The Expansionists
Dead? No, They’re On the Increase Again…
The Expansionists are one of the many factions that have the dubious distinction of being completely wiped out by the Lady of Pain, along with such brave cutters (or leatherheaded berks) as the Communals and the Incantifiers. Or are they? Once one of the most powerful factions of Sigil, they met with tragedy because of the ambition of their Factol.
However, a few berks calling themselves Expansionists have been encountered wandering the planes. Did the Lady actually miss a few? Have some young cutters decided to rebuild the Expansionists as a sect? There are even a few rumours that Factol Vartus Timlin somehow escaped the Lady’s Mazes. As unlikely as that seems, the Expansionists are living up to their name, and their sect is steadily growing once again.
Sect Philosophy
Everything worthwhile in the multiverse grows. An acorn expands into a tree. A tree expands into a forest. This expansion is the goal of the universe, according to the Expansionists. Forget all that barmy talk about entropy. Things build up as often as they fall apart. If something does fall apart, then it obviously didn’t fit in with the universes plan. Anything that does grow is meant to keep growing and improving.
So if expansion is the goal of the universe, what does this mean for individuals? Should we expand and grow as well? Absolutely, a Grower would say. Self-improvement and personal growth is the key. A cutter needs to keep improving his strengths and skills, honing them as far as they can go. If you sit around and be complacent, you aren’t fitting in with the goal of expansion, and you wont be around long. You need to keep improving, never satisfied with how far you have come. If you improve far enough, you will have grown to reach enlightenment. Until then, you need to keep growing.
The Expansionist philosophy was once very popular in Sigil. After all, who can argue that self-improvement is a bad thing? And, as with everything they find important, the Expansionists worked full time to expand their factions membership, power, and influence. Their growing power proved to be their downfall, however. Factol Vartus Timlin (planar human fighter [he/him] Expansionists / N) believed himself and his faction to have grown powerful enough to challenge the Lady of Pain herself. And, Timlin thought, the Expansionists should expand their realm of influence to include all of Sigil. At first, it seemed as though the Expansionists were just spouting a lot of barmy screed. However, when it became obvious that Timlin actually was planning his takeover, things became more serious.
Timlin went for a short walk one evening to “clear his head.” That was the last anyone heard from him. Other important Expansionists started disappearing under similar circumstances, obviously victims of the Mazes. The remaining Growers joined other factions (especially the Godsmen and the Fated), or dropped out of sight. The factions core beliefs seemed to have been debunked in one fell swoop, and most weren’t leatherheaded enough to want to go a second round with the Lady.
The new Expansionist sect is growing in influence. While still far from being powerful enough to set foot in Sigil again, its only a matter of time before they build up the hubris to challenge the Lady once more. They don’t seem to be discouraged by their factions unfortunate past in the least. Rather, they look forward to the challenge of re-expanding the sect to its former greatness once again.
Primary Plane of Influence
The Expansionists formerly had a citadel on the Positive Energy Plane. Those inside were magically protected from the deadly effects of this plane. The Positive Energy Plane represents unending growth. What happened to this citadel, and whether or not it still serves as the Expansionists headquarters, is unknown.
In Sigil, the Expansionists ran the City Library. Their Sigil headquarters, however, was long ago seized by the Fated (for back taxes) and resold. They have no influence in Sigil today.
Allies and Enemies
The Expansionists two greatest allies are the Believers of the Source and the Fated, both of whom admire the personal improvement creed of the Growers. Many Expansionists joined these factions when Timlin disappeared into the mazes.
The Doomguard, and to a lesser extent the Dustmen, are diametrically opposed to the Expansionists. The Bleakers are also critical of the idea that growth is the “meaning” of the universe.
Eligibility
There are no class, alignment, or racial restrictions on Grower membership. In order to expand their sect as much as possible, they need to accept as many different folks as possible.
Benefits
The Expansionists are highly focused on self-improvement and growing in power. As a result, they all receive a +5% bonus to all earned experience points.
Restrictions
The Growers try to learn as much as they can as quickly as they can, but rarely take the time to learn anything very well. Quantity is definitely more important than quality, as they are never satisfied with what they have and where they are. Therefore, they have a -2 penalty to all proficiency checks. Furthermore, Expansionists should not expect a warm welcome in Sigil. If a Grower makes his allegiance known, he can expect a -2 to all reaction rolls while in Sigil, as Cagers don’t want to invite the Lady’s wrath.
Source: Greg Jensen and Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
