The Architects of the Flesh – So bad you love to hate 'em. Mixing magic and technology, they are the scientific arm of the 2056 Juncture's world government, known affectionately as 'the Buro'. The repressionistic Buro is as bad or worse than Big Brother and maintains a stranglehold grip over their Juncture's society.

The Ascended – The latest winners in the Critical Shift olympics, they control the majority of time from the mid 13^th century to the turn of the 21^st century, having displaced the Four Monarchs. Some mysterious event in the early 2000s will serve to wipe out their control and allow the Buro to rise up in their place a decade or two afterwards. These transformed animals often work through their human lackeys, known as the Pledged.

The Guiding Hand – Confucian warrior-monks who arose in 1850's China in an effort to combat the erosion of Chinese values and independence, they are committed to combating the degeneracy and unrighteousness of all the other factions – even if that means imposing their own zealous brand of order on top of everyone else's.

The Eaters of the Lotus – Relative newcomers to the latest edition of the Secret War, these evil eunuch-sorcerors have discovered the key to Immortality and in the grand tradition of all evil despots want to extend their power all over ancient China and beyond!

The Four Monarchs – The losers in the last major Critical Shift, they used to control an alternate history where China rose to rule the world in the mid 1500's. Having killed their father and made themselves virtual immortals, these two brothers and two sisters became undisputed lords over all they surveyed – until one day in 1988 when they were displaced from power by a change in history by transformed animals (forefathers of the Ascended) starting in 1250 A.D. Now they live as exiles in the Netherworld, brooding and infighting.

The Jammers – a band of destructive rebels who are based out of the Netherworld, they have the belief that if they destroy all the major Feng Shui sites of the world (and hence, all chi in the world) there will be no way to control history other than through normal course of action! Chi users, magicians, and generally anyone who believes that this might be a bad idea with uncertain consequences generally oppose them. The Jammers are heavily populated by renegades from the 2056 Juncture, and as a result they tend to lash out against the Buro more than anyone else.

The Silver Dragons – with a history dating back into the fog of mythical times, the Silver Dragons are a band of heroes who have always arisen to fight injustice and tyrrany despite the long odds. And, as surely as they arise, they are crushed into the dust – only to arise again. The latest incarnation of the Silver Dragons was founded by the renegade Buro scientist known as The Prof. The Silver Dragons have bases all over, but their current HQ is in the Junkyard, at the Netherworld.

The Unafiliated – those who have no direct ties to any of the major Factions above. Some of them aren't even aware of the Secret War!