The Stewards

Diplomatic Peacekeepers Leader: Director-General Lin Camulan Headquarters: Bastion, Absalom Station
Founded on Verces millennia ago, the Stewards were originally a nongovernmental peacekeeping organization dedicated to defending that planet’s unified Ring of Nations and keeping individual countries loyal to the alliance. With the creation of the Absalom Pact binding the worlds of their solar system together, the Stewards found an even higher calling and pledged themselves to this new mission, relocating their headquarters to Absalom Station.
The Stewards operate as elite warrior-diplomats tasked with maintaining the tenuous alliance binding the Pact Worlds together. When new Stewards are sworn in, they renounce all allegiance to their former organizations or home worlds, dedicating their lives instead to protecting the Pact and its citizens. What exactly that protection entails is decided by the Director-General and the Conclave of Legates, but it ranges from policing neutral space lanes and facilitating trade negotiations to ending nascent wars with overwhelming force (and, some whisper, quiet assassinations). While not every group appreciates the Stewards’ meddling, in general their high-minded neutrality is seen as heroic, and even rank-and-file Stewards are admired for their skills and code of conduct. Though their headquarters, the stark citadel called Bastion, is located on Absalom Station, the organization remains totally separate from the government of Absalom Station itself and in fact is technically independent of even the Pact Worlds’ governing council. In practice, the Stewards defer to the council in all but the rarest circumstances, but should the elected officials ever take actions against the letter or spirit of the Pact, the Stewards’ leaders would have the freedom to refuse to serve.
Rank among the Stewards is quasi-military, but individual Stewards often operate independently or in small groups. Along these same lines, the organization maintains a sizable fleet but comparatively small garrisons in their installations on various planets. This is supposedly due to both the skill of individual Stewards and their status as advisors rather than occupiers, and most military actions in the system are carried out by the sovereign governments who hold jurisdiction over the territory in which problems arise. A more concrete reason is the Draws, a network of linked interplanetary wormhole gates in each Steward installation, whose top-secret technology allows ground forces to be transferred instantly to wherever they’re needed most. Violence is always a last resort for the Stewards, however, as to achieve peace through conquest would undermine the very principles they stand for. This refusal to step outside their mandate is both the Stewards’ pride and their weakness, as criminals can easily escape their jurisdiction by jumping out of the solar system or crossing into the territory of a planetary government, forcing the Stewards to work with independent bounty hunters and groups like the Knights of Golarion and the Skyfire Legion. Fortunately, they also aren’t above pushing the edges of the rules or orchestrating elaborate stings to lure the criminals back into Pact Worlds space. As Bastion’s drill sergeants often remind new recruits, while the Stewards must be iron-hard in their dedication to the Pact, there’s nothing that says they have to be stupid about it.

Structure

The Stewards’ structure has three branches: Overwatch, a spacefaring fleet; Constabulary, the planetary police forces; and Ops, or special operations. A Stewards member starts as a neophyte, graduates as a deputy constable (or, in common parlance, an officer), and can gain ranks in the Constabulary or Ops branches, such as constable, agent, staff agent (an administrative post) or special agent (with less or no administrative duty), inspector, chief inspector, deputy director, and director. Overwatch has alternative ranks (see below). A decorated veteran of any rank might become a legate, an honorary title that indicates distinguished service. The organization also has a director-general, whom the Stewards elect from among active members serving on the Conclave of Legates.
Hierarchy within the Stewards deviates from that of military or other police organizations in that the chain of command can be nonlinear. Any Steward can issue orders to lower-ranking officers as needed, and Stewards are expected to follow the orders of higher-ranking members. This structure derives from the fact that the Stewards are a flexible, modular, and mobile force. A leader has to work with whichever agents are available on location unless others can be quickly allocated.
At the same time, each branch has its own structure, so a Stewards commander avoids giving orders to officers from another branch when a counterpart in that branch is available. Further, an agent has a duty to speak up when orders conflict so superiors can make informed decisions.
CONSTABULARY The Stewards’ second branch is the Constabulary, the one most civilians associate with the group. Planetside facilities, police actions and investigations, and ambassadorial duties fall under the jurisdiction of this branch. The Stewards Constabulary considers its primary duties to be to aid, investigate, inform, and advise in support of local government, and takes direct action only when that government approves. Each Constabulary post has a chief, but such leaders might be of chief inspector rank or higher, depending on the station’s size. A chief oversees all activity in their installation, and some Stewards of higher rank coordinate multiple facilities. Like Overwatch, the Constabulary has three directors.
OPS The Stewards’ third branch, called Ops, has only a loose structure within the organization. Ops teams form primarily based on need and often include Stewards from other branches as participants. These Stewards often have or gain special skills that can make them valuable in Ops. After proving themselves, such Stewards receive a lasting assignment to this branch, along with the rank of special agent. Ops agents work outside the normal Stewards hierarchy, undertaking unusual missions and acting as investigators, undercover agents, spies, strike-team members, and even saboteurs and assassins. When a special-operations team forms, it has a ranking Ops agent, usually a staff agent or inspector, to oversee it. Ops leaders who demonstrate capability in such supervisory roles can choose to continue similar duties. Many move into full-time Ops logistics positions.
Despite having only a loose structure within the Stewards, Ops does have a managerial unit of deputy directors officially considered to be part of the Constabulary. The reality is that this group intersects with all Stewards branches in the usual Ops fashion. This team, along with an administrative force of other agents, has the responsibility to collect and collate intelligence, identifying threats requiring special operations. The deputy directors of Ops report to the directors of the Constabulary, although some intelligence work and special operations involve Overwatch and its admirals. Ops hierarchy sounds complex, but many missions eschew red tape to respond to situations quickly, receiving approval only during or after the operation.
In addition, Ops agents can refuse orders from commanders in other branches without explanation if that explanation would compromise clandestine Stewards activities. Simply identifying oneself as an Ops agent is enough to reject an order without further question. The commander logs the refusal with the refusing agent’s identification number. If further review becomes necessary, Ops will review the refusal and update the commander in question confirming whether it was sanctioned.
OVERWATCH The starship fleet, formally titled Overwatch, is the Stewards’ largest branch. The sheer amount of space within the Pact Worlds requires a substantial force to patrol and monitor, so the Stewards enjoy greater freedom to act in outer space. Overwatch ranks have different but equivalent titles, including lieutenant (equivalent to inspector), captain (chief inspector), vice admiral (deputy director), and admiral (director). A captain commands each Overwatch starship and reports to a vice admiral. In turn, vice admirals report to the three admirals who direct the fleet. The Stewards have three flagship vessels: the Paramount, the Steadfast, and the Touchstone.
CONCLAVE OF LEGATES The highest honor any Stewards officer can receive is the title of legate. Only veterans who’ve served the organization well can gain this title, which is applied by popular vote, proving each legate’s standing among peers and subordinates. The title carries no authority, but all Stewards know to respect legates’ opinions, and honorees have the right to sit on the Conclave of Legates, an advisory body outside the normal Stewards hierarchy, even after retiring from service.
In addition to reviewing policy proposals and high-profile cases and intelligence, and giving advice to other Stewards commanders, the conclave also advises the director-general and other directors, helping guide the Stewards. This assembly maintains no fixed number of positions, but a typical meeting has around 20 legates. Although the conclave has no formal power, the group shapes Stewards policy and actions with a long-term perspective, highly skilled analysis, and wise oversight.
DIRECTOR-GENERAL The Stewards’ director-general is not only the group’s head officer, but also its ambassador to the Directorate and, therefore, the Pact Council. Although the director-general’s duty is to ensure the Stewards work closely with the Pact Worlds’ government, enforce its laws, and aid in government-sanctioned military and investigative operations, the director-general, like the Stewards as a whole, is not accountable to the Pact Council or the Directorate and instead serves the Pact itself.
LEADERS The Stewards are led by three admirals, three directors, and a director-general.
ADMIRALS Three admirals command the Stewards fleet.
Echo-7 (NG male android operative) emerged from the Gap enslaved aboard the Void Shark, a light freighter in orbit around Absalom Station. He made such a compelling case for his freedom that the ship’s captain, Takiko Tanakashi, granted it. Echo-7 remained aboard the Void Shark, defended Absalom Station against the Magefire Assault, and later, as the ship’s captain, fought the Vesk invasion. When the Stewards took up their calling, Echo-7 was among the first applicants and graduates. He has remained in service ever since, becoming an admiral and legate. From Bastion or the bridge of the Paramount, Echo-7 commands a portion of the Overwatch with responsibilities from Akiton sunward. Echo-7 has come up as a candidate for director-general, but thus far has refused nomination.
Grovok Dorgoda, “the Bug Hunter” (LN male vesk soldier) is a veteran who once battled Pact Worlds forces, then fought alongside them against the Swarm. He served on vesk warships as a gunner, acted as a marine in Veskarium assaults, participated in actions against the Swarm, and earned a command in the operations that brought that conflict to a close. During these latter battles, Grovok came to deeply respect the Pact Worlds’ principles and to see the maintenance of the alliance with the vesk as essential. A true warrior at heart, Grovok is well aware of the value of diplomacy and the costs of war. He joined the Stewards to serve as a peacekeeper and keep watch for extrasolar enemies. Based in Trillidiem on Bretheda, Grovok acts as an example of and voice for galactic cooperation.
Noor Irular (LN female Kasatha technomancer) is the newest and youngest of the Stewards admirals. Noor grew up on the Idari and, when she came of age, joined the kasathan defense forces that took part in the war against The Swarm. In several engagements, Noor distinguished herself as a top-notch pilot and a brilliant tactician. She served under Grovok Dorgoda toward the end of the conflict, and came to see the vesk commander as a mentor. Grovok joined the Stewards, and Noor followed. When an admiral retired, Dorgoda recommended Noor for the position. She now serves from Triaxus in the city of Zo, supervising naval actions in the midsystem from Triaxus to Verces.
DIRECTORS The Stewards have three directors.
Deepadra Evosco (NG female Human envoy) gained academic fame from her research into cultures outside the Pact Worlds, including the Veskarium and Azlanti Star Empire, which led a Stewards special agent to sponsor her application. As an Ops agent, she analyzed extrasolar threats and helped produce much of the intelligence the Stewards now have on the Azlanti Star Empire, the Unseen, and the Veskarium. Director Evosco supervises missions related to such menaces. She works from the Stewards station on the Liavara settlement of Roselight, commanding actions in the outer system through a close working relationship with Admiral Dorgoda.
Kirnaxion (LN agender Contemplatives technomancer) left Ashok to join the Stewards nearly a century ago and aided in the exploration of and migration to the Burning Archipelago, helping to establish a Stewards station there in Dawnshore. Since then, Kirnaxion has risen in the ranks of the Stewards as a planning, research, and development genius. The contemplative, along with two other contemplative partners (Gnyvibia and Zusleggim), works in Bastion, supervising intelligence gathering, information storage, logistics, and technomagical innovation.
Veshak (N agender Verthani mystic) is both the ranking Steward on Verces and the commander of Peacewatch. A Constabulary veteran and legate, they oversee the application process, training for neophytes and returning officers, and coordination of Peacewatch’s daily activities and Stewards missions running out of the fortress. Most who work with Veshak admire the director, who is collaborative, forthright, and open minded. Veshak is also part of the Stewards team that oversees expansion of the Draws.
DIRECTOR-GENERAL The director-general sets the Stewards’ overall agenda.
Lin Camulan (LG male korasha Lashunta soldier), the current director-general of the Stewards, was raised in an Asana military family whose generations-long role in the formian-lashunta wars came to an end just as Lin came of age. Bereft of the only career he had considered, Lin decided to take up service in the Stewards. The acumen he displayed during the Swarm invasion propelled him through the ranks, earning him the title of legate and, eventually, the role he holds today. Lin is a no-nonsense leader who prefers action to debate and sometimes wishes he were still in the field.

Culture

RECRUITMENT The skills and dedication required to become a member of the Stewards set a high bar. Those looking to serve must demonstrate their interest through a rigorous application process. Active agents sometimes encourage talented people to apply; such sponsorship works in an applicant’s favor but is no assurance of admission.
Any Pact Worlds citizen can apply. However, the Stewards highly value proven expertise and morals, so the majority of accepted applicants have established reputations as diplomats, police or security agents, respectable adventurers, soldiers, and so on. Very few join the Stewards as a first job, and the rare exceptions are highly specialized people who fit into internal positions where training outweighs wisdom, such as the technomancers who maintain the Draws.
Those selected for admission go to Bastion or Peacewatch for training. New trainees, formally designated neophytes but affectionately referred to as “neos,” reside within the base where they train. Their yearlong program is an intense, immersive affair. Excursions beyond the fortress are only for exercises. Otherwise, neos associate only with their classmates and instructors. Classes use various techniques to cover combat, de-escalation methods, fitness, language and cultural concerns, mental strength and calmness, and so on. Neos with exceptional abilities learn from mentors how to best leverage those assets as a Steward. During the last third of their training, neos participate in more specialized schooling that depends on which of the three branches they intend to enter, although only the most exceptional graduates enter Ops directly.
Stewards’ training is difficult enough that few candidates complete it. However, the organization holds no ill will toward those who drop out. Instructors counsel neos to recognize their potential while also considering the sacrifices, acknowledging that being a Steward is a commitment that not every neophyte can make. For those who step away, instructors provide recommendations and connections to other employment so that none are left worse off for having attempted to join.
Upon completing their education, neophytes graduate as deputy constables or deputies. The pivotal point of this commencement requires each would-be deputy to take an oath to the Stewards, forsaking all other allegiances, including those to home world, species, governments, social and religious organizations, and any other ties that have the potential to interfere with devotion to upholding the Pact. Avowed neutrality allows Stewards to operate without favoritism, a quality essential to their function. This renunciation is well known in the Pact Worlds and often romanticized or maligned among non-Stewards, but Stewards see it as trading one set of loyalties for stronger lifelong bonds with like-minded associates.
The education of Stewards officers is never complete. They are required to cycle back to Bastion or Peacewatch every few years for refresher courses and advanced training, as well as to aid in coaching neos. This way, experienced agents stay in touch with the group’s founding principles and new blood.
ASSIGNMENTS Deputy constables work alongside a constable or other higherranking agent for a year or more before being promoted to a full-fledged constable. Constables’ actual duties depend on their branch. Overwatch Stewards serve as starship crew. Constabulary deputies begin with patrol assignments, starting with guard duties inside a station, then serving as backup for other light duty and rotating between facilities for breadth of experience. The Ops branch doesn’t ordinarily take on deputies, but those few who end up in Ops help with special-operations logistics.
A Steward’s daily routine also varies depending on their branch. Overwatch Stewards work according to their ship’s schedule and duty roster, with responsibilities varying from maintenance to space-lane patrol. Those of the Constabulary walk regular beats, gather information, support local law enforcement, de-escalate conflicts, and facilitate negotiations. Both branches support Ops for special missions. Ops agents have the most varied and challenging work, including investigating threats; performing covert reconnaissance; and engaging in direct action such as assassination, infiltration, and sabotage.
Each officer is expected to communicate and record operational preferences. Officers stay in roles that match their abilities and personalities. People who perform well together are likewise kept together when possible.
Orders are often given in terms of an objective, with agents left to achieve a goal in whatever way they see fit, provided they maintain the Stewards’ principles. Stewards cooperate with a variety of external operators, such as adventurers, bounty hunters, corporate agents, explorers, mercenaries, and countless others necessary to achieve their aims. As a result, they have broad contact networks. Few realize the extent of such partnerships, which can make it difficult to escape the Stewards’ sphere of influence—and their grasp.
The Stewards also maintain a staff of non-Stewards employees. Most such personnel work at Bastion, with minimal complements at other installations. Some neos who don’t complete training find fulfillment in such positions, but most civilian staff come from the general populace.

Public Agenda

THREATS As the peacekeeping force for an entire star system, the Stewards monitor and respond to a variety of threats. The organization classifies threats into two broad categories: external and internal.
Three major external threats currently hold the Stewards’ attention: the Corpse Fleet, the Azlanti Star Empire, and the Swarm. The organization has long kept watch on Eox, and today the Stewards monitor Corpse Fleet activity as closely as they can. Another potential threat to the Pact Worlds is the Azlanti Star Empire. Through its contact network, the Stewards monitor imperial activities, looking for any hint that the empire has turned its gaze to the Golarion System. The Swarm poses the greatest threat to the Pact Worlds, and the Stewards gather intelligence on Swarm sightings, hoping to detect any possible incursion early enough that a larger military force can be assembled to confront it.
The list of internal threats is longer, and the Stewards maintain a watch list of organizations, individuals, locations, and other factors they have identified as potentially hostile to the Pact Worlds. This list includes extreme factions of the Augmented, Android Abolitionist Front, and Xenowardens, as well as fringe religious groups such as cults of The Devourer, the Elder Mythos, and other evil deities. Pirates of the Free Captains are on the list, but the Stewards prefer to deal with the most bloodthirsty brigands harshly as an example to the others.
Numerous smaller issues have come to the Stewards’ attention, either raised by residents and local governments or identified as part of ongoing peacekeeping efforts. These range from the enigmatic Diasporan wyrms in the River Between and paramilitary activity within the Burning Archipelago’s Asanatown, to illegal gas-mining efforts on Liavara and the establishment of a city of undead Eoxian refugees on the Brethedan moon of Thyst.

Assets

FACILITIES The Stewards maintain facilities or a presence on nearly every Pact World, integrated into their respective societies. The Stewards have access to the Idari but no permanent station there. The group also has no formal presence on Aucturn, but more special agents live there than even most Stewards realize.
MAJOR BASES The Stewards have two major bases in the Golarion System. Both are important to the group, and both serve as training centers for new Stewards.
Bastion: The primary headquarters for the Stewards is a fortified structure called Bastion, located in Absalom Station’s central dome. The base houses a director, an admiral, and the administrative staff for the director-general. It also hosts the Conclave of Legates and contains the nexus of the Draws, interplanetary portals that are key to the Stewards’ success in patrolling the system.
Although the Stewards have yet to come into conflict with the Pact Council or the Directorate, the group acknowledges the possibility. Further, the Stewards know that the Draws nexus is an asset that attracts all kinds of interest: covetous, innocent, and malicious. Bastion was therefore designed and built to withstand a siege, and it can even function as a self-contained space station if removed from Absalom Station.
Peacewatch: The Stewards’ second-largest facility is Peacewatch, the group’s original fortress high in the mountains of the Klebani Range on Verces. When the Stewards relocated to Bastion, the training that has taken place at Peacewatch for millennia continued, albeit with a much more diverse student body. Peacewatch focuses on education, and unlike Bastion, this fortress allows those planning on joining other organizations admission to its program, providing instruction in leadership, negotiation, strategy, and tactics. The psychological profiling required for entry weeds out the unscrupulous, and most graduates who don’t join the Stewards end up as principled officers in planetary militaries or outfits such as the Knights of Golarion or the Skyfire Legion.
Peacewatch also stands as an ancient memorial. Members, having forsworn ties to kith and kin, can easily be forgotten by their own people and planets, so Stewards honor their own in the massive Hall of Remembrance, where every Steward’s name is engraved upon their death. Originally, names were inscribed on the polished granite walls of the hall, but the countless names collected through the ages eventually filled all of the available space. Names are now engraved on panels layered over the walls, and each panel slides aside to allow names on lower surfaces to be seen. At the center is an obelisk of Vimal.
THE DRAWS The Draws are critical parts of Stewards’ operations and one reason for the success of their mission over the course of millennia—it is a teleportation network that permits the Stewards to transport staff and equipment among major installations. The original Draws were sophisticated teleportation stones located around Verces. During the Gap, a technomagical portal network harnessing conjuration magic and quantum space-folding tech replaced the stones; it remains in use today. The technology is likened to the elven aiudara of Castrovel and other worlds, but the Draws and the aiudara developed independently.
Despite the modern Draws’ origins in the Gap, verthani Stewards responsible for maintaining them retained full knowledge of their function, construction, and maintenance procedures. This expertise enabled the Stewards to extend the network throughout the Pact Worlds and relocate the nexus to Bastion on Absalom Station. The system requires careful maintenance and oversight, leading the Stewards to employ one of the largest teams of technomancers in the system, each subject to legal and magical confidentiality measures.
The Draws allow each station to abide by treaty-based force limits, reinforcing Stewards’ deference to local governments so long as they’re upholding the Pact, and they eliminate the need for a station to house a force sized for every possible contingency.

History

The earliest days of Stewards history have been lost to time, but it is known that they originated on Verces millennia before The Gap, concurrent with the unification of that world’s Ring of Nations. Most scholars agree that a series of devastating wars or social upheavals inspired both events, although only the obelisks of Vimal, one of Verces’s nations, directly support this theory. Each obelisk bears the inscription “From strength unity / from unity strength / thus do we stand against chaos / thus do we honor their sacrifice” followed by a different engraved rune with a magical aura but no known meaning.
One such obelisk stands in Peacewatch, an ancient fortress in Vimal’s Klebani Range from which the Stewards long kept watch over their home world. The organization stood independent of any one government, and even of personal ties to kith and kin, providing the neutrality necessary to police disparate nations often at odds with one another. Countless records document the Stewards’ effectiveness as warrior-diplomats, ensuring each country’s loyalty to the Ring of Nations while defending the whole against outside threats. The peace with which Verces endured the Gap’s end is attributed to the Stewards and the discipline, knowledge, and training officers displayed—without the memory of how they came by such qualities.
When the Veskarium attacked the Golarion System, leading to the formation of the Absalom Pact, the Stewards’ leadership saw a modern-day echo of the upheaval that must have led to the formation of their organization. With modern Vercite culture unifying the Ring of Nations, the Stewards chose to heed a higher call. The organization relocated its headquarters to Absalom Station and built a new fortress there called Bastion to serve as a base of operations. From there, the Stewards pledged to bring the unification and protection they had long provided for Verces to all Pact Worlds.
This pledge received a mixed reception, making for a challenging start for the repurposed Stewards. Many people objected to Vercite warriors declaring themselves to be protectors and enforcers for planets beyond Verces. Others suspected the Stewards of plotting to undermine the autonomy of planetary governments. Among these objectors, some were secretly concerned the Stewards would be too hard to bribe or otherwise influence. To address citizens’ concerns, the Pact Council formally acknowledged the Stewards. A complex legal structure placed the Stewards in a formal role tied to the government but independent of it, giving the Stewards the leeway and authority necessary to perform their duties. Notably, the Pact Council required the Stewards to choose a director-general to sit on the Pact Council in an advisory capacity. The director-general reports to the council and carries its decisions to the Stewards, who act on the council’s decisions in good faith.
In the centuries that have followed, the Stewards have diversified their membership and built a reputation as a neutral party equally capable of negotiating a contentious trade dispute or obliterating a rogue fleet. The organization now maintains a base on most Pact Worlds. Even on planets where the group lacks a base, its officers can be found keeping the peace.

Type

Government, Law Enforcement

Location

Absalom Station