Following the fall of Ilihect, the few survivors who belonged to the Thieves' Guild banded together in an attempt to survive the devastation caused by Aura. This group of people named themselves the Emerald clan after the land of Ilihect and became the first faction to declare themselves an official brotherhood. As the Emerald faction had endured extensive training in the art of secrecy, they used these skills to evade Aura. They hid out, deep underground or in forests far from Toria and away from Aura's watchful eye. Descendants and Initiates into the clan of Emerald were given training and the legacy continued. As the pages of history turned, and Ilihect evolved into the world we see today, most of the Emerald clan vanished as their hiding was no longer necessary. Those who left the Emerald clan often joined the Diamond faction, finally able to put their hard life to rest.

The Ruby faction became an official faction illediately following the Emerald faction. At the outbreak of the Unvent, the priests blamed the Thieves' guild for the events leading up to Aura's rampage. The priests believed the Thieves' Guild were behind the removal of Mera's core by the "Cult of Carbract", worshippers of Wyrm just like the Guild. Evidence suggests this to be true; the removal was performed by those who were skilled in graverobbery, something the Thieves' Guild would have no trouble pulling off. The priests of Mera immediately banded together with the remaining Torian Knights and Mages. Together, they formed the Ruby faction, a martial group who shared fighting techniques imbued with magical force and strict disciplinary skills. As the most powerful group, the Ruby faction fared better than the Emerald faction and were able to live out in the open and defend themselves relatively well against Aura's sentinels. As with the Emerald faction, after Aura's threat had subsided, most settled into a cosy life in the Diamond faction. Those who still live under the Ruby banner, or have Ruby roots, are often resentful toward those who live under the Emerald banner, though no conflict has been documented since the Hopa Wars of 76A.

The Sapphire faction were a group of mages who fled Ilihect during the Unvent, transforming themselves into the Carcherosapiens. They spent most of their lives in Ilihect's oceans, fearing Aura's reign of terror, and eventually evolved into the Carcher, at which point their faction disbanded. Climate changes caused the Carcher to go extinct, though it has not been unknown for modern-day mages to consider themselves honorary members of the group. These mages tend to have powerful Vywat based spells and spend their lives as hermits.

The Diamond faction is a modern addition to the original three groups. Retired members or descendants of the Emerald and Ruby factions live together in peace under the Diamond banner, a neutral faction that most inhabitants of the world live under. Peaceful Diamond clan members live as farmers, librarians, priests and builders all across the land. Diamond is regarded as the banner one is assumed to live under if unaffiliated with another faction.