The Communals
Once Begotten, Never Forgotten
That was another gem from me mother, rest her souls. It’s an apt one too (for once), ‘cos for a time it seemed like the Communals’d shared their last. It’s a long story cutter, and one that’ll become clear when you hear about their history. Suffice to say their undoing was the Lady’s doing…
Well, whatever. Either the Lady’s getting merciful in her old age and didn’t put ’em all in the Dead Book after all, or there’s a new sect rising from the ashes like one of them barmy Elysium phoenix. ‘Course, it could be that she’ll Lose ’em again soon as they set foot in the Cage. That’s any sod’s guess…we’ll have to wait and see, bloods, won’t we?
“The sum of us all is far greater than the sum of our parts”
—Sister Imesand of the Communals
Sect Philosophy and Recent History
“Listen, berk. We ain’t asking for much. The way we see it, who has the right to claim anything? Just ‘cos you were born with a thing, why should it be yours? Did you work for it? No! Say you’ve got plenty of food for yourself, with some to spare. Why should you horde it, while the next basher’s hungry? Where’s the fairness in that? And if you own something, but aren’t using it right now, will it hurt you to lend it to a body who needs it more than you?”
These cutters hold that everything belongs to everyone. Nobody’s got the right to deny another basher the use of something. There’s only so many resources, and sooner or later, they’re going to run out. Where will that leave everyone?
So, their chant is that bloods should share what they’ve got. Now, that doesn’t mean you can necessarily take whatever you like from your neighbour. That’d be rude. No, there’s no harm in asking you know, just being polite like. What do manners cost a blood? If the basher you ask has finished with it, then sure, he’ll let you use it. And when you’re called upon, you’ll be willing to relinquish the thing too. Its only fair!
Thing is, not everyone’s as polite as these cutters. Some think its funny to give ’em the laugh – and not to return borrowed stuff. Well, they’re the leatherheads in the end. See, the Communals are a brotherly bunch; they’re not called the Comrades for nothing. They tend to stick together, and addle-coves who steal off them get lost. For good.
Well, most of them do, at least. See, some years back the Communals caused a bit of a stir in the Cage. Caught up in a philosophical debate about the ownership of power, one of their high-ups presented the Lady of Pain with a demand: she had to share her power with everyone in the city. Not just the Communals mind, but the whole merry birdcage.
The Lady didn’t like it. By next light, the City Provisioners was deserted. All the bloods of the sodding faction had simply disappeared! Those with the dark said the mazes had got ’em. The remaining Communals in the city went very quiet after that, and the faction fell apart. Some say it reformed on the Astral Plane, and maybe it did. But it certainly wasn’t around the Cage any more.
But you can’t keep a good idea down, that’s what they say. Sure enough, in time the sect resurfaced, a little wiser and meeker, but fundamentally the same. In their wisdom they’re careful what they claim. Maybe they don’t force other factions to share things quite like they used to, and perhaps they’re not so pushy when the Lady’s around, but otherwise, they’ve not changed much.
To join the Communals, a berk must sign away all his belongings. There’s no ‘mine’ or ‘yours’, only ‘ours’. Some go further, saying they’re all part of one whole glorious life. They call themselves the Tribe of One and are almost religious in their fanaticism – but they’re in a minority.
Primary Plane of Influence
Bytopia. It’s a plane where a basher has to work for a living, but shares the yield with others who work too. There’s no place for spongers or thieves there, and that suits the Communals just fine. They have a kip, the Palace for All, in a burg called Perfection Through Work.
In Sigil, they’re planning on setting up their headquarters in the City Provisioners once again. It was a warehouse complex in the Lady’s Ward which bought and sold goods in huge quantities for a cartel of small businesses and merchants. Maybe some time soon they’ll pluck up the courage to return to Sigil and face the music.
Allies and Enemies
The philosophy of the Communals is diametrically opposed to the Fated. The Communals share things to get ahead; pool their resources, do favours (expecting favours in return, of course). The Fated are solo, selfish even. They can’t stand each other. The Signers, with their egocentric attitudes are also disliked.
The Athar sympathise with the Communals. They too are often shunned by the rest of the system, and they’re frequently found cooperating. They also find merit in the Comrade’s belief that no being deserves as much power as the Powers themselves. And perhaps they’re even secretly proud of the fact that they stood up to the Lady of Pain! The Guvners and the Harmonium are also often allies with the Communals; after all, they’re a sociable enough bunch (if a little misguided).
Eligibility
The Communals are open to all; after all, why discriminate when everyone is equal underneath? Folks of chaotic alignments sometimes have difficulties with their selfless philosophy, though they ain’t specifically excluded.
Benefits
Basically, the Communals can always count on help from their Comrades. Services from the headquarters are always cheaper than for members of other factions or sects, and often favours are asked instead of jink.
But the best benefit of pooling resources is that all members can borrow things the faction itself owns. True, there may be a waiting list for some heavily-demanded items or funds, but if a body’s patient he’ll get what he wants in the end. This could be the use of a magic item, some cash if the blood is really on hard times, or just something as simple as information.
Restrictions
Course, every blood knows you don’t get something for nothing. Communals are required to give all of their possessions to the sect, where they’re redirected to the most needy. Whenever a body picks up something useful, be it an item, the dark on something useful or whatever, they’re supposed to take it to the Comrades. If nobody needs the item immediately, they’re likely to get it back, but if there’s someone waiting, then they’re expected to lend it to them. Its only fair, after all.
The Factol
Sister Imesand (planar aasimar monk [she/her] / Communals / LG)
The obviously canine features of the unofficial Communal leader, Sister Imesand, have been the subject of much speculation. She is believed to be the daughter of a human and a Moon Dog (using its change self ability), although others believe her to be half-lupinal. Others claim she is not an aasimar at all, but half-arcanoloth. Imesand herself has said nothing to verify or deny any of these rumours. When asked about her family, she smiles and says “The Communals sect is my family. All who share are my brothers and sisters.”
What is known about Imesand is that she spent her youth in a monastery in Bytopia. When the Communals went head-to-head with the Lady of Pain, some of them fled to Bytopia. Imesand’s monastery gave them sanctuary. Imesand became enamoured of the Comrades‚ generosity and community spirit, and joined the faction. A natural leader, she gained great respect and clout within the former faction, and helped them gain a foothold in Perfection Through Work. She persuaded the former rulers of what is now the Palace of All to give away all they owned to their new “family” in the Communals.
She has been a never ending source of inspiration for the battered sect, and many now believe a re-entry into Sigil under Imesand’s leadership is within their sight. Imesand insists that all Comrades share everything, including leadership, and is therefore not officially the factol of the Communals. However, by her fellow Comrades, she is regarded as a saint.
If Imesand could be said to have a flaw, it is her naiveté. Disciplined self-sacrifice and unconditional generosity come easy to her, and she sees no reason why it cannot be so for all creatures. She simply does not understand the concepts of greed and self-interest, nor how good individuals can (and do) often possess these characteristics. A few assassination attempts (all unsuccessful) on Imesand’s life seem to indicate that not all Comrades agree with her leadership, either. One notable suspect is Prince Naltos.
The Rival
Prince Naltos (prime human fighter [he/him] / Communals / LE)
“Prince” Naltos was born into a noble family on a prime world called Aebrynis. On that world, a blooded nobleman married a commoner, and she bore him a son. Later, the Prince was killed in battle against one of the many fiendish monsters of Aebrynis. The control of the land went to his widow, who then remarried. Her new husband, Naltos‚ father, was not blooded, and so control of the land was to go to Naltos‚ older half-brother. Naltos got no land of his own, and grew up hating his older brother. He resented the power the bloodline had given his brother, and felt that he himself was more deserving. He looked for ways to unseat his brother, as well as the rest of the nobility. His obsession eventually took him to the planes. He joined the Communals, hoping to use them in his battle against the upper classes.
He continues to see himself as the rightful ruler, and openly contends for leadership of the sect. The majority of the sect, however, follows Imesand’s unofficial leadership, and rejects the idea of a single leader. Naltos has gained a few followers in his effort, however. He is believed to be behind the assassination attempts on Imesand, but so far no proof of this has been found. The conflict between the two has begun to divide the sect, as their motivations are obviously different. While Imesand seeks to bring prosperity to the poor, Naltos seeks to bring poverty to the aristocracy and power to himself.
Source: Greg Jensen and Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
