History Main / TheMissingFaction

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrolls'':
** Both House Indoril and House Dres in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' are two of the five great powers of Dunmer society, but their presence is solely on the mainland and so they aren't seen in-game (Although Indoril is strongly associated with the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]], so while not formally present, their influence is still felt.) Indoril then makes a more formal appearance in the ''Tribunal'' expansion, as Mournhold is within their territory and Almalexia is technically a member.
** House Dagoth applies historically, having been wiped out and demonized by the Tribunal as part of their effort to cover up the exact cause of Nerevar's death.
** In the second ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' expansion, it's revealed that this was the fate of, ironically, House [[spoiler:Hlaalu]], owing to their [[spoiler:strong support of the Empire]] getting them kicked off the Grand Council and turning them into scapegoats after [[spoiler: the Empire abandoned them during the Red Year and Argonian Invasion]].
** The Snow Elves, the original inhabitants of Skyrim, were seemingly wiped out in a war with the Stormcloaks (you'll never get a a straight answer about who was the agressor, but the Nordsmen, being the winners, claim that the Snow Elves waged a war of extermination against their ancestors). The Snow Elves are not ''technically'' completely gone, but have actually degenerated into the subterranean AlwaysChaoticEvil Falmer, who are at this point basically a different species, the result of the Dwemer turning the Snow Elves who turned to them for sanctuary into a blind, subservient slave class before they disappeared. There are two known surviving Snow Elves, one of whom has succumbed to vampirism.

* ''VideoGame/VegaStrike'' had the Lightbearers in the {{backstory}}.

* ''{{VideoGame/Touhou}}'': The Oni, who used to dwell in the Youkai Mountain along with the Tengu and the Kappa. The last known surviving member, [[DrunkenMaster Ibuki Suika]], is the star of Touhou 7.5, which is titled ''Immaterial and'' '''''Missing''''' ''Power''.
** Turns out they are really just hiding: the majority of the Oni retreated underground into the Former Hell. One of them being Hoshiguma Yuugi. Another character, Kasen Ibara, is also suspected of being an Oni.
* Both House Indoril and House Dres in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' are two of the five great powers of Dunmer society, but their presence is solely on the mainland and so they aren't seen in-game (Although Indoril is strongly associated with the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]], so while not formally present, their influence is still felt.) Indoril then makes a more formal appearance in the ''Tribunal'' expansion, as Mournhold is within their territory and Almalexia is technically a member.

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* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', the sudden extinction of the [[spoiler:Red Court of vampires]] late in the series' run has thrown the political balance of power in the supernatural world way, way out of whack. In fact, several factions that previously had gone missing due to being pushed out by the current political balance have reemerged.

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* The Thirteenth Tribe from [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 both versions]] of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''.
* The Xindi Avians in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''.

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* The TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness had several of these:

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* When ''SamAndFuzzy'' introduced [[NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering The Commitee]] (a council consisting of representatives from all factions of The Underground that upholds TheMasquerade), one of their seats were empty - the one belonging to the Ninja Mafia, which had collapsed and disintegrated after it's entire ruling council was wiped out. Sam is eventually given the seat after he brings the current Ninja Mafia (a small for-hire group that helps private civilians with supernatural problems) back to it's crime syndicate roots (mostly by targeting the businesses of other Commitee members who he blames for getting him quarantined in The Underground).

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* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', there are four peoples, of which Water, Earth and Fire remain. The three of them used to live in harmony with one another and with the Air Nomads, but the Fire Nation attacked everyone and [[FinalSolution exterminated the Air Nomads]].

* There are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legio_IX_Hispana several]] [[http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=719 tales of a]] LostRomanLegion, which went to subdue a foe, never to be heard from again. Notably, this is one of the concepts JimButcher uses in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series.

* The fifth house, Hispania, in ''{{Freelancer}}''. What actually happened was their colony ship sputtered out before it reached a habitable planet (unlike the Liberty, Kusari, Bretonia, and Rhineland colony ships). Half the colonists took to the shuttles, and landed on the planet Crete. The other half stuck with their damaged ship, reaching the planet Malta. They're now the most powerful pirate factions in the setting, the Corsairs and Outcasts respectively.

* Both House Indoril and House Dres in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' are two of the five great powers of Dunmer society, but their presence is solely on the mainland and so they aren't seen in-game (Although Indoril is strongly associated with the in-game Temple faction, so while not formally present, their influence is still felt).

* Literature/TheBible has the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.
** More specifically, these are the tribes that made up the Kingdom of Israel after a rebellion resulted in the Kingdom of Judea splitting off from it, following the death of King Solomon. The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 732 BC, and the people spread far and wide. The people of the Kingdom of Judea, which survived, managed to maintain cohesive Hebrew tradition and culture for the next 2.5 millennia despite being conquered and exiled several times, and so they got to name the other tribes as "missing". Today, many Ethiopian Jews (for example) consider themselves as -- and are often considered to be -- descendants of the Lost Tribes, and are being "reintegrated" into the modern Jewish culture. Many cultural and liturgical differences make clear the gaps that were left behind after so many centuries of dissociation.

* In the DresdenFiles, the sudden extinction of the [[spoiler:Red Court of vampires]] late in the series' run has thrown the political balance of power in the supernatural world way, way out of whack. In fact, several factions that previously had gone missing due to being pushed out by the current political balance have reemerged.

* Literature/TheHungerGames- The thirteenth district.

Basically, a collective form of The Pete Best.

* The Thirteenth Tribe from [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaClassic both versions]] of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''.

* The 2nd and 11th space marine legions in ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''. According to the fluff one or both was ordered destroyed by the Emperor for reasons not entirely specified, but some survivors were rolled into the Ultramarines. It's also been suggested that the reason one of the is missing is because they have the power to turn invisible and don't ''want'' to be found. There was also a lost Eldar Aspect Shrine, but as of 6th Edition it's been found again.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Each original type of Exalt (and caste of [[{{Cyborg}} Alchemicals]]) have a magical material associated with them: [[MadeOfWin Solars]] with Orichalcum, [[BarbarianHero Lunars]] with Moonsilver, [[{{Ninja}} Sidereals]] with Starmetal, and [[ElementalPowers Dragon-Blooded]] with Jade. However, two of the existing magical materials don't have a 'proper' associated type of Exalts: [[AndIMustScream Soulsteel]] and Adamant. [[{{Necromancer}} Abyssals]] make good use of Soulsteel, but it's intimated they aren't quite what was anticipated for a Soulsteel-associated Exalt.

* In the ''StarTrekMyriadUniverses'' series, two of the AlternateHistory stories start with the assumption that one of the founding races of the United Federation of Planets wasn't involved. ''A Less Perfect Union'' shows a xenophobic Earth withdrawing from the Coalition of Planets due to the actions of [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Terra Prime]], leaving only Vulcan, Andor and Tellar. Humans wind up in a cold war scenario with this "Interstellar Coalition". In ''The Tears of Eridanus'', meanwhile, Vulcan never turns to logic and remains a primitive warlike culture, leaving Andor as the galvanizing force behind the formation of a Federation-equivalent.

* ''BattleTech'': The Clans were descendants of [=SLDF=] which left the Inner Sphere with Kerensky centuries ago. While they were gone the IS has had four wars that bombarded their technology to the 20th century, and much of the old Star League tech was lost.

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* Both ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogies feature a universe where the state of galactic politics is based on the absence of an ancient order. In the original trilogy, it's the Jedi Order. In the prequel trilogy, it's the Sith Order.

* ''BattleTech'': the Clans were descendants of [=SLDF=] which left the Inner Sphere with Kerensky centuries ago. While they're gone the IS has had four wars that bombarded their technology to the 20th century, and much old Star League tech was lost.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' goes through this a few times, with the government-ordained group known as the Seven Warlords or the ''Shichibukai'', and the informal quartet of the four strongest pirate leaders known as the Four Emperors. Several times throughout the plot, a gap in one of those groups becomes a significant point. Notably, there was the exposure of Crocodile's plot, leading to him getting booted from the Warlords and his replacement by Blackbeard, who [[spoiler: betrayed the organization to bust out some top-level prisoners from Impel Down]]. In the course of the Paramount War, [[spoiler:Jimbei and Gecko Moria]] were removed from the Warlords, and [[spoiler:Whitebeard, one of the Emperors, was killed.]] Much of the fandom's post-timeskip speculation revolves around determining who has filled the missing slots in the Warlords.

** More specifically, these are the tribes that made up the Kingdom of Israel after a rebellion resulted in the Kingdom of Judea splitting off from it, following the death of King Solomon. The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 732 BC, and the people spread far and wide. The people of the Kingdom of Judea, which survived, managed to maintain cohesive Hebrew tradition and culture for the next 2.5 millennia despite being conquered and exiled several times, and so they got to name the other tribes as "missing". Today, many Ethiopean Jews (for example) consider themselves as -- and are often considered to be -- descendants of the Lost Tribes, and are being "reintegrated" into the modern Jewish culture. Many cultural and liturgical differences make clear the gaps that were left behind after so many centuries of dissociation.

** More specifically, these are the tribes that made up the Kingdom of Israel after a rebellion resulted in the Kingdom of Judea splitting off from it, following the death of King Solomon. The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 732 BC, and the people spread far and wide. The people of the Kingdom of Judea, which survived, managed to maintain cohesive Hebrew tradition and culture for the next 2.5 millennia despite being conquered and exiled several times, and so they got to name the other tribes as "missing". Today, many Ethiopean Jews (for example) consider themselves as -- and are often considered to be -- descendents of the Lost Tribes, and are being "reintegrated" into the modern Jewish culture. Many cultural and liturgical differences make clear the gaps that were left behind after so many centuries of dissociation.

** The highest level of aristocracy in the Seireitei is held by the Four Great Noble Clans, only two of which have been revealed in the story (the Shihouin and Kuchiki Clans). The true extent of their power has never been fully revealed but they're indicated to even have ties to the Royal Realm. However, in the past, there actually used to be Five Great Noble Clans. The Shiba Clan was disgraced by mysterious events that still haven't been explained[[note]]According to the Turn Back the Pendulum arc, the Great Noble Clans had already been reduced to four, indicating that the disgrace occurred more than 109 years before the start of the story[[/note]]. The clan has been reduced to two known members, siblings living with the commoners in the Rukongai. [[spoiler: The Shiba clan is also found in the World of the Living as Isshin Kurosaki was the head of a minor branch of the Shiba clan and is the siblings' uncle. The family has also retained its connection to the Royal Realm despite being disgraced in Seireitei.]]