The Dispossessed

Who do you think you're talking to, berk. You wanna take this outside?

- Agnossus of the Disposessed

The tyranny of the strong over the weak has been constant since the beginning of time, and it is to be expected that it will continue. However, one such vanquished person refused to accept his fate, and fought to prove that he was one of the strong, and that he deserved a better fate than banishment. His name was Marinthaxus. Marinthaxus was exiled to the plane of Pandemonium from his home on Mount Celestia by an evil wizard, who feared the might of Marinthaxus as a warrior and a leader. The wizard assumed that once imprisoned on Pandemonium, Marinthaxus would quickly succumb to the madness that affects so many of the inhabitants of that plane, and thus no longer be a problem to him. However, Marinthaxus had more willpower than the wizard bargained on, and resolved to escape from his imprisonment. Marinthaxus spent all his waking hours searching for a way to break out from the howling plane. So centred was he on his search that not even the maddening winds of Pandemonium could affect him, or swerve him from his purpose.   Marinthaxus searched for almost 10 years before he discovered a way to break the enchantment that kept him bound to Pandemonium. He searched for another 10 years to bring together all the components he needed to allow him to escape. Finally he was ready, and Marinthaxus escaped from his unjust confinement.   Having freed himself, Marinthaxus first sought out the wizard who had first banished him to Pandemonium, determined to take his revenge upon him. The search took Marinthaxus a further 8 years, as the wizard had become aware of Marinthaxus' escape and sought to hide himself away from punishment. At last Marinthaxus found the wizard, who had taken refuge in the Abyss. There a mighty battle was fought between the two, and after a full day, Marinthaxus stood victorious and vindicated.   Now that he had satisfied his purpose in escaping from the howling plane, Marinthaxus returned there, that he might teach others who had been imprisoned there, like he had once been, the way to escape. After spending 10 years on the plane, helping others, Marinthaxus left once more, going this time to the Outlands, where he settled. He had proved that he had deserved better than his original fate. He had proved that he was not one of the weak, but one of the strong.   Marinthaxus left behind him others, whom he had shown a way to escape. In his honour, those others joined together, that they too might prove themselves to be strong. And they took a name, to describe who they were, and what motivated them. They called themselves 'the Dispossessed'.    

Sect History

"The Chronicle of Marinthaxus", reproduced above, is partially true. Marinthaxus really was a paladin imprisoned on Pandemonium around 88 years ago, although who imprisoned him is unknown. There is no reason to assume that the Chronicle is inaccurate in describing Marinthaxus' enemy as a wizard. However, it is at this stage that a certain amount of exaggeration starts to creep into the sect's account of the life of their founder. Marinthaxus was seen again on Mount Celestia only 9 years after his banishment, rather than the 20 years that the Chronicle mentions. Also, there is no doubt that Marinthaxus had definitely been much changed by his imprisonment, doubtless as a result of 9 years from listening to the howling winds of Pandemonium. According to one former companion, who fortunately for posterity recorded his life in a series of diaries, Marinthaxus had become paranoid, believing that everyone wanted to return him to his prison.   Marinthaxus did indeed track down the wizard who banished him, and probably killed him, and did return to Pandemonium afterwards to help others escape. This was, however, less due to a desire to help others than it was to a desire to gather around him others who had been through the same experience that he had, presumably because he felt he could trust them not to return him to the howling plane permanently. He was also responsible for the formation of the Dispossessed, and initially ran it as both ruler and tyrant. However, after a number of years (the exact number is unclear) he retired to the Outlands. The sect went their own way without him, but they still acknowledge the debt they owe to Marinthaxus.   The sect has grown in number since then, and is now stronger than it has ever been known to be. The leadership of the sect has changed on a constant basis, as leadership is determined by a duel between the current leader and the challenger. The current leader (or sector) is Gher the Axe.

Sect Headquarters

The Exiles have no specific headquarters. Gher lives in a small village just outside Curst. Many of the other Carcerian Exiles also live here. Most of the other sect members live in or around Bedlam. The rest are scattered around the planes, but are mostly in Sigil. However, there is no location that is specific to the sect. Traditionally, where the sect leader lives is where the sect is based, but on the rare occasions that they meet as a group, it may be in another building in the same town or village, or may be in a different place entirely. Gher has so far called one sect meeting each year that he has been sector, and has alternated them between Curst and Bedlam. This years meeting is due to be in Bedlam.

Sect Philosophy

In order to understand the fellowship that calls itself the Dispossessed, a basher first has to understand its unofficial parent group, the Bansished. Pandemonium and Carceri are the two most common planes for beings to find themselves exiled to when they offend som significant ruler, wizard, or power. Pandemoniuim in particular has so many of these exiles who have taken up permanent residence that planar travelers have come to refer to them specifically as the Banished. But the Banished aren't really organized into any official sort of group, any more than peasants are, or hermits. It's just a convenient term for refering to beings of a particular origin, most of whom have a similar grudge against the rest of creation. By and large, Pandemonium's Banished clump together in insular little communities that view all outsiders with at least some measure of hostility.   However, there are some members of the Banished who take their chip-on-the-shoulder attitude out accross the planes, seeking to prove that their worth against whatever the multiverse can throw their way. many of them belong to a sort of loose fellowship, with secret handshakes, passwords, and other recognition signals. they call their order the Disposessed, an obvious refrence to the Banished, which they consider a derogatory term.(Interestingly enough, members of the Dispossessed still usually refer to those exiles who clustered together as the Banished.)   From the point of view of the Dispossessed, life has cast them aside, treating them as if they weren't worthy to play with the big rollers. Their major motivation is to show the rest of creation that it was wrong treating them with contempt, that they are each a force to be reckoned with. So they wander about the planes, ruffling feathers and picking fights to prove their mettle. Eventually, most make a point of looking up the individuals who originally exiled them and getting revenge.

Role-playing the Dispossessed

Above all else, the Exiles feel that they have been 'robbed'. Whoever banished them, to wherever they were banished (and the sect have been known to admit members who were simply banished from a city or country, rather than to a plane), and why they were banished; none of this is really important to an Exile. What is important is that they were banished, like the weak, without first having the chance to prove that they were the strong. All members of the sect believe that if it wasn't for their banishment, they would now be great men and women.   They therefore feel that they have to prove this to the rest of the multiverse. They achieve this by a variety of methods. Some set out to achieve tasks held by others to be impossible. Some seek to acquire wealth, power and influence. Others simply seek out those who believe themselves to be powerful, and attempt to bring them down a peg or two. However they attempt to show their worth, however, all Chippers believe that they have been treated unfairly by life, and that they need to give life a good kick in the teeth in return.

Membership of the Dispossessed

There is only one requirement to becoming a member of the Dispossessed; you must first have been banished. In the vast majority of cases, this means banished to a specific plane, which is almost always either Carceri or Pandemonium, as these are the two planes where people are most commonly banished to. However, occasionally people are banished to other places (other Lower Planes), and such people meet the requirements for sect membership. In fact, as mentioned earlier, you meet the membership requirements if you have been banished from a country or city. However, this is the sort of punishment most commonly handed out on Prime Material worlds, and the sect has little time for primes. However, there have been members from prime worlds. Where you come from, who you are, the nature of and reason for the banishment; this is irrelevant. Membership is offered to anyone who has been banished, and is adjudged to be strong enough to live up to the sect's expectations. Those who are offered membership, and refuse it, however, are viewed as cowards and weaklings who doubtless deserved their punishment, and treated with nothing but contempt and scorn by the sect's members.   Members can be of any alignment, but as the vast majority of members have been imprisoned in either Carceri or Pandemonium, and as both planes can leave their mark on those who spend time there, there is a tendency towards chaotic and evil alignment. most common is probably CN, then CE and NE. There are a few TN members. Most who have spent time on either plane will have shifted somewhat towards the plane's alignment, however, so although there is no reason why the sect would exclude a person due to their alignment, there have been very few lawful or good members, and no LG members ever.   The sect also admits any class. They really don't care who you are as long as you have been banished. However, priests tend to find solace in their faith, not bitterness, so few priests join the sect. A significant number of people become priests having joined the sect, though. See The Dark for more details.

Allies and Enemies

Well, actually "allies" is stretching it a little far. That would imply working together, or at least getting on with one another, and neither of those are things that the Exiles are good at. But whilst they don't really have any allies, as they don't want to be caught leaning on anyone, there are a few factions that somewhat admire the attitude that the Dispossessed bring to the multiverse. These factions are the Fated, Indeps, Anarchists and Signers. Of course, not everyone in all these factions finds anything admirable in the Exiles, but in general they are fairly well received by them. The attitude of the Dispossessed towards the factions, however, is much the same as their attitude towards everyone else.   As for enemies; well the Exiles have got up the nose of pretty much everyone. However, their desire to prove themselves often involves doing what the Harmonium describe as "causing trouble". This being one of the biggest sins that a person can commit (in the Harmonium's books, anyway), the Hardheads have a pretty low opinion of the Exiles as a group.

Benefits

Exiles are tough people, determined that no-one will take advantage of them. Because of this, they tend to be strong mentally, earning a +1 bonus to all Wisdom Saving Throws. In addition, they are hardened against what life can throw against them. To reflect this, they roll twice for hit points at each level, taking the higher value.

Restrictions

Unfortunately, their attitude tends to make other people dislike them. The Exiles view themselves as the strong, and are determine to prove this to the rest of the multiverse, but to do so, they often annoy (at least) the rest of the multiverse. Apart from other sect members, Exiles suffer a -2 penalty on all Charisma Skill Checks.  

The Dark

Here's the biggest secret in the sect, although in recent years it's become more general knowledge. When Marinthaxus first lead a group out from Pandemonium, they admired him as one who had done something they regarded as impossible. Some of them idolised him. And some of them came to worship him. And as time passed, and the numbers of the sect grew, so the belief in Marinthaxus grew, and he became a God. Only a very minor one, of course. But the sect continues to grow, and as all members of the Dispossessed pay at least lip service to Marinthaxus, so he grows in power.