Bleak Cabal
Table of Contents
Who We Are
The Bleak Cabal ("Bleakers" as their members are known) operate the Gatehouse, Sigil’s one and only asylum and mental health centre. Countless Bleakers tend to the halls and its many patients, providing therapy, support, and a warm meal to those who need it. Its services are free to all, though for a decent donation one can certainly get an appointment a mite sooner, that's for sure. The Factol’s none too keen on this practice of taking a garnish mind… but truth is, the Bleakers need the jink. Desperately.
Their primary source of income are Lhar’s Soup Kitchens, which serve as almshouses across the city. These are often set up adjacent to (if not, a stone’s throw from) the Athar’s clinics.
The Athar and the Bleakers work in tandem to provide all the public health services one could need, and the two Factions have seen a firm friendship forming. Both are united in their belief that people make their own fate, and that they shouldn’t have to rely on a church for healing - whether their wounds be physical, mental, or emotional.
Those who work the Soup Kitchens tend to be some of the best sources of local information in the Cage. Members of each almshouse collaborate with their neighbouring clinic to share details of problematic individuals, areas of concern, and general chant. If you have a question about the locals or local services, they are one of the best places to ask - if they don’t know something, they can certainly signpost you to who does (and yes, nine times out of ten that does involve being sent to a tavern).
A word from your Factol...
You call us Madmen. But we’re saner than any of you. We know the multiverse makes no sense. We don’t run round trying to impose logic or anarchy on it. Nor do we spurn our brethren for realising there’s nothing to what we say, like so many other factions do. Fact is, the so-called castoffs of other factions have become some of our strongest, noblest followers. Those who have seen through the lies that they were once peddled; the empty meanings and false hope given to them by those who can’t seem to shut their own damn mouths.
We see the fallen. The outcast. The downtrodden. Those denied the illusion of meaning for failing to break themselves to fit into your moulds. For not having the clout. For not having the coin.
We do not give meaning. We do not tell you why, or what to work towards. We can show you that it doesn’t matter, sure. In that, we can find peace. So when I rise, I know that my brethren stand at my side, shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back. United in our shared truth: that there is no meaning.
Sanity is sorrow. Pain. Despair. It is torment and rage and anguish and hate. It pulls you apart and turns you on your kin. In the Bleak Cabal, we abhor sanity. Sure, we know pain. We know sorrow and anguish. But we also know acceptance. We know peace. We share in compassion and mercy; for one another, and the less fortunate.
So you want to know why it’s so hard to find meaning?
There is none.
And that is the beauty of it.
A Bleaker's Journey (The Perils of Pandemonium)
At first, it may look rather easy to join the Bleakers. Officially, all a berk has to do is rock up to any Bleaker at the Gatehouse and make their intent to join known. Thing is, you’ll be given the cold shoulder, with no indication of what to do or where to go. The Bleakers couldn’t care less - it’s up to you to find a Factotum to apprentice with if you want a role in the faction proper.
Intern (Namer)
Most Bleakers remain as Namers for their whole time in the faction. Truth is, going further is just bloody hard work. For the dedicated though, you need to find a Factotum with whom to apprentice and be accepted for training. Those who find an internship will be given the proper rank of Intern.
Behind the scenes, every new successful Intern will (allegedly) be checked with the Guvners for any outstanding convictions, legal disclaimers or known issues. Those who would cause a problem, or would fail to live up to the Bleaker’s standards and philosophy, tend to find themselves faced with an ultimatum: pike off, or disappear entirely.
Nameless (Factotum)
Once your mentor thinks you’re ready, you are eligible to sit the Factol’s test. This involves a fairly hostile interview with the Factol and other high ranking members, in which you are tested to the extremes of your nihilistic outlook, work experience, and charitable efforts. Those who pass are promoted to Nameless under one condition - to drop any family names, middle names, or last names they may have. Bleakers have their chosen name, and that is all. This is the only demand the Faction will make of them.
The basis of this archaic tradition is to demonstrate one’s commitment to a life without meaning, and to give up any past ties they may hold.
Warden(Factor)
Factors are those Factotum who have served the faction for a period of at least two years. They must have proven themselves to be utterly devoted to a meaningless existence, giving their full effort to the Bleak Cabal. Each Factor is jointly responsible (with one or two others) for the running and maintenance of one of the Almshouses or wings of the Gatehouse.
Honorary Factors are also a thing - these are faction members who have been deemed sufficiently devoted or have proven themselves enough to be seen as all things a good Bleaker should be. They are given the title of Factor and the perks that come with it, but none of the responsibility (even if they want it, they have to be an ‘actual’ Factor in order to take on the work of a Factor). This role is for the rare adventurer that the Bleakers get who do something incredible for the Faction - they don’t trust them enough to take on any managerial role, but want to reward them for their efforts.
‘Real’ Factors have a tendency to look down on these berks for taking the “easy road”.
Factol
The position of Factol is a nebulous one, with no official system for determining a new leader when the previous one leaves. Truth is, they’ve never had to contend with the notion that more than one person might want to lead this bunch of hopeless sods.
Faction Mechanics & Character Options
Bleakers are something of a contradiction. They are berks with an emphasis on meaninglessness and and on futility, and yet are some of the most active members of the Cage when it comes to charitable work. The nature of their work keeps them insightful and creative.
If you are creating a character who has been a member of the Bleakers for a while, you may pick one of the following three backgrounds at character creation - this represents the department in which you have been apprenticed and working. A list of suggested bonds within the faction and philosophical ideals is also presented below.
Backgrounds
The bread and butter of the Bleakers, Almoners comprise the majority of the Bleak Cabal and cover all roles from chefs to teaching assistants and nurses. Many will be training towards more full-on responsibilities such as psychiatry or teaching in the orphanages.
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two from: Athletics, Insight, Perception, or Persuasion
- Tool Proficiencies: Cook's Utensils, Painter's Supplies, or Potter's Tools
- Languages: One of your choice, or any one musical instrument
- Equipment: A battered gift from a missing person, a set of common clothes, a battered ladel, Bleak Cabal insignia, and a pouch containing 5 gp
Feature: Bleak Alms
You gain the Bleak Alms option for spending your Bleak Die, outlined in the below section "Bleak Die Powers".
Mad Ones live up to their name, embracing not only their nihilistic outlook but the very essence of insanity. Whilst most Mad Ones volunteer only a little of their time to the faction itself (because ultimately, what’s the point?), a few of them take to working the Mad Bleaker Wing, being the least likely to fall to the Grim Retreat. Many of them also adventure and take on odd jobs outside the faction, spreading the Bleaker Philosophy incidentally as they go.
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two
- Other Proficiencies: Any one language, musical instrument, or set of artisan's tools
- Equipment: A set of common clothes, a charred bone, a spectacular feather, Bleak Cabal insignia, and a pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Bleak Madness
You gain the Bleak Madness option for spending your Bleak Die, outlined in the below section "Bleak Die Powers".
Soothers serve as entertainers, guides and therapists, helping the folks of the Cage who need a friendly voice or a point in the right direction. They are the ones most likely to be working the line; reciting poetry or improvising music for those waiting to be seen. A few have been known to run charity drives to run up funds for the faction, and the most experienced of them embrace creative ‘hands-on art’ therapy.
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two from: Acrobatics, Insight, Performance, or Sleight of Hand
- Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument and any one of: Cook's Utensil's, Painter's Supplies, Potter's Tools
- Equipment: One type of musical instrument, a set of common clothes, a journal of notable cases, Bleak Cabal insignia, and a pouch containing 5 gp
Feature: Bleak Soothing
You gain the Bleak Soothing option for spending your Bleak Die, outlined in the below section "Bleak Die Powers".
d4 | Faction Draw (Ideal) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Madness, they call me insane. They’re probably right. At least the Bleakers don’t judge me for it |
| 2 | Almoner, the Bleakers are doing some serious good, and I want to do all that I can to help out with that |
| 3 | Mystery, there’s something weird with the Grim Retreat. Why I came here is irrelevant - I’m staying to figure it out |
| 4 | Repayment, I was an orphan, and the orphanage gave me what I needed - and taught me the Bleak Philosophy |
d4 | Faction Friend (Bonds) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Grob, a soft-hearted chef |
| 2 | Mori, an Almoner on the verge of the Grim Retreat |
| 3 | Skully, a comic relief bard who entertains the lines |
| 4 | Iaono, an overworked therapist |
Faction Restriction
Members of the Bleak Cabal have no set restrictions upon them, however those seeking to rise in the ranks find themselves under closer scrutiny than many of the other factions.
Roleplaying a Bleaker
Style and Flair
Bleaker colours are predominantly Black and Silver, however many of their members opt for colours more akin to dark blues or purples to accompany or replace the blacks.
The Faction symbol - a horned helmet with a gaping void for a mouth - appears in tarnished silver, and is often small and subtly placed about their person.
A "Good" Bleaker...
- Is not driven by greed or power.
- Keeps an open mind and embraces the unknown.
Faction Powers
You have a number of Bleak Die equal to your proficiency bonus, which recover when you take a long rest. When an effect calls on a target to roll your Bleak Die, this is a d4. When you spend your last Bleak Die, you gain a level of exhaustion as your nihilistic outlook begins to overwhelm you.
As a Namer, you only have access to the Bleak Devotion option for spending your Bleak Die (you may also be granted a further option from your Background).
There are four possible powers from which you can choose when you gain access to a new Bleak Die power. These are listed below:
- Bleak Alms. You may use a bonus action to lay hands upon an ally and expend a Bleak Die. That ally immediately makes an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw against an ongoing spell or magical effect that requires that save to end the effect, adding your Bleak Die to the result rolled.
- Bleak Devotion. At the start of your turn, you may spend a Bleak Die to ignore the effects of the Charmed or Frightened condition, or confusion spell or effect, to act normally.
- Bleak Madness. When you hit and damage a creature within 30’ with a weapon attack, you can expend one Bleak Die to roll that die and add it to the damage rolled as psychic damage. Until the end of your next turn, you may spend a reaction when that creature makes an Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma saving throw to impose disadvantage on that roll.
- Bleak Soothing. When you take a short or long rest, you may choose one ally. This target may add your Bleak Die to any one Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, or Death Saving throw within the next 8 hours. They may roll this die after seeing the initial result of the saving throw, but before knowing if it succeeds or fails. You can use this power only once per rest.
Your Bleak Die increase to d6s. Furthermore, you gain access to your choice of Bleak Alms, Bleak Madness, or Bleak Soothing. Choose this option when you gain this ability.
You may absorb the madness of others within yourself. This power works only on those driven insane by magical spells, items or effects. To use this power, you must first meditate for one hour (this can constitute a short rest), cleansing your mind of all thoughts and emptying your head. You must then begin an uninterrupted ritualistic massage of the target’s head, which lasts for 1d12+4 hours. The target must remain still for the duration - either voluntarily or via restraints.
At the end of the massage, the target is cured and regains their natural mental state. However, that madness had to go somewhere - make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you suffer the exact effects that they had for 1d20 hours, after which you take two levels of exhaustion. On a success, you immediately take only one level of exhaustion.
Interestingly, the Bleaker Head Massage cannot be used to remove the effects of the Grim Retreat.
Your Bleak Die increase to d8s. Furthermore, you gain access to your choice of Bleak Alms, Bleak Madness, or Bleak Soothing. Choose this option when you gain this ability.
The Chant
History
The Bleak Cabal is an ancient faction, having always existed as a disorganised group of berks who reject the tenets of others in favour of their own meaning. It was a near-millenia ago now that the Bleakers first became an official faction of Sigil, back when just about any two sods could get together and claim to have made a faction.
Their numbers waxed and waned for some time, and still do. As tensions rose within the Cage, and more and more fighting broke out, they found that their numbers increased - and not just their membership, but the numbers coming to them seeking help, too. With peace though, their numbers waned. Folks just seemed less interested in the idea of nothing mattering when they were freer to go about their lives unhindered.
The current number of Bleakers is rather impressive given that they don’t actively recruit. At all. Instead, they rely on word of mouth to get people interested in their work. They never try to push their beliefs on those who come to them seeking help - they just render whatever aid is needed and let them get on with their lives. After all, a good Bleaker lets other sods make up their own mind, doing nothing more than giving them the facts and whatever help they need to find their feet.
So what makes the Bleakers any different from the Athar? They both abhor the teachings of others, after all.
It's true, while there are similarities, the differences lie in *why* they reject the teachings of others. The Bleakers know that there is no meaning, and that anyone claiming to know better is a liar. The Athar are unsure on whether or not there is a meaning, but they do know that anyone claiming to know better is just trying to control you or sell you something.
The Grim Retreat
Being a Bleaker is hard work. It takes a great deal of time and effort to reach the levels of acceptance and peace found within the older faction members and Factors. This was a problem that became more evident as their numbers swelled. When the Bleakers saw a glut of new membership, the toll it took on the older members was intense. All the new folk were too conflicted - too lost, sad and angry with their newfound loss of belief. The mundane tolls of working with so many of the hopeless were immense, so much so that a name was given to the condition of Bleakers who snapped under the pressure and had a sudden collapse in mental faculties: the Grim Retreat.
It was spoken of as a myth at first. Believed to be propaganda spread to scare folks off of joining or seeking their help. Then it was seen as an attack - by the Signers probably… those sods would no doubt try and think them all to death if they could. The Bleakers were helpless against it. They could render aid to those who sought it sure, but what could they do to help the helpers? There were no systems in place, no safeguards to keep the Bleakers themselves from complete madness. After all - the Bleakers embraced madness, why fight it?
Turns out, there’s madness and then there’s capital-M Madness. The Bleak Cabal tried to keep this under wraps, to pretend that it wasn’t a problem and that any reports were greatly exaggerated.
They lied.
After all, something like that would only serve to scare people away, and they were stretched thin enough as it was.
The Story Breaks
The story of the Grim Retreat broke out after every single Factor caught the condition within a day of each other. With no leadership bar the Factol, the truth about the matter became impossible to ignore. .. and the Factol’s cover up was exposed. He was summarily deposed for his mishandling of the matter, and a new one elected… once they could find some new Factors to fill those posts first.
Bleaker leadership is slowly recovering from the ravages of the Grim Retreat. Whilst the decade or so following the Second Upheaval saw a tremendous uptake in the number of new Bleaker recruits, their overall numbers continued to dwindle. The Grim Retreat was hitting them hard, taking nearly half of all established Bleakers. The newly elected Factol managed to stifle the Grim Retreat with a campaign of internal awareness and lots of revised procedures, but the damage was done. The Mad Bleaker wing is full to bursting, some cells even having to host two of the less volatile Bleakers together.
New procedures ensure all members are assigned a buddy Bleaker with whom to share in their frustrations and to utilise their calming powers upon one another. The new Factol is zealous - most would say too much so - in keeping an eye out for the signs of the Grim Retreat. Whatever they’re doing, it’s working. For now.
Controversies
It’s hard to talk about the Bleakers without talking about the regrettable faction that is the Sign of One. See, some time ago the Signers got it into their brainbox that the only thing stopping people from being happy, rich, or powerful was a bit of positive thinking. The Bleakers, running the Cage’s mental health services, soup kitchens, and public orphanages took offence to this notion.
Now, there are few things more unpredictable than a pissed off Bleaker. The Signers learned this the hard way, and found themselves subject to a great deal of collateral and confrontation.
Then they went and thought the Bleaker’s Factol to death. Poor Nobey. He was found dead in his bed less than a day after the Signers claimed they were going to kill him with their minds. Well, the Bleakers backed down on their campaign of annoyance towards the Sign of One… they weren’t quite sure what to think of this whole affair, but nor did they care.
So a deal was struck, wherein the Bleakers left them alone and in return the Signers kept their campaigning out of the Hive. They may be at peace now, but the wounds are still there to this day.
So… what now?
Whilst Factol Lhar may no longer be around, his legacy certainly is. Lhar’s Soup Kitchens now exist across the whole of the Cage, with one in each Ward and two each in the Lower Ward and Hive. They serve as general almshouses, providing food and drink to those who need it, and a place to kip as a last resort. The idea is that those almshouses across the richer Wards take in donations to fund the larger almshouses in the Lower Ward and Hive, which see substantially more guests and problems.
The current Factol has big plans for the Bleakers. Now that things are stabilising, they’re looking outwards. Truth is, the Bleakers are going to have to start recruiting - and that’s a controversial move for them. They don't recruit - never have done.
Secondly, it’s dangerous. History has shown that whenever the Bleakers’ numbers swell… the Grim Retreat has another outbreak.
Furthermore, a new sect has been causing some rumblings within the Bleakers - the Maws. Nearly entirely made up of Bleakers who dodged the last Grim Retreat, these sods are claiming to be the new line of defence against their own members gettin’ sick. They say they’re the ones holding the Retreat at bay. Maybe they are - but they’re secretive even by Bleaker standards.
One thing’s for certain: the Factol ain’t exactly enthused at their presence.
References & Inspiration
- Mimir's Bleak Cabal page - General reference and inspiration
- Font Awesome - For the (placeholder) icon