Primal

"Power told is power lost." So states the creed of the Primals, an extremely secretive society based on the Inner Planes. See, these folks believe that they've mastered a secret of the multiverse, and unlike most factions and sects, have no desire to share it with anyone - or at least, not many.

On the whole, most folks know only one thing about the Primals: They exist. The rest is dark. 'Course, that leads people to believe that the group's up to no good, that they're just a bunch of subversive berks. They're nothing like the Revolutionary League, though - the Anarchists' goals and tenets are well known. Few have any idea what the Primals work toward or what they hold close to their hearts.

That hasn't stopped bloodsd from making educated guesses, however. After all, members of the secret sect base themselves on the Inner Planes and call themselves the "Primals." Most likely, then, they focus on the basic nature of the multiverse - the building blocks of which it's composed.

Three levels exist within the hierarchy of the sect. The newly inducted begin at the first rank, that of initiate. Those who apply themselves and truly begin to tumble to the primal secrets eventually gain the second rank, that of lorewarden. The third and final rank is that of loremaster, a title held by extremely few. Fact is, it's even dark as to what a sect member's got to do to earn it. This inner circle of Primals is so secretive. that no one alive today outside of the sect can claim to have seen them or even know where they dwell. The loremasters are said to be ancient by any race's reckoning, and they've probably mastered the highest level of magical knowledge as well.

Unlike many other sects and factions, the Primals don't advertise their membership in the group. They don't openly wear symbols - at least, none that a nonmember could recognize. Still, due to their nature, it's safe to assume that they use a wide range of secret code words, signs, and symbols. They may even have their own language.

Combat: Members of the Primals possess a number of potent abilities that apparently flow from the secrets they claim to have mastered. Basically, they can control (in a limited fashion) the matter in their own bodies and in other objects, and even the energies found both naturally and supernaturally in the multiverse. Thus, Primals can alter and shape things according to their ranking.

Initiates can harden their own bodies to give themselves a natural AC of 8. Additionally, they can mend a broken object once per day.

The further study of the lorewardens enables them to use a power similar to the fabricate spell once per day.

A learned and ancient loremaster can make objects move as he commands (as the spell animate object) once per week. Further, he can heal injuries to his own body (as the cure serious wounds spell) once every other day. Chant is that some loremasters can even destroy objects (disintegrate) and reshape matter (polymorph any object) as well, as their own bodies (polymorph self), though no oue's sure how often they can use these powers.

Habitat/Society: As noted earlier, the secrecy of the sect is really the only thing that is known about them for sure. One theory holds that the bashers don't take pains to blend in with normal communities, but simply keep to themselves in hidden enclaves on the Elemental Planes, there to further their study of primal matter. Others believe that sect members have already infiltrated the few inner-planar burgs that exist, planting Primal spies and perhaps even pulling the strings of the local governments. The dark of it, most likely, is that to some extent both theories are true.

Ecology: Primals don't have any special impact on the ecology. They're just normal cutters who say they've tumbled to some sort of hidden truth. Sure, everyone loves a secret, but to sect members, it's a way of life. No one knows for sure how long it takes to advance through the ranks of the group, but most graybeards feel certain that the time is measured in years, decades, or even centuries. Becoming a high-ranking Primal is a life-long (or perhaps even longer) commitment, one that shouldn't - or perhaps can't - be taken lightly.

The Primals

Faction Philosophy: No one outside the group knows for sure, but presumably sect members believe that the key to the multiverse is in its basic components. Know the elemental forces, and a body'll know everythlng.

Primary Plane of Influence: Sect members hold each of the Inner Planes to be equally important. Fact is, Primals never stray to any other planes, period.

Allies and Enemies: The Primals're too secretive and withdrawn to have allies - they don't trust others enough to depend upon them for anything. 'Course, the flip side of that position means that the sect's earned no real enemies, either. But few folks trust them.

Eligibility: Theoretically, any character class can join the sect, but the typical Primal is a 6th-level wizard, and the statistics in parenthesis on the previous page reflect such an individual.

Presumably, any cutter who's willing to walk the path toward knowledge of the elements and keep the secrets of the sect is eligible to join. It's known that potential initiates go through a long screening process and probationary period while the group determines whether or not to accept them. However, the criteria for admission remain a mystery - even to those being judged.

Benefits: Initiates, lorewardens, and loremasters gain the abilities described in the "Combat" section, above. These special powers are cumulative with rank.

Intelligent and peery as a rule, Primals almost always plan for various contingencies. They often hide magical items or at least weapons on their person, and they usually stick close by other Primals hidden in plain sight. In other words, a traveler passing through an inner-planar community should keep in mind that anyone around him could be a sect member, ready to rush to the aid of a fellow Primal in need.

Restrictions: Members of this sect can never leave the Inner Planes and can have only the briefest possible associations with nonmembers. For these reasons, player characters aren't allowed to join the Primals (or are, at least, highly discouraged from doing so).