Fraternity of Order

The Fraternity of Order, also known as the Guvners, were one of the fifteen sanctioned philosophical and political factions of the Outer Planes. Originally based on Sigil, and later on a stronghold in Mechanus, their core belief was that the entire multiverse consisted of laws that could be learned, and that understanding of those laws was the path to power.

"The planes are governed by laws. Laws can be learned. Learn the laws and you rule the multiverse. That is our goal."

- Factol Hashkar

Organization
The Guvners' philosophy was centered about discovering and cataloging the laws of the multiverse. According to the faction, laws governed everything. At the same time, all laws had loopholes which could be discovered and exploited. These loopholes were, according to them, the secret to true power.

The faction's Factol was Hashkar, a petitioner of Sigil and rumored to be a worshiper of the Lady of Pain herself.

Activities
The faction ran the court system of Sigil, acting as the city's judiciary system and as advocates. They were also the most active and powerful faction in the gate-town of Automata in the Outlands, where they filled the majority of official bureaucratic posts.

Their planar research involved not only collecting lore, but also conducting experiments and retrieving antiquities that could help them understand the inner workings of natural laws. It was common for the Guvners to hire guards and guides into the most dangerous planes.

Among the cataloging activities of the faction was the counting and numbering of the Layers of the Abyss. According to their records in Sigil, they had encountered 679 layers, of which 141 were considered habitable.

Base of Operations
The base of operation of the Fraternity of Order was the City Court of Sigil between the Great Upheaval and the Faction War. Following the dismantling of all factions by the Lady of Pain in the aftermath of the latter conflict, the Guvners moved their operations to a stronghold in the Fortress of Disciplined Enlightment in Mechanus. They were known to run some of the courthouses of Regulus as well.

Relationships
The faction was an ally of the Harmonium. While the Hardheads acted as the police force of Sigil, the Guvners judged the criminals apprehended by them. They were also allies of the Mercykillers as fellow upholders of the law.

The Guvners were also allies of the inevitables, who enforced the laws that the faction sought to understand. Many members experimented with grafting clockwork mechanisms to their bodies and their allies.

Their enemies included members of the Xaositects and the Revolutionary League, who were glad they merely enforced laws rather than write them. They were also seen with suspicion by the Doomguard, who suspected the Guvners planned to increase the lifespan of the multiverse.

History
The Guvners claimed to be the oldest faction of Sigil, and the first faction to create a charter.

632 years after the Great Upheaval, in the 130 year of Factol Hashkar's leadership, the Faction War started. Amidst the confusion, Hashkar was assassinated by a released prisoner who had sworn vengeance against him. The Guvners immediately blamed the Xaositects for the murder and joined the conflict, siding with the Mercykillers, the Harmonium, the Society of Sensation, and the Sign of One against the coalition formed by the Xaositects and the Doomguard.

In the aftermath of the war, when the Lady of Pain outlawed the power structures of all factions present in Sigil, the Guvners moved their operations to Mechanus, where they regrouped in the hope of one day returning to the City of Doors.

In their exile, the leaderless faction continued on their experiments to understand natural laws. Their plan to one day return to Sigil revolved around their perception that the city ultimately held all the keys for complete understanding.

In the late 15 century DR, the wild mage Delina was sent to Mechanus by Martikay in order to search for a way to cure her from her wild magic surges. After interacting with several modrons, she was brought to trial by the Fraternity of Order at Regulus under charges of being an agent of chaos. She was found guilty and summarily sentenced to exile from the plane, upon penalty of larger fines.

Members
Members of the Fraternity of Order were typically referred to as "guvners". The faction always looked for intelligent candidates who could memorize large amounts of lore and laws and passed their admission tests. The training obtained from the faction allowed members to quickly learn new languages and lore, as they slowly learned to explore the laws of the multiverse.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Faction War • Tales from the Infinite Staircase
 * Comics
 * Evil at Baldur's Gate 3