Infosphere
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 by the Drift beacons.
The Starfinder 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 senior Starfinders led by Luwazi Elsebo managed to keep the organization from falling apart. They rebuilt the Forum 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 unable to keep hold of their various far-flung claimed planetoids, stellar regions, and other archaeological sites. Elsebo covered for the losses by hiring reputable mercenaries long enough that a new wave of Starfinders, the first recruits of the new Starfinder Expeditionary Forces, could complete their training. Many of these mercenaries remain on, having later joined the Society as Exo-Guardians.
The Society is now intensely focused on discovering the truth behind what they have dubbed the Scoured Stars incident.
The center of the Starfinder Society is the Lorespire Complex, located on Absalom Station, and is therefore easily accessible from distant parts of the galaxy via the Drift. It is a collection of structures built around the Lorespire, and includes the Archives, the Hall of Discovery, Expeditionary Command, and other locations integral to the Society’s continued functioning.
The First Seeker is elected by her peers based on merit, her adventuring experience, and her field of interest. The First Seeker is given the task of setting the Society’s primary research goals, and often uses this ability to pursue her own specific interests. Once her term has ended, a person can never again be chosen for the position. The current First Seeker is Luwazi Elsebo.
The Forum is an elected body of Starfinders who assist in coordinating the Society’s countless far-flung operations while supporting the primary research goals of the current First Seeker. Any Starfinder can be elected to the Forum, and most members continue pursuing their own interests in parallel to their duties as Forum members. Many Forum members are Faction leaders or venture-captains, while others hold no other titles.
Besides the First Seeker and the Forum, Guidance is the third pillar of Starfinder Society leadership. Guidance is a network of the uploaded personalities of exemplary Starfinders, including the majority of First Seekers. Only rarely, when a person is deemed unworthy or dies before the uploading process, does a First Seeker’s persona not become a part of the Society’s spiritual anchor.
Guidance inducts all new Starfinders into the organization and gives them their commencement address. It also helps in the process of selecting a new First Seeker by confirming all new appointments. Guidance largely agrees with the votes of the majority of Starfinders, although there have been a few occasions when it has not. Guidance has not yet confirmed Luwazi Elsebo’s appointment as First Seeker.
A Starfinder is an explorer based on Absalom Station or within the Expedition Forces, and a member of the Starfinder Society.
The Starfinder Society has historically included a loose-association of scientists, scholars, and adventurers brought together by a shared passion for knowledge and discovery. Membership is not reserved solely for those who wish to be Starfinders, and associate members assist the Society while also pursuing their own endeavors.
Although the early efforts of the Starfinder Society focused narrowly on exploring what had happened during the Gap, after the discovery of Drift beacons, it turned to general investigation of the greatly widened galaxy now opened to discovery. Starfinders travel in small teams to unknown planets where even the tiniest insect can mean death, unearth the temples of forgotten gods, or travel the busy streets of Pact World metropolises.
There have 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.
Leader: Luwazi Elsebo | Location: Lorespire ComplexMotto: A new way forward. (Luwazi Elsebo's motto)
The Second Seekers follow the orders and guidance of the First Seeker and support their overarching goals for the organization. As the current First Seeker, Luwazi Elsebo is focused on rebuilding the Starfinder Society and discovering what happened to her predecessor in the Scoured Stars incident. The Second Seekers are currently focused on these efforts, primarily in managing the newly established Starfinder Expeditionary Forces.
Leader: Radaszam “The Dealmaker”Motto: Fame, glory, and money. We want it all.
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.
Leader: Historia-7Motto: Knowledge is power.
The Dataphiles are a faction obsessed with the collection of all forms of knowledge, secrets, data, and information. They are particularly interested in discovering what happened during the Scoured Stars incident.
Leader: ZigvigixMotto: The sword that seeks the darkness.
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. Most of the faction’s operatives were lost in the Scoured Stars incident.
Leader: FitchMotto: 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.
Instituted by the First Seeker Elsebo in the aftermath of the Scoured Stars Incident, the entirety of the Starfinder Societies remaining assets were incorporated into the Expeditionary Forces.
Most Starfinders are based in Starfinder lodges that are scattered throughout the galaxy. Each lodge is headed by a venture-captain who managed the field agents under their purview and oversees day-to-day operations of the Lodge. Each Venture-Captain is a member of the Expeditionary Forces but lodges are places of rest and respite for any member of the Starfinder Society in good standing.
The Society deploys two of its own starship hulls: the Drake and Pegasus. The Drake is a sturdy transport variant suited for combat, while the Pegasus is an explorer variant built for speed, sensors, and flexibility. The Starfinder Expeditionary Forces maintains a fleet of both classes of vessel on detached assignment to support Starfinder Society members on official Society business. They also comprise a significant portion of the Expeditionary Fleets.
Few capital ships remain following losses at the Scoured Stars. What do remain are predominately those vessels left behind for maintenance and overhauls. The Second Seekers have worked to acquire a variety of vessels from third-parties to fill the gap, refitting them to meet the needs of the Expeditionary Fleets.
All vessels on attached assignment to the SEF are organized into one of seven Expeditionary Fleets; though vessels are frequently reassigned between them to suit Society objectives.