As in any campaign, the true driving force behind the stories of Pai-Lau are the Characters. They accept the missions, fight the battles, and antagonize the enemies. Where they go, trouble usually follows. And when they leave, the chain events inexorably follows them. For a character, life is rarely dull.

Beyond the obvious effects of the characters, there are also the colorful, devious, and sometimes hated effects of the other influential people on Pai-Lau. They can be kind, evil, or ambivalent. Sometimes, they help the characters with advice, or information. Sometimes, the hound the heroes, and do everything they can to kill them. These people come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds.

Of course, behind any influential person, there is almost always a guild, or a kingdom, or a secret society. These influential groups manipulate Pai-Lau with grand plans, and a common goal. These goals can be reached through policy and intrigue, or brutish force. Whatever there methods, though, influential groups are hard to ignore, and even harder to destroy. Whereas a single person can be killed, a strong group can almost always rebuild itself from near destruction.