Friday, December 30, 2016

Factions in a Space Fantasy RPG Campaign

An intriguing element of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign is the inclusion of factions, power groups in the campaign setting by which the PCs can be employed. In that vein, detailed here are some organizations that could be part of a space fantasy campaign. 

Note that additional information about the the two groups presented here can be found in other articles on the blog, which are linked below. 

-Nate


Elven Navy
As mentioned above, it is the elves who first dared to board aetherships and venture out among the planets and, eventually, the stars. (Credit for inventing the solar vessel, and then putting it together with flying sails, wind cordage and an orb of control goes to clerics of the Sun God, of course, but it is the elves who first really made use of the resulting vehicle. That is, at least, according to them.) What none can argue is that the elves have also built the premier fleet of aetherships and organization of sailors and soldiers throughout the Known Worlds.

Goal: Exploration and Defense
Given the fact that their long lives allow them to undertake missions that would require commitment from generations of humans, it should come as no surprise the elves are interested in exploration. In order to pursue that end in a safe and orderly manner, however, the elves have also been given cause to develop a strict military organization, one that, if it seems to go against their free and independent natures, also has let them become the power with which to reckon in the galaxy.

Alignment: LG
In addition to promoting the general well-being of all that is favored by many of their race, these elves also possess a deep and effective sense of discipline.

Leader
Currently, the highest-ranking member of the Elven Navy is Admiral Solinus (refer to a previous article to find stats for him, as well as for his underlings).

Headquarters
The Elven Navy is based out of Starfort Station, located on an icy moon with underground seas that orbits a gas giant planet (refer to a previous article to find a map and location descriptions for it).

Using the Elven Navy in an Aetherial Adventures Campaign
The aforementioned previous article has plot hooks involving the Elven Navy, too.





Temple of the Universal Architect
While many of the deities people worship have specific spheres of influence, there's one who is regarded as the mind behind all aspects of creation: the Universal Architect. Worshipers of this god believe that there is immutable truth and reasoning in the galaxy, if only one properly seeks it.

Goal: Discovery, Education and Support
As they seek to reveal the mysteries of the universe, clerics and other followers of the Universal Architect also work to share there knowledge, believing that doing so helps to empower others so that they can pursue their own paths to illumination. In a similar vein, they also promote charitable work that helps meet people's basic physical needs, since it's a lot easier to work at bettering oneself when those needs are being met. Additionally, the Temple has been known to hire parties of adventurers to help lead expeditions, both to remote areas on Homeworld as well as to other planets throughout the solar system.


Alignment: LN
This god's followers believe that only by promoting and preserving order can people lead the kinds of lives that will make this world a better place.

Leader
Upon ascending to the rank of High Priest, the leading cleric of this order takes the honorary name of Imhotep. The current individual to do so, a powerful human cleric, is the thirty-second person to take that name. (Refer to a previous article to find stats for Imhotep and other clerics.)

Headquarters
The followers of the Universal Architect are based out of a temple in the Holy City on Homeworld (refer to a previous article to find floorplans and area descriptions for it).

Using the Temple of Ptah in an Aetherial Adventures Campaign
The aforementioned article has suggestions for plot hooks involving this organization, too.





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