Society of Sensation (Sensates)
Philosophy: To know the multiverse, experience it fully. The senses form the path to truth, for the multiverse doesnÂ’t exist beyond what can be sensed.
Factol: Erin Montgomery.
Sigil HQ: Civic Festhall (ClerkÂ’s Ward).
Home Field: Arborea.
Allies: Signers; occasionally Indeps and Guvners.
Enemies: Doomguard; often Mercykillers, Dustmen.
WITHIN THE RANKS
- (Getting Sensates to talk about their faction wasnÂ’t hard; Rathson simply found a few who hadnÂ’t been interviewed before and convinced them it was a sensation worth experiencing. It worked on their factol, after all. - Ed.) [/li]
- Many players might think a Sensate character can try all sorts of things, get into scrapes galore, and generally make a nuisance of himself - that playing a Sensate is just one big orgy of food, wine, and debauchery. Truth is, Sensates are much more than hedonists, though this is a lesson not learned by all members of the faction. Some Sensates remain pleasure-seekers for their entire lives, while others eventually learn that there’s more to experience than simple physical gratification. True Sensates want to learn, to experience, to sense all things, yes, but they’ve got brains, too. A real Sensate respects his comrades’ wishes; if they don’t want to try something, he won’t force the issue. Likewise, a real Sensate won’t try something that might cause him or another bodily ham. ’Course, there’s nothing wrong with offering to suffer damage in place of another – in other words, taking on a harsh experience not just for the sake of it, but to save a weaker sod from something he might not he able to handle. But a Sensate sure as Nessus won‘t swallow a draught of lethal poison “just to see what it tastes like.” A Sensate desires new sensations. He shouldn’t want to go into every local tavern, try every wine and pastry dish, and sleep with every barkeep. Granted, he may try this approach when entering a new plane, where everything’s different but back home it’s another story. As Sensates grow in ability and gain levels, most realize that whole realms thought and emotion wait to be explored. One Sensate might set himself a goal of trying to feel all the different aspects of love or anger, for instance, while another might choose to experience all the nuances of verbal comedy - in every language she can find. As Sensates age, too, they naturally grow in acceptance of others and of all things, having seen and felt so much in their lifetimes. Sensates are found, in varying numbers, throughout the multiverse. Their desires for experiences lead them far and wide, from the Outer Planes to the Prime Material to the Inner Planes and beyond. However, the Gilded Hall of Arborea holds the largest congregation of Sensates outside of Sigil. In the immense, ever-changing palace, many faction members spend their lives in endless revelry. Factol Montgomery rarely visits more than twice a year, though when she does the celebrations reach fevered pitch. But the Hall is where she usually sends (banishes, some say) faction members who can’t seem to grasp what it means to be a true Sensate. It’s a judgment call, of course, but those who repeatedly shy away from a new experience - whether through ignorance, fear, or stupidity - generally end up at the Gilded Hall. And few Sensates ever leave that shiny, delightful prison. [/li]
- A body’s alignment seems to have little impact on a Sensate. The overriding goal of experiencing and understanding all takes precedence. This doesn’t mean that a lawful good Sensate’ll kill an elderly sod just for the feel of it - after all, he could just request the sensation at the Civic Festhall‘s sensorium [and almost certainly would). But he’ll savor the taste of combat with the same zeal as would any evil faction member. Likewise, a chaotic evil Sensate dedicated to a god who advocates death before charity would use a sensorium to feel what it‘s like to give to the poor. Few Sensates are ever appalled by the acts of their fellows, often cooperating to help grant the experiences another faction member seeks. [/li]
- Sensates, more than any other faction, tend not to specialize in classes, though they have a proportionately higher number of dual- and multiclass members. Specialization tends to limit a body’s range of possible experiences - a problem for Sensates. Fighters prefer to train in as many combat styles as possible, while wizards study as many schools of magic as they can, relying on Sensate mages for scrolls to spells they don’t have access to. (Illusionists are derided for “faking” experiences, though some Illusionist Sensates do exist. -Ed.) [/li]
SOCIETY OF SENSATION MEMBERSHIP
- The Society of Sensation has the easiest of all requirements for entrance into its faction: none. Any being of any race, gender, class, or alignment can join. All a character needs is a genuine desire to experience the multiverse. Annali Webspinner at the Civic Festhall will direct an applicant to a factotum whoÂ’ll administer a test designed to weed out mere curiosity-seekers [sup](SCoD related note: This is lore only, not mechanical)[/sup]. Using recorder stones, the applicant must contribute five worthwhile experiences to the Public SensoriumÂ’s library, each of which focuses on a different sense - sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste. Alternatively, the cutter may contribute but a single experience that has strong elements from each of the five senses. Only the factotum may decide if the applicantÂ’s experiences are creative enough to allow him membership into the faction. If the Sensate doesnÂ’t think the initiateÂ’s ready, heÂ’ll tell the sod to go out and play a bit more in the multiverse, then return to the Festhall and try again. [/li]