<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=128589.msg5763797#msg5763797">Quote from: Flying Tengu on 23-01-2012, 01:40:26</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">An exposition scene (or song!) might be a good idea.  I've got some idea of what all these things mean, but not a complete idea, and Solipsis has very little idea, although it'll fit in nicely with his world view.  Couldn't hurt to make sure everyone is up to speed.<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Yay exposition!<br/><br/>Hopefully that clears things up. I haven't talked about all of the Sects as there are dozens of them. Generally they work similarly to the factions just on a smaller scale.<br/><br/>There is a bit more information that you would have picked up that I did work in but will summarize below.<br/><br/>While several factions have unique hierarchies, they all have superficial structural similarities and as such there are common names that denote relative rank of members of different factions. Namers are basically initiates. They have learned a little bit about the Faction's creed and have been initiated with the most basic of it's skills, but they are not true believers yet. Most of the masses of factioneers never rise above the Namer rank. Factotums are more trustworthy. They are full members of the Faction and a required to take more responsibility for faction interests, but they also get more support from the high ups. Those high ups are known as Factors, who take responsibility for wide swathes of the Faction's members and interests. Finally, the Factol is the leader of the Faction (barring the Free League and the Revolutionary League) who is responsible for all it's members and actions, but also wields all of its considerable might.<br/><br/>Many factioneers, especially the high ups, have a tendency to but heads over beliefs, but not all do. While agreeing to disagree is rare, it is possible. Hexla is one of those exceptions, but don't expect everyone to be.<br/><br/>Because they are defined by their beliefs, each Faction has certain restrictions in how they can act and some are also available only to characters of certain alignments. With the price comes power however. You'll gain contacts and respect quicker if you are part of a faction as well as bonus feats and skills at certain milestones. There are also certain Prestige Classes (which need to be converted to Pathfinder) that are unique to each faction. More information on these can be found at kriegstanz.com and planewalker.com. These are my personal incentives for you to join the factions.<br/><br/>Another summery of faction belief is here (pulled from Wikipedia to decrease my typing, although I've added info on alignment and roleplaying restrictions):<br/><br/>Athar<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Athar cannot accept healing or magic from any priest of a Power, except in the most dire of circumstances. Nor will it be freely given...<br/><br/>("Defiers", "The Lost"), who deny not only the gods' right to pass judgment over mortals, but their very divinity. They claim that the gods (whom they call "powers") are powerful but have limits and do not deserve worship. Instead, Athar priests channel divine power from what they call the "Great Unknown", or what they believe to be the true divine force behind everything. Their headquarters in Sigil is the Shattered Temple, the former temple of the dead god Aoskar. The Athar are broadly derived from real-world atheists, agnostics, and Deists.<br/><br/>Believers of the Source<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any.<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Cannot be raised or resurrected, only reincarnated.<br/><br/>("Godsmen"), who believe that each life is a test, and that every person has the potential to become a god. Their headquarters is the Great Foundry, symbolizing their belief that the multiverse constantly forges and refines all beings. Shares many parallels with Hindu and Buddhism. However, the ultimate goal is not Nirvana but apotheosis.<br/><br/>Bleak Cabal<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any non-lawful<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Often prone to fits of melancholy and madness due to their belief that everything is futile.<br/><br/>("Bleakers", "Madmen"), who deny that any belief system has any merit; as they see it, the universe has physical rules, but no metaphysical or philosophical ones, therefore any meaning in life must come from within. Their headquarters is the insane asylum of Sigil, called the Gatehouse. They are derived from real-life existentialists and nihilists.<br/><br/>Doomguard<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Cannot personally use healing or creation magic and must make a Will save against any attempts to magically heal them and fail the save for it to take effect.<br/><br/>("Sinkers"), who believe in the sanctity and inevitability of entropy. They see the decay and destruction of the universe as necessary; for once it is destroyed all imperfections will be gone with it, paving the way for a perfect new world. Their headquarters is Sigil's Armory, where they forge weapons as tools of destruction.<br/><br/>Dustmen<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Unwilling to be raised or resurrected, and unlikely to allow it. Any attempt of using said magic on them has a 50% fail rate.<br/><br/>("The Dead") believe that both life and death are false states of existence, that there is a state of True Death which can only be accomplished by denying one's emotions and physical wants and needs (a conception similar to oblivion, but also conceivably to Nirvana). Their headquarters is the Mortuary, where Sigil's dead are interred or cremated. Their philosophy is closely related to acosmism, with a more death geared ideal. The faction shares similarities with Buddhism and with the Stoics as well.<br/><br/>Fated<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any except Lawful Good<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Cannot accept or preform charity of any kind, everything taken or given must be earned, rightfully or otherwise, and service must be given before payment.<br/><br/>("Takers", "The Heartless") believe that those with power and ability have the right to own what they control and to take what they can from those who are unable to keep it, and that it is their right to exploit any situation to their advantage, regardless of how it affects anyone else. Their headquarters is the Hall of Records, where they serve as the tax collectors of Sigil. They are derived from real-life Social Darwinists and the philosophies of Max Stirner.<br/><br/>Fraternity of Order<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any Lawful<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Cannot knowingly break a law unless they can find a legal loophole around it.<br/><br/>("Guvners"), who believe that knowledge is power; they learn and exploit both the natural laws of the universe and the laws of society. Their headquarters is the City Court, where they serve as judges and legal advocates. They recall the Sophists of Classical Athens.<br/><br/>Free League<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any.<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>None. They have fewer political rights than the other Factions though.<br/><br/>("Indeps"), who reject the other factions and their bureaucratic, hierarchical dogmatism; in fact, they don't consider themselves a faction at all. For this reason, they don't have a factol or an official headquarters, though Sigil's Great Bazaar serves as an unofficial one. They believe in individual freedom as the highest good and could be considered similar to libertarianism.<br/><br/>Harmonium<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any Lawful<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Must conform to and obey the hierarchy of the Harmonium, orders cannot be questioned. Extremely rigid in their beliefs.<br/><br/>("Hardheads"), who believe that peace and stability can only be established under one rule — theirs. The planar faction known as the Harmonium is actually just a small part of a much larger political entity which rules over the entirety of the Prime Material world of Ortho. In Sigil, they serve as the city's police force, and their headquarters is the City Barracks. They are related to present day authoritarianism, particularly religious evangelicalism and fundamentalism. It is strongly advised that visitors to Sigil never, under any circumstances, use the term 'Hardhead' in front of Harmonium members.<br/><br/>Mercykillers<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any Lawful<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Cannot preform any crime except in pursuit of a criminal. Cannot release a wrongdoer from custody until the proper sentence has been carried out in full.<br/><br/>("The Red Death"), who believe in justice and retribution at the expense of all else. Their name does not come from "killing out of mercy," but rather "killing mercy." Their credo that mercy is for the weak, and the merciful should be punished. Appropriately, their headquarters is Sigil's Prison, where they carry out the sentences of convicted criminals.<br/><br/>Revolutionary League<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any Non-Lawful<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>May never partake in public office, noble titles, business ownership or anything else that would tie them to a power structure.<br/><br/>("Anarchists"), who believe that social order and man-made laws are inherently corrupt and must be destroyed—though none of their members can agree on what, if anything, should replace them. Like the Indeps, they don't have a factol or a headquarters, though they have many safe houses and secret meeting places.<br/><br/>Sign of One<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any.<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Due to their reputation for immense egotism, almost all individuals are more hostile than they normally would be.<br/><br/>("Signers"), who believe that everyone is the center of their own reality and that reality can be reshaped by the power of imagination. Their headquarters is the Hall of Speakers, which houses Sigil's legislature. Some of them are solipsists, though most are not so extreme.<br/><br/>Society of Sensation<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Whenever possible, Sensates must seek out new experiences that they have not yet encountered.<br/><br/>("Sensates"), who believe that accumulating experiential knowledge through the senses is the only way to achieve enlightenment. Their headquarters is the Civic Festhall, which features an endless series of entertainments and a library of magically stored experiences. They are remniscent of ancient Epicurianism, as well as the more modern empiricism.<br/><br/>Transcendent Order<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any neutral.<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>Ciphers may not hesitate or pause to consider. They cannot change their minds once they've set down a course of action.<br/><br/>("Ciphers"), who believe that by tapping in to the 'cadence' of the planes and acting through pure instinct they can achieve a higher state of being. Their headquarters is the Great Gymnasium, where members can train to improve their bodies and minds. Their philosophy could be considered similar to Taoism, and its offshoots, such as Zen Buddhism.<br/><br/>Xaositects<br/><strong>Alignment:</strong>Any-chaotic<br/><strong>RP Restrictions:</strong>They cannot plan long term. They barely hold the faction together as is.<br/><br/>("Chaosmen"), who believe that the only truth is revealed in chaos. The Xaositects have been quite accurately described as being "totally off their rockers, every one of 'em." Their headquarters is the Hive, which is the most disorganized part of the Sigil ward of the same name. Some may consider their philosophy a slight twist to accidentalism, but a far more relevant parallel is the Cynics (Greek κῠνικός "dogs") of antiquity. There is even a gang of Xaositects called the "Starved Dogs Barking" featured in Planescape: Torment. Compare with real life discordianism.