[@JohnSolaris]
I was planning on using one of those two factions anyway, but thank you for giving that explanation. It didn't even occur to me to factor in the politics.

I'd also like to say that I'm okay with having my character die, so if it becomes a problem for whatever reason you could always take the mantle for other characters. 

But to solidify a detail I'm thinking of, what is the specific process by which mantles are passed on? Is it by choice of the one with it, or by killing them? Or is there a more complex system?