Organizations in Lumen

Lumen City is home to a variety of groups and organizations that breathe life into the city. Some organizations are simple and mundane, others are more comparable in power to the Lumen Vigil. Some groups are forces of good, others are more criminal, but most are neutral forces within the city just operating for their own objectives.
Feel free to make your own organizations or groups so I can populate the world with your stuff!

Druid Groves and Ranger Conclaves

There are a variety of circles and conclaves around the city, home to a variety of druids and rangers of many skills. The following are the most populated, well known circles and conclaves:

Marisol Circle and Conclave

This group is both a druid circle and a conclave, acting as the center of activity for most marine-based or coast-based druids and rangers. They perform most of the ocean and beach cleanup in Lumen and keep track of algae growth patterns and marine life migrations to warn ocean-goers of dangerous beach environments or to steer clear of endangered species.

Haruto Circle and Conclave

This group is both a druid circle and a conclave, and is where the majority of animal companion rangers and druids train and do work. They operate and maintain most legal breeding programs in Lumen, host many animal shows, fund and own shelters, and work as animal control across the city. This circle/conclave is home to Beastmasters, Swarmkeepers, Drakewardens, Primeval druids, and Shepherd druids.

Aynur Circle

This druid circle is the largest circle in Lumen. This is where most nature conservationalists do work; they organize informational events, operate the Ravi Nature Center, and assist the Haruto circle and conclave with animal control activities. The circle is home to Moon druids, Land druids, and Dreams druids, with a few exceptions.

Lucina Circle

This druid circle is home to the "outcast" circles; any circle that is non traditional or works with less socially accepted aspects of nature. They work on controlled burns, decay and roadkill cleanup, and invasive species control. This is where Spores and Wildfire druids gather.

Yaza Conclave

This conclave is where most extraplanar rangers train and exchange information, maintaining well monitored portals to the feywild or other planes and organizing missions to maintain or shut down unauthorized portals elsewhere across Lumen. This is where Horizon Walkers and Fey Wanderers gather.

Berhane Conclave

This conclave is where the traditional non-companion rangers do work and exchange information, often hosting hunting competitions and placing bounties on creatures to hunt down for coin (whether it be beastial targets or not). This is where Hunters, Gloom Stalkers, and Monster Slayers gather.

The Lumen Arcane Academy (LAA)

The LAA is a wizardry academy focused on purely arcane study and research. It is where most LCU arcane graduates go after their university studies to continue the arcane path, research magic, weave spells, or learn to teach magic themselves. There is a group of scholars dedicated to each school of magic that teach and research their specified field. The LAA is responsible for the Arcane Defense program; a program designed to protect the city in times of need composed of the most powerful non-Vigil mages in the city. It is their duty to safeguard as much of the city's inhabitants as possible while Vigils do the rest, or defend Vigils in action when possible.

Temples of the First Star

The Temples of the First Star, or worshippers of the First Star, are the main religious group in Lumen. This is not the only religious group in lumen, but the rest are scarcely populated and only have a few small presences across the city. There are many temples to the First Star, but the most notable are as follows:

Heila Temple

One of the oldest temples in Lumen, though it has been destroyed and reconstructed hundreds of times over the history of the city it is now closely guarded by it's clerics. This temple practices the most traditional forms of worship to the First Star; scheduled prayer, holiday feasting, preaching, and enlightenment missions. Clerics of Heila are often despised for their insistance, but make up the more powerful clerics of the First Star in Lumen.

Aberash Temple

The largest temple in Lumen, the Aberash temple is more akin to a religious school than a place of worship. It has a massive autitorium for sermons and other group religious activities, and is home to most religious schoolings, clubs, and events. Clerics of Aberash make up a lot of First Star clerics in Lumen, and are often more diverse and progressive than other temple representatives.

Enid Temple

This temple was constructed later than most by the industrial workers and migrants that came after the city's major boom in population. The temple is the least traditional and most community driven of the noteworthy temples. Clerics of Enid are viewed as the happiest, most soulful clerics compared to most other temples and are known for their love of religious music and fesitvals.

Linh Temple

This temple is the wealthiest temple in Lumen, originally funded by the large name families of the city to be a fresh, higher technology temple away from the noise of the inner city. Despite this, the temple is most well known for its campaigns for the homeless and poor, and houses many less fortunate families and peoples in the upper suburban area. Clerics of Linh are known for their charity work and fundraising operations, making them well respected and loved by poorer communities but often avoided by the upper class and any who don't want to feel guilty for not helping their cause.

Roh Temple

The second largest temple in Lumen and the closest to most residential communities. Because of this, much of the temple is split into several buildings and is constantly buying local property to expand. Clerics of Roh are the most casual clerics in Lumen, making up the vast majority and, by raw numbers, are known for being the least devoted clerics in the city.

Cult of the Dark Star

The Cult of the Dark Star is a well known anti-First Star religious group. They are vaguely defined as favoring the dark forces in some way, with most open representatives claiming their distain for the First Star is due to disrespect from her worshippers or hatred of the percieved enslavement of the Lumen Vigil. Those that do not publically present themselves are known for vandalism, terrorist attacks, ritual sacrifice, and all the nastiest cult steryotypes known to man (whether or not they are based on true stories).

Lumen City Eclipse

Credit to Dawn for the summary
The most popular sports team, the hockey team representing Lumen City. They are a recent addition to Lumen City’s sporting heritage, having relocated from Namauster’s capital city of Windbrook (see here) just a decade ago. Drawn to the bustling atmosphere of Lumen City, the Eclipse’s board sold the rights to their old stadium and rushed into the newly built Chiaki Stadium. This relocation heavily benefited the Eclipse as they found a passionate fanbase among Lumen City’s urban population and greatly increased their seasonal profits. This allowed them to attract better players, a better general manager, and more lucrative sponsors, eventually propelling them towards the JHL playoffs. Their most promising season was the year before last, in which they made it to the quarter-finals, losing the seventh game of the draw against their former state rivals: the Ellington Giants.
Since that quarter-final heartbreak, the Eclipse have found themselves in a rut. Last season, they finished 7th in their conference, marking their worst season since moving to Lumen City. Currently, they sit 3rd, though many key players have either been injured or traded for future draft picks. Seemingly, newly appointed GM Edward Keane aims to bank on bringing in future talent for long-term success, looking towards prospects in the Lumen City junior hockey leagues and academies. The Eclipse have long had a reputation of fielding older, veteran players, so this is a surprising turn in strategy.

The Common Steel (TCS)

Training Guild centered around helping mundane people make a difference, teaching it's members that you don't need to be a mage or a chosen superhero to fight the good fight or to defend yourself from the city's threats. There are three guild centers (North, South, and Midtown) dedicated to teaching guild members how to wield even the most exotic weaponry, hone their martial skill, and even compete for fun. Guild Members are like a local militia, with a few stand-out exceptions even rivaling Vigils in strength or heroic deeds.

The Classical Music Conservatorium (CMC)

Music Guild dedicated to classical music and traditional performances. Many bard colleges operate through the CMC, mostly those that keep to traditional instruments, music, and performances. The CMC hosts classical music ensembles, dramas and theatrical performances, classical poetry and literature events, and other orchestral performances.

Aratta's Academy for Music and Sound Design (Aratta's Academy)

Music Guild dedicated to modern music, sound design, and modern performances. Many bard colleges operate through the Aratta's Academy, mostly those that go against the traditional idea of a "bard" and operate in a more modern fashion. The academy hosts a variety of performances and plays, concerts, art expos, conventions, and music festivals.

Blood Hunter Orders

Bloodhunters are rare and often go to extremes for their training and practices, making them feared and often looked down upon by society. Even in Lumen, where the extremes are waved off as more of a necessary evil, Bloodhunters are uncommon and discussion about them is often weighed by a separation of "us" and "them". Though these groups are small, every member of these orders is considered an expert of their craft and is dedicated to their tradition of choice. There are two major blood hunter orders in Lumen, though more exist outside of these:

Ordo Corpis

The bloodhunter order dedicated to training those of Mutant and Lycan disciplines. They are more dedicated to physical transmutations and exertions, and apprentice those who wish to undergo such transformations.

Ordo Mentis

Originally called Ordo Incorporis, hosting only Ghostslayers, they expanded to accept the newer order of Profane Bloodhunters and changed their name to Ordo Mentis. They are dedicated to the more ethereal, arcane, or divine arts.

Monk Monestaries

There are many monk monestaries that operate across Lumen; the largest of these are listed below:

Mehra Monestary

The most populated monestary in Lumen, this monestary trains those who seek mastery in the Sun Soul, Elements, and Mercy techniques. These monks are most well known for their religious connections to First Star temples, arcane arts, and healing ability.

Rajani Monestary

This monestary teaches the less desireable, more menacing arts and aims to educate the masses about the good of these arts and separate their teachings from their poor public impressions. The monestary trains those who seek mastery in the Shadow and Long Death techniques.

Jimmau Monestary

This monestary is the most casual, standard monestary that focuses on the most common techniques. This monestary trains those who seek mastery in the Open Hand and Kensei techniques. It also has a reputation for training Drunken Masters, but it is not an officially recognized discipline within the monestary.

Anima Monestary

This monestary is the least populated and known for more esoteric arts. This monestary trains those who seek mastery in the Ascendant Dragon and Astral techniques.

Miscellaneous Organizations

Organization not associated with a specific class or classes are listed here. If something isn't listed here it doesn't mean that thing doesn't exist, just that I'm not going to list every single organization, function, or working body in the city. Otherwise, you can ask me to write something in for you:

Las Vegans

Las Vegans is a vegan restaurant designed to mock the very fictional not real city of Las Vegas. Their website describes them as "A vibrant oasis of plant-based delights in the heart of Saint Malo. Our eclectic menu celebrates the bounty of nature with flavorful vegan dishes crafted with locally sourced ingredients, inviting all to savor cruelty-free cuisine amidst the bussling campus grounds of LCU,". It became popularized by star college athlete Hunter Mihail, captain of the LCU hockey team and one of the few vegans who have become skilled athletes despite their reputation for poor nutritional balance.

EnLighten Journalism

EnLighten is the most popular news and journalist group in the city. Comprised of a dynamic team of dedicated reporters, editors, and investigative journalists, EnLighten aims to "illuminate the darkest corners of society with the light of knowledge and transparency,". Their management team is dedicated to a moral cause, stating "In an era of sensationalism and misinformation, EnLighten Journalism stands as a steadfast guardian of the public interest. Whether it's exposing corruption in government, uncovering corporate malfeasance, or championing social justice causes, their reporting serves as a catalyst for positive change in the community,". They are known for clickbait-y articles and writing about anything and anything, but most notably they speak out against Avalon the most of any source and have been in a social war with the company for several years.

Flareworks Construction and Repair

Flareworks is a construction company created by a dedicated family early in Lumen City's history, with the intent to help repair the city after attacks and devastation as fast as possible to help the city get back on it's feet. With the help of Flareworks, Lumen never stays down for long. Their priority has always been speed, efficiency, and stability, honing technologies and techniques that help patch the city up as fast as possible after major damage so the inner workings of the city are never halted for long. If you're looking for a pretty repair though, you're likely out of luck with Flareworks.

Lumen Police

The LCPD is the police department for Lumen City. They are often mocked for being the "goons" of the city, essentially cannonfodder for any villain or catastrophe that comes at the city, but most officers see themselevs as "the people's Vigils", those who are willing to put themselves at risk to help the people that Vigils forget about or solve problems they overlook. This doesn't tend to make them any more noble, and they have a reputation for abusing their position of power.

Solstice Laboratories

Solstice Laboratories is the name for the government funded research groups in Lumen City. They are responsible for researching the Epicenter and are known for a wide variety of research and development. From unlocking the secrets of the human genome to developing breakthroughs in quantum computing, the researchers here are driven by a relentless pursuit of understanding and discovery. They have also translated several of their scientific discoveries into real-world applications that benefit society as a whole; their unique research of the Epicenter has given them a unique resource pool to work with, making them far ahead of most state laboratories or other facilities. Solstice Laboratories regularly hire interns from LCU to work around the epicenter, offering high-level science majors to study the epicenter and the surrounding forest. Other than these interns and a select few Vigils, they are the only people regularly allowed within the forest and near the Epicenter.

Avalon

Avalon is the primary weapon manufacturing company, responsible for outfitting the LCPD, Common Steel, many Vigils, and anyone with a desire for some serious firepower. While they are proficient in mass production, they specialize in unique weapons individualized for each buyer. They began their business making specialized weapons for vigils and have expanded greatly since then, with many individuals wanting to get their hands on a weapon made just for them to defend against the mounting threats against the city and it's inhabitants. "Avalon offers a diverse array of weaponry to suit every warrior's needs. From sleek and sophisticated handguns to mighty broadswords imbued with technological enhancements, our catalog boasts an impressive selection. Of course, any unsatisfied with what is available on the shelves is able to custom order their desired tool for defense. We are a legendary forge of innovation, blending high technology with the timeless artistry of weaponcraft, and we hope to serve this city and Jahiri as a whole for as long as the forces of darkness threaten our way of life," - Thomas Wynne, current owner of Avalon Corporation.

Hub