Dustmen
Table of Contents
Who We Are
The key role that the Dustmen ("The Dead") play in the City of Sigil is that of Sanitation; specifically, dealing with the removal and respectful disposal of corpses. A large number of full-time Dustmen enact the role of “Collectors”, driving one of the many corpse wagons around Sigil to gather up any stray bodies where they find them. Those alerting the Mortuary to the presence of a corpse will have their location and number added to the list for the next Collector who heads out in that direction.
Yes, this does make them very popular with the local crime gangs, since they don’t ask any questions or share any records about what they find. The fact that they subsequently dispose of the corpses cleanly and efficiently with the City’s blessing is an added bonus.
The Dead also run a freelance collection business. Just about anyone can deliver a corpse to them and be paid for it - usually little more than a handful of coppers per corpse. The Dead find this to be a relatively cheap and efficient way of cleaning up the Hive streets… by having the residents bring them the corpses themselves.
A word from your Factol...
Life is a myth, one sold to us by those pushing one agenda or another. All members of the Dead know this to be true - and you could too. You’ll have to leave that smile behind, mind.
You see, all stages of existence - this one especially - are really just another step on the infinite rungs of death. Look around and tell me this resembles anything close to a paradise, or a blessed life given by the gods.
No? Cos we’re already dead, berk. This is the punishment. A sentence. A lesson. What for, we do not care. We are here to help you cast off those shackles that bind you, to help you attain your potential.
Too many try to cling to the imagined vestiges of ‘life’, downing drinks and fighting to keep the blood pumping. Emotions reveal you as one who still clings to this illusion. But this is not the life that we are in. This is death. You must divest yourself of these passions; these emotions, needs and wants. This is the state in which we must exist. Only by embracing it can we move on, attain the True Death and perhaps know Life once more.
I can see you are less than enthused by this prospect. This bodes well for you.
Join us. Or don’t. It’s your funeral.
A Dustman's Journey (Dead Man's Shoes)
Signing up as a member of The Dead is a relatively straightforward affair. You show up to the Mortuary, or find any of the loud berks peddling Dead contracts, and register as much passive interest as you can. With any luck, you’ll be pointed to the Mortuary where a small onboarding ritual will see you in as a member of the Dustmen: an Initiate of the Fifth Circle.
In order to progress through the circles of The Dead, one must first wait for a post higher up to free itself. From there, you have to hope that you have sufficiently impressed one of the Factors (for advancement to Factotum) or the Factol themselves (for advancement to Factor) with your dedication to the cause of The Dead.
Knowledge of tenets and sheer lack of desire to advance go a long way towards being a good candidate. Showing want - especially that of attaining higher rank - is the surest way to be ignored, or even disciplined.
Initiate of the 5th Circle (Namer)
As with most factions, the vast majority of members of the Dustmen are Namers: folks who’ve said their promise, been sworn in, and declared that they have left Life-with-a-capital-L behind. They work as Collectors and Mortuary aides, taking ownership of some of the skeletons if they can and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
Initiate of the 4th Circle (Factotum)
Those with sufficient promise advance to the rank of Factotum, whom the Dead often refer to as Initiates of the 4th Circle. They serve guard duty, perform missions and undergo assignments at the behest of the Factors. They also take charge of escorting guests and visitors around the Mortuary.
Advancing to this rank involves a complicated group ritual that involves mocking up one’s own funeral, a symbolic gesture wherein one must detach themselves from all worldly possessions and make peace with family, friends, and enemies. This ritual also involves giving up any previous names one may have and taking up their very own Dustman name. This name usually, but not always, takes the form of a verb and a noun (in either order).
A Dustman's own "funeral" will often involve the adoption of a new, "Dustman", name. Some examples involve:
Example names: Crying Grudge, Weeping Grave, Hope Died, Praising Sun, Child Ascending, Shares-Her-Breath
Initiate of the 1st Circle (Factor)
A final, symbolic ritual will bring an Initiate into the 1st Circle. Chant is dark on the details of these ceremonies or its prerequisites - presumably there are Third and Second Circles one must pass through first… but no-one knows. Or at least, no-one who has lived to spill the dark of it.
Factol
The position of Factol is permanent once attained, and ends only when one succumbs to the True Death at last. Usually the Factol can feel when this time is approaching, and so names a successor whom they deem the most ‘Dead-worthy’ to take up the mantle once they pass.
Faction Mechanics & Character Options
Those raised within the ranks of the Dustmen are treated to a heavy regimen of knowledge and exposure to death. They are usually inducted into the ranks of either the Priesthood or of Wizardry.
All members of the Dead, regardless of their role are taught the language of death and shades. In part, this is to help talk with the intelligent dead, but many believe that it helps to bring one closer to the True Death also.
If you are creating a character who has been a member of the Dustmen for a while, you may pick one of the following three backgrounds at character creation. A list of suggested bonds within the faction and philosophical ideals is also presented below.
Backgrounds
Corpse Collectors patrol the streets of Sigil, pulling along large wagons of corpses upon which members of the public heave their dead upon. Corpse Collectors are paid by the body upon return to the Mortuary, and have been known to fight over ‘prime territory’ that sees the largest amounts of death.
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two from: Athletics, Investigation, Perception, or Survival
- Other Proficiencies: Vehicles (Land)
- Languages: Shade Whisper
- Equipment: A plague doctor mask, a vial of smelling salts, a set of common clothes, a set of heavily stained "work" clothes, and a pouch containing a handful of silver and copper pieces
Feature: Iron Stomach
You've seen some serious death - leatherheads in the Cage tend to die in all sorts of creative ways. You've learned to steel your stomach and get on with the job. You have advantage on Constitution saving throws against contracting diseases. Furthermore, should you become infected with a documented disease, you know its effects and how easy it is to recover from (as well as how it is contracted).
Embalmers spend the majority of their lives within the Mortuary, tending to the corpses that pass their way and preparing them for burial or destruction using a vast assortment of alchemicals and low-level magic. The range of physiologies that they see huge - from elves to pit fiends to djinni to automata.
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two from: Arcana, History, Medicine, or Religion
- Other Proficiencies: Alchemist's Tools
- Languages: Shade Whisper
- Equipment: A needle and thread, a patch of mummified tattooed flesh, a set of common clothes, a leather apron, and a pouch containing a handful of copper and silver pieces
Feature: Play Dead
By spending 10 minutes working with your Alchemist Tools, you may have a willing target enter a state of semi-death. Whilst in this state, they appear dead for all intents and purposes - only an opposed Investigation or Medicine roll against your Wisdom (Medicine) can see through the guise. The target's pulse and breathing are otherwise imperceptible in this state, and divination magic that detects life fails to clock them. This state lasts for as long as they remain still and will it to.
Much like the Embalmers, Ritualists must be accustomed to a wide range of physiologies and beliefs. They study death and burial practices from across the planes, using their knowledge to perform last rites or whatever is required of them, or that which they deem most appropriate if given no known last wishes. They also keep thorough records and documentation of all their activities and corpses processed.
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two from: Arcana, History, Nature or Religion
- Other Proficiencies: Calligrapher's Supplies
- Languages: Shade Whisper
- Equipment: A tome of common burial practices, a pouch of crypt dust, a tiny silver medallion, a set of fine clothes, and a pouch containing a handful of copper and silver pieces
Feature: Repository of Death
As an action, you can consult your accumulated knowledge about the formation of undead, funeral customs of a culture, or religions based around the concept or gods of death. Doing so is like consulting a textbook on the topic, and you are able to recall a relevant passage or excerpt. You may do this once per long rest.
d4 | Faction Draw (Ideal) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Morbid Curiosity, death has always fascinated me. What better way to understand it than to live with it? |
| 2 | Hard Shell, having wants or emotions is a sign of weakness. By embracing the True Death, the Dustmen are helping me become stronger. |
| 3 | Civic Duty, someone's gotta make sure all these dead sods are treated with respect. |
| 4 | Bodies are Money, the Dustmen have always treated me well and paid me my dues when I give them bodies. |
d4 | Faction Friend (Bonds) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hope's Lost Cause, a ritualist who also runs the luxury cremations directors "Crem de la Crem". |
| 2 | Death Kiss, a well-dressed corpse collector. |
| 3 | Silent Nightmare, an embalmer who stinks of bleach. |
| 4 | The Igor, a chatty seller of Dead Contracts. |
Faction Restriction
An Alternative 'Resurrection'
As an alternative to spells such as Raise Dead, Dustmen who die may be returned from the dead provided their body is returned to the mortuary within 10 days and a 1000 gp fee is paid (or subsequently worked off). These Dustmen are returned to life as either Dhampir, Hexblood or Reborn as though reincarnated (your choice).
Generally, only Dustmen who are convinced that they have good reason to be returned actually seek this alternative. However, it is frequently known for adventuring parties to burst into the Mortuary and "demand" their dead friend to be brought back in some way. In these instances, the dead sod usually accepts out of polite resignation.
You are not permitted to be resurrected.
Raise dead, reincarnation, resurrection, and true resurrection are forbidden to the Dustmen. If you accept any of these spells, or if you act against the True Death (e.g. by attempting to restore someone to life or murdering without just cause) you will almost certainly be expelled from the ranks. Revivify and similar-effects are generally seen as acceptable, though there are a growing number of Dustmen who would disagree (mind you, these are the same berks who think first aid should be a crime and that healers are ‘the greatest con artists of all time’).
Roleplaying a Dustman
Style and Flair
Grey is the name of the game when it comes to the Dustman aesthetic. To them, all life is but varying shades of grey; dull and uninspired. They use white as an accent colour - especially when it comes to their faction emblem and bone jewellery (white is the colour of death, being the colour of bone and “the light at the end of the tunnel”).
The emblem of the faction itself is that of a screaming skull, sometimes depicted on a bed of wilted flowers.
A "Good" Dustman...
- Disdains resurrection magic
- Works to purge themselves of worldly desires in advance of the True Death
- Shows respect to the dead, The Dead, and the dying.
Faction Powers
You have advantage on saving throws against the Frightened and Paralysed conditions, and all fear-like or paralysis effects. Furthermore, you have advantage on saving throws against Turn or Rebuke undead (or other effects that would Control or Destroy undead specifically).
As a Dustman, you die on your own terms - when and where you are called to and no sooner. Once per long rest, or by spending Inspiration, you may instantly stabilize at the start of your turn. If you spend Inspiration to do this, you may instead heal 1 hit point.
Furthermore, if you do not already know the language of Shade Whisper, you gain that language now.
Undead recognize you as one of their own, granting you special privileges amongst their kind. Any undead with an Intelligence score of 8 or higher recognizes you as one who has signed the Dead Truce, and as such generally react favourably (you have advantage on all Persuasion checks when dealing with them).
Furthermore, whenever an undead would target you with a hostile spell or attack, that undead must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC of 10 + your proficiency modifier. On a failure, nothing happens and the spell/action is wasted. Once a target saves successfully, they cannot be affected by this power again for the next 24 hours.
The Chant
History
One of the oldest factions still to operate in Sigil, the Dustmen have a long-standing reputation as being a bunch of miserable sods and cage-rattlers. Not that they’d ever call themselves anything remotely like ‘sad’… that’s too much of an emotion in itself. Their members would much rather you know them as ‘cold’, maybe ‘level-headed’ at a push.
Fact is, there’s not a record in the city that can harken back to a time when this faction didn’t exist. Despite such a long and varied history, they’ve been relatively free of controversy. Most factions view them with ambivalence, grateful for the role that they play in helping keep the city free of corpses and managing the whole death-afterlife procedure. Some, like the Bleakers and the Doomguard, even have a bit of respect for them. Sure they’re barmy at the best of times, but they do good work in advancing the cause of death and decay.
The Dead themselves have no strong feelings on the other factions - they can’t. Still, were they to feel any pity or amusement at the meaningless prattling of the others, they’d most certainly be clashing with the Sensates and the Signers. Those poor sods hang on a bit too hard to this state of Material filth.
Controversies
Despite being so cold in disposition, some degree of conflict was inevitable: from the murder of a Sensate to the various contract assassinations financed by their Factol…
Perhaps the first thing to tarnish their reputation was the handling of Karilla Mavasill, a Sensate high-up who was looking to be murdered for the experience of it. She went to the Mercykillers to be helped along, and gladly got her wish. Thing is, they sent the corpse over to the Mortuary… and the Dead wouldn’t give her body back - not without the next of kin (who were all either dead or missing).
In the end, a number of Sensates had to break into the Mortuary and smash some skulls to steal her corpse back and revive her. The Dead barely noticed the theft, and likely wouldn’t have cared anyways... it was finding out about the resurrection that irked them. So they sued the Sensates, and the Mercykillers, and put Karilla back in the dead books where she 'was meant to be'.
The previous Factol was a further cause of controversy. The lich Skall was found to have been going against faction tenets by contracting assassinations of particular rivals. Ushering others closer to death in any form is entirely against Dustmen philosophy. Whilst exceptions are made for the newly resurrected, they generally believe that people should attain it at their own pace, lest they be accidentally robbed of the True Death they deserve. Skall tried to whip the Faction into a cult following of his own to combat the allegations - but the vampiric High Priest Oridi was quick to set things right, and take the mantle of Factol for herself.
Where is Skall now? Who knows. Last anyone saw of him was the flash of his robes as he vanished into the plane of negative energy. Perhaps now, he has finally found peace.
Views on the Undead
Were any of the Dead ones to feel sorrow, remorse or pain, perhaps they would do so for their undead members. To the Dustmen, the Undead represent failure at the last hurdle - those who so nearly attained the True Death, yet so fiercely clung to life (by choice or by curse) that they condemned themselves to this state of limbo. The Dustmen view these members as lost - though find themselves eternally indebted to them.
Dustmen are big fans of repurposing corpses as mindless undead rather than disposing of them in other manners, and most of their members are willing to donate their bodies for the skeletal ranks. They used to have zombies working the Mortuary, but a genius Dustman raised the point that skeletons are a lot cleaner and easier to look at (the general public was often put off by the walking corpses, which was not great for recruitment).
See, undead have walked the ranks of the Dustmen for a long time now. From liches to vampires and ghosts, they have all walked among the faction in their own immortality. Truth be told, they quite enjoy working with those who cannot look down on them or recoil in horror at a walking corpse. Instead, the undead members do their best to help usher the rest of the Dead in the right direction; to attain the True Death rather than end up stuck in the same limbo as they are.
The Dustmen themselves accommodate the intelligent undead as best they can, showing little feeling towards them save perhaps a smidgen of sympathy for their failure to attain the True Death.
Furthermore, a number of the Dead are known practitioners of Necromancy in some form or another. This is viewed with mixed opinions within the faction, as on the one hand it is seen as a further perversion of an individual's journey towards the True Death, warping the lines between death and life and death again in a way that is, at best, counter-productive. On the other hand, it is a very useful tool for working with the undead and for repurposing corpses.
So… what now?
Things within the ranks of The Dead are slow and steady, and even slower to change. Don’t go expecting anything new and exciting from them any time soon. The only reason they’d kept their stability as long as they did was by looking to their one true leader, Skall, for so long. His teachings had been rather strict and dogmatic, and his having being replaced has caused some rumblings within the ranks to rear their heads. That said, it's been thirty years and things are still in the process of waking up and getting annoyed about it... The Dead move damn slow.
See, there are two main lines of thinking within The Dead. Some members long for a return to "true" life, and chase after this state of perfection in the passionless hopes of getting their reward for it. These berks call themselves the “Hopeful”, and they are at that; ever believing that they can escape this current state of death by accepting it fully and moving on.
The rest of the Dead couldn’t care less. Maybe there’s a return to Life in the future, maybe not. Who cares? Right now, it is their death-given duty to integrate with this stage of death as best as possible. The more they accept their current state of death, the more likely they are to reach the True Death when the transition comes.
References & Inspiration
- Paradise Killer - Names of the Gods make for great inspiration of Dustmen names
- Mimir's Dustmen page - General reference and inspiration
- Font Awesome - For the (placeholder) icon