The Revolutionary League
Source: The Factol's Manifesto p.112
You hang around the Cage long enough, you hear a thing or two about the Revolutionary League. Folks talk about what the Anarchists support, what they do. Now you've decided you want to be one? Well, here’s a glimpse into the dark: The Revolutionary League doesn't support anything, doesn't make anything happen. It opposes things, keeps things from happening. League members try to destroy every established organization, and one day they’ll do it.
Yeah, I know I keep talking about the Anarchists like they're someone else. You don't think I belong, do you? See, I'm not an Anarchist myself. But I can tell you a little about them, I can put you in touch with someone who might know someone who might know someone - you know?
The Revolutionary League searches for the Dark, I don’t mean just the dark of who's who or what's what, but the ultimate truth, the Big Dark. 'Course, there’s a problem. To find the Big Dark, a body’s got to be free. But now, no cutter anywhere has freedom, and won’t have it, either, until all the factions are brought low. Sure, a lot of factions say they're looking for truth, and a few of the sods that belong really think they’ve got a chance to find it. But these misguided seekers don’t realize that the high-ups of every faction play the game only for the power. Nothing else.
It’s obvious that some of them want it - take the Guvners, for instance. They don’t hide their thirst for power. But others act more subtly. They say, "We seek something greater," but they only want to hold onto their power. Just look at Rhys of the Ciphers and Skall of the Dustmen. They both claim to want to shine a light into the dark of things. "As soon as we can see this dark" they say, "we'll ascend to another level of existence." But there they both remain, supposedly the highest representations of their factions' development in the positions of power they’ve held for years. I don’t see any signs of ascending, do you? Truth is, these factols like to be in charge. They want to maintain power, maintain control. And they keep every poor sod in the Cage from freedom. Fortunately, a few cutters know the facts. They join the Revolutionary League and work to remove the old order. That way, everyone can have the freedom to find the Big Dark. They’re helping us all, see, but most berks don’t even know it.
Now, understand something. The Anarchists don’t just rattle their bone-boxes - they act. And to act, they have to have some organization. Oh, they could bounce around like the Xaositects, with no real direction. But they’re smart. They know that for real anarchy to have a chance, they must have an actual plan to get rid of order.
Make no mistake, though. The Revolutionary League ain’t in it for the power. They know they’ll eventually have to overthrow every faction to reach the Big Dark - and that includes themselves. They're already partway there, seein' as how they got no factol. With no factol, no single cutter of them’s above the rest. No one gets a lot of power, so no one can get too used to the idea of keeping it. It'll be a cinch For 'em to close the book on themselves.
The Anarchists, they like independent thinkers like you. I can tell you feel lost - you need a friend or two. You'll find 'em in the Anarchists. They befriend those in trouble, 'cause they know that seeking freedom gets a body in trouble with the other factions quicker u anything else he might try. The Anarchists adopt the loners, the lost, the ones that just don’t fit. The Lady likes that.
Look. Go to the Great Gymnasium, stand under the big mural, under the symbol of the Guvners. Look directly away from the wall, and you’ll see a street across the way. Walk down three blocks, and turn down the alley. There’s a safe house with a red door. Tell ’em Beringe sent you.
Watch it, there’s a bunch of Hardheads! Look, you never saw me. Got it?
We know most factions don't trust other factions. But anarchists - they don't even trust each other.
Always in Shadow
Who's to say how long the Revolutionary League's been around? Most likely, as long as there's been authority to oppose, a group like the Anarchists has stepped forward to oppose it. Documents in Sigh's Hall of Records refer to "anarchists" working the Cage as long as 700 years ago back when Factol Jaretta ruled the Guvners.
'Course, were they anarchists or Anarchists? That’s a good question that’s got no good answer, A body'd be hard-pressed t0 find a difference between an independent anarchist and one who’s part of the League. One problem with Anarchists (and most anarchists) is they don't write down things like this. They don't leave evidence or witnesses, and they never admit to anything - 'cept maybe that they refuse to accept authority.
The Anarchists get blamed for a lot of supposed sabotage: whenever something goes wrong with another faction's plan, when some high-up gets assassinated, or if some building gets knocked down. And every once in a while, some Anarchist scrawls a message somewhere to take credit for this or that promotion of freedom. The Harmonium has pinned a few events in Sigil - and elsewhere on the planes - pretty firmly on them.
About 300 years ago, an Anarchist lit off a spell that killed the factol of the Mercykillers. The spellcaster managed to blame it on the Fated, starting a war that came to involve almost a dozen factions and put an end to three factions altogether. 'Course, the Anarchists still feel mighty proud of that one.
And then there's the time, about 50 years ago, when the Anarchists managed to place an operative, a blood named Omar, in the Harmonium. He managed to fake it all the way up to factol - and then he tried to disband the faction and shut down its headquarters in Sigil! Hardhead factors accused the cutter of acting against the rules of the organization, arrested him, and took him to the Guvners for trial. In the much-publicized case, the cutter announced that he'd always belonged to the Revolutionary League! The Mercykillers made short work of him after the trial, of course. The Hardheads issued a few statements saying they'd let Omar think he was in charge, so he'd give himself away. And who'd argue with the Harmonium?
Anyway, Omar remains a hero to the Revolutionary League, a martyr for the cause. And the Harmonium has felt unhappy with the Anarchists ever since, even more than they were before the spy exposed himself. The Hardheads've even gone so far as to declare the Anarchists a public nuisance. According to the chant of the day, they keep working on a plan to eliminate them - once they find 'em, anyway.
The Anarchists always prove tough to find, too, because of their faction s structure. (See "Within the Ranks." - Ed.) Plus, they can usually smooth their way into other factions without being detected. The social chameleons live everywhere, doing what they do best: fomenting unrest, playing faction against faction, undermining authority, and toppling governments.
And when they're done, they'll have the freedom they need to find the Big Dark.
We have no past, and you have no future.
Beringe, A faction High-up
Male human planar
Though he'd never admit it, Beringe is as much of a high-up as the Anarchists have. Because he's a smooth talker and a good planner, he leads several cells of members. He covers his face most times, seldom revealing much more than his bulbous nose and wild eyes. When he carries on Anarchist symbol, it’s usually emblazoned on his shield like a crest. However, he carries the symbol only when he wants recognition as an Anarchist - when he wants the group to receive credit for some act of his.
Beringe leads missions with some regularity, always exhibiting few qualms about the tasks required by his Anarchist vocation. He has set traps, killed highly placed officials, led fellow Anarchists to start riots, and conducted missions to topple governments on prime worlds. Though concerned mainly with the state of the planes, Beringe remains firmly convinced that the planes constitute only a part of the solution; eventually, the Anarchists must cleanse the Prime of factions as well.
Beringe prides himself on his status as one of the Revolutionary League's finest recruiters. He roams Sigil between missions, looking for the lost, the lonely, and the weary. Whenever he finds a sod like this, he befriends him - maybe buying a meal, maybe just talking. He subtly introduces the concept of factions as bad; if the berk seems receptive, he tells him what the League does to alter the situation. If it all works out, he eventually introduces the recruit to a few Anarchists who begin teaching him the ways of revolution.
'Course, Beringe never admits he’s an Anarchist even to other Anarchists. He often poses as a Hardhead, a Taker, or an Athar. He likely shows his real face in some situations, but wears disguises in most. In fact, Beringe has several separate cover identities, complete with histories. This Anarchist can pass for a member of a Hardhead patrol as easily as he could appear as just some basher a body passes on the street. He shows up at unlikely times, always with some creative plan to defy authority. And truth is, he's never even been arrested!
Leastwise, not under his own name.
Safe Houses
The Revolutionary League doesn't have a regular headquarters, or even an irregular headquarters. (Some recruiting drives take place in Transformants' Square in The Lady's Ward spikeward from the Prison, but usually they just provide a cover to throw the Hardheads off the trail of a real operation. - Ed.) The League does maintain safe houses, though: places Anarchists can go for quiet talks with like-minded folk.
New Anarchists learn the location of one or two of these refuges once their contacts trust 'em enough to share a bit of the League's own dark. No one knows exactly how many safe houses the faction maintains, but a body might assume every one or two Anarchist cells have their own. And, as no two houses are run by the same people, none resemble each other in the least.
They do share a few common qualities, however. Each safe house has a cover: One might look like a shoemaker's shop, another like a theater, another like a warehouse or tavern. The "cover" is usually legitimate, attracting customers like any other public establishment. Most of these folks have no idea faction business takes place there. So, it not only proves difficult to find a safe house, it sometimes seems tough to make contact with a faction member once one arrives.
Each house also has a password. Some change theirs at regular intervals, others always use the same one. Still others use secret signs, require display of the Anarchist symbol, or use a regular password plus one that changes every few days. Learning the password can prove easier than a body might think: One safe house has its password scrawled on the wall like graffiti; it blends into the decor, so a body has to look to see it.
So, a basher first has to find the safe house, then make contact with someone inside (often a door guard) and use the password. The newcomer then finds himself directed to a secret room (sometimes one of several), where Anarchists can meet without fear of discovery.
Interplanar Importers
The most upscale Anarchist safe house lies in The Lady's Ward, not far from the City Court. Not only do the Anarchists enjoy operating out of the Guvners' backyard, they also maintain Interplanar Importers as a safe house for at least a half dozen other factions! A handful of Anarchists work on a rotating basis, spying on the other factions from hidden rooms, secret panels, and two-way mirrors.
Interplanar Importers is a merchant house run by a woman named Quin (Pl/♀human/W8/Sensate/CG). The owner, in her early 40s, seems pleasant and professional and has a good business sense. Not surprisingly, Quin knows about the secret rooms and passages in her establishment, but she lets them stay. Fact is, the Sensate helps maintain them - having customers from so many factions offers her a wide range of experience.
In addition to selling materials from throughout the planes, Interplanar Importers also holds a good-sized restaurant offering a wide variety of exotic food and drink. The chef, Katya (Pl/♀half-elf/B6/Sensate/NG), loves to experiment with new recipes and expresses her artistic side by redecorating the dining area. Restaurant manager and host Mikal (Pl/♂human/F4/Cipher/N) finds some amount of inner peace by handling the daily lunch rushes through sheer instinct. Together, they've created the perfect dining experience.
The Anarchist operation in the safe house was started four years ago by Quin's daughter, Strader.
Strader
Female half-elf planar
Strader, sometimes known as "the djinni" because she seems to create a whirlwind wherever she goes, used to belong to the Sensates. Eventually, though, she became dissatisfied with their philosophies. After speaking once with a member of the Revolutionary League, she joined without a second thought. Under her cover as a Sensate, however, she has infiltrated their ranks quite deeply.
The young woman lost no time in setting up two Anarchist cells in her mothers business, to let her comrades spy on the factions that met there. At the time, Strader handled all her mother's hiring and placed more than a dozen Anarchists into positions there. The cells remain discreet, gathering information but protecting their cover by avoiding destructive activities.
The Harim
A friendly little establishment called the Harim, not far from the Great Gymnasium, caters mostly to Sensates, Ciphers. Signers, and other self-absorbed sorts. Furnished mostly in soft cushions, the Harim has a theme of decadence with overtones reminiscent of desert evenings. It boasts five metallic domes overhead and a large, open courtyard enchanted to resemble a lush, ivy-covered refuge. Staff members, in silky garments that look comfortable and sensuous, provide patrons with food, drink, and entertainment. Managers encourage the staff to converse with customers at length.
The top manager is the Harim's owner, Cassandra (Pl/♀human/F3/Cipher/N), a pretty young woman with light-colored hair. For a while, business seemed pretty erratic, as Cassandra’s reflex decisions would change the Harim's menu, decor, and policies in a wink. However, the fact that her choices of late - like allowing the Anarchists a foothold - have increased business indicates that Cassandra's on her way to the unity of thought and deed her faction demands.
Two cells of the Revolutionary League work out of the Harim. One run by Nanice (Pr/♂elf/W5/Anarchist/N) devotes itself to gathering information. Traice (Pl/♂half-elf/Ro7/Anarchist/CN) heads a cell involved in missions of destruction. Both groups carefully avoid activity too close to their base; Harmonium troops have raided the Harim more than once, but it always gets by with just a warning, thanks to Cassandra's well-placed connections. (They include a friendly Guvner who defends her when necessary. - Ed.)
Other Refuges
House of the Griffin. One of many Anarchist bases in the Hive Ward, the House of the Griffin caters to the low. The place takes its name from its tough, smart proprietor, The Griffin (Pl/♀human/F3/Doomguard/N). This thirtyish woman gets her nickname from her piercing gaze and sharp tongue. She sees bar-fights in her place as the progression of entropy and approves of the Anarchists, under Valer (Pl/♂tiefling/Ro6/Anarchist/CN), helping that process along.
The Square Bar. Everything in one Anarchist safe house looks perfectly square; the floor, the tables, the cross-section of every beam - even the walls are painted in square designs. Members of the Harmonium, Guvners, and Mercykillers frequent this small Lady's Ward Tavern 'course, so do the Anarchists, always hungry for information on the activities of Sigil's "wheel of justice."
The Secret Door. From the outside, the Secret Door seems nothing more than that: a door on some nondescript wall. Thing is, the door's really a portal to a demiplane, and a body needs a gate key to enter the place at all. This is the most secure safe house - only Anarchists can get in. Some faction members know that cells of Anarchist leaders meet here, so the chant calls the Secret Door the headquarters of the central cell, if such a thing exists. A blood named Brimarc (Pl/♂githzerai/F7/Anarchist/CN) runs the place and enjoys picking up the magical door and moving it from time to time, to keep it really secret.
Within the Ranks
The Anarchists give the appearance of complete chaos, but it just ain't so. See, their organization style just differs from what's normal for other groups. The Revolutionary League divides itself into cells: little groups of bloods who act together and share information. The cells talk to each other through representatives, so a typical Anarchist never meets more than a dozen other members of the faction. This way. Anarchists that get pinched can't give too many others away. And by the time the Hardheads trace the connections back a cell or two, the League members involved all have changed their names, found new kips, and disappeared into the woodwork. That's why they're so tough to root out, and almost impossible to destroy.
And look into this dark: When the Harmonium or another group kills an Anarchist or wipes out a cell, it actually helps the Revolutionary League. Other factions wouldn't seek the Anarchists' destruction unless they feared them, see? So, lots of berks join up, figuring the League must be doing something right.
Role-playing the Anarchists
A basher might think the Revolutionary League's natural secrecy implies a certain amount of paranoia among its members - and he'd have the dark of it. The Cage can’t hold a more suspicious bunch. Even Hardheads trust at least each other, plus most Guvners, Mercykillers, and select others. Anarchists don't trust anyone, not even other cell members.
Race. Most Anarchists are human, since they can best infiltrate other factions. Its peery nature makes the Revolutionary League a good home for loners, so tieflings and half-elves join in large numbers. However, they seem less inclined to participate in the more subtle undertakings or the cells that require them to interact with other groups undercover. Bariaur often prove a little flamboyant for the Anarchists’ tastes. Githzerai have a special affinity for the League, but dwarves and other races strongly inclined toward law seldom join.
Class. Of the many Anarchist warriors, most work as fighters, though the League has a few rangers, too. It also embraces clerics and wizards, the latter usually concentrating on enchantments, divinations, and other coven magic, 'Course, the most common profession by far in the League is that of the Rogue.
Alignment. Though they claim to accept all comers, the Anarchists keep out lawful types, who'd fed adverse to overthrowing the order in society. A few good bashers join, believing in the nobility of bringing down factions, despite the violence that arises. Some evil types join because of that violence. However, most of the faction breaks down evenly between chaotic and neutral members. 'Course, perhaps the lack of lawful types is what keeps the league from really getting organized.
Anarchist Membership
Joining the Revolutionary League proves an adventure in itself. Since the Anarchists are everywhere, they're very easy to find. Trouble is, most sods don't know when they've found one. Berks asking tor them too vocally will likely draw unwanted attention, and that means they'll never attract the Revolutionary League.
But the patient cutter, who casually tells a few folks how unhappy he feels with authority, sooner or later has an Anarchist approach him. Until the League member satisfies himself that the cutter really wants to belong, he remains the newcomer's only faction contact. When the Anarchist trusts the new basher - after an hour or a year - he takes him to a cell meeting.
Cells have at least three members, and sometimes as many as eight. When too many bashers join a cell, it splits; one person remains a pan of both cells, to help communication, Sometimes, a member of a cell recruits Anarchists to lead a new cell. Each cell's leader always belongs to one other cell.
Think of the League's structure as a web. In the center lies a cell of leaders, more or less equivalent to the factors of other factions. The leader of this cell comes closest to a factol, but the position rotates, so no one gets too used to the power. Each blood in this cell runs one or more other cells of factotums; those who've proven their devotion. In turn, each factotum runs one or more other cells of factotums and namers.
'Course, that's just the theory about the League; no Anarchist would willingly reveal details of the faction’s structure. Nobody even knows whether League has one central cell or several. The variations on the Anarchists' symbol seen around the Cage imply quite a few central cells with very little membership.
The chant goes like this: If the Anarchists really stemmed from a single central cell they'd have a firm direction. By now, they'd surely have chosen which faction to topple first. With all the resources at their disposal, a truly organized League could've toppled a dozen factions already. If the group devotes a central cell to each other faction, these cells inevitably work at cross-purposes sometimes. Fortunately for the other factions, the League's natural secrecy keeps it from organizing itself enough for a big push - so far.
Faction Abilities
Anarchists can automatically pose as a member of any other faction without being detected; they don't gain special abilities that are spell or training related (such as a Xaositect's babble or a Cipher's initiative bonus), but they do benefit from abilities related to position or title, including access to the faction's headquarters. In addition, they can spend Inspiration as a reaction to perfectly conceal their thoughts and motives; whoever was attempting to gain insight into them receives whatever information the Anarchist choose or merely gets a muddled result.
Cell leaders gain the following feat:
The Chant
The League dislikes all organizations, and near the top of most members' hit lists sits the Guvners. Their structured philosophy bothers Anarchists, their sturdy grasp on Cagers frightens them, and their restrictive attitude infuriates them. However, Anarchists can't agree on what to do about the Fraternity' of Order. Since the Guvners work with the Mercykillers and the Harmonium, most Anarchists favor dismantling the entire beast of law and justice. A lot consider it best to strike off the beast's head first by going after the Guvners. Others want to start with the legs - toppling the Harmonium first would cut off the beast's support. Still others favor chopping off its sword arm, the Mercy killers, to end the triad's power to punish those seeking the Big Dark. 'Course, some push to attack all three factions at once. Not only can’t the Anarchists decide on a target, they can't agree on what to do once they’ve got the target.
Next on the list, after the triad of law, comes the Fated; their grubbing for power earns them a fair amount of Anarchist hatred. The Dustmen and Signers, so sure they know the Big Dark already, also hover near the top of the list. Godsmen annoy the Anarchists too, but at least they don't claim to know the Truth already.
The misguided leatherheads in the Sensates think they can learn the Big Dark through experience; they haven't a hope, according to the Anarchists. The Doomguard's desire for entropy sounds promising, as it predicts the fall of all organizations. Unfortunately, say League members, a lot of Doomguards seem happy just to watch the growing disorder rather than promote it.
The Anarchists Feel pretty neutral toward the Ciphers. First, they look for the Truth. Sure, they might be seeking it prematurely, but they’ve got the right idea. Also, the Ciphers don't have much of a power structure, and they act without thought - something of a plus. They're almost Anarchists already, if they'd just stop training their reflexes long enough to devote some "action"to destroying the other factions.
The Revolutionary League sneers at the Indeps, who realize the worthlessness of all factions, but ain't got the courage to do anything about it. The Xaositects don't like authority, so they become good pawns for Anarchist plots. The Athar see into part of the dark: They know the powers are fakes, but they fail to extend the idea to all representations of authority.
Anarchists almost admire the Bleakers. They’re right in that a basher ain't likely to find any Truth now. But Bleakers seem like perpetually depressed Anarchists, so despondent about the whole situation that they've given up hope of ever finding the Big Dark. Hope’s the main thing that keeps the Anarchists going.
The only other faction the Anarchists appear at odds with is... the Anarchists. No cell accepts that any other cell does things right and each one thinks its own scheme would work best and wants its target to get most of the faction's attention. The petty squabbles this attitude starts ain't good for anyone 'cept other factions.
But every once in a while, a couple of cells get together and hatch a plan. That's when they become really dangerous, and wise cutters stay out of their way.