The Story Behind PFS So Far:

[lostpike]

I was wondering if there was somewhere you could read what has happened in the storyline so far from seasons 1-4 from an outside view and their affects on the world?

[Todd Morgan]

There really wasn't an overarching plot until Season 3. Season 0, 1 and 2 scenarios were all self contained in terms of story, with the exception of the multi part scenarios.

[ElyasRavenwood]

I don't know if there is one.

The Pathfinder Society Primer is an excellent source of information about the Pathfinder Society.

Here is a quick summation of what has happened in the society thus far.

We are in our sixth season of PFS

The season are Season 0, Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, and now Season 5.

Season 0 was written under 3.5 D&D rules.

There was no "meta plot " that I am aware of for Seasons 0 and 1 although there were a couple of linked adventures

Throughout seasons 0, 1 and 2 there was the "Faction war".
here is a paragraph of text describing the faction war on page 8 of Version 2.2 of the Guide to PFS organized play 4/6/10.

"At present, five shadowy, nation-based factions struggle for secret and subtle dominance of Absalom—Andoran, Cheliax, Osirion, Qadira, and Taldor. These ancient and powerful nations have long been major players in Absalom’s affairs, each waxing and waning with the sands of time. Now, in the year 4710, they find themselves on equal footing in the City at the Center of the World, each poised to seize control of the city through political and economic maneuvering. They have their own unique reasons for wanting to control Absalom, but they all have one goal in common: they hope to one day turn this secret war into open and total control of the Inner Sea’s most strategically located mercantile metropolis."

Your character was part of one of those five national factions, and you would go on Faction missions to accumulate what was then called Prestige, (now Fame) and Prestige points. Which ever faction accumulated the most prestige points by year end (GENCON) won. After 3 seasons,(Season 0,1,and 2) the Andoran Faction won. The The Andran faction got a new symbol for their troubles, and their faction leader was promoted from captain to major. The Qadiran faction leader killed the Taldoran faction leader, I believe both were replaced, and the Cheliaxian faction leader, whose faction came in last was told she was in hot water. Do better or else.

In Season 2 the meta plot was called "year of the Shadow Lodge".

:

This was a civil war in the pathfinder society. A group of pathfinders, calling themselves the "shadow Lodge" were dissatisfied with the governing policies of the Decemverate, the council of ten who run the Pathfinder society, The policy they were most dissatisfied with was the the Decemverates desire to have powerful magic, artifacts etc turned over to the society by their field agents, then studied and if deemed dangerous locked in the vaults. The members of the Shadow lodge felt the Decemverate felt everything was dangerous and thus had everything locked into the vaults. They wanted to use the magic and artifacts for themselves, and thus increase their own power.

As you play through the shadow lodge arc scenarios every "shadow lodge" agent you come across and confront are evilly aligned ( there may be one or two neutrally aligned ones, but I cant remember them).

It is only until "Mantis Prey" the last scenario in the shadow lodge arc, you find out that Grand Master Torch started the "shadow Lodge" because he was dissatisfied with the way the Decemverate was treating their field agents, abandoning them and leaving them to horrible fates. You learn that Grand Master Torch was on a mission that went bad in Osirion many years ago, and was cursed and left for dead. He wanted to form a group of like minded pathfinders who would look after each other and keep the Decemverate in check.

Unfortunately someone named the "spider" gained control of a large portion the rogue shadow lodge pathfinders and led them into open revolt against the Pathfinder society.

Once the Decemverate find out it is Grand Master Torch behind the shadow lodge, they bring him into the fold, granting amnesty to his Shadow lodge followers, and promise that they will treat the rank and file better. you also take down the spider.

In season 3, it is called "Year of the Ruby Phenix".
Five new player factions are introduced: The Grand Lodge, The Shadow Lodge, The Lantern Lodge, The Silver Crusade, and lastly the Sczarni. (mafia)

:

In the first half of the season you are sent on missions to gather artifacts to help with the Ruby Phenix tournament.

The Ruby Phenix Tournament is a legendary martial arts tournament held once every 11 years in the fabled city of Goka, (Goka is basically the Absolom of the Dragon empires, the "Orient" of Golarion). In the middle of the season it is assumed the Pathfinder society sends a team of agents to compete in the Ruby Phenix tournament, ( the module of the same name) and win.
The Decemverat picks a the Hao Jin Tapestry as their prize for winning it.

The within the Hao Jin Tapestry is a demiplane, where a very powerful mage had secreted away all sorts of temples, pyramids from all sorts of time sand places.

Through the latter half of Season 3, the Pathfinders explore their new demi plane. They discover an infestation of Aspis Consortium agents. The Pathfinder society then fights to drive these invaders out of their demi plane.

In doing so, at the end of season 3 they discover the existence of the Cult of Llassalla.

Season 4 takes place in Varisia. it is called "Year of the Waking Rune"

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In this season the pathfinders are up rooting the Cult of Lassalla. They are uncovering the cults plans. They plan to awaken the Rune Lord of SLoth: Krune. At the end of the season they defeat Krune.

At the end of the season the Amara Li ,the leader of the Lantern Lodge, decides to return to the Dragon Empires to focus on the growth of the Lantern lodge in their home territory. The Lantern lodge is no longer a legal faction for PCs to belong to. they get a free faction change.

Also at the end of the season Grand Master Torch reveals his true colors. After cornering a resurgent "Spider", he gets ahold of a list of the possible identities of the Decemverate, and kills her and vanishes. it would appear that Grand Master's Torch rejoining the society was only a ploy to gain this information. He leaves, and the Shadow lodge is dissolved. The Shadow Lodge is now no longer a legal faction for PCs to belong to. They get a free faction change.

The Pathfinders at the end of the season also discovered the location of a Dwarven Sky Citadell. It lay in the World Wound.

Season 5 is called "Year of the Demon"

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we are in the first third of the season. The Pathfinder Society is working on mounting an expedition to the newly discovered dwarven sky citadel in the world wound.

The World wound is a rift into the Abyss which is infested by Demons. Neighboring Mendev is a nation of crusaders dedicated to Iomedae. They have erected a series of artifacts called Ward Stones, which keep the Demons penned in the World Wound, unable to teleport out.

At the start of season 5, Pathfinder special #5-0" Siege of the Diamond City" , which coincides with the beginning of the Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous",

The Ward Stones Fail. The Demons boil forth. Currently the Pathfinder Society is helping The Queen of Mendev, and the Mendev Crusaders, defend Mendev. They are also working on mounting their expedition into the World wound to get to this Sky Citadel. I believe the Dwarves of the Five King Mountians have agreed to help the pathfinder society but I am not sure.

That is all I know so far.

Oh I almost forgot Faction Missions have been set aside. Now you have a secondary mission which you have to figure out.

[ja'alur]

thanks for the recap, also in the inner sea guide there is a history of the world including a timeline of important events, does not cover the pathfinder activities since 4710 of course.