Not All Planars are Immortal, and Not All Immortals are Planar
To most planars, Mystara’s just another prime — same level of technology, same magical weave, same humanoid races. There’s one thing that really sets it apart from the crowd, however, and that’s it’s lack of Gods. Instead, the world seems to have a group of “Immortals” who’ve got broadly similar powers to the Gods of other primes, except they all apparently ascended to their status from mortality. Watching over them are a bunch of mysterious beings called only “the Old Ones”.
Well, seems a chance to become Immortal like that’s too good to be true, and it’s set many a planar’s tongue wagging about the dark of it all…Here’s the factions’ chant.
Athar
The Immortals are just like the powers, only even more arrogant! And the Old Ones? They’re simply Prime Overpowers who don’t have the wit to see their own limitations. Just because they’re powerful, that don’t make them divine, cutter!
Believers of the Source
The primes in Mystara seemed to have stumbled across a central tenet of our philosophy: Self-improvement leads to perfection leads to some form of Divinity. Perhaps this Immortal state is the precursor to growth into full-fledged powerhood? Could the legendary Old Ones be mature immortals, or some even higher form of ascended creature. Most importantly, what is it in the nature of Mystara that permits advancement at such a rate?
Bleak Cabal
Who cares? They’re all wasting their time. Can’t the cutters realise that being immortal just prologues the agony of futility? Just because a cutter’s powerful, it doesn’t create a meaning!
Communals
Ascent to immortality is an attempt to terrorise the proletariat by the imposition of unnatural force on the part of bourgoise ‘heroes’! The ruling classes must be overthrown in a planespanning revolution!
Doomguard
Ascension to higher realms is contrary to decay. The heroes of Mystara must be stopped, least their secret spread and the rest of the multiverse starts ascending. Unless of course, we can find an immortal sympathetic to the causes of Entropy and persuade him to join us…
Fated
Immortality? Sounds a good idea to us. Powerhood for those who can get it. How does one apply?
Fraternity of Order
Immortality? Fascinating….we’ll have to study it in more detail, and then we’ll write a paper on it. Or several papers. What laws would be valid in a society where the members never get written into the Dead-Book, and where all are as mighty as demigods? Further research into this field is certainly necessary before a coherent faction philosophy can be published.
Hands of Havoc
Another vein of corruption in this Multiverse where the “have”s laud their might over the “have not”s! The sooner we overthrow this regime the better — but how to go about it? Might it be possible to convince the powers and the immortals that each pose a threat to the other’s rulership? Then we can pick up the pieces and finish off the weakened victors after the dust dies down.
Heralds of Dust
That Immortal Atzanteotl sounds like he’s got his finger on the pulse, or rather, not: He seems to have an insight into death. Not sure about his methods, though. But the very permanence of Immortality strikes a chord against the cycle of death and rebirth. Since we’re all dead in this life, “immortals” are in fact trapping themselves in this death-like state for eternity! Ironic, yes! If I weren’t half-dead myself, I might be tempted to chuckle…
Harmonium
With the ultimate power of Immortality comes an ultimate responsibility to preserve the harmony of the world. Mind, just looking at the wars that’ve been raging on Primes where they don’t have immortal protectors (Athas, Toril, Oerth, Krynn) maybe they ain’t such a bad thing after all.
Mercykillers
Can ascent to immortality be used to overcome justice? It is only just that after life comes death — remove that natural cycle and the nature of mortality itself is violated! These Immortals are criminals of nature. They must be curtailed and those responsible for this travesty executed!
Mind’s Eye
Now there’s a bunch of cutters who’re good at imagining. They had the vision to grant themselves the Holy Grail of most aspirants: Immortality. And from such humble beginnings, too — makes a mockery of the powers of many worlds, who get where they are by chance or the efforts of prime believers. No, these cutters had the will to pull themselves up from being primes to ruling their world. Admirable indeed.
Sensates
What must it be like to be an immortal? THAT would be worth knowing, cutter. An experience of an everlasting lifetime! Some of that Glantrian magic sounds nifty too. I’d love to see that. And you say there’s a city in a lava flow? Where’s the portal?
Transcendent Order
Do you think the Immortals sit back and ask each other “Wonder what it’s like to be mortal?” No, of course they don’t — and that’s why they’re the advanced ones and you, who asks the question, ain’t. So stop philosophising and get transcending, berk!
Xaositects
Who cares what we think? We’ll change our mind by one hour yesterday, whatever. And who says we’re “we” anyway? Being immortal sounds like fun, by the way, unless there’s rules to it, or we start to agree with the Sensate/Hardheads.
Source: Jon Winter, Alex Roberts, and Zaxarus.