Hi all, it's my first time checking out Planewalker.com. I'm no planar sage but planescape has been my favorite setting since I discovered it in 2nd edition; anyway I heard that someone or group around here created a new segment in planar history, the Faction War(s?). I'd appreciate a link or even better, a quick and dirty rundown of this so-called war.
Thanks,
TS
That's a little misleading, putting it like that. Most of the factions still exist in Sigil to some degree, but they no longer rule it and form no part of its government.
The Lady of Pain, speaking through her dabus, told each factol "The city no longer tolerates your faction. Abandon it or die." Some interpreted that to mean they should abandon the city, while others just stopped calling themselves factions. The Xaositects, Bleakers, Dustmen, Indeps, and Ciphers are all still in the city as much as they ever were, only they're less organized now. Even those that decided to abandon the city as a group (like the Anarchists and Athar) still have some members in the city, advancing their goals.
The Faction War orignated in a Second Edition adventure appropriately named Faction War. The end results, both those outlined by TSR and those pretty much invented by fans, can found in the 3.5 Planescape Campaign Setting (under "Downloads" on the main page).
Basically, the Faction War was a bloody civil war between the factions that resulted in every Factol buy Rhys getting killed or mazed, and what was left of the factions being banished from Sigil (although many left in name only).
Some quick and dirty effects of the Faction War:
The Factions were pretty much banished from Sigil.
The Mercykillers broke up and formed the Sodkillers and Sons of Mercy.
The Sign of One and Believers of the Source merged to form the Mind's Eye.
The Sigil Advisory Council formed to provide order to the city.
The Doomguard had a bloody civil war and the various sects are now hunkered down on the Negative Quasi-Elemental planes.
The Guilds went from totally ignored to actually important.
The various Golden Lords became a lot more influential.
Lots of other stuff happened too. Some of it is canon other bits, like the ascention of the Ring-Givers into Factionhood, is in the process of becoming canon.