Lenata by Syreene

The Seekers are a group dedicated to knowledge. Their pursuit of knowledge brings them into contact with nearly every facet of spacefaring life, and their activities are viewed with a combination of suspicion and appreciation.

Type: College

Scale: Interstellar 18

Capital: 18

Interactions: Violence Check +4 | Espionage Check +4 | Negotiation Check +9

Criterion | Affiliation Score Modifier

• Character level | +1/2 PC Level
• Each Dead Language Known | +1/2 each
• Each rank in Linguistics | +1/4
• Visited 3 new Crystal Spheres | +1
• Important Discovery | +2
• Five or more ranks in Appraise | +1/2
• Five or more ranks in Knowledge: History or Knowledge: Wildspace | +1/2
• Completes Seeker assigned Mission | +1
• Donates magic item to Seekers | +1/5,000 gp in value
• Wins debate with rival Seeker (opposed Diplomacy check) | +2
• Reveals Seeker secrets to non member | -3
• Loses Debate with rival Seeker | -4
• Wrecks a ship | -4
• Destroys Lore | -25

Affilliation Score | Title | Benefits | Duties

• 0-3 | Apprentice | None | None | Keep journals and file them with the Seekers
• 4-10 | Seeker | Free room and board at local lodge, +2 on Knowledge checks made using lodge library, access to Affilliation Feats and Prestige Classes | 10 % Tithe
• 11-20 | Master Seeker | +4 to Knowledge checks made in lodge library, unflinchingly loyal 6th Level Expert as servant and Chronicler
• 21-29 | Spherewalker | +* to Knowledge checks made in lodge library | Must spend 30 days, non consecutive, per year doing lodge administration or get -10 to Affilliation Score.
• 30 | Grand Loremaster | Once per year can borrow a magic/psionic item of 18,000 gp value or less from the lodge vaults (Affilliation takes -1 to Capital until returned)

Symbol: An eye with a sword behind it. In more feudal spheres, the Seekers are known as the Company of the Orb and
Sword.

Headquarters: Compendium, a planet or crystal sphere filled with the knowledge the Seekers have gathered. The Seekers admit or deny the existence of Compendium depending upon the situation, but no non-Seeker has yet found it.

Purpose: The Seekers are dedicated to knowledge and try to stay on good terms with sages in space and on the ground. They look for answers to questions such as what is the home planet of the giff, how the Arcane fill their orders so quickly, and why crystal shells are spherical. Often, these arguments bog down for lack of evidence, but the Seekers look to adventurers to gather interesting information, which they then make available to sages and seers seeking advice. Thus, the Seekers are information brokers, but they do not deal in trivial gossip. A Seeker may be intrigued by the mysteryof a magical item or curse but will not be interested in the temporal rulers of his own sphere.

The Seekers deal with most sentient races, provided that these sentients deal with each other fairly. They have no dealing with the neogi, for example, but will work with beholders, illithids, and humanoid races to gather information.

Allies: The Seekers have many acquaintances but few true allies. They deal often with the Sindiath Line, which transports their members from sphere to sphere. The Seekers show a particular affinity for the Pragmatic Order of Thought, whose ideals include the free exchange of information—a goal the Seekers approve of highly. The Seekers agree in principle with the wandering exploration of the Celestians but view their individual explorations as less effective than a concentrated series of research expeditions. Finally, the Seekers cooperate with the schools of magic, particularly (but not exclusively) the Shapers.

Enemies: The Seekers also have few enemies. The Xenos interfere with the Seekers (who employ creatures of all friendly races) much the same as they harass other nonhuman organizations. The Arcane and the Seekers are in an uneasy truce, as the Arcane do not like the Seekers’ meddling in the history of their race.

Joining: The Seekers maintain a hierarchy of circles, with those in the higher circles knowing more about the overall goals of the organization than those at lower levels. Becoming a first or second-circle member of the Seekers is fairly easy, but there are few members in the higher circles that guide organizational policy. Moreover, the exact number of circles and the names of the higher-level members are not revealed to outsiders or those of the lower circles.

Seeker membership is made up of a bewildering mixture of races from around the Known Spheres. All of the player character races (except the scro) can be found in Seeker ranks, although some are more helpful and forthright than others. In addition, there are a number of minor races that have members among the Seekers. While promotion may be blocked by the occasional racially biased superior, the organization as a whole is the most egalitarian in the Known Spheres.
Benefits: Low-circle members of the Seekers have access to the libraries at the various Seeker outposts. These compendia of facts provide a valuable resource for those researching the history or properties of the Known Spheres. However, some of the information in these libraries is incorrect or misleading, and there are disturbing gaps in coverage. Access to more accurate and comprehensive tomes requires membership in a higher circle. Members may also propose questions to the organization. Questions are reviewed by the higher circles, and if considered appropriate are added to a bulletin of interesting topics that is distributed to all Seeker outposts. Thus, the combined knowledge of the entire membership can be focused on one member’s problem. Answers may take years or even centuries, however, so members are encouraged to continue their own investigations.

Obligations: Members of the Seekers are required to tell their leaders of any unusual event or fact that might be of
interest to Seeker members.