Ashes to Ashes

A Brief History of the Sinkers

As befits the Sinkers, the faction was founded during one of the most well known acts of Philosophical Entropy in the multiverse—the Great Upheaval in Sigil. Prior to the Lady’s culling of the factions, the Doomguard did not exist as an organised group. Instead, there were numerous small sects and gangs who all followed their own individual philosophies of ruin and decay. The Lady’s Decree forced these rag-tag organisations to decide if they really wanted to survive and have a chance at being one of the fifteen factions. 

The largest of these proto-factions was a sect that called itself the Doomguard. While no larger than any of the other groups, they were the most militaristic as well as the first to come up with a plan and carry it out. These bashers traveled throughout the Cage, searching for any group that held philosophies similar to the core of their own—a belief in the ultimate importance of Entropy—and wanted a place in the new order. The Doomguard managed to bring nearly every petty gang under its banner, except for those gangs who held more firmly to anarchy or chaos than decay. (These hold outs went on to join with either the Revolutionary League or the Xaositects.) 

After finding out whom their members would be, the Doomguard then set about to create a formal charter and become an official faction. The leaders of all the separate gangs met to hammer out what the guiding principles of the new group would be. The members of the original sect were instrumental in dictating policy—especially since any who openly opposed their views were personally introduced to Entropy at the end of a sword. With this purge completed, the newly united group set themselves to the purpose of patrolling the streets of the Cage to promote the ideals of decay. 

Unfortunately, this didn’t sit well with the other factions who believed firmly in law and order. The Harmonium, mainly on their own but with the support of many of the other factions, tried to rid the City of Doors of this “menace” and open warfare immediately broke out. The Sinkers retreated to the Armoury and quickly conquered it – mainly because no one ever expected the monstrous structure to be attacked. With the sudden acquisition of a strong fortress and a virtually unlimited supply of weapons, the war quickly turned into a bloody siege. Eventually, the other factions met in the Hall of Speakers and threatened to revoke the Doomguard’s status as a faction. (They could only threaten because Skall, the Factol of the Dustmen, refused to vote against the Sinkers.) This threat of loss of status and possible extinction at the hands of the Lady of Pain finally caused the Entropy Rats to call off the hostilities. Surprisingly, this violent faction signed a blood pact forever binding members of the faction against instigating a war in the Cage. This agreement officially turned the Armoury over to the Doomguard’s control and changed the faction’s official role in the city to that of making and dispensing weapons. 

Although the faction has only the status of quartermaster in the hierarchy of Sigil, the Doomguard has continued to act as a force to promote destruction and decay beyond its portals. The Destroyers have been instrumental in starting numerous slave rebellions, civil wars, and senseless conflicts across the planes. They have also had a good history with helping the various gate towns of the Outlands to slide into their neighbouring outer plane. Of course, there have been a few slides with which the faction wasn’t involved, but that didn’t stop them from claiming a portion of the credit. And, as soon as they were large enough to be able to maintain the activity, the Entropy Rats have been involved in the Blood War, providing weapons and mercenaries to both sides. 

However, in the more than 600 years since their official founding, one of the more defining acts of the Doomguard faction is something they haven’t done—yet, as the faction is quick to point out. This would be the halting of the Great Modron March (which occurs once every 289 years). Ever since the time of the first Factol of the Doomguard, the Sinkers have been trying to bring the March to a crashing halt before it reaches its conclusion. They claim that this will be the ultimate triumph for the forces of Entropy over those of Law. Perhaps fortunately, the faction has failed every time, always with a heavy loss of life and sometimes including the death of the Factol. 

Source: Ken Lipka