Starfinder Society
The Starfinder Society is an organization based on Absalom Station that is attempting to decipher the cause of the Gap and the fate of the forgotten planet Golarion. Its members are known as Starfinders, who are known throughout the galaxy as exceptional explorers.
Structure
There are been factions within the Starfinder Society since it first began. Each of the factions supports its members, but knows that each person's first allegiance is to the Society. Even though the various factions have different goals and philosophies, most actively cooperate with one another
Main Factions
Acquisitives
Fame, glory, and money. We want it all.
Leader: Radaszam
After the Society lost most of its resources during the Scoured Stars incident, it began hiring mercenaries to handle some of the duties formerly performed by Starfinders. Many of these freelancers decided to stick around after their duties were completed, becoming the first members of the Acquisitives faction.
Dataphiles
Knowledge is power.
Leader: Historia-7
The Dataphiles are a faction obsessed with the collection of all forms of knowledge, secrets, data, and information. They are particularly interested in discovering during the Scoured Stars incident.
Exo-Guardians
Leader: Ixthia the Unbreakable
The sword that seeks the darkness.
Former Leaders: Zigvigix
The Exo-Guardians are sworn to protect the Pact Worlds from external threats. They use the Starfinder Society's missions to distant worlds to scout for any perils on the horizon.
Second Seekers
Leader: Historia-7
Into he past. Onto the Future
Former Leaders and Mottos: Luwazi Elsebo - A new way forward., Jadnura - Leading the charge.
The Second Seekers attempt to follow the Starfinder Society's First Seeker orders and guidance to the best of their ability, and support her overarching goals for the organization. As the current First Seeker, Luwazi Elsebo, is trying to discover what happened to her predecessor, they are currently focused on that.
Wayfinders
Leader: Fitch
First into the unknown
Among the factions of the Starfinder Society, the Wayfinders specialize in the exploration of new parts of the galaxy now accessible via the Drift. They always seek to be the first to set foot on a new planet, scan an undiscovered nebula, or make first contact with a new species.
Minor Factions
Advocates
Leader: Zigvigix
We’re here for you!
Zigvigix, after leaving the Exo-Guardians, formed the advocates with the intent to sympathize and mend the widening rifts splitting the Starfinder Society at the seams in the wake of the Data Scourge. They had suffered more than most during the Data Scourge, but they still sympathized with those around them: the citizens whose lives were upended or cut short and the Starfinders who felt shame and suspicion.
Cognates
Leader: Royo
Diversity in knowledge, unity in purpose
In the aftermath of the Data Scourge, a growing number of Starfinders lost their faith in technology and Guidance, sparking an anti-technological movement that swept through the Starfinder ranks. Many agents lives have been altered for the worse by technology and over time, the movement solidified into a new minor faction. While some Cognates still aim to eschew technology completely, the faction focuses on a multi-disciplinary methodology.
Manifold Host
Leader: Harmony of Many
We who welcome all.
The Starfinder Society’s reputation for multiculturalism is due in no small part to the Manifold Host, who’ve long made it their mission to welcome all people, no matter their species or origin, into the Society. Members of the Manifold Host champion strength in diversity and the unique talents, interests, and outlooks of the Society’s agents. Believing differences should be celebrated and embraced, the Manifold Host works to recruit agents from all alien species into the Society.History
The Starfinder Society was founded shortly after the end of the Gap, and drew its inspiration from the incomplete tales of the Pathfinder Society, a similar pre-Gap organization. Its first mission was to map out the edges of the Gap in order to discover how the event happened and what occurred during its uncounted years. Secondarily, the Society focused on discovering the fate and possible location of the lost cradle of humanity in the Pact Worlds system, the planet Golarion. In the years since its founding, the Starfinder Society's mission has shifted from investigating the Gap to exploring the galaxy now opened for exploration by the Drift beacons.
Scoured Stars incident
The Society decided over a century ago to prohibit exploration of a region of space known as the Scoured Stars both because of its obvious dangers and because the few missions that had scouted the systems in the region yielded little to no useful discoveries. This changed when First Seeker Jadnura spearheaded a massive expedition into the region to explore its connection to a magical artifact known as the Tear. The Starfinder Society lost all contact with the expedition, which was composed of nearly 80% of its assets and agents, and found that all travel into and out of the region was being blocked by a massive shield of aurum energy later dubbed the Godshield. The loss of that many agents devastated the Society, and only the dedicated work of a group of senion Starfinders led by Luwazi Elsebo managed to keep the organization from falling apart. They rebuilt the Forum (see below) and the members around Elsebo become the new leaders of the various factions within the Society both old and new.
The Society soon received another blow when a number of veteran agents quit, discouraged by the organization's massive losses. This left the few remaining Starfinders no longer able to keep ahold of their various far-flung claimed planetoids, stellar regions, and other archaeological sites. Elsebo covered for the losses by hiring reputable mercenaries for long enough for a new group of Starfinders to complete their training. The Society is now intensely focused on discovering the truth behind what they have dubbed the Scoured Stars incident
Type
Expedition, Scientific
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Starfinders
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Comments