Sovereign Court (faction)
- See also: Taldor (faction)
The Sovereign Court faction within the Pathfinder Society represents Lady Gloriana Morilla's efforts to rally young nobles across the Inner Sea region into a united campaign to restore aristocratic rule and influence across Avistan.1
Background
For an empire in decline, war is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it drains resources from already dwindling coffers. On the other hand, it provides a cause to rally behind, spurring squabbling houses to cooperate and struggling industries to increase production. Such was Lady Gloriana Morilla's thinking when she tried to convince the Taldan nobility to send more support to Mendev to combat the Worldwound. In numerous campaigns that united nations against a common evil, Taldor had led the charge, so why not do so again and return Taldor to the spotlight?
Although Lady Morilla found a few like-minded allies at home, many of her peers laughed off the idea. Sending more troops north would leave the southern border vulnerable to Qadiran aggression, argued some, whereas others simply laughed off the idea as idle fancy by an upstart who had spent more time in Absalom than in Oppara. Since words were not enough, Lady Morilla raised a self-styled Army of Exploration with the assistance of Taldor faction Pathfinders. The idea had been to inspire Taldor's leadership to party less and lead more. In this regard she failed, for the majority have not changed their attitudes and view her campaign as an amusing curiosity. Taldor is not a lost cause, but its inertia is too great for the faction to change it on its own.
Instead, Lady Morilla is examining some of the unintended fruits of the faction's work—in particular the stronger relationships she has with several noble houses in other nations. What if, rather than work exclusively in Taldor, the faction instead worked through other nations' leadership to create a network of like-minded aristocrats that all promote the virtues of nobility and strong governance? This secretive sovereign court would have an agenda all its own, not one tied to any one nation.
The Pathfinder Society is happy to have the Sovereign Court as an ally, for friendly nobles are more likely to allow Pathfinders into countries where the Society had once been banned.2
Goals: Nobility United for a Common Cause
Under Lady Morilla's leadership, the faction focuses on second-tier nobility of each nation, using them to act as the powers behind their respective thrones to steer national policy. Perhaps years or decades in the future, this shared vision will birth a new continent-spanning empire through politics rather than conquest—one that will bring prosperity and peace to the Inner Sea region.2 Lady Morilla also wants to keep the faction's existence as secret as possible, since its actions also threaten many nations' ruling orders.3
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ . Pathfinder Society Guide to Play, 17. Paizo Inc., 2019 (v6.0)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 John Compton and Mike Brock. (June 30, 2014). Faction Evolution, Part III: History and Politics, Paizo Blog.
- ↑ . Pathfinder Society Guide to Play, 17. Paizo Inc., 2019 (v6.0)