opposed by an older invoker of the old "kill 'em all; let Kelemvor sort 'em out" school named Feul Zaddechar. Beneath these two figures are an array of wizards and slaves that have varying allegiances and levels of political concern. At least two of the wizards seem more interested in testing the insulating properties of rubber from a shocking grasp on a cat.

As for manipulation... if I told you how the protagonist was going to be manipulated by factions, that wouldn't be very much fun, would it?​