How are the Albs powerful enough to even challenge the clerics?

We know that the Albs come from the Clerics and have the same technology but what confuses me is how they have the numbers or resources to fight even the clerics? They're suppose to be a splinter group yet they endanger all the Free peoples and somehow had the resources to construct the Ice Palace. They don't negotiate with the other factions and they have a separatist issue so how have they even lasted this long?