The Warmongers, The Warriors
Sect Symbol: Two Swords crossed over a red shield with a blue infinity symbol engraved on its surface.
Sect Philosophy:
Some say War is Hell. But look around the multiverse and what do you see? Conflict without apparent end. Sure, it is most obvious in Acheron or the Blood War, but Wars are a part of life on most Prime worlds, and in the Inner Planes as well. Even Sigil is not immune to this universal truth. War is the true meaning of existence. Even in nature, conflict abounds. To servive, a species must hunt and kill, or be killed. This is true with sentient bashers as well. If you want to survive, you fight, if you wish your love-ones to have the best lives themselves, you fight to make it happen. Conflict, war is constant, even when its not of a physical nature.
The Campaigners are a large sect that in Planar terms, grew almost overnight. Formed shortly after the Faction War ravaged Sigil by a charismatic General on Acheron named Hazious, this sect of soldiers, philosophers and common folk preaches the one universal truth in there eyes: War is Life.
Class/Alignment Restrictions: Any Lawful or Neutral, all classes, unless forbidden by creed or with conflicting beliefs(Example: A Priest of a God/Goddess of Peace, or a person who opposes war on philosophyical grounds)
Sect Allies and Enemies:
The Campaigners count the Order of the Planes Millitant as an ally, for both believe that you must fight for what you believe in. The Sodkillers, sharing the Campaigner's view that survival is fighting, are also natural allies. The Dustmen, seeing as they believe that this life is not the true life, and that the only true life lies in true death, are natural enemies with the Campaigners, who see life as a struggle fulled with Conflict. The Dustmen see the Campaigners as one of the reasons this life can't be the true life, while the Campaigners see the Dustmen as weak beings who would rather give up and die than fight to survive, and have you believe that such an existence isn't really living. The Doomguard, believing in the eventually descuction of the Multiverse, view the descuction caused by war(and the sect's beliefs) with delight. The Campaigners, in turn, are somewhat neutral with the Doomguard. Also, the Harmonium and the Campaigners are pretty much polar opposites. The Harmonium wish to end all conflict and bring Harmony towards all, while the Campaigners view conflict as the universal constant, and necessary for survival. With the Harmonium weakened from the Faction war and the Campaigners growing at an almost unreal rate, the Harmonium wouldn't dare challenge the Campaigners now, but they do view the Campaigners as a threat to the peace and harmony they are trying to achieve, and you can guarantee they will do something about it once they have recovered from the faction war...
Primary Plane of Influence: Acheron(On a plane which pretty much reprisents war incarnate, this should come as no surprise)
The Sect was founded on one of the smaller Cubes near what is now the Iron Fortress of the Sword's Edge. Orginally a Orcish war fortress, Hazious and his sect have converted it into their temporary sect headquarters. Hazious hopes to take advantage of the turmoil resulting from the Faction War and turn his sect into a Faction, complete with a Sigil headquarters.
Sect's origins:
Hazious was once a commander in the Harmonium. He was considered a model officer by his superiors in the faction, and seemed to be on the fast track to promotion. As a faction member, you could not find a more fanatical man than Hazious.
Hazious was also highly favored in Religious circles. As a Paladin, Hazious was even more fanatical than he was as a member of the Harmonium!
Then it happened. War erupted on the streets of Sigil between the Factions. This event totally shook Hazious' beliefs in a harmonious Multiverse. Hazious wandered the Planes for months, forshaking his faction and his God, until stumbling upon a small encampment of Orcs on Archeron, fighting for their lives against a group of Baatezu and their slaves.
Still believing in honor, Hazious rushed into the battle, sword drawn, and began fighting alongside the Orcs, thinking to even the odds. Then it hit him. Was this what he would spend the rest of his days doing? Ever since the Faction War, Hazious had been fighting for his life in his self-imposed exile, fighting to survive against everything from angry fiends to starvation. Is conflict the universal constant, is harmony simple wishful thinking by cowards who refuse to see the truth?
Hazious quickly found the answer to his questions was yes in his mind, and then dropped out of the battle and found a place where he could make his voice heard.
From atop a hill overlooking the battlefield, Hazious spoke the few sentiences which are now the sect's motto:
"All beings fight to survive, or die trying. If you disire survival, if you wish to live, you fight."
Hazious then, upon realizing that the battle had ended, and all were focusing on him, continued:
"Slavery is the pressing of the will of the strong upon the weak. I implore you who are weak, take your anger at your enslavement, and turn it into strength, the victors will never fear enslavement again, for the strong cannot be shackled."
And within seconds, the slaves joined the Orcs in fighting the Baatezu, and soon the battle was over.
The Orcs and former slaves became the first members of the Campaigners that day, and since then, the sect has grown to near-faction status, with Hazious bringing his message to the many warring factions of Acheron.
General Hazious of the Campaigners
Male, African, Age 35
Alignment: Lawful Neutral(Good tendacies)
Class: 25th level Warrior
Special Abilities:
It is believed that Generel Hazious has super-natural powers of a mysterious nature, as anyone who hears his speeches seems to feel compelled to join the Campaigners, and it takes a being of strong convictions to resist. Even beings with potent Magical resistance fall victim to this effect. Fortunately for the other sects and factions, Hazious rarely goes out recruiting himself, as he now has the privledge and responsibility of running the Faction.
I was surprised not to see the Sodkillers listed as allies. There philosophes are very similar, both believing that a basher must fight to survive. They both believe in power through force of arms.
Oh, and the Campaigners probably don't view war as entropy, quite the opposite actually, but nevertheless, their philosify isn't incompatable with the Doomguards, and therefore, the two groups aren't enemies.
So, what does everyone think?
I think: *Yoink*... In my game now. The only thing I don't like is the supernatural ability of Hazious to sway others to his cause. It doesn't feel in character. It just seems a little too much like avoiding a philisophical fight.
Also, these guys seem like they'd be on friendly terms with the indeps. ("the victors will never fear enslavement again, for the strong cannot be shackled."). Not necessarily allies, but at least neutral terms, until one side or the other encroaches on the other's phlisophical boundaries. Then it's fightin' time, on both sides. Of course, the indeps might feel obligated to justify how them fighting against the campaigners is going at all against the beliefs of said sect.
Seems like the indeps would have to adopt a more non-confrontontational stance in order to fight this, which would put them closer to dustmen, signers, and bleak cabal, the most buddhist-aligned factions. You can interpolate politics further from there. (Harmonium obviously against campaigners, *and* indeps, for starters)Oh dear, I've just reminded myself again why I love Planescape so much.
General Hazious has limitations to his powers, which I forgot to mention(Kept hearing Roman trumpet music in my mind when I was writing the sect)
1. Hazious' power is divine in nature. While Hazious is no longer a Paladin, and has forshaken his god, Hazious has picked up a follower of sorts in divine circles. It is unknown which God is supporting Hazious and his cause, but logically I'd think I'd be a God of War or something along those lines.
Conclusion: Hazious' power doesn't work near the Spire, or in Planes not connecting to Acheron(Arcadia, Mount Celestia, Bytopia, Elsyium, Beastlands, Arborea, Ysgard, Limbo, Pandemonium, The Abyss, Carceri, The Grey Waste, Gehenna, The Prime, The Ethereal, and every Inner Plane)
2. Hazious' powers do not work on fiends of Chaotic bents(Tanar'ri, Gehreleths, Zilasi, Slaad etc.)
They do however, work on Baatezu and Rakshasa, especially Baatezu.
A weird fact about fiends that join the Campaigners: They behave more Lawful Neutral than Evil. Meaning, they are less malicious than normal. Its unknown why fiends that join the Campaigners would put aside most of what makes them fiends after joining the sect.
Any new comments?
The idea is similar to The Expansionist Faction long extinct, but not entirely.
The main problem with the Expansionist philosophy was that it could never last an eternity. If the Expansionists expanded all over the multiverse and conquered everything, then there would be no more need for expansion, thus lacking a probable utopic vision.
I mean, even Chaosmen have dreams of utopia. Even Dusties. Bleakers have the absence of utopia as a dream.
Maybe the Warmongers could strive for a society with more conflict. Trying to seed disconcent among the others factions just to see more fights break out and spread war in the minds of others. Maybe they don't even want to be a big faction?
They fill a nice niché in the faction club.
Basically, the Campaigners also desire a utopia. But they don't see Utopia the same way others might. For them, we each fight to acceive our own Utopia. Rather than trying to change the Multiverse, like say, the Doomguard, the Campaigners accept the way things are.
The Campaigners are a united, organized front. Unlike those two other sects, the Campaigners are not just about fighting, but debating and philocify as well. Unlike the Opposers and Ragers, the Campaigners never fight each other, its one of their "rules of war".