Not satisfied the first time, eh? Well, I have things for you. Not all sects made the glorious jump into our Cage. But, far more exist on the planes than you know. Let me tell you of a new list of sects that fill plenty of planes; Olden Glory, Moving Progress, The Burned, Front of Greatness, Glorious Subversion, Positivists, Educatorium and The Guardian Primers. Mind you, the last one is more of a guild. But, technicalities are important! You want details on the inner workings of these people, after all.
So, with a careful glance around and ducking into the right alleyway, please read onward and discover more things to know about the many Factions and Sects that hover around our spheres of influence and beyond. After all, you read the scribed words of a very banned author. And as such, you only place yourself at risk here. Stay safe, friend. And always, and I mean always, watch yourself for onlookers. And with that, do enjoy.
Author’s Note: So, besides the previous faction, only two other concepts here came from games themselves. One of them is just a nod towards a classic work of fandom, while another is based on said classic work. The rest? Additional philosophies through a fantastic and tongue-in-cheek window mostly.
New Sects
We shall begin with the most dangerous of the hidden Sects, The Burned. Nestled within layers of The Abyss, they are somehow tolerated by the Tanar’ri (or Demons for primers). They were built from Sinkers who went far too barmy for their own “good”. They still believe in Entropy and all it consumes, but they see the silver lining at the end of it; new life emerging. How does this play into The Abyss? Simple, they view the unstable and horrifying nature of the fiends as proof in new life emerging from the old, even though this is a terribly flawed interpretation. Their core belief though postulates that in order to establish a great new future, you must first create an equally devastating calamity. Ergo, to build your desired utopia of tomorrow, you must start an equally damaging apocalypse. With all due respect, I prefer the Doomguard to these people any day. Compared to the Sinkers, they are raw idealists who have bright visions for tomorrow, after everything crashes first. They’re not well organized with little in the way of proper leadership. Best be glad their influence beyond the layers of the Abyss is muted.
The next Sect to observe is a true tragedy. The Educatorium formed under a noble goal, to educate all in the planes and beyond. After all, everyone being able to learn, that does sound quite nice… at least, in theory. They were predominantly a society of learners and scholars, not unlike the more intellectual Sensates. They existed to gather information and spread it across all reality. This is an idealistic form of education, given how many bashers don’t want their dark flying about. One day, they met their match and their maker in the form of a false ally, The Acts of Balance. At first, they were friends in the founding of a new university. Then it all fell apart, as the sect rapidly began to die off. Members fled to secret enclaves on the Quasi-Elemental Positive Planes, to scrap up their remaining members. Too pacifist to plot revenge, they can only hope someone will find and aid them. Their leadership is very dead, leaving them to try to tend to each other in private.
Want to know pride that goes too far? Seek no further than Front of Greatness. With a name like that, surely they must be humble! But really, this is a sect built upon a mixture of hubris, fundamentalist tradition and radical opposition. Change is the grand enemy and a factor of chaos, then it must be suppressed or destroyed; such is their primary belief. It’s no wonder that their primary place of operation is Baator, or The Nine Hells. The Baatezu (Devils, again for the primers) tolerate them within their eponymous burg, named after them of course. The Sect is often harvested for the most wicked of souls appropriate for Baatezu creation. They build themselves up like a cruel army, with various ranks. These glorified militias are as strict in their order as they are in their traditions. Their enemy is also their planar neighbor. Let us describe them below.
Glorious Subversion, that is what the Front’s rival is called. They are perched within the ashen spires of Gehenna. Take the ideas of change and corrupt them through dangerous acceleration. Their distortion of societal progress wishes to strip all of old values, until no familiar identity exists. They are both a harsh conformity to a fake change, as well as wicked manipulation of others around them. This sect is a true embodiment of many yugoloths (or “daemons”), some are likely members seeking to corrupt mortals further. They’re brash and love to spark conflict with classical minds, while abusing the disenfranchised into doing their bidding. All the same, they pretend to be crusades for just goals and greater reform, but it’s a facade. Foul bands and cabals are crafted solely for a unique plot or conspiracy. They maintain enough organization to help progress their plans in cloaks of shadow and smog. They get into fights with the Front of Greatness, which should come as little surprise.
Again, I question the legitimacy of this as a sect, but I list it here regardless. The Guardian Primers, this is what they wish to be called. Many in fact were never primers, they just empathize with them. Such a group arose from the neglect, abuse and pretense directed towards Clueless that find their way into Sigil. Tired of this poor treatment, a group banded together to do something about it. These beret wearing guardsmen have a purpose, to protect and shepherd the primes throughout their journeys through the planes. They subsist on charity, while also seeking funding throughout the planes (including from benefactors hoping Primes will muck up some rival planar lair). (Ed’s Note. These people are a guild. But, they refuse to be acknowledged as such. Please don’t bring it up with them.) One group that has put this in jeopardy is the “Prime Regals”, a group of belligerent and obnoxious Primes who believe that the Prime Material Plane is the true center of the multiverse and the Outlands is simply a holding pin for the Outer Planes and nothing more. This alone has made matters harder for the Guardians.
What of Change for the sake of Good? Well, of course that exists. Moving Progress bills themselves as such. They seek an ideal look at advancing the world. To them, what is important is pushing society forward at paces people can adjust to. Constantly, they’ll propose ideas to fix social ills and quandaries. They have no direct location in Bytopia, but it’s easy to find them in various meeting halls and bazaar spaces throughout the nicer level of the plane. For the most part, the sect is open to chatting casually about their hopes. And even better, they’re open to feed back. After all, they seek to include others in their vision for a better tomorrow.
Their opposite also has the potential for Good. Olden Glory seeks to preserve the past and honor traditions that have withstood the test of time. Like their Bytopian cousins, they believe that their methods are the best for the ways of good. Often, they’ll get into heated arguments, but it’ll never escalate into anything too dangerous. Their demeanor tends towards friendliness, if only to help sell the glories of a more traditional life. Ask or name an ancient society and they can probably inform you all there is to it. More than anything, they keep the past alive, capable of magically building simulations of the past even. They are careful and thoughtful historians as well as protectors. In more active roles, they quest to preserve classical thoughts and traditions put into peril. They dwell within Mount Celestia. They’re often found on whichever layer needs them at the time. They’re quick to respond to requests and demands from Celestial patrons.
Finally, I speak of The Positivists. As the name implies, they are an embodiment of the Positive Energy Plane. Though, perhaps they take this a bit far. This eerie society is built on the premise of always being filled with life and joy. Many of the members are brainwashed through pure ideology. They have in essence become positive-infused puppets, you can think of them as “anti-zombies”. They seek to abolish and destroy sadness across reality. Much of these plans would probably involve the death of anyone who can’t support being happy all of the time, but time will tell. They still seek to create a joyous multiverse, regardless of the consequences that will bring. And once you see their eternal almost-rigor-mortis smile, it will never be banished from your mind.
And there you have it, details to prove that a sect or faction has its hold on each of the planes of the Great Wheel. Now, what of Wildspace, you may ask? Surely, you’re familiar with the spacial soup that covers the Prime Material? No? Perhaps there’s a bit of primer in you yet. But, that is a topic for another day. I shall get back to hiding now, perhaps I’ll let that Ramon fellow out of hiding now. Again, he’s safe. He’ll be fine. And by all means, I look forward to it. Until then, remember that you are horribly breaking the law right now. Stow your copy of the Factol’s Manifesto and its spin-offs somewhere extra safe!
Daemons & Deathrays 