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When we sit down at a PFS table, we know in the metagame that all the other characters have memebership in a secret faction and will have an additional secret faction mission above and beyond what the VC has in mind for the expedition.
I find it entertaining to ponder whether this is the case 'in character'. Just because you'll never meet a PC Pathfinder who is not secretly gallivanting for some interest besides the Decemvirate.. does that mean all the NPC Pathfinders are similarly conflicted? The easy knee-jerk answer is 'of course not'.. but what if they WERE?
Whatever the answer is, what implications does this have on how the Decemvirate administrates the Society ICly?
I dunno, seems like a fun topic to think about/discuss.
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Pathfinders of the Grand Lodge don't belong to a secret faction, do work for the Decemvirate and get special instructions and support due to their loyalty. Certain events and boons in scenarios suggested this even before the new factions appeared.
Arguably, the Lantern Lodge holds the same position in Tian Xia, so Grand Lodge PCs in missions set there are the interloping factioneers.
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Well, I wouldn't consider the Grand Lodge to be a non-secret, 'open' faction whos membership represents not having a proper faction.
They're more of a polar opposite to the Shadow Lodge.
Shadow Lodge PC: The gosh-darn Decemvirate is going to get us all killed!
Grand Lodge PC: Nuh uh!
Shadow Lodge PC: Yuh huh!
etc.
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One would figure that, since the people who run the Pathfinder Society aren't idiots, and the people in the PFS aren't idiots (supposedly) it sounds like a situation where everyone just about has to know that every other character is in some faction or another-- and almost everyone is in a faction because there's no other choice-- you can't be unaligned (faction-wise) in the PFS and survive.
Of course, I'd guess that means that which faction someone belongs to may be sort of an open secret-- it's only the missions and special info you get from your faction that stays secret. That, or factions are part of 'what happens in Vegas'...
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I know that my character Bbauzh is so pro-Andoran (due to once being a slave himself) that he proudly wears his Eagle Knight Uniform (purchased a noble outfit with the 150gp in jewelry) and full regalia on missions (unless disguise is necessary) and certainly does not keep it a secret that he's Andoran.
Venture-Captain, Massachusetts—Central & West
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I think the Decimverate pretty much knows that most people do side missions. Some try to be a little more sly about it. This excerpt from the Guide to Organized Play:
Faction Secrecy -
The leaders of the Pathfinder Society generally frown on their members participating in the shadow war for Absalom, though so long as Pathfinders complete their missions and follow orders, the leadership turns a blind eye to the existence of factions within the Society.
Most loyal faction members keep their alliances to themselves, sharing faction-related missions and information only with other members of their faction. As such, the various faction leaders have made it quite clear to their members that open warfare, no matter what the reason might be, is intolerable and will only jeopardize the ability of each faction to manipulate Absalom to its will. While players are encouraged to use creativity to successfully complete faction missions, open hostility against characters of other factions is absolutely forbidden.
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I think the Grand Lodge faction isn't just a counter-effort to the Shadow Lodge, it's a counter-effort to ALL the factions. Grand Lodge Pathfinders have an active interest in maintaining the credibility of faction neutrality that the overall organisation holds.
I think the ideal Grand Lodge Pathfinder has a degree of ‘faith’ in the mysterious whims of the Decemvirate – they have seen that Pathfinder tasks regularly deploy heroes to stop catastrophic events in the nick of time and the character is probably beginning to suspect the Decemvirate know where all the threats are, who to send up against them, and what’s best for the entire world.
It could be a good motivation to follow the Grand Lodge just to ensure that the PFS keeps running at a level of power that thwarts the Aspis Consortium or the myriad of supernatural threats that keep popping up.
They’re arguably more effective than the Silver Crusade because the Decemvirate are the ones that deploy agents to battle ancient evils, it’s just the Silver Crusade don’t need to worry about any kind of diplomatic neutrality — they’re proudly LG. Though my own Grand Lodge Pathfinder chose the GL because she KNOWS the Decemvirate hold the purse strings to the most powerful magic items on the planet, she knows they control who receives what magic and she aims to prove herself to them so she’s rewarded in turn.
I also believe that one major role the Grand Lodge plays is ensuring that teams of agents are NEVER EVER all from the same faction. Can you imagine sending 6 powerful Chelaxian nobles into the heart of Andoran. Or five Sczarni into a wealthy Osirion tomb? Ye gods.