Groups who would want to destroy an evil artifact?

[Quickleaf]

Quick question: in any of the D&D published settings, are there certain groups, factions, orders, or houses that would seek to destroy an evil artifact? Specifically, the Codex of the Infinite Planes?

I ask because I'm writing an adventure and I'm including a page of campaign hooks for groups wanting to give their PCs more investment in the adventure, one of which is "The Secret Order" that is hunting the Codex to destroy it.

I'm curious about any settings, so Dragonmarked Houses from Eberron, organizations from Faerûn, knightly orders or magical circles from Krynn, secret cabals from Oerth, whatever.

For example, the Lords of Gloaming from GREYHAWK are dedicated to defending against portals to the Lower Planes and might see the Codex, which can gate in fiendish armies, as the ultimate threat.

 

[pemerton]

How creative are we allowed to be in our answers?

There are readings of Mordenkainen, for instance - which play up his interest in The Balance and the importance of upholding the balance in Oerth - that might motivate him to seek the destruction of the Codex.

In the "official" Grehyawk timeline, the Archleric of Veluna (who is a priest of Rao) used the Crook of Rao to banish fiends from Oerth. Similar sentiments might lead him to seek the destruction of the Codex.

Given that the Codex is the sort of thing that Iuz might want to acquire and use, St Cuthbert and his followers might also want to destroy it.

In 4e, the Codex is the sort of artefact that Vecna might want to use - so Ioun and her followers could be opposed; or maybe Bane would be opposed because he already save the world from the Abysss and Elemental Chaos once (in the Dawn War) and doesn't want to have to do so again.

 

[Quickleaf]

How creative are we allowed to be in our answers?

All of it

Good point about the wise gods of magic. I was surprised to learn that Ioun was a god created just for 4th edition; I'd always assumed she/he had an origin in an earlier version of D&D, but on checking the 5e PHB's list of gods there was no mention of Ioun.

 

[Herobizkit]

Part of Melora's (4e deity of Wilderness, Nature and the Sea) dogma is to hunt aberrations and other abominations of nature. A book that could conceivably open a plane to said places could be a target of some devout Melorans (Melorites?).