Simpet F Mockup

Depending on who's talking, a bod will be told that the Factions are either the lifeblood of the planes - or they're the worst blight upon them. Fact is, the Factions are massive groups of bodies who all join together under one 'core ideal' even if they don't always see exactly eye-to-eye. Chant is the Factions have been around as long as the Cage itself, but no bod rightly knows. A little over 600 years ago there used to be a few dozen Factions and the members would dual it out in the streets - enough so it endangered Sigil itself before The Lady herself issued the following: "By the order of the Lady of Pain, there will be but fifteen Factions in Sigil. Organize thy colors by a fortnight hence - or die." Thousands were said to have died in less than two weeks; but from that chaos came the current 15 Factions of Sigil.

Factions on Sigil: Planar Legends

Factions play a significant role in the server's narrative, and joining one aligns a character with others who have similar ideals, providing protection and support. Joining a Faction involves a trade-off between freedom and backing by a powerful organization. It's important to align your character with a Faction that fits their ideals and long-term plans rather than something seemingly popular or that has a friend or two within. Successfully doing so results in strong RP, while poor fits can lead to stalled progress.

As joining a Faction is a massive choice and a permanent commitment for a character, it is required that the player have at least one character at level 15 before joining a Faction. This is meant to give new players a chance to best learn the server's culture and how Factions come into play with one another. A Faction is an enormous group and each encompass a wide array of ideals -- it's vital to remember that the individual characters in a Faction do not represent the Faction as a whole and are only a small part of the thousands and thousands of members each Faction has total.

Leaving a Faction, Joining a Sect, or remaining Unaligned

• Leaving a Faction: is seen as betrayal and leads to a bad reputation with nearly all Factions; the character can become known as anything from unreliable to an outright traitor to be executed depending on the Faction. Members who turn their back on a Faction are called a 'Stag' - a reputation that's hard to shake. Leaving two Factions is all but unheard of, and only the most foolish would try 'Faction-hopping' and not expect a brutal ending at some point.
• Joining a Sect: Sects are an option for characters who prefer more focused and self-driven RP without as much DM guidance. Sects are smaller than Factions and located in the Outlands instead of Sigil, have more specific and rigid ideals, and usually have fewer players. If an ambitious or driven character joins a Sect, they will often find that they can make much quicker changes than within a Faction. Of course, staying in the spotlight as a Sect when the Factions are the main narrative and source of power in Sigil is a difficult task; but far from impossible.
• Joining neither a Faction or Sect: This is not a suggested gameplay route. Much of the server's roleplay is based on Faction beliefs and philosophy. The Renown System is based on Faction or Sect membership, which will result in the character taking an unusually long time before it can access epic levels. Furthermore, as a character advances and becomes more known and attracts more attention, without the backing of a group as powerful as a Faction or Sect, they will likely find themselves lacking allies who can truly help them.

Faction Ranks

Ranks are as follows (excluding Indeps, Xaos, and Revolutionary League):

• Namer > Namer I > Namer II > Namer III > Factotum > Factotum II > Factotum III > Prefect > Factor > Factol
• Namers: Pledge lifelong membership to the concept and core beliefs, but are often little more than those who pay 'lip service' and serve to pad out the numbers and provide a small drop of 'cosmic power' into the Faction through belief.
• Factotums: Are much more dedicated to the Faction as a whole - often seen preaching and actively abiding by the core beliefs of the Faction, working to further Faction goals, and actively recruiting new Namers. For every several hundred Namers, you can expect to find perhaps one Factotum.
• Prefects & Factors: Are seen as ideal and leading members; known to be core examples for others to live by, and, in the case of Factors, viewed to be almost an ideal version of some aspect of the Faction's belief, or are those who have personally helped shape a Faction's identity over time. Most Factions have one Prefect for every one thousand or so members and one Factor for every several thousand.
• Factol: The leader of a Faction; their word is law and they shape and meld the Faction's identity according to how they believe it to best align with the ideals. The word and power of a Factol is like that of the leader of a real-world country. (Note that a player cannot become a Factol).

As members progress through the ranks, they give up increasingly more of their freedom and agency to better adhere to the overall core identity of the Faction - in effect, they wield more power and influence within the Faction and Sigil as a whole, but their own goals often take a backseat; unless of course, they happen to align - which any ambitious member tries to make happen.

Alignment: Faction and Sects

Much of Planescape's belief system often breaks down to Law vs. Chaos more than Good vs. Evil. Good and Evil may work together briefly for common goals, but Law and Chaos rarely do. Faction eligibility is more influenced by Law and Chaos than by Good and Evil. Sects, however, often focus on both Good vs. Evil and Law vs. Chaos due to their more rigid beliefs.

Triad of Order	Triad of Despair	Triad of the Spirit	Triad of the Self	Triad of Independence
Harmonium	Bleak Cabal	Society of Sensation	Believers of the Source	Athar
Fraternity of Order	Doomguard	Transcendent Order	Fated	Free League
Mercykillers	Dustmen	Xaositects	Sign of One	Revolutionary League

Sects

On planes where the factions don't hold as much sway as they do in Sigil, other organized groups with wide-reaching philosophies take their place. These groups are called sects. Some are former factions that fell in importance or membership (perhaps because of the Great Upheaval). Others are just groups that espouse the ideas unique or limited to a particular plane or realm.

Anarch's Guild	Children of the Vine	Converts	Epicureans	Dispossessed
Guardians	Liminalists	Mathematicians	Merkhants	Opposition
Order of the Planes-Militant	Ragers	Ring-Givers	Verdant Guild	Vile Hunt

Quick Overview

• Athar

("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.

• Believers of the Source

("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.

• Bleak Cabal

("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.

• Doomguard

("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.

• Dustmen

("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.

• Fated

("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.

• Fraternity of Order

("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.

• Free League

("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.

• Harmonium

("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.

• Mercykillers

("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.

• Revolutionary League

("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.

• Sign of One

("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.

• Society of Sensation

("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.

• Transcendent Order

("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.

• Xaositects

("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.