It sounds very different from mine. What's it like, living there? Does the magic affect how it's ruled?
They are. They've been in power, gathering power, for a long time. As big as the factions are, though, most people don't go into faction service, and their power lies in ordinary citizens' fear of standing together against them. When a government spends more of itself discouraging that solidarity than protecting those in its charge, its biggest enemy is the possibility that they could organize effectively enough to change it.
no subject
They are. They've been in power, gathering power, for a long time. As big as the factions are, though, most people don't go into faction service, and their power lies in ordinary citizens' fear of standing together against them. When a government spends more of itself discouraging that solidarity than protecting those in its charge, its biggest enemy is the possibility that they could organize effectively enough to change it.