Chapter Four: the Factions

Athar	Believers of the Source	Bleak Cabal	Doomguard	Dustmen
Fated	Fraternity of Order	Free League	Mercykillers	Revolutionary League
Harmonium	Sign of One	Society of Sensation	Transcendant Order	Xaositects

Core Philosophy: The gods are frauds. The unknowable truth of true divinity lies beyond the veil, in the Great Unknown.
The three main goals of the Athar are to prove the falsity of the "gods," to lessen or destroy their influence, and to part the veil of the unknowable to glimpse the truth. Nearly all Athar feel a need to show the deluded, who still have faith in their deities, the error of their ways.However, Defiers steer away from overt hostilities with temples and priests: the survival of the faction depends on discretion.

Headquarters (Sigil): Shattered Temple, in the Lower Ward.

Plane of Influence: The Astral.

Members: Lawful Athar think that those who devote themselves to deities follow a false order, and need to see past the powers to the truth of the Great Unknown. Chaotic Defiers insist that the multiverse has no rhyme or reason, and that the gods just form a false veneer or order. The neutral Lost believe that false gods distort the balance between law and chaos. Many Defiers feel betrayed by the gods, and carry a heavy load of cynicism, paranoia, and resentment.
Defiers wanting to become one of the high-ranking factors of the Athar must create a significant victory over a deity or its servants. Routing a battalion of devas from Elysium, destroying a legion of Hecate's hellhounds, or slaying the proxy of Ra, would all be adequate. The factors choose the replacement factol when the office-holder dies, resigns, or grows incompetant. Candidates for the position of factol must defile an active temple before assuming the role.
Naturally, no Defier ever worships a deity, yet there are still a few divine spellcasters in the faction. Druids and rangers insist that the gods interfere with the natural cycles of the multiverse, in which can be found sublime truths. Athar clerics (and the rarer paladins) seek to glimpse the Great Unknown, a mysterious force that lies beyond the veil of mortal perception. It is from the Great Unknown that all lesser beings (including the gods) draw divine magic. Clerics of the Great Unknown typically choose from the domains of Knowledge, Luck, Magic, and Protection.
Many planar races are devoted to one or more deities and would never consider joining the Athar. This fact makes the Lost seem less multiracial than some factions. However, Prime races are all well-represented, as are tieflings.

Common Skills: Many Athar have a few ranks in the Knowledge (religion) skill, on the basis that it is better to know one's enemy. Athar also excel in the Gather Information, Sense Motive, Speak Language, and Spellcraft skills, which they use in their espionage and propaganda campaigns against the temples of false gods.

Common Feats: Athar are always on the lookout for vengeful clerics of their enemies, and benefit from the Alertness and Lightning Reflexes feats. Fortitude and Iron Will are also useful for resisting divine spells. The more academic Defiers use the Scribe Scroll feat as part of Factol Terrance's plan to educate Sigil using magic mouth propaganda scrolls.

Believers of the Source (Godsmen)

Core Philosophy: All life springs from the same divine source, ascending and descending in form as it is tested. Life is a forge that shapes personalities and spirits. Learning from experience (including past lives) is best accomplished by the ability to reason clearly, so that a person can recognise the tests of existence and how to overcome them. All things can ascend to greater glory – if not in this life, then in the nest – so once you have passed all of the tests of the multiverse, you can evolve to godhood – and beyond.

Headquarters (Sigil): The Great Foundry, in the Lower Ward.

Plane of Influence: The Ethereal demiplanes.

Members: The Believers of the Source have one of the most diverse memberships. They believe in the ultimate worth – the divine potential – of every individual, from the lowliest thief to the noblest celestial - including primes. Wemics, pixies, satyrs, bariaur, tieflings, dwarves, and half-elves mingle with each other and the odd erinyes, lammasu, githyanki, slaad, or moon dog. However, most Godsmen consider natives of the Prime Material Plane to be lower on the chain of ascension than planars.
Nobody really knows what the tests of existence are. Each Godsman has different beliefs about the nature of these tests. Furthermore, some Godsmen attempt to help others to ascend, whilst others selfishly take advantage of the ignorant for their own spiritual benefit.
Bards know that their art can spark inspiration, causing both magical effects and the even more wondrous result of moving listeners to greatness. Clerics and monks seek to emulate the divine evolution of their gods, although they realise that no deity can reveal the truth of the Source. Druids and rangers frequently see potential for divinity in nature unmatched by sentient races, and trust that natural cycles will bring each person to illumination. Godsmen fighters think that conflict teaches valuable life lessons, so they seek out battle with others to help them grow. Paladins believe that they evolve by helping others and expect those they aid to offer succor, too. Sorcerers and wizards are frequently quite arrogant, and believe that magic is they key to spiritual evolution. Godsmen rogues attempt to steal secrets and love forbidden lore.

Common Skills: The Godsmen slowly temper their spirits like steel, learning with each new experience - whether it's a succes or failure. In keeping with the metaphor of tempering steel, anyone who wants to join the faction has to put in time working at the forges of the Great Foundry, as a test of character. Thus, almost all Godsmen have at least one rank in a Craft skill.
Factol Ambar has organised a program to train all Godsmen in singing or playing an instrument (the Perform skill), trying to revive the popularity of "empyrean harmonies," which were once believed to help a Godsman ascend the lader towards godhood. Furthermore, the value that Godsmen ascribe to all beings opens them up to insights into their character. Thus, Sense Motive is a skill that Godsmen naturally excel in.

Common Feats: Godsmen strive to succeed in the trials that life sets before them, and triumph in situations that others might merely survive. Toughness is a feat favoured by many of the action-oriented Godsmen, whereas the more intellectual Believers of the Source often possess the Spell Penetration feat.

The Bleak Cabal (Bleakers, Madmen)

Core Philosophy: The secret of the multiverse is that there is no secret. The multiverse isn't supposed to make sense; there's no grand scheme. There's no deep meaning, no faith, no hope, no elusive order, and nothing to believe in. The only truth worth finding lies within.

Headquarters (Sigil): The Gatehouse, in the Hive Ward.

Plane of Influence: Pandemonium.

Members: The Bleak Cabal does not actively recruit members, instead growing solely by word of mouth. Those who wish to join are forced to endure a initiation period, which tends to break most aspirants. A Bleaker's response to an applicant won't be much more than a grunt or a shrug of the shoulders – she certainly won't explain what to do, where to go, or anything of the sort. Most Bleakers will ignore an aspirant, or talk her out of joining. Only those whose hearts are truly bleak have the will to persevere through this disinterest and antagonism, and are eventually accepted into the faction as namers.
A character who makes it through the initiation has to drop her last name or family name, as a sign of her willingness to give up a life of past "meaning."
Characters with scholarly inclinations – notably bards, clerics, wizards, and sorcerers – are particularly attracted to the Bleak Cabal, with its emphasis on the mental over the physical. Fighters, rangers, and rogues join the faction in smaller numbers, often later in life after the burden of life has taken its toll.
Lawfully aligned characters can't stomach the basic premise of the Bleak Cabal, for a multiverse without meaning can have no true order, either. However, Bleakers of good and evil alignments often work together despite different morals. They have a far more primal urgency to deal with – the intenral struggle for sanity. At some point, all Madmen share the pain inherent to their faction, and all know the pains and terrors that their fellow Bleakers have endured.
Madmen can be quite sane one day, and a fortnight later be in the throes of a depression bordering on true insanity. Bleakers are often overcome by the futility of existence in a multiverse where nothing has true meaning. Occasionally this melancholia is so strong that a character refuses to act unless she can be philosophically convinced of the importance of doing so. However, a wise Madman welcomes her duty to embrace the pain of life, wrestle with the demons of insanity, and emerge the stronger for it all.

Common Skills: With the compassion that many Madmen feel towards the sufferings of others, the Heal skill is in great demand in the Gatehouse. Bleaker artists share the sour fruits of their introspection, with anguished poems, elegant dirges, and gloomy stunts; the Perform skill is common among these "Bleakniks."

Common Feats: Bleakers are no strangers to internal struggle; they fight daily against the anguish that understanding true meaninglessness brings. Thus, Bleakers are more resistant to the mental control of others, and many choose the Iron Will feat.

The Doomguard (Sinkers)

Core Philosophy: Entropy is ecstacy; decay is divine. The multiverse is supposed to fall apart – think of it as existence's ultimate release from toil and pain. Entropy reaches perfection when everything fades away. The Doomguard exists to keep idiots from interfering. What right do mortals have to deny the natural existence of things?

Headquarters (Sigil): The Armoury.

Planes of Influence: Each negative quasiplane (Ash, Dust, Salt, and Vacuum).

Members: Fighters and barbarians are eager members of the Domguard, using their physical might to destroy crumbling equipment and architecture. Rogues, sorcerers and wizards also join the Doomguard, although in fewer numbers. Bards, paladins, and rangers are far less represented among the Sinkers, and clerics (especially those with healing spells), druids, and monks are almost unheard-of.
The Doomguard attracts characters of all alignments. Those of chaotic alignments usually fall in with a group called the Harbringers, who want to accelerate the pace of decay, pushing hard for entropy. Those of neutral alignments generally belong to a group that believes that the multiverse should crumble at its own pace, with no help or hindrance from mortals. Lawful Sinkers tend to belong to a group (the Regulators) that tries to hold entropy to a slow crawl.
The Doomguard is one of the factions most open to an individual interpretation of its tenets. Regardless of how a Sinker leans, he always responds to a direct threat to entropy. But the method of that response varies from one Sinker to another, depending on alignment and faction leaning. A Sinker's got to live with his actions, not to mention the effect of his beliefs upon personal habits. Some Sinkers only use the newest of gear, delighting in the erosion of virgin materials. Others use equipment that has passed through many hands, insistent that secondhand articles be shepherded to their demise. and some sport clothing and weapons so old as to be barely functional.
Despite its militaristic outlook, the Doomguard doesn't bother with ranks within the faction; the only distinctions it makes are among faction members who push hard for entropy, those who let nature run its course, and those who slow it all down. However, Doomlords (se below) are more likely to gain personal power by being successful in the fight for entropy and thus gaining favour from the factol and the greater Doomlords.

Common Skills: The Doomguard make their headquarters in the armoury of igil, where they make and dispense weaponry. This is a task well-suited to the faction's beliefs, and many namers possess ranks in the Appraisal and Craft (weaponsmithing) skills. Sinkers are famous for their masterwork swords.

Common Feats: All members of the Doomguard are trained to fight with a sword – perhaps because Sinkers have a knack for bloodshed, or perhaps because the sword is an archetypal symbol repreenting destruction. Members of classes not proficient with martial weapons should take the Martial Weapon proficiency feat; Improved Critical and Weapon Focus are common among Sinkers. Many Sinkers take the Sunder feat, and delight in using it to smash the weapons of their foes.

The Dustmen (Deaders)

Core Philosophy: All are dead – some more so than others. There is no such thing as life, for life is supposed to be about celebration and positive feelings. However, existence is actually muted, dull, full of pain, and twisted with sorrow. The multiverse is just a shadow of another, better existence. This multiverse – the Prime Material, the Inner, and the Outer Planes – is where beings exist after they die.
The Dustmen explore their so-called "life" to the fullest and understand this existence before moving up the ladder of Truth. They are patient, and respect Death, for one who attempts to see the Truth before he is ready will probably be forced to try again. The undead have attained purity in this world – purged themselves of all passion and sense. Dustmen seek to become like the undead, and a truce older than memory exists between the Dustmen and the undead.

Headquarters (Sigil): The Mortuary, in the Hive Ward.

Plane of Influence: The Negative Energy Plane.

Members: Most Dead are humans, for races with a short life span tend to sympathise with the Dustman philosophy; after all, they see death so much more often. The faction is most suited to scholarly, intellectual types, attracting clerics of death gods, monks, and wizards. Some clerics are less devoted to specific gods (whose worship requires fervent passion) and become more devout to Death as a force.
Fighters and rogues in the Dead are less flamboyant than they might otherwise be, and tend to be implacable guardians and dispassionate skulkers. Dustmen druids revere nature and see death as a natural progression from life. All life ends in death, and Dustman druids see all "life" as merely a stage of death.
Some Dustmen hope for a return to Life. Known as the Hopeful, these Dustmen reach for the passionless state of True Death because just beyond it lies the reward: a return to the multiverse of the True Living. other Dustmen consider the Hopeful to be foolish, although harmless.

Common Skills: Dustmen are well-suited in disposition to scholarly pursuits, and many Knowledge skills are possessed by members of this faction. The subtle expressions and mannerism of a true Dustman enables faction members to communicate on a level almost imperceptible to outsiders; this is represented by one or more ranks in the Innuendo skill.

Common Feats: Dustmen are implacable foes, and tirelessly pursue their enemies. When death holds no fear, there is nothing to stop a Dustman from striving until he drops dead from exhaustion. Dustmen commonly have the Endurance or Toughness feats. Dustmen sorcerers and wizards sometimes take Spell Focus in the necromancy school of magic.

The Fated (Heartless, Takers)

Core Philosophy: The multiverse belongs to those who seize it. No one's to blame for a poor sod's fate but the sorry sod himself.
The Fated have the wherewithal to learn and grab what they need, but a Heartless' fierce independance is also one of his greatest weaknesses. No true member of the Fated will consider giving or receiving any kind of charity. it's an easy thing to refuse giving a few coins to another in need, but it's harder for a Heartles to refuse such gifts himself. However, a faithful member of the Fated simply won't accept something unless he has truly earned it.

Headquarters (Sigil): Hall of Records, in the Clerk's Ward.

Plane of Influence: Ysgard.

Members: All beings are allowed to join the Fated. Initiation takes place weekkly at the Rowan Institute of Training: potential recruits are culled from the faction's exhaustive records of past applicants and brought in for interviews and testing. The first set of tests resemble university entrance exams, and are designed to measure intelligence; the second are more military in tone, and test physical capabilities. If the recruit passes both mental and physcial exams, the faction arranges a final test to see if the character is justified in joining the Fated. At some point in the near future, the recruit stumbles into a situation where he could gain some benefit without having earned it: a prize just there for anyone to grab. If the recruit takes the bait, he's denied entrance into the faction. The Heartless claim only what they've rightfully earned, they don't give or take anything for free.

Common Skills: The Fated know that there is no such thing as useless information – just information that might take a while to become useful. Thus, Heartless tend to acquire ranks in a number of Knowledge skills, particularly Knowledge (planar).

Common Feats: Any feats that compliment a character's strengths are appropriate for a member of the fated. Skill Focus is a common choice, as is Alertness, Toughness, and Iron Will.

The Fraternity of Order (Guvners)

Core Philosophy: Everything is governed by laws – everything. Most of the multiverse's laws are unknown, but they can be learned. By learning the laws of the multiverse, one can use them to the best advantage, or even find loopholes to exploit. With the laws of the multiverse under his thumb, an individual can manipulate the very heart of things. Learning the laws of the multiverse takes study, searching, and research. There are millions of laws that control the multiverse, and the more a body learns, the more he can do.

Headquarters (Sigil): City Court, in The Lady's Ward.

Plane of Influence: Mechanus.

Members: Only characters who are demonstrably lawful in disposition will be accepted into the Fraternity of Order. Good characters respect the laws as they are, while evil ones thrill in twisting them legally whenever they can. A character must also pass initial entrance examinations, covering his knowledge of law and general education. The majority of Guvners are Aides, who perform minor tasks for the faction, go on adventures to gain first-hand knowledge (and write up reports afterwards), or live normal lives.
Those who want to become more involved in the faction seek promotion from Aide to Administrator. To earn this promotion, an Aide must pass a series of tests, offered every 100 days. Passing the tests makes a Guvner an Administrator of A10 rank (A1 is the highest).
The factol assigns an A1 both knowledgeable and lucky to become chief of a Bureau. The ranks of Burea Chiefs start with B5 (who supervise lesser Bureaus) and work up to B1 (who run the five Star Bureaus). Between are the Ad Hoc Bureaus, which are technically temporary, and the judges and functionaries of the Burea of Courts.
Guvners believe in the intrinsic value of laws, and consider issues of whether a law is right or wrong irrelevant. A true Guvner won't knowingly break a law, unless he can find a legalistic loophole to exploit.

Common Skills: Guvners excel in the Alchemy, Knowledge, Language, and Profession skills. Those characters who are able to learn the Decipher Script, Scry, or Use Magic Item skills use these abilities in the pursuit of knowledge and to exploit loopholes that others might ignore.

Common Feats: Guvner characters favour Skill Focus, typically in a Knowledge skill, Scribe Scroll, or the metamagic feats.

The Free League (Indeps)

Core Philosophy: The idea that any one faction knows the truth and everybody else has it wrong is a risk that the Indeps aren't prepared to take. Side with one faction, and you might find out they are wrong. There's no wisdom in that! Nobody has the key to truth, so keep your options open. This isn't a faction, more a collection of like-thinking individuals. They look out for each other, share news, pass around jobs, and respect each Indep's right to be a free-thinker. Look out for the freedom of your fellows, and everyone can be free.

Headquarters (Sigil): Great Bazaar, in the Market Ward.

Plane of Influence: The Outlands.

Members: Anyone who wants to can call himself an Indep. Free Leaguers accept others for what they are, imposing no restrictions on members in terms of gender, race, or lifestyle. Those interested in the Free League are questioned to see if they are suited to the Free League or to some other faction, and warned about the challenges of living a free life. If a character's still willing to sign up, all that remains is buying s round of drinks for his new friends.
Truly independant Free Leaguers have no preconceptions, attitudes, or viewpoints that might get in the way of seeing the truth. An Indep might be suspicious, but not judgemental. He tries to avoid all biases, prejudices, or leanings towards one side or another.
Most Indeps try to remain tolerant and open-minded, minimising their conflicts with members of other factions. Being independant, the Free League has no factol and therefore is not represented in Sigil's official matters. In Sigil, the Indeps have few protected rights; however, they also have no hierarchy to tell them what to do.

Common Skills: All Indeps have to make a living, especially without an organised faction to provide support. Thus, a Profession skill is commonly taken by Indeps. The suspicion that many Indeps feel towards those who might sweet-talk them is represented by the Sense Motive skill; many Indeps are quite astute when determining the true intentions of other people.

Common Feats: Iron Will is a feat commonly taken by Indeps, whose fierce independance makes them more resistant to mind-affecting powers of all sorts.

The Harmonium (Hardheads)

Core Philosophy: The Harmonium is always right. The goal of every enlightened being in the multiverse is to live in perfect harmony woth all others. Peace or war are the fundamental states of the multiverse. beings with the same views dwell in peace; those who disagree cause war.
Peace is the goal of the Harmonium. However, they are prepared to use force to bring about the golden harmony of peace, if that is necessary. Every time the Harmonium eliminates an enemy, the multiverse is that much closer to the universal harmony that it is meant to have.

Headquarters (Sigil): City Barracks, in The Lady's Ward.

Plane of Influence: Arcadia.

Members: Everyone is welcome (even expected) to join the Harmonium, regardless of their race or class. Humans and dwarves are the most likely members, as are those who appreciate the sense of family offered by this faction (half-elves and tieflings, for example). Free-spirited types such as elves, githzerai and bariaur aren't highly represented in the ranks.
Regardless, all applicants must be of lawful alignment or they will soon hit the blinds – the Harmonium have a fierce devotion to their order, and those of nonlawful alignment have difficulty conforming to the rigid standards of the faction. Few in the Harmonium seem actually evil; many are good, and the rest fall somewhere in the middle. Evil isn't particularly conducive to harmony and peace, although those of lawful evil alignment certainly understand order and the benefits of stability.
Recruits who have completed their training join the paramilitary organisation of the faction. The common faction member is a Notary, from the recently-recruited Notary Ones to the long-serving and respected Notary Fives.
Having joined the Harmonium, the character finds that he has been accepted into one big family. Hardheads stick together, and cooperate whenever possible. A Hardhead in need can expect his fellow faction members to support him in times of need. On the other hand, any variance from the orders of a Harmonium superior require that the character make reparations before he will be forgiven. Those who do the unthinkable and betray the Harmonium find their formerly beloved faction hunting them, and a death penalty hanging over their head. Not many Hardheads turn stag.

Common Skills: Patient Hardheads use the Diplomacy skill to change the attitudes of others, gradually bringing them around to see that the Harmonium views are right. Less tolerant Hardheads use the Intimindation skill to force others to comply. Those Harmonium members who work as agents of the peace take a few ranks in Spot, which enables them to notice infringements of the law and keep tabs on potential troublemakers.

Common Feats: Hardheads who are engaged in the policing of Arcadia or Sigil often have Improved Disarm, always useful when capturing armed felons. High-level Harheads often have Leadership, as well. The signature red steel armour of the Harmonium may require some characters to take an Armour Proficiency feat.

Mercykillers (The Red Death)

Core Philosophy: Justice is everything – justice is divine. Laws exist to see that justice is carried out. Justice purges people and makes them better, fit to belong in the multiverse. When properly applied, justice leads to perfection.
Mercy is an excuse created by the weak and the criminal. The Mercykillers are not so weak. Every crime must be punished according to the law; there are no such things as "extenuating circumstances." Mercykillers don't make the laws, but they are the most fit to enforce them. Charged with protecting justice, the Mercykillers answer to a higher law. They can do things that others can't – all in the name of justice.

Headquarters (Sigil): The Prison, in The Lady's Ward.

Plane of Influence: Acheron.

Members: The Mercykillers are a strict group, allowing only those of demonstrably lawful alignment to join the faction. Rogues and known criminals are absolutely not welcome – an applicant with any criminal past is tossed into the street. Those who measure up need only present herself at one of the enlistment days held every fortnight, where they gather in a room to discuss the Eight Tenets of Justice. At the end of the day, those who still wish to join swear to each of the tenets, and is thereafter considered a Mercykiller.
The Red Death offers strict regimentation to those who seek it, realising that some people need to simply do as they're told and follow the rules. However, the Red Death does allow members to interpret the abstract concept of justice according to their personal ideals. This can lead to arguments between individual Mercykillers, for lawful good Mercykillers are often less troubled by an escaped criminal than they are by someone who has been wrongfully imprisoned. Thus, the faction as a whole relies on the letter of the law, not its sprit, as its official guide.
Most Mercykillers have a love of justice, but do not possess the training and education to be more than a namer in the faction. Those who learn the laws to an exacting degree are called Justices by the Red Death. They carry out the day-to-day functions of the faction. Mercykillers consider themselves innocent of any crime they are forced to commit in the pursuit of a known criminal. Other folks don't agree with this logic, and argue that the Mercykillers shouldn't be considered above the laws, or even allowed to act as they do. However, a true Mercykiller would never commit a crime for any other reason; if for some reason she had, she would be subject to full punishment under the law. Furthermore, although a Mercykiller can accept the surrender of a criminal (so that he can be brought to trial and properly punished), she can never release a lawbreaker until the proper sentence has been carried out.

Common Skills: Most Mercykillers have a few ranks in Sense Motive, which is of great use in determining the truthfulness of a suspect's words. The Gather Information and Search skills help the Red Death to pursue and capture fugitives.

Common Feats: Always ready for trouble when in pursuit of the guilty, members of the Red Death would do well to take every advantage available to them. Depending upon her style of battle, a Mercykiller might possess the feats Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, or Precise Shot. Track is useful to those Mercykillers forced to pursue a criminal into the planar wilderness.

The Revolutionary League (Anarchists)

Core Philosophy: The status quo is built on corruption, lies and greed. The factions no longer care about the truth, but are only interested in keeping the masses ignorant and impoverished. The anarchists say that it's time for change. Crush the factions! There's no point searching for the truth until the current order has been overcome. Break them all down and rebuild society with what remains – that's the only chance of finding the real truth.

Headquarters (Sigil): No fixed headquarters (mobile).

Plane of Influence: Carceri.

Members: Although they claim to accept all comers, the Revolutionary League keeps out those of lawful alignment, who typically feel averse to overthrowing the order in society. Most Anarchists are human, since they can most easily infiltrate other factions, and githzerai seem to have a special affinity for the League – perhaps because so many of them were dissidents in their native cities in Limbo.
Joining the Revolutionary League is never easy, for although their members are everywhere, most people never realise when they've met one. Those who seek them out too obviously draw unwanted attention, and will likely never attract the Revolutionary League. But those who casually tell a few people how unhappy he is with authority will sonner or later be approached by an Anarchist. When the Anarchist trusts him (and who knows how long that will take), he takes the new member to a cell meeting.
Cells each have at least three members, and sometimes as many as eight. Each cell's leader belongs to at least one other cell, allowing communication between the cells of the Revolutionary League. However, no cell accepts that any other cell does things right and each one thinks that its own schemes will work best. However, when two or more cells do manage to cooperate, they can become truly dangerous.
Anarchists never hold any public office or noble title, own a business, or take part in anything that would tie them into the power structure of the planes, for this would compromise their philosophy. They are expected to donate fully 90% of their income to the Cause.

Common Skills: Anarchists rely on the Bluff skill to maintain their secrecy, the Disguise skill to infiltrate the corrupt factions, and Innuendo to communicate with other Anarchists without discovery. Forgery, Gather Information, and Open Lock are also common skills among the more criminally-inclined members of the Revolutionary League.

Common Feats: Anarchists without the Alertness feat might find that trouble overtakes them before they can see it coming. Lightning Reflexes is often taken to help an Anarchist to escape harm when they are inevitably discovered by enemies. Silent Spell allows spellcasters in the Revolutionary League to cast spells with some measure of surprise.

The Sign of One (Signers)

Core Philosophy: The multiverse centres around the self – it exists only because the mind imagines it to exist; without the self, the multiverse ceases to be. It has been created through the power of thought by the Signers – perhaps one Signer, perhaps all of them. Any Signer could be the source of everything, so it's best to agree with them all.

Headquarters (Sigil): Hall of Speakers, in the Clerk's Ward.

Plane of Influence: The Beastlands.

Members: The Sign of One does not actively recruit new members. A character must prove that he can alter the multiverse before the faction will admit him. The faction recognises the chosen by allowing applicants to register their visions for the future at headquarters. Those whose visions come to pass are considered namers in the Sign of One.
Signers often have immense egos, and aren't good at understanding the motives and feelings of others. However, all Signers are open-minded: When a body can imagine anything or anyone into existence, a the natural result is a wide diversity of beings, each of which deserves a hearing. Thus, all beings feel welcome in the Sign of One.
Signers generally seem more self-centred than other people. Self-serving behaviour seems quite reasonable when a Signer views others as products of his imagination, without subjective reality. Lawful good and lawful neutral characters may find it difficult to reconcile their beliefs with the Sign of One's philosophy of a totally subjective reality.

Common Skills: Signers spend time improving their powers of concentration and positive thinking, and often have a few ranks in the Concentration skill. Signers also find the Scry skill an appealing choice.

Common Feats: Almost all Signers benefit from the Iron Will feat. Many also take Skill Focus (Concentration), especially those belonging to the Imagica prestige class (see below). Spellcasters enjoy the Empower Spell feat, with which they demonstrate the power of positive thinking.

Society of Sensation (Sensates)

Core Philosophy: Sensation is the only proof of existence. Without experience, without sensation, a thing isn't. The only way to know anything for sure is to use the senses. Only when one has experienced the whole multiverse do t he great secrets reveal themselves. The senses form the path to truth, for nothing truly exists beyond that which can be sensed.

Headquarters (Sigil): Civic Festhall, in the Clerk's Ward.

Plane of Influence: Arborea.

Members: There are no requirements for applicants to the Society of Sensation. All a character needs is a genuine desire to experience the whole multiverse. Alignment has little importance in the Sensate philosophy. The overriding goal of experiencing and understanding all takes precedence, and few Sensates are ever appalled by the acs of their fellows. Members won't act in ways opposed to their ethos, but they'll leap at the chance to relive such actions magically recorded in the Sensorium.
The Society of Sensation has a wide variety of classes among its membership. Most Sensates are actually multiclassed, for specialisation tends to limit a body's range of possible experiences. Specialist wizards are not common, and Illusionists are derided for "faking" experiences, creating sensations with no basis in reality.
Sensates are fascinated by new tastes, smells, and so forth, although not to the point of foolhardiness. Sensates are much more than hedonists, for there is more to experience than simple physical gratification. Whenever possible, a Sensate will seek out (and won't refuse) offers that will lead to new experiences – a new wine, an exotic flower, or whatever. Only when faced with an obviously deadly peril will a Sensate shun such temptations.
Faction members who can't seem to grasp what it means to be a true Sensate are sent (banished?) to the Gilded Hall in Arborea. Those who repeatedly shy away from a new experience – whether through ignorance, fear, or stupidity – generally end up at the Gilded Hall. The Hall is a place of endless revelry, but there is little that is truly new there. Still, few Sensates can bring themselves to leave this shiny prison of delights.

Common Skills: Sensates excell in skills that enable them to savour new sensations – including Listen, Scry, and Spot. Naturally, Knowledge skills of all kinds are appropriate for those who seek to experience everything, although seldom more than a single rank in each. Their experience with strange substances and wondrous items means that a Sensate is well suited to the Alchemy, Decipher Script, and Use Magic Device skills.

Common Feats: Most Sensates have Alertness as a feat, and Great Fortitude is almost a must for the more risk-taking members of the faction. Those who enjoy sneaking into forbidden places tend to benefit from Lightning Reflexes and Run, to ensure that they can get out again.

Transcendant Order (Ciphers)

Core Philosophy: Action without thought is the purest response. Train body and mind to act in harmony, and the spirit will become one with the multiverse, transcending the bonds of mortality for something greater. Ciphers try to get in touch with the Cadence of the Planes, a mystical rhythm that can't be heard, but felt. The transcendental pulse supposedly moves through the spirit, mind, and body, echoing the heartbeats of folks on all the planes. By removing distractions such as unnecessary thought, one can unite body and mind by knowing how one fits into the multiverse.

Headquarters (Sigil): The Great Gymnasium.

Plane of Influence: Elysium.

Members: Ciphers often appear independant, aloof and unfathomable. Most members of the Transcendant Order belong to the more action-oriented classes — most Ciphers are fighters, with druids, sorcerers, and some monks also joining the faction. The Transcendant Order is open to any character who expresses a desire to seek harmony of body and mind. The Ciphers believe that expressing such a desire to join is sign that the character knows what the Transcendant Order is about, and has accepted the faction's claim to truth. Most Ciphers eventually become true neutral as they come to grasp the faction philosophy.
The Transcendant Order claims that most of its factols who don't die in office leave their posts upon becoming one with the Cadence of the Planes. In any case, when a new factol needs to be chosen, the Transcendant Masters (see below) all decide on a new one. No meetings, no arguments, no lobbying — they just decide. A master of the spirit suddenly feels compelled to become the new factol. Never have the masters decided upon a candidate who did not feel the urge to become factol, and never have two masters of the spirit had the compulsion at the same time — the instincts of everyone concerned leads them all to the same conclusion.

Common Skills: The Transcendant Order is a balancing force in the politics of the factions, unthinkingly bringing harmony to others. Most Ciphers reflexively know that it is their place in the multiverse to understand others' needs and desires. Thus, many Ciphers buy a few ranks in the Diplomacy skill.
The Transcendant Order considers musical and artistic pursuits to be good methods for clearing the mind and training the body to act on relfex alone. Space is provided in the Great Gymnasium for such activities, covered by the Craft and Performing skills.

Common Feats: Ciphers devote most of their time to meditation through physical activities, notably the martial arts. Common feats possessed by members of this faction are Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved Unarmed Strike, and Run. The Cipher philosophy of making thought and action become one leads to notably improved reaction speed, reflected by the feats Fast Draw, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, and Quicken Spell.

The Xaositects (Chaosmen)

Core Philosophy: Chaos is truth, and order delusion. There's no order, no pattern to anything. Why fight Chaos, when Chaos is how things are meant to be? It has a beauty and wonder all its own. Only by embracing the randomness and subtle intricacies of Chaos does one learn the multiverse's secrets.

Headquarters (Sigil): The Hive, in the Hive Ward.

Plane of Influence: Limbo.

Members: Nobody really understands how the Xaositects work – certainly not the Xaositects themselves. Members of this faction do share a few common traits, through. First and foremost, every Xaositect is chaotic in alignment. The Chaosmen don't like pretenders, and those of non-chaotic alignments who impersonate a member end up dead.
The procedure for joining this faction varies, although usually those wanting to join have to be sponsored by a member. There's no rhyme or reason as to whether the rest of the Xaositects will accept him, though. The Chaosmen seem to be able to sense the chaos (or lack of it) in a new member; a character who fits in with them just fits, and everybody in the faction knows it instinctively.
Sometimes a character has to take a test or suffer hazing to join, and sometimes the sponsor says simply "you're in." Some new members had to go through a waiting period or an interview; others have to pay dues, sign statements of intent, or risk insane stunts. Of course, sometimes the Xaositect sponsor expects the new member to refuse!
Not only do the Xaositects not have a human majority, the faction doesn't have a majority of anything – just a lot of humans and githzerai, and bariaur, tieflings, and half-elves, plus all sorts of other races, from minotaurs to slaad. A group with no rules to speak of doesn't leave anyone out. Fighters, barbarians, rogues, and sorcerers are the most common classes in the faction; lawful types such as monks and paladins are unwelcome.
Some Xaositects try to act chaotically all the time. They don't get much respect from those who really get it – the faction "bosses." Those Xaositects who win the respect of the bosses join them, and are recognisable by their air of leadership and their small group of followers. Bosses are able to round up a large group of Chaosmen for their ideas, although they can't organise them very well. Chaosmen are committed to the power of Chaos, which rather precludes them from founding businesses, building strongholds, raising armies, or undertaking any action that requires long-term organisation and discipline. Indeed, they just barely manage to hold their faction together.

Common Skills: Chaos encourages creativity, and many Chaosmen are gifted artists or entertainers (the Craft and Perform skills). Members of the Xaositects are also particularly good at the Bluff skill. Of course, Sense Motive is constantly used by the Xaositects to determine whether how much chaos exists in any given individual; only the most clueless namers are without one or more ranks in this skill.

Common Feats: Most Xaositects favour fighting with any number of unusual weapons, which they use with the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat. Skill Focus (Sense Motive) is also common. Chaosmen considered bosses by their peers take the Leadership feat.