Tell Me About: Sects Index What's a Sect? In Brief Sectual Humour Anarchs Archonites Children of the Vine Communals Converts Dispossessed Eaters Expansionists Guardians Guild of Shadows Illuminated Incantifiers The Legislate Mathematicians Merkhants Opposers Planes-Militant Planarists Plane Tenders Primals Prolongers Ragers Revivalists Ring-Givers Society of Pain Symmetrists Verdant Guild Vile Hunt Xaoticians Tell me about the Factions Consult the Mimir

Copyright 1998-99 by Lots of Bloods, edited by Greg Jensen and Jon Winter Sectual Activity Oops, sorry, I've done it again ;-) No matter. This page is a survey of sects which are rumoured to exist, or known the exist but haven't yet been written up. More is known about some sects than others, but if you discover anything new, please feel free to tell this mimir all about it! There's a submissions form at the bottom of this page, or you may find it easier to send this stuff via email, to sects@mimir.net. Contents Creationists (by Joshua Jarvis) Imbibers (by Obsidian) Knights of Judgement (by Caine) Observers (by Matt Maybray) Oppressors (by Lucas Berghaus) Peacemakers (by Alex David Groce) Prime Regals (by Joshua Jarvis) Rosebringers (by Caine) Separatists (by David Alexander) Vivisectors (by Obsidian) Tanar (by Gothenem) Watchers (by Baldassarr)   The Creationists (by Joshua Jarvis) "Chaos? HECK NO! Limbo is just a plane that hasn't formed yet!" Order is created from chaos. And chaos itself has rules and laws. Countless variables just make it seem random. This group broke off from the Fraternity of Order due to their single minded devotion to finding law in chaos. Based in Mechanus, the Creationists have little interest in other philosophies, except to vehemently oppose the Doomguards' view of the multiverse. Sect Benefits: Resistance to harmful magic, all such magic gets -1 penalty per dice of damage to a member of the Creationists. Sect Hindrances: Members of this sect cannot act in a chaotic way. They exemplify order in their every action. If they do something that seems chaotic, it really has order behind it. Imbibers (by Obsidian) These cutters believe that the key to power is becoming immune to every form of pain or harm. They get their name from their imbibing small quantities of poison in order to build up resistance, but also go in for fire- and cold-resistant magic items as well. Imbibers tend to be found on the Lower Planes, in particular Gehenna. Knights of Judgement (by Caine) While many claim that belief is the be-all, end-all of life on the Outer Planes, Knights of Judgement, or the Knights Epoche, hold that disbelief is the key to the Multiverse. These monkish cutters wander the Hinterlands (which they believe to be the true negation of belief), thinking of ways to tear down the arguments of others while achieving "epoche", or the absolute suspension of judgement. Bashers who are able to purge themselves of all belief (in notions of good, evil, law, chaos, of substance and the external world, and even of themselves and their sects' beliefs), will achieve perfection. The Observers (by Matt Maybray) "There are those who like to tear down the factions from within, like the Anarchists, as there are those who would manipulate the factions for their own ends, like the Shadows. Logically, there would be a third group that infilitrates the factions. I represent that group. The Observers worm their way into the factions and then record what they see, so as their history and philosophy can survive for future generations to ponder and study, even if the beliefs espoused are eventually revealed to be false. It is not our place to judge it is to watch." -- Unknown The Oppressors (by Lucas Berghaus) The secret to life lies in pushing others down. If a body could lock all the other sods away, then she'd be the master of everything. Then you wouldn't ever have to do any work again, just get a slave to do it for you. You would be able to do anything you felt like doing. Problem: no one's got the power to keep everyone enslaved or in the dead-book. Solution: Share it. There's more than enough power out there, so set up a small ruling class, and keep everyone else powerless. Rule through fear, and crush the weak. Ally with the strong. Good is the definition of true weakness. The leader, Philip the Adamant Fist (NE male tiefling fighter/thief Lv 18/19), has carved himself a moderate sized realm in Carceri, encompassing three orbs, on Colothys. Some other successful faction members have dictatorships in the Gray Waste, Acheron, and Baator. The sect splintered from the Fated, by members who disagreed with the Duke's less extreme views. They meet from time to time to discuss recent conquests. Sect members are accepted only if they gain rulership of some burg, and can count on little from fellow members, without paying for it. Requirements: Any Evil Alignment Benefits: +2 on reaction rolls with fiends, who make deals with Oppressors occasionally. If bargained with, fiends may be employed to protect oppressor, and keep the slaves in line, in return for souls, jink, or magic. Penalties: -2 to reactions with anyone else and -6 to reaction rolls from celestials, good clerics and paladins. Celestials recognise the base evil of these mortals and have few reservations about putting them in the dead-book.

The Peacemakers (by Alex David Groce) "Chaos, law, can't we focus on your similarities instead of your differences?" -- Peacemaker Valis Tal "Shut your bone box, and quit interrupting our battle." --Tanar'ri & baatezu [Moments later, after both reaching for a stone the annoying interlocutor has thrown between them] "Hey. What were we fighting about?" --Tanar'ri and baatezu "How many fiends and planars must die before the tanar'ri and baatezu realise that what they have in common is more important than what they disagree about? Law and chaos are opposed, it is true, but this senseless war is going nowhere. The real enemies of the beings of Baator and the Abyss are the Upper Planar beings! Only united can the forces of evil triumph. Neither Chaos nor Law is sufficient unto itself in this battle." --Tarkus Nite Tarkus Nite is the founder of the Peacemakers. Nite is actually an ancient ultroloth exiled from both Gehenna and the Grey Waste for seeking to end the Blood War (which some suspect the yugoloths began for their own purposes). He usually appears as a wise and benevolent appearing old man, only adopting his true form when dealing with fiends. Nite began the Peacemakers long ago (how long is as unknown as when he was exiled) to bring together the three lower planar "Great Races of Evil" (his term) to exterminate the Upper Planar beings he hated so. As the yugoloths were already ready to work for the highest bidder whoever it might be, he concentrated on the Tanar'ri and Baatezu in his efforts to end the Blood War. Of course, he hasn't succeeded one bit. The Blood War has a lot of momentum behind it. However, in Valis Tal he may have found the pawn he finally needs to end the Blood War and begin the real bloodletting. Valis Tal is everything that Tarkus Nite is not. Lawful Good, she's an ancient mage from an unknown Prime, who's been wandering the Planes for years. Over these years she's seen many a fiend slain and many an Outlands village razed in the name of the Blood War. She wants to end the war forever, and "stop the madness." In this interest, she's borrowed an ancient artifact from the Mages' Guild of the mysterious world from which she originates (possibly the same world as the Harmonium): the Sympathy Stone. This nondescript appearing stone can bridge the gap between any two beings, by letting them briefly see each other's point of view. Hopefully, once enough tanar'ri and baatezu have seen it from the other side, they'll call off the war. That's all Valis wants. She known nothing of Nite's plans for after the end of the Blood War. Actually, things aren't even that simple. While showing Nite the stone, Valis Tal touched it while he held it. Now they can both see the merits of each other's viewpoints, which has led them both to become half-barmy, and half enlightened. Prime Regals (by Joshua Jarvis) Known sarcastically as the "prime superiors", this screed is common of the lot of 'em: "There is no better example of Balance than the Prime. all those who do not believe so are, as you planars say, 'clueless'. Not only are we balanced in every alignment, but every element as well. And a planar on board a spelljammer ship would be just as out of his depth as a prime in Sigil. Why do the Mathematicians use 'prime' numbers? Your rule of threes and unity of rings is flawed. Why doesn't a plane connect the Inner and Outer planes? There goes your ring and three theory. Why, the prime has better models of the multiverse and if you allowed us to assert our beliefs we would have crafted it as a cube or sphere or something, just let us do it." A group of semi-plane-savvy Primes, disliked by most planars, the Prime Regals reckon they do a much better job of being the Centre of the Multiverse than Sigilfolk, so the latter should shut their bone boxes and let them get on with it. Widely seen by planars as precocious clueless who should tumble to the dark, it's said that it was an encounter with a member of this sect that provoked the eladrin Cirily into starting the Planarists, her prime-phobic organisation. The Rosebringers (by Caine) Creativity is the basis of the multiverse, and True Beauty is its ultimate destiny. Though most Cagers think that they're just barmies throwing roses around, the Rosebringers are a sect that believes that the most noble pursuit is to bring Beauty to the multiverse. Thus they spread the beautiful scent of roses wherever they go. Of course, they also indulge in aesthetic pursuits, such as art, music, and literature. In Sigil, Rosebringers can be found hanging around the Civic Festhall and other Sensate-infested areas. By spreading rose petals about, any Rosebringer can raise the morale of her allies and confer the benefits of a bless spell. However, everybody else finds this real annoying, so Rosebringers have a -1 to reaction rolls in any place except their primary planes of influence, Arborea and oftentimes Elysium. The Separatists (by David Alexander) "Magic? We love it. Its fine, that is until is starts making portals and the like... "The Separatists are an independent sect which proclaims that everything in the multiverse is going wrong. Once when everything was right, there were no portals, gateways, astral conduits and each plane was alone. Every petitioner reached his destination and everything was fine. "Then, portals and other planar means of passage were created, and then the races began wandering the planes - look! You can find humans practically everywhere! "Creatures not native to a plane began arriving, races that don't belong, creatures that shouldn't be (tieflings, cambions, aasimar) formed from unions between races that were never supposed to meet. This destroyed the planes as they should have been. "As for Yggdrasil, the world Ash, the Norse gods were supposed to keep that one safe but they just left it for everyone to use. "The Styx? Just a pathway for souls on the way to their final kip. It was never meant to be a line of travel and passage. In fact, the Marraenoloths, those Stygian yugoloth boatmen, were supposed to guard the Styx to prevent such a thing! Not be the cause. "Oceanus? Similar to the Styx, but this one was meant to be the home of special upper planar marine creators such as balaena, who were supposed to guard against berks bending the rules and seeking passage. "As for gate towns, they are the best example for the corruption of the planes as a result of the portals and planar passageways. Planes such as the Abyss grow on the gate towns moving into them and gain land never meant for them. "Sigil! The ultimate mystery. We say that Sigil had a secret purpose one of great consequence but one which has been destroyed by all the damn portals the sodding Lady of Pain creates. "Now, we must correct this. How? It's too late for quite a lot. We have the planar races everywhere, tieflings, the blood war of course, what do we do? "We must destroy all portals, all gateways, perhaps even all magic in order to prevent this from recurring in the future. Then, once each plane is alone again, it will reform a new eco-planar balance within itself and include the new alien races and things, not native to it, and make them part of the local eco-planar balance." The Tanar (by Gothenem) The Tanar believe that the tanar'ri are the true highest form of life in the multiverse, that's why the baatezu want them in the dead book. The screed about law vs. chaos is nothing but a cover-up. These berks fight the baatezu in the Blood War, kill those who slay fiends, and are all around evil berks. Requirements: Must be Chaotic Evil, any class or race can join. Benefits: Tanar'ri look upon them as lesser tanar'ri. They are allowed to travel in the Abyss as if they were lesser tanar'ri. They get a +1 on saves vs. baatezu attacks. Hindrances: Of course, the baatezu look upon them as tanar'ri as well. That means they attack the sod immediately. Tanar get a -1 penalty on saves vs. tanar'ri attacks, for when a tanar'ri attacks one of its own, it knows all the dirty tricks. Vivisectors (by Obsidian) An obscure sect on the planes that believes the key to power is in dissecting and understanding the workings of every living (and nonliving!) being in the planes. They're an addle-coved bunch, to be sure, more often than not necromancers or priests of powers of Death, but the Vivisectors also count several rogue modrons among their numbers. The Watchers (by Baldassarr) Knowledge is power. Know your enemy and know yourself. Think through. Strategise. The watchers seek to find out as much as they can about their perceived foes. They appear rather inquisitive or even pushy and too forward. They have good memories due to the dozens of little facts they file away, and they have good recall when it comes to who hates who, who owes who a favour, and most important of all, who is hit by iron, lighting, fire, silver etc... Sect Benefits: Watchers train to match faces with facts, so any time a player can't seem to remember what they need when dealing with a certain NPC, the DM will provide them with the info (assuming they knew in the first place!) In addition during any conversation a successful Intelligence check will always reveal some personal detail the average basher is not privy too. Sect Hindrances: A failed charisma check results in the target thinking the Watcher as being too pushy and forward, and this opinion is a hard one to break (future reaction checks when meeting the same cutter are made at a cumulative -2 penalty).   Submissions Your Details Please Tell Me Your Name: Your Email Address: Sect's Name: The Dark: Thank you very much for your submission. I'll try and add it as soon as I can, or I may be in touch with questions soon...