The factional landscape inside the royal orbit, as mapped in Session 2.
The Sultan’s (Awad’s) Faction
The late Crown Prince Awad’s faction was essentially Sultan Fahim’s faction. Baahir’s handlers now all seem to be drawn from it. (S2)
Ikram’s Faction
Prince Ikram and Awad did not have a good relationship. Ikram’s faction was the weaker — “but maybe not any more.” (S2) A small group floats Ikram as a strong Advisor to Baahir. The Modernists and Mercantilists both lean toward Ikram as pragmatic; the Conservatives reject him, considering him bi/gay. (S2)
The Daughters’ Factions
The husbands and families married into the royal line via the Sultan’s nine daughters — “really nine different factions.” With the succession unsettled, these factions and more Daughters are becoming part of the conversation. (S2) See Daughters of the Sultan.
The Marriage Question
The nobility’s overriding anxiety: how will the Sultan secure the succession, and what marriage will he arrange for Baahir? (S2)
- Conservatives and Separatists: fear a non-traditional bride.
- Integrationists: see an opportunity to marry Baahir to Lusia Balventia, Countess of Karvena.
Speculation
Whoever controls Baahir’s marriage controls the next reign. Every faction’s behavior around Baahir — including Princess Ensah’s swift arrival at the dockside attack (S2) — is worth reading in that light.