Stewards

Stewards

(Organization)

Type

Interplanetary law enforcers

Leader

Director-general Lin Camulan

Headquarters

Bastion, Absalom Station
Peacewatch, Vimal, Verces

Goals

Enforce laws of the Pact Worlds
Maintain peace within the Pact Worlds

Scope

Pact Worlds system

Structure

System

Images of Stewards

Source: The Rune Drive Gambit, pg(s). 46-53

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The Stewards are an interplanetary law enforcement and peacekeeping organization serving the Pact Worlds government. They are both warriors who pursue criminals across the Pact Worlds, and diplomats who negotiate agreements to maintain the often complex and fraught relationships between member governments. They prefer the use of soft power over military might in an effort to maintain the fragile equilibrium of the Pact Worlds.

History

It is believed that the Stewards were founded on the planet Verces millennia before the Gap during the unification of the Ring of Nations, which occurred after a series of wars or societal upheavals. This theory is supported by the obelisks of Vimal, a nation of Verces, which bear the following inscription followed by different, undecipherable magical runes:

“

From strength unity, from unity strength. Thus do we stand against chaos, thus do we honor their sacrifice.

”

During this pre-Gap period, the Stewards remained neutral from all national or familial ties in order to fully commit to their job of policing nations who were at odds.. In addition to protecting the Ring of Nations government, they hunted down international criminals, and acted as neutral aribiters to diffuse conflicts between nations occasionally using assassination to do so. Their effectiveness as soldiers and diplomats was recorded in numerous accounts, ensuring all countries' loyalty to the Ring of Nations and defending them from outside threats.

Post-Gap

The end of the Gap found the Stewards still in existence, and they are credited with keeping the peace on Verces amidst the chaos experienced by the inhabitants of all the planets in the system at that time.

When the Veskarium invaded the Golarion system (which lead to the signing of the Absalom Pact), the Stewards saw the similarities between this conflict and the upheaval that led to their own founding. They built a new headquarters on Absalom Station called Bastion, and expanded their scope from Verces to all of the Pact Worlds. This event received a mixed reception: many people objected to soldiers from Verces considering themselves as protectors and enforcers of other planets, while others suspected that they were trying to undermine the authority of planetary governments. Secretly, many were also concerned that bribing or otherwise influencing the Stewards would be too difficult. In order to address the former concerns, the Pact Council formally adopted the Stewards as a peacekeeping force. In the ensuing centuries, the Stewards have diversified their membership and earned a reputation as neutral mediators and warriors.

Mandate

The Stewards operate as elite warrior-diplomats to maintain the uneasy alliance of the Pact Worlds. Their goals are set by the organization's Director-general (currently Lin Camulan) and the Conclave of Legates. These goals generally include policing the system's neutral space lanes, facilitating trade negotiations, as well as stamping out growing conflicts with the threat (or rarely the actual application) of overwhelming force. Rumors also abound that the Stewards engage in assassinations of those they deem threats to peace.

While they are headquartered on Absalom Station, the Stewards maintain a strict separation from not only the politics of that space station but also those of the Pact Council, although they do defer to the laws passed by the latter organization. The only exception to following the rulings of the Pact Council would be if that body ever were to threaten the spirit or letter of the Absalom Pact (which maintains the alliance between the Pact Worlds). In that case, Stewards would be given leave to refuse any unlawful orders.

The Stewards cannot operate outside of Pact Worlds territory, a loophole that is frequently exploited by criminals who simply flee outside of the Pact Worlds system in order to escape them. This forces the Stewards to rely on outside actors such as bounty hunters, the Knights of Golarion, and the Skyfire Legion to bring such targets to justice.

Relationships

While some see the Stewards' activities as meddling, many appreciate their high-minded stance on neutrality and admire their skills and code-of-conduct.

Structure

Hiring

As the Stewards' hiring practices generally do not discriminate on the basis of economic background, they provide a way for the poor to gain some advancement. Those who are inducted into the Stewards must swear an oath to renounce all past organizational or home world allegiances and dedicate their life to protecting the Pact Worlds and their inhabitants.

Ranks

The Stewards are divided into three branches: Overwatch (the starship fleet), Constabulary (the planetary police), and Ops (special operations). Stewards begin at the rank of neophyte and graduate to become a deputy constable. In the Constabulary or Ops, they progress through the following ranks: constable, agent, staff agent (an administrative post) or special agent (with little administrative duty), inspector, chief inspector, deputy inspector, and director. Overwatch has different ranks: lieutenant (equivalent to inspector), captain (chief inspector), vice admiral (deputy inspector), and admiral (director). The title legate, given to veterans who have distinguished themselves, may be awarded to members of any rank and carries no additional authority, but allows the officer to sit on the Conclave of Legates who advises and oversees the Stewards as a whole.

Since the Stewards are a flexible, modular, mobile force, and leaders usually have to work with agents available on location, any higher-ranking Steward can issue orders to lower-ranking ones. However, to avoid inter-branch conflicts, Stewards usually avoid giving orders to lower-ranking members of different branches if a counterpart from that branch is available, and when orders conflict, agents are expected to speak up.

Director-general

The Stewards collectively chose one of their own to act as a representative to the Directorate of the Pact Council. The officer, known as the Director-general, has no voting rights within the Council or Directorate, but serves only in an advisory capacity and to carry out the Council's decisions. The director-general (currently Lin Camulan) also sets the overall focus of the Stewards, and decides how best to carry out the Pact Council's decisions. Unlike their fellow Pact Council members, the director-general has no term limits, but may be recalled by the Stewards at any time with a vote of no-confidence, although this has never happened.

Overwatch

Overwatch is the Stewards' largest branch and enjoys the most freedom. Each starship is commanded by a captain, who reports to a vice admiral, who in turn reports to one of three admirals, currently Echo-7, Grovok Dorgoda, and Noor Irular. Overwatch has three flagships: the Paramount, the Steadfast and the Touchstone.

Constabulary

Constabulary, the branch most often associated with the Stewards, consists of police officers and ambassadors. Constabulary agents primarily support the local government, only acting with the government's approval. Each Constabulary post is led by an officer of at least chief inspector rank, depending on the station's size. Some high-ranking Stewards coordinate multiple installations. The Constabulary is led by three directors, currently Deepadra Evosco, Kirnaxion, and Veshak.

Ops

Ops is loosely structured within the Stewards. Ops teams are usually ad-hoc and include Overwatch or Constabulary members with special, valuable skills who are permanently assigned into Ops as special agents after proving themselves. Ops agents undertake unusual covert missions and operate outside of the Stewards hierarchy. Each team is led by a ranking Ops agent, who can move into logistics positions after proving themselves. Many missions eschew red tape to quickly respond, only receiving approval after the operation has already begun.

Ops is commanded by a group of deputy directors who are officially part of Constabulary, but who collect intelligence and identify threats that need to be dealt with by Ops. They receive the help of an administrative force of other agents. These deputy directors report to Constabulary's directors, but some jobs also involve Overwatch.

Ops agents are allowed to refuse orders from other branches without question by identifying themselves as an Ops agent in order to prevent potential explications from compromising secret activities. Such refusals are logged and reviewed by Ops, who confirms whether a refusal was sanctioned or not.

Headquarters & deployment

See also: Bastion

The Stewards are headquartered in a fortified building known as Bastion on Absalom Station, which serves as both a military training facility and diplomacy school. New recruits spend months here learning fighting techniques, negotiation tactics, and the cultural norms of countless Pact Worlds cultures.

Even though the Stewards maintain a significant fleet of starships (see Overwatch), they have few personnel stationed on their bases on the various planets in the Pact Worlds. This reinforces the perception that they are an advisory organization and not an occupation force, and any military actions the Stewards undertake are done under the leadership and command of whichever sovereign government holds jurisdiction there. They are able to keep this low deployment due to the network of wormhole gates known as the Draws. This secret technology allows them to move ground forces instantly to wherever they are needed.