Vigilant Seal
"Protect, Contain, Destroy"
Rune-sealed doors, buried temples, warded vaults, and ancient keeps…these are among the most tantalizing sites for explorers to delve, yet all too often these ruins were abandoned for a good reason: their contents were too dangerous to leave unfettered yet too enduring to destroy outright. The Pathfinder Society has a long track record of unleashing forgotten horrors while in the pursuit of glory and lore. Yet for every imprisoned fiend accidentally released while Pathfinders explore overgrown shrines, the explorers have also uncovered and defeated slumbering evils that would have otherwise emerged to plague the world unforeseen and uncontested. As far as the Vigilant Seal’s concerned, this tradition of cavalier recklessness must change.
Faction Leader: Eando Kline
Among the most famous Pathfinders of the previous decade, Eando Kline (CG male human explorer) famously explored Varisia, infiltrated the Hold of Belkzen, and plumbed the Darklands’ depths to uncover a lost serpentfolk city. Knowing that further publicity would encourage exploration and goad the serpentine villains to attack the surface, Kline returned to the Grand Lodge ahead of his rival Arnois Belzig, urging the Decemvirate not to publish either of their findings about the site. The Decemvirate dismissed his concerns, and in disgust, Eando Kline resigned from the Society. For the past decade he’s led his own expeditions, always endeavoring to explore more responsibly than the organization he left behind. Yet with news of a change in the Decemvirate and respected colleagues rising to positions of power, Eando Kline has returned to the Society at last, accepting his old wayfinder so long as he can lead in the organization’s reform.
Objectives: Just as the Pathfinder Society decrees that its agents must “Explore, report, and cooperate,” the Vigilant Seal expects its agents to “Protect, contain, and destroy.” Dangerous artifacts are often best kept deep within the Grand Lodge or other secure sites, rather than left where they might cause harm. Where slumbering evils lie chained, agents are expected to ensure every link remains strong. And where those goals are impossible, those agents must be ready to neutralize the threat. The Vigilant Seal encourages its agents to be educated enough to identify and understand hazards, and Eando Kline believes that individual Pathfinders must exercise their own discretion in assessing the danger and knowing when to intervene.
Year 4 Goal: While the newly acquired treasures present wondrous opportunities, they also present great danger. The Vigilant Seal faction knows that these treasures cannot fall into enemy hands, and it’s also responsible for keeping a close eye on the Pathfinder Society itself to make sure that the items are not misused. Of all the factions, the Vigilant Seal faction is most likely to come to disagreement with the others about the treasures. There are some powers and secrets that would come at too great a cost.