Factions of Varada

The vampires are alright - it's the damn Fey you gotta watch out for. They'll stab you in the back smiling at your face. Best in the business - and I should know, I've done a LOT of backstabbing in my day.

— Aradani, Captain of the Red Thief

Since the world was remade in new seas and skies, many factions and organisations have consolidated or formed to become the major powers in this world. Some are ancient holdovers from worlds that existed before. Others are bands of refugees that have managed to form into lasting republics and alliances. Others still are the product of fractures in these societies - some forced out, other leaving voluntarily.
This is not a comprehensive list, however. With the vast, mysterious nature of the world, who knows what other societies or armies may lie over the horizon? There are always rumours swirling in taverns of mysterious ships out there, only glimpsed through the more dangerous portals. And others still may be lying in secret, biding their time for a proper reveal.

Major Factions:

The Nautilan Order
Also called the Empire of the Deeps, this is the vast hegemony of Leviathan. A presence felt everywhere by all peoples, you merely need dive beneath the waves to see it. Though their presence is plain above the waves whenever they deem it appropriate. Those that do not pay homage are washed away.
Avalach, the Emerald Empire
Venarae, an Archfey of unsurpassed beauty and guile has done what was thought of as impossible in past realities: united all the Fey Courts into one Empire, with herself as God-Queen and Emperox, of course. The Feywild itself, like most other planes, was merged into Varada, though unlike others it remained mostly intact. So the Fey must reckon with their new place in the mortal world and thus far they have approached it as diplomats and conquerors.
Exile's Accord
In the aftermath of the Cataclysm and the forming of Varada, many refugees of all kinds of worlds and peoples were spat out onto newly formed islands and seas. On what would become known as the Great Sea, many of them banded together into an alliance - the Exile's Accord. Centred on a expansive archipelago and the flying city of their capital, this republic of myriad peoples and culture flourished, taking in any and everyone who wanted a place within it. They have grown into a force to reckoned within Varada.
The Blood Fleet
Undeath too, has survived into this new world. These crews of undead sailors come from the Isle of Blood, their tomb-cutters scouring the sky in the day so that their vampire Captains may sail without fear. They are rumoured to be but an expeditionary force for a vast "Vampirium" - a vampiric society ruled by their dread Blood Queen.
The Corsairs
Their origins lie in the Exile's Accord, who objected to the liberal way some Captains began to acquire goods. Now, many centuries later, the Corsairs are a league of pirates ruled by a Council of Captain-Princeps. They regard themselves as dashing privateers and adventurers whose only ideal is freedom (don't call them pirates if you value your life).
The Concordat
A loose alliance of the many small countries on the Sovereigns' Sea that all swear fealty to one monarch or another. This is a group only recently emerged due to perceived threats upon the rule of these leaders by revolutionaries and saboteurs from other Seas. In particular, a massive blockade and toll system set up by a Corsair fleet at one of the major Maelstroms led to increased tensions and an alliance to stop the pirates. Much less a traditional "faction", the Concordat is more of a simple agreement among the different fleets of these monarchies: to stop fighting each other and instead turn their attention to the Corsairs and other outside threats.

Minor Factions:

The Brightflame Alliance
The remnants of the old alliance that fought and failed against Leviathan in the early days of the Cataclysm are not completely defeated or disbanded. They exist in small communities, secretly clinging to the small embers of hope that Leviathan might yet be defeated. But mostly they exist in the religions and various Orders of the surviving deities of the Alliance: Aetherion, Bohreus, the Crimson Knight, Exar'bal, Gwythra, Merahl and Ythys.
Though it would be much less likely to find those friendly to the Alliance in the religions of Ythys, as in the waning era of the Flood, Ythys abandoned the Alliance and bade her followers retreat to her Hidden City of Ythora. It is more likely to find the Alliance among cults to the dead god Loeth.
The Shimmering Coast
On the edge of the vast blasted desert of The Emptiness is The Shimmering Coast - a collection of allied city states banded together to resist threats from both the wasteland and the sea. Most are shining bastions of magic, science, trade and the arts. The true wealth of these places however, lies in politics and lineages - each is ruled by a royal family that must constantly battle against assassination and intrigue for power.
The Shimmering Coast is also the gateway to many secrets and mysteries. The Dwarven city of Bhortaruum is constantly the host to great expeditions that venture into The Emptiness, seeking answers to the Dwarvish origins. The city of Al-Surak is also the location of one of the great rarities of Varada: a land-based Maelstrom, a sand vortex that is said to be a portal to the Hidden City of Ythora.
Independent Islands and Cities:

Elatela - Possibly the largest and wealthiest city in all of Varada, ruled by the mysterious Magister. Every outcast, flotsam, criminal and trader eventually finds their way here.
Eglirstown - A crossroads isle at the centre of all the tradewinds and tides of the Storm Sea that struggles to maintain it's independence.
Death Island - A city built into an island volcano. Though it is on the Storm Sea, it is more remote and removed from the major trade routes.
Yarwind (Seven Havens) - An idyllic collection of farming communities protected by Seven Wizards in Seven Towers who broke away from other factions.
Ythora - Called the Hidden City, this bizarre metropolis is located within a pocket demi-plane only accessible to those who know how to find it.