Revolutionary League
Table of Contents
Who We Are
As quite befitting their namesake, the Revolutionary League (Anarchists for short) have no fixed role within the city - existing as they do as a form of resistance, opposition and revolt against the status quo. This ranges from the sects with a more chaotic, less idealistic bent, fanning the flames to watch the Cage burn; to those who have some noble goal or aim in mind, and a solid code of conduct with which to execute it.
A common theme does underlie the motives of near-every Anarchist sect in the Cage: opposition to the factions. Members of the Revolutionary League work to dismantle the faction system on which the Cage is built from within. They infiltrate other factions with the end goal to free the people and build a society based on shared communal understanding; not rank, wealth or power.
A word from your Factol...
The status quo is built on naught but lies and greed. Justice should always come before the law, financial concerns, or matters of reputation; yet rarely it does. Truth is, the Faction system opposes Justice in every form.
Members tend to their own and no further - covering their backs, weaving lies and trading favours to keep their own safe from any consequences and persecute the outsiders and the deviants.
For truth to lie in the hands of the people, so too must access to the truth. Heard of the Dark Herald? ‘Course not, factions don’t want you to. They want to control the narrative; easier to keep folks in line that way. Why? They’re scared.
For knowledge to lie in the hands of the people, so too must access to knowledge. Factions hoard secrets, this ain’t exactly news, berk. They gatekeep what you can know behind ranks and initiation ceremonies, keeping knowledge from the hands of those who might actually do some good with it. Why? They’re scared.
For power to lie in the hands of the people, so too must access to power. What say have you in how things operate in the Cage? None, ‘less you’re a Factol. We the people have no direct means of affecting change in our fair city. Status and Faction politics stand between us and improvement always. Why? They’re scared.
‘Why are they scared?’ I hear you ask. ‘Remember the Godsmen, the Fated?’ I say. They lost relevance, and so too did their members. Hells, their names are already unfamiliar to some… now all the other sods are running amok in fear of crumbling to dust too.
Seize the truth - listen to the streets.
Seize knowledge - don’t let them keep it from you.
Seize power - rise up.
An Anarchist's Journey (Rage Against the Faction Machine)
Anarchists operate on a system of what they call ‘total trust’, meaning that every member is accountable to at least one other. No-one gets in without having another person willing to put their membership, and likely life, on the line.
The structure of any sect is entirely unique to that sect. Some may have internal ranks, others are but a collection of individuals working together. That said, there are some universal distinctions to be made between Affiliates (Namers), Anarchs (Factotum), Speakers (Factors) and Factol as usual.
Joining the Faction as an Affiliate requires that you find an existing Anarch (or Speaker) and have them vouch for you. They’ll have their own way of determining whether you can be trusted or not, and are often quite picky. If an Affiliate is seen to betray the sect or be otherwise found wanting, the Anarch who vouched for them will be somewhat reprimanded (the severity depends on the Sect).
Affiliate (Namer)
To get started on your way in, you might subtly drop your dissatisfaction with the authorities or the faction system in general. Come on too strong and you’ll scare off the Anarchists for good, mind. Quiet is key. Then one day you may get an invite, a clandestine encounter or a suspicious fella at your doorstep. That’s when you meet your guide. Your Guide will be an Anarch (Factotum), and under strict orders to not reveal the identities or locations of other members. They will give you some degree of initiation (which varies from sect to sect), and you will become an Affiliate (Namer) of that sect if they’re happy enough with you.
It’s at this point that you get your very own pseudonym. Choose wisely.
Your guide then relays information and missions from the sect to you. You don’t get to meet any of the other members, nor know their names or anything like. Hells, even your guide will be using a pseudonym with you. Build up enough trust though, and the sect you are affiliated to will bring you in for an official welcoming. This is essentially an initiation, the nature of which varies from sect to sect (as do the requirements) and promotes you to Anarch.
Anarch (Factotum)
Once initiated into the sect and a full-fledged Anarch, the accountability to the one who brought you in loosens somewhat. At this point, you are assumed to be trustworthy and a proper member. You'll also be assigned a faction to infiltrate, and the resources and relevant contacts in order to do so.
Advancement beyond this point is entirely dependent on the Sect you are in - some will have an Elected Speaker, others will have it be the most senior member, or have it be decided by combat.
Speaker (Factor)
Every sect will have one, maybe two, Speakers (factors) depending on its size. These act as the leaders of their Sect, and are privy to knowledge about some of the other sects and how to get in touch with their Speakers. This is to allow inter-sect collaboration and knowledge sharing, as well as alliances for some of the more bold plans.
Speakers have managed to infiltrate one of the other factions so well by this point that they are viewed as Factotum within that faction. Suckers.
Factol
The Factol of the Anarchists is a mere formality - they are privy to no further information than the Speaker.
Any Speaker is viable for the role of Factol, and must be prepared to assume the mantle if called upon. The role is temporarily bestowed upon a randomly selected Speaker whenever a meeting of the Factols is called, and the role is then stripped after the meeting and that person reverts to Speaker.
Faction Mechanics & Character Options
Anarchists are a varied and distinct faction, wherein each member has a unique progression and role to perform. There is relatively little in terms of standardised upbringing, and most Anarchist parents will do their best to keep their children and relatives as far from the faction as possible till they can decide for themselves.
If you are creating a character who has been a member of the Anarchists for a while, you might pick the following background at character creation. A list of suggested bonds within the faction and philosophical ideals is also presented below.
Background
Your upbringing could be anything. If you were raised by Anarchists, there is a high chance you'll be inducted into the arts of stealth and social manoeuvring.
- Skill Proficiencies: Any two
- Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit or Forgery Kit
- Languages: Any one, or any one musical instrument or vehicle
- Equipment: Illegal pamphlets, a disguise kit or forgery kit, a shiv, and 80sp worth of mundane gems and coins
Infiltration Basics
You are inducted in the ways of infiltration and performance in preparation for your infiltration of a future faction. When you make a Charisma (Deception or Performance) check to assume a falsified identity, you may add 1d4 to the result.
d4 | Faction Draw (Ideal) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Do-Gooder, the Anarchists are the only way of establishing actual change in this godsforsaken city |
| 2 | Vengeance, I hate the Harmonium for what they did to me. The Anarchists help me get back at them |
| 3 | Anti-wizard, you can’t trust anyone - especially wizards. The Anarchists are a great help in hiding your identity from the magical sods |
| 4 | Changing, the Cage is in good need of a shake-up - someone’s gotta make that happen |
d4 | Faction Sponsor (Bonds) |
|---|---|
| 1 | V, a legal whiz who loves to mess with the courts and stall injustice |
| 2 | Brimstone, a mad sorcerer of immense power |
| 3 | Gehenna, a crafty fiend, duplicitous even by Anarchist standards |
| 4 | The One With the Golden Halo, a titan from Mount Celestia, here to better the Cage |
Faction Restriction
Belonging to the Anarchists is highly dangerous and illegal; punishable by death under Civic, Faction and even Lady’s Law.
Experienced Anarchists belong to an infiltrated faction, and for all intents and purposes are considered members of that faction. Should that faction learn of your Anarchy however, you will be expelled from that faction and likely turned over to the authorities. Your sect may also cut ties with you or have you ‘removed’ to cover their own tracks.
Roleplaying an Anarchist
Style and Flair
Each sect has their own style and flair, or lack thereof. Anarchists do their best not to attract attention or to stand out. Members do not carry faction symbols around, and those who do usually have some sort of identifier of their sect. The official Anarchist symbol is a clawed fist (not that anyone uses it).
A "Good" Dustman...
It goes without saying that a good Anarchist:
- Never sells out a fellow Anarchist or sect.
- Maintains an appropriate cover identity at all times.
Faction Powers
For the sake of any divinations or other means of discerning faction membership, you are revealed as an Independent. You have advantage on any saving throws against effects that would read your mind or magically influence your thoughts and memories.
As an Anarch, you have now infiltrated a faction proper. You should keep up appearances as to being a member of that faction.
You gain one of the Namer power(s) of your infiltrated faction. You have a new identity as a member of that faction with the forged paperwork and records to prove it. You may still need to put in some effort to pass their tests or training periods mind.
For the sake of any divinations or other means of discerning identity, you are revealed as a member of your infiltrated faction. Furthermore, your surface thoughts are a garbled yet coherent mess - playing out a fake layer of mundane or otherwise trivial thoughts. Whenever you fail a saving throw that would allow someone to read your mind or force the truth from you, you may spend Inspiration to succeed instead.
Speakers act as both leaders and emissaries of their sects. They usually have knowledge of other local sects and a means to contact other Speakers should the need arise.
You gain one of the Namer or Factotum power(s) of your infiltrated faction, regardless of your perceived rank within that faction.
You may use a reaction at any point to permanently expunge any amount of memories or information from your own mind. These memories can be restored with a Greater Restoration.
Sample Sect: The Crystal Blades
Goals
The Crystal Blades are a sect of deep cover mage-hunters, who task themselves with limiting the power of archmages and other magic-wielders and keeping their influence in check.
Motif
Members take their code names from various precious gems, such as ‘Ruby’, ‘Diamond’ and ‘Emerald’. They all assume the exact same disguise of a bald, nondescript man. The only differentiations between them being their daggers - each member carries a Dispelling Dagger +1, embedded in the hilt is a large gem that matches their code name.
Speaker
The Speaker of the Crystal Blades is known as ‘Pearl’.
Influence
Crystal Blades are spread all over the Cage and have members in all other Factions bar one. Their effectiveness is limited somewhat by their inability to organise themselves and work together in any cohesive way - but when they really want something done, it's very much done in explosive style.
The Chant
History
The Anarchists have been around for as long as any system of power or governance has existed in the Cage… longer than anyone can remember, that’s for sure. ‘Course, the landscape of the Anarchists changes from year to year. They have no fixed structure, no fixed headquarters, and their members have perhaps the shortest lifespans of any of the factions.
In terms of the Anarchists’ presence in Sigil, documents from the Hall of Records refer to anarchists from as far back as seven or eight hundred years ago (though whether or not they were anarchists or Anarchists-with-a-capital-A is a matter for debate).
Fact is, history on the Anarchists is pretty darn scarce. Their members don’t write things down or leave evidence - and they rarely admit to even the most innocuous of wrongdoings, let alone anything worth a page in the history books. They also tend to get blamed for a lot of sabotage and chaos that isn’t their fault. ‘The Anarchists did it’ is a common turn of phrase when things go to pot around a business or a faction.
Notable Anarchist Events
Some 300-400 years ago, an Anarchist lit off a spell that killed the Factol of the Mercykillers. Whatever mage it was managed to pin the blame on the Fated through illusions and magical trickery. This started a war that involved over a dozen factions and caused the demise of at least three whole factions. They’re mighty proud of that one.
Around a hundred years ago, an Anarchist managed to infiltrate the Harmonium right to the very top. He became the Factol, and tried to enact a series of resolutions that would lead to the dissolution of the Harmonium and an end to law enforcement in Sigil. He was, unsurprisingly, not very successful on that point.
‘Course, some twenty years or so ago a Shadar-Kai by the name of Corin’na would get the same idea, infiltrating the Godsmen to the very top and making her way to Factol. Thing is, she’d heard of this previous berk who’d tried it before, so ensured she had the relevant support, friends, and firepower to secure her position before outing herself. This time, it stuck. The Godsmen wound up dissolved after she claimed them in the name of the Anarchists, causing the faction to crumble to pieces and the Greeners to be born from the ashes.
Structure (or lack thereof)
The Revolutionary League has always been made up of sects - though never in any official capacity. Small groups within the faction operate independently of one another, with members unaware of the identities or works of any other sect. Only chosen Speakers within each sect are aware of the nature of some of the others - and even then only some might know how to get in touch with other Speakers. This way if something goes wrong and one person gets captured, the overall damage to the faction is minimised… you can’t break knowledge from a berk that doesn’t have said knowledge, after all.
In terms of hierarchy, there is none. One could make a distinction between three “layers' ' or “types” of members of the Revolutionary League. You have the Affiliates - the Namers - those who are in the process of joining a sect or are loosely associated but not real members. They have some knowledge of what the sect gets up to, but only really know of one member until they are proven.
Then you have the Anarchs. These are the ‘true’ Anarchists, the ones who give the faction a name and put them on the map. They attend meetings, are privy to what their sect gets up to and have equal say in how their sect operates.
Speakers are a special kind of Anarch; those chosen to represent their sect in dealing with other sects of the Revolutionary League, and working PR within the ‘faction’ that is the Anarchists. They have no more or less power than Anarchs within their sect, the only real distinction is their trust and place within the faction as a whole.
Factol (or lack thereof)
‘Course, Lady’s Law demands each faction have a Factol. But the Anarchists don’t agree with the idea of ‘one leader’ or a single speaker for the whole of the darned faction. So they draw lots any time they are called upon to send their Factol. Any Speaker is eligible to temporarily assume the role of ‘Factol’ when needed, and usually are snapped up at a moment's notice to attend an important meeting. Once their duties are done (a matter of days at the most), they are stripped of the rank and go back to however they were beforehand and removed from the lot for the next nine years.
So… what now?
What’s happening now very much depends on the Anarchist sect to which you find yourself belonging. Anarchists are still hunted by the Harmonium, making the need to remain covert a constant necessity.
All these new steam-powered devices and magical technology is really giving the Anarchists a lot of choice when it comes to sabotage, and they are more active than ever as a result.
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