{"id":606,"date":"2020-01-08T16:38:54","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T00:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/starfinder.radcliffe.church\/?p=606"},"modified":"2020-01-08T16:38:54","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T00:38:54","slug":"the-pact-worlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/astrometrics\/star-systems\/the-pact-worlds\/","title":{"rendered":"Pact Worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As an atom cannot be sundered without grave consequences, so too do we divide our system at our peril. To war with each other is to ignore the rewards of cooperation and to leave ourselves exposed to terrors from beyond. We are all children of the same parent star. Though our differences make us strong and the competition of our ideas pushes us to new heights, we must never allow them to divide us. For if we do, we shall surely perish.<\/p>

\u2014From the preface of The Absalom Pact <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Formation of the Pact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the inhabited solar system nearest to their own, enthusiastic explorers from the Golarion System encountered the vesk, a reptilian race that lent credence to fears of extrasolar threats. Having already conquered the entirety of their own system, the warlike reptiles longed to expand, yet had mysteriously failed to receive Triune\u2019s gift of interstellar travel. When the first explorers arrived via the Drift, the vesk received them warmly just long enough to decipher Drift technology\u2014and then promptly began assembling Drift-capable war fleets aimed at their generous neighbors. In the wake of the disastrous Battle of Aledra, the independent planets of the Golarion System recognized the vast danger facing them and banded together for mutual defense, creating a single system-wide government capable of defending against the vesk. This coalition became known as the Pact Worlds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the next 250 years, the two systems would remain each other\u2019s greatest threat, skirmishing over planets outside the direct authority of either autonomy, or else engaging in limited space battles along the cordons between their systems, too evenly matched for either to commit to a full-scale assault. This so-called Silent War finally came to an end in 291 ag, when a vast, world-devouring entity called the Swarm attacked both systems simultaneously. In danger of being completely overrun, the Veskarium\u2014as the reptilians call their empire\u2014and the Pact Worlds signed a formal alliance, together managing to force the Swarm out of their region of space. Yet while the alliance put an end to active hostilities and opened both systems up to trade with one another, citizens on both sides recognize that the alliance was one of convenience and could fall apart at any moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately for the Pact Worlds, not all extrasolar contact was so violent. The insectile shirrens arrived in 83 ag, bearing nothing but goodwill and quickly integrating into Pact Worlds society. Kasathas, who appeared in 240 ag on the massive worldship Idari, proved less willing to be assimilated wholesale, yet they quickly established themselves as valuable allies. Although other sentient creatures hailing from beyond the Golarion system occasionally arrive, brought back by Pact Worlds explorers or homing in on Absalom Station\u2019s powerful Drift beacon, the already incredible diversity of life-forms in the system means that most such creatures can easily blend in and take up residence, provided they don\u2019t stir up too much trouble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pact Worlds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Alternative Name: The Golarion System<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the magical Starstone at the center of Absalom Station, which acts as a homing beacon for ships across the galaxy, the Pact Worlds today are a vibrant system constantly bustling with both interplanetary and interstellar trade, as well as a thousand small-scale wars of culture and economics. As a jumping-off point for expeditions into the Vast, it\u2019s never short of ships in need of explorers daring enough to launch themselves into the black in hopes of finding riches and wonders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Pact is not a single system-wide government, but rather an association of independent worlds bound by treaty to work together and acknowledge each other\u2019s sovereignty. Though its powers technically extend only to the facilitation of trade between worlds, interplanetary law enforcement, and mutual defense, over the last several centuries the government has gradually broadened the scope of its authority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pact\u2014sometimes formally called the Absalom Pact\u2014 was first proposed in 41 ag, in response to the increased vesk aggression threatening the whole system. Recognizing that there was no way any individual world could stand against the combined might of the Veskarium, a coalition of officials from Absalom Station, Castrovel, and Verces proposed the new arrangement, based in large part on the system that underpinned Verces\u2019s Ring of Nations as an effective one-world government. To the coalition\u2019s surprise, the first world to sign on to its new plan was not logical Aballon or pacifist Bretheda, but the long-mistrusted undead planet of Eox. With the military might of the bone sages on its side and the churches of Abadar and Iomedae wielding their financial and religious power to promote the campaign, the coalition quickly gained strength, and in just a few years the entire system came under the protection of the new government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a confederation of independent states, the Pact generally endeavors to afford its component worlds as much autonomy as possible. Aside from enforcing a brief list of universal rights granted to all sentient creatures and a somewhat longer list for Pact Worlds citizens, the government largely leaves judicial and legislative matters to the local governments of individual worlds, as long as they don\u2019t infringe on the authority of other planets. The Pact\u2019s primary enforcers, the Stewards, are as much diplomats as they are police, doing their best to solve issues with soft power and maintain the system\u2019s fragile balance. The Pact is also very specific about the limits of its authority\u2014in addition to honoring the sovereignty of its constituent governments, the Pact claims no jurisdiction over worlds beyond its solar system unless they are colonies that have requested and won official protectorate status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government decisions within the Pact are made by the Pact Council, which is housed in the vast senatorial building on Absalom Station called the Plenara. Every Pact World is represented on the council, each with a number of delegates proportional to its sentient population. While many matters are decided by direct vote in the council, deadlocks and issues of particular importance go to the Directorate, a leadership council whose five voting members are elected by and from the wider Pact Council every 2 years. No world can have more than one representative in the Directorate, yet the fact that this places many system-wide decisions in the hands of just five worlds means that the Plenara is a constant hotbed of politicking and alliance building, as individual worlds use their power and influence to ensure their interests are represented by the Directorate. A sixth, nonvoting member of the Directorate, the Director-General of the Stewards, is chosen independently by the Stewards and has no set term limit, serving only to advise the other directors and carry out the council\u2019s decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not every planet in the system is a full member of the Pact. Moons are generally seen as part of their parent planet\u2019s jurisdiction, save for those like Arkanen that have successfully lobbied for independent representation. Some worlds with limited civilization, such as Aucturn, Liavara, and the sun, are categorized as protectorates; while such worlds are not granted full autonomy or voting rights, their representatives are allowed to speak at council meetings. Despite being a collection of many tiny worlds, the Diaspora has banded together as a single voting bloc, and in recent years a single vessel\u2014 the kasatha worldship Idari\u2014achieved Pact World status, with many new colonies beyond the solar system hoping to follow suit. While religious and corporate organizations have no direct voice in the council\u2019s decisions, their constant presence via lobbyists and advisors ensures that their interests are represented as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magic and Technology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pre-Gap records show that once upon a time, most of the worlds in the system relied on magic almost exclusively for complex and difficult tasks. Today, while magic remains a respected vocation and a means of accomplishing great deeds, technology often provides more practical, economical solutions to the same problems. Why spend years of dedicated study to cast a spell that creates light when you can buy a flashlight for a few credits? Why pay a battlemage to throw bolts of lightning at your enemies when the same funds could outfit a whole squad of soldiers with laser rifles? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that technology has replaced magic. Rather, the two have evolved together, with inventors blending magic and technology, and corporations choosing whichever tool is cheapest and most effective for a given job. As a result, most technology involves at least a little magic, in either its functioning or its manufacture, and it\u2019s not uncommon to see technological items bearing blatantly magical upgrades. This blending, however, means that technology incorporating minimal amounts of magic has work-arounds to remain functional even when targeted by dispelling effects\u2014in rules terms, this means that unless an item is specifically called out as magical or a hybrid of both magic and technology, it\u2019s considered immune to all antimagical effects. Similarly, the prevalence of minor magic in technology doesn\u2019t prevent nonmagical classes like mechanics from working effectively on such items, so long as they don\u2019t have extensive magical modifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whereas in the ancient past, magic in the Pact Worlds was broken into many different traditions, today magic is seen as a single group of physically impossible phenomena, regardless of where it comes from or how it\u2019s manipulated. Traditional distinctions like \u201carcane\u201d and \u201cdivine\u201d magic have long since been abandoned, and while different casters may access magic through very different means, from hightech reality hacking to the study of occult items or the channeling of divine power, all are simply different means of accomplishing the same goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daily Life and Culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Pact Worlds are by their very nature a mishmash of cultures with different values and traditions, making it difficult to identify overarching traits. Still, a few things can be said about the \u201ctypical\u201d Pact Worlds resident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a few places within the system\u2014most notably parts of Verces and Aballon\u2014come close to achieving a post-scarcity economy, most Pact Worlders have no choice but to work for a living. Capitalism looms large in both personal and planetary exchanges (kept that way in part by the influence of the church of Abadar), and the rich inevitably dominate the poor, who in turn do their best to become rich. Quality of life for those at the economic bottom varies dramatically\u2014on Absalom Station, the government makes sure no sentient being goes hungry, but harsh worlds like Apostae see no problem with economic bondage that\u2019s slavery in all but name. While Starfinder as a roleplaying game focuses on bold explorers, daring corporate agents, militant law keepers, and more, most people in the setting have more mundane jobs, whether it\u2019s feeding the system via vast hydroponic farms, hauling goods back and forth between worlds, running stores and restaurants, or laboring at a thousand other everyday jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socially, most Pact Worlds residents tend to be live-and-letlive types\u2014anything else is difficult to maintain when your government and even your neighborhood might contain a dozen different races from 50 different cultures. Prejudice tends to be reserved for the most familiar and the most foreign\u2014people police those similar to them and fear the incomprehensibly alien\u2014yet most folks realize that trying to impose their own values on others often ends up driving away valuable opportunities. As the old saying goes, it\u2019s best to let aliens be aliens\u2014and hopefully customers. This means that even individuals who don\u2019t fit well into the cultures in which they\u2019re born can often easily find acceptance by changing location, contributing to the constant churn and migration of people across the system. Yet even within primarily monocultural settlements, simple exposure to the vast array of different races and ways of life just beyond the horizon has tended to make residents less cognizant of minor differences like ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and so on. Who cares about the skin color or marriage arrangements of the neighbors in the apartment beneath you when your upstairs neighbors are giant sentient jellyfish that form new aggregate entities every time you ask them to turn down their cetacean-pop dance mixes? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest cultural unifiers in the Pact Worlds is religion. Since everyone\u2014well, almost everyone\u2014eventually dies, and worship of a god can help determine the fate of your eternal soul in the Outer Planes, religious choices are practical as well as social signifiers. The Pact Worlds play host to a bevy of different gods, whose congregations mostly live together in harmony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arts and entertainment are constantly changing in the Pact Worlds, with fads disappearing as quickly as they arise. At the moment, gritty Akitonian shumka beats and Absalom eyebite rock are becoming popular in many rougher venues, while upscale nightclubs play delicate Vercite ether-ballads or Aballonian-produced euphonics\u2014music designed by advanced computing to directly stimulate aural pleasure centers, creating a perfect listening experience. High fashion remains dominated by the sleek styles coming out of Kalo-Mahoi, the eternal punk look of Absalom Station\u2019s trash-glamorous Spike, and the gothic severity of Apostae. Sports like brutaris, starlance, and ship racing persist in popularity, though most people find their thrills with VR parlor games or holo and stillframe shows. The most popular of these latter are inevitably Eox\u2019s blood-soaked reality broadcasts, constantly decried by censors but never actually crossing the line into illegality. Of late, ordinary books have even seen a surge in popularity, perhaps in part due to legendary lashunta holo star Cashisa Nox declaring a preference for well-read consorts. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

General overview of the Pact Worlds system and the formation of the Absalom Pact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[43,44,17,38],"class_list":["post-606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-star-systems","tag-absalom-pact","tag-golarion-system","tag-history","tag-pact-worlds"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/01\/The-Pact-Worlds-System.png?fit=1373%2C885&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":969,"url":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/historical-timeline\/pact-worlds-history\/41-ag-absalom-pact-signed\/","url_meta":{"origin":606,"position":0},"title":"41 AG – Absalom Pact signed","author":"PWA Infosphere","date":"January 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Absalom Pact signed, binding the worlds in the Golarion System in mutual defense and governance.","rel":"","context":"In "Pact Worlds History"","block_context":{"text":"Pact Worlds History","link":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/category\/historical-timeline\/pact-worlds-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":602,"url":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/astrometrics\/planets\/golarion\/","url_meta":{"origin":606,"position":1},"title":"Golarion","author":"PWA Infosphere","date":"January 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The solar system today called the Pact Worlds has been inhabited for millennia, stretching back tens of thousands of years even before the Gap. While all of the planets in the system could make an argument for their own significance, most outside observers agree that the system's most important planet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Planets"","block_context":{"text":"Planets","link":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/category\/astrometrics\/planets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":596,"url":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/starship-operations\/pact-standard-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":606,"position":2},"title":"Time-keeping","author":"PWA Infosphere","date":"January 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"With nearly infinite worlds, each with their own rotation and orbital periods, tracking time can be extremely complicated. 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It has achieved a household name as the maker of the Star Drake, which has won every Absalom Run for the last decade. It also produces\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Corporations"","block_context":{"text":"Corporations","link":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/category\/legal-entities\/corporations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/InfoPortrait_NoData_Orange.jpg?fit=750%2C1050&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/InfoPortrait_NoData_Orange.jpg?fit=750%2C1050&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/InfoPortrait_NoData_Orange.jpg?fit=750%2C1050&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/InfoPortrait_NoData_Orange.jpg?fit=750%2C1050&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1168,"url":"https:\/\/starfinder.online\/infosphere\/historical-timeline\/pact-worlds-history\/timeline-vesk-36-ag\/","url_meta":{"origin":606,"position":5},"title":"36 AG","author":"PWA Infosphere","date":"June 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Veskarium invades the Golarion System. 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