Starfinder Galactic Magic

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

DIVINE VARIANTS

Worshipping a deity often brings spiritual fulfillment and NEW FEAT: DIVINE WEAPON OVERVIEW
support from a like-minded community. In general, though,
Prerequisites: Worship a deity of an alignment within one step

a PC’s faith doesn’t impact their abilities directly. For each of of your own alignment (Core Rulebook 25).

the 20 deities featured in the Core Rulebook, the following Benefit: You gain proficiency with all models of your deity’s CLASSES

pages contain not only additional information about the deity’s favored weapon, such as all longswords (standard, sintered,

interests, typical worshippers, sacred sites, and resources their microserrated, and so forth). If you are 3rd level or higher, GEAR
faiths might be able to offer, but they also present several you also gain Weapon Specialization as a bonus feat for your

options that can influence a PC’s abilities directly, as well as deity’s favored weapon. If you are 10th level or higher, when

several ways a deity might express their approval or displeasure, you score a critical hit with your deity’s favored weapon, you SPELLS
at the GM’s direction. increase the DC to resist that weapon’s critical hit effect by 2;

Theme Knowledge: In Starfinder, most themes reduce the DC this does not stack with the Improved Critical feat.

of checks by 5 to recall knowledge about a particular subject, Special: If you change which deity you worship, this feat gives FAITHS

such as an outlaw’s knowledge about the criminal underworld you no benefit until you next gain a character level. You

(Core Rulebook 33). When picking your theme, you can choose then receive the benefit appropriate for the deity you now THE
to replace your theme’s special knowledge with the special worship if your alignment is within one step of that deity’s. MAGICAL
theme knowledge associated with your deity. Your theme’s 1st- GALAXY

level theme knowledge ability still grants you its other abilities,

such as its class skill and the bonus to an ability.

Favored Weapon: Most deities have traditional weapons:

weapons the deity personally wields or armaments commonly

carried by the faith. Each favored weapon refers to a specific

type of advanced melee weapon, longarm, heavy weapon,

sniper weapon, or special weapon (such as longswords or laser

rifles), and you gain the benefits for all models of that weapon.

Rarely, a deity has multiple favored weapons to provide viable

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Edicts: Deities expect their followers to regularly take

particular actions and promote certain causes, represented by

their listed edicts. These are not exhaustive lists, nor are they

absolute mandates; edicts are often worded in an open-ended

way that encourages worshippers to interpret and apply these

expectations based on their current circumstances.

Anathema: Certain actions so violate a deity’s goals,

teachings, or style that they elicit the god’s displeasure. Minor

infractions might earn admonishment from the faithful or divine

agents, whereas severe or recurring infractions might see the

violator expelled from the faith altogether, or worse.

Blessings: Deities rarely intervene in mortal affairs

directly and dramatically, but they periodically convey favor

through small miracles. This entry lists ways a deity might

express approval (such as through sensory phenomena)

as well as more substantive ways they might aid mortals.

While worshippers are the most frequent recipients of these

blessings, anyone contributing or important to the faith’s

goals might receive the deity’s favor. The GM ultimately

determines who earns blessings, when they occur, and what

in-game effect they have.

Curses: This entry lists open-ended ways that a deity might

inflict suffering, especially upon treacherous members of their

faith, those who blaspheme the deity, and those who desecrate

their sacred sites. As with blessings, the GM determines when

these curses happen and what effect they have—anything

from momentary inconvenience to an affliction that serves as

a lasting adventure hook, depending on the offense’s severity.

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ABADAR

Master of the First Vault size and scope of AbadarCorp means that some instances of

LN god of civilization, commerce, law, and wealth graft are inevitably overlooked.
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture or Technically, Abadarans aren’t obliged to join or even

Profession checks to recall knowledge about laws and directly support AbadarCorp. The church respects the many
trade by 5. independent entrepreneurs of faith, many of whose endeavors
Favored Weapon Crossbolter (Core Rulebook 185) honor the Master of the First Vault by driving industry, growing
Edicts Bring civilization to all worlds, earn wealth through wealth, and even (though rarely) competing with AbadarCorp
hard work and trade, follow the rule of law

Anathema Engage in banditry or piracy, steal, undermine a itself to drive corporate innovation.

law-abiding court SACRED SITES
Blessings You see past even cunning lies. Your business
Business is sacred to Abadar, so all of AbadarCorp’s offices
ventures work out in the end. You can find compromise in and buildings are considered temples, and many even host
any situation. sanctifying magic. From the corner store down the street
Curses You suffer financial hardship. Your business ventures to the automated bank kiosk in the food court, if it bears
fail. You lose the ability to make good deals. If you commit
a crime, you leave behind damning evidence.

the AbadarCorp logo, it is a temple or shrine to the Master

Countless worlds across the galaxy flourish with of the First Vault. As a result, the tenets of Abadar’s faith

the civilizations of sapient species, interconnected have spread to the far corners of the galaxy on the back

through a vast network of interstellar trade. But of AbadarCorp’s expansion into new markets. The faith’s

there are also innumerable planets that have not been most holy site in the Pact Worlds is the Golden Vault,

graced with the light of culture and progress, whose AbadarCorp’s corporate headquarters and banking

poverty and isolation have prevented them from cathedral on Absalom Station.

integrating with and enjoying the fruits of In recent decades,

galactic society at large. It is these worlds AbadarCorp has expanded

that capture the attention of Abadar, into the Veskarium and

who knows that it is only a matter of started scouting for a new

20733872 time before civilization, commerce, regional headquarters on Vesk

and the rule of law spread throughout Prime. This has created some

the entire galaxy, and he instructs his conflicts, as many local companies

faithful to work tirelessly to that end. are not happy to see a new rival of

WORSHIPPERS AbadarCorp’s size and influence on the
scene, so threats of corporate espionage

Abadar attracts followers from all walks and sabotage are increasing.

of life: wealthy aristocrats, independent traders, RESOURCES
hard-working corporate agents, lawyers, security

officers, and the working poor—all of whom As literally the richest corporation in the Pact

endeavor to gain Abadar’s blessing and improve Worlds, AbadarCorp has the resources to move

their respective stations. Many explorers and planets and change lives. Agents of the faith have

prospective colonists also venerate the Master access to the vast array of AbadarCorp products

of the First Vault, viewing themselves as the available in company stores throughout the civilized

vanguard of the faith’s efforts to bring civilization galaxy, from armor to weapons to consumer

and order to the galaxy. goods. With the right words and the promise of a

The church of Abadar, better known as future contract or deal, AbadarCorp can convince

AbadarCorp, the wealthiest and most prominent governments and rival corporations to give its agents

corporation in the Pact Worlds, organizes itself special access to restricted locations and information,

as a business, and its corporate executives and provided that such access breaks no current laws.

managers are the church’s priests. The dual While few of the faithful have the influence to call

nature of AbadarCorp does create challenges for upon the full might of the corporate faith, AbadarCorp

the faithful, who must navigate the sometimes still provides a wealth of services to worshippers. Basic

conflicting goals of dogma and profit. This banking, accounting services, and legal advice are free

occasionally results in corrupt practices in to all members of the faith, while other amenities

far‑flung branches of the business, something are available for modest fees, such as financial and

the higher echelons of the church do not investment advice, insurance, legal representation,

tolerate. Management runs regular internal shipping, transport, colonial sponsorship, and

audits to ferret out such corruption, but the many more.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

BESMARA

The Pirate Queen pirate starships also keep altars on their bridges, the better to OVERVIEW
beseech the goddess for aid in the thick of battle.
CN goddess of piracy, space monsters, and strife CLASSES
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture RESOURCES
GEAR
checks to recall knowledge about infamous pirates, Besmara’s faithful can supply credits, weapons, cutting-edge
smugglers, and other starfaring outlaws by 5. starship technology, and information about rich targets for SPELLS
Favored Weapon Breaching gun (Armory 43) plunder. The majority of Besmara’s worshippers have excellent
Edicts Traverse the stars, stay loyal to a worthy captain and connections with arms dealers and fences across the galaxy, FAITHS
crew, take what you want can smuggle illicit goods, or put one in contact with those who THE
Anathema Betray shipmates, forsake piracy, settle on a planet can. Many of the faith are skilled at tinkering with starships
Blessings Easy, profitable targets fall into your path. Your and can offer modifications of their own invention, especially MAGICAL
starship travels supernaturally quickly. Agents of the law starship armor, weapons, and ship-boarding technologies. GALAXY
become lost amongst the stars when looking for you.
Curses Your targets elude you. Your starship is attacked by Though hardly altruistic, Besmarans are loyal to those with
spacefaring monsters. Those aboard your vessel are beset whom they’ve sailed, and those with a good reputation amongst
with ill luck. their compatriots can be assured of finding aid when they need it.

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advanced both her fortunes and her power since the Gap. Her
ship, the Starwraith, is crewed by immortal pirates personally
chosen by her from worlds throughout the
Great Beyond. Besmara cares not for good or
evil—only for plunder and the thrill of the
conquest. Still, she follows her own code of
honor and disapproves of wanton violence
with no profit to be gained.

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WORSHIPPERS

The majority of Besmara’s worshippers are pirates or others
who operate outside the law while journeying between the
stars; for many, their faith runs no deeper than imploring her for
good fortune or tossing a small share of plunder out the airlock
in dedication. Many vesk worship Besmara in her aspect as a
goddess of strife, though her freewheeling nature sometimes
conflicts with the strict discipline of vesk society. Besmara’s
followers have a dualistic relationship with spacefaring
monsters: defeating a space monster can bring a daring captain
glory, but winning one as an ally brings more glory still.

Besmara’s faith lacks any central organization, with
individual priests and lay faithful worshipping as they like.
Most prefer to venerate her through piratical deeds rather than
prayer alone. The most devout believe that great feats of piracy
or unwavering loyalty to Besmara might be rewarded with a
berth on the Starwraith as a member of its immortal crew, the
highest honor a worshipper can hope for.

SACRED SITES

Besmara has few formal temples. On Broken Rock in the
Diaspora, a hollowed-out derelict starship serves as the closest
thing Besmara has to a central temple. Pilgrims also visit the
Gloaming Wrack, a starship graveyard in the Vast’s Hydra
Nebula, where a coalition of four pirate fleets successfully
pillaged the Azlanti Star Empire’s riches at great cost several
decades ago. More commonly Besmaran shrines are tucked
away in cities and spaceports, and on remote asteroids. Many

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DAMORITOSH

The Conqueror Veskarium, and conquest in the name of Damoritosh has been

LE god of conquest, duty, and war the driving force in vesk society since before the Gap.

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture Despite such harsh teachings, the Conqueror accepts

checks to recall knowledge about the conquests, wars, and defeated foes’ surrender. An empire is nothing without subjects,

history of the Veskarium by 5. and harming those whom you have already vanquished is

Favored Weapon Doshko (Core Rulebook 187) wasteful and counterproductive to successful conquest.

Edicts Seek victory, subjugate your enemies, obey lawful WORSHIPPERS
orders from your superiors

Anathema Choose diplomacy over war, abandon your duty, Damoritosh’s faith is widespread throughout the Veskarium,

reject honorable surrender where it’s the duty of all citizens to lend their strength and

Blessings A weapon appears in your hand when needed. Your support to the empire’s victories. The Conqueror’s followers

enemies flee or cower before you. You fight on past death. are usually strong, but some of his most zealous disciples are

Curses Your weapon breaks. Your strength in combat fails. those who overcame weakness to gain his blessings. It is not

Your resolve wavers when you face a new or unknown foe. uncommon for conquered subjects who prove their worth to

be welcomed into faith. Beyond the Veskarium, Damoritosh is

Damoritosh teaches that it is the duty of those with strength to popular among soldiers, mercenaries, and warlords.

conquer weaker beings. This philosophy underpins the entire SACRED SITES

Temples to Damoritosh are often erected in locations

strategically significant to past, current, and future battles.

These are strategic, fortified outposts usually modeled on the

Great Hall of the Conqueror on Vesk Prime. Larger facilities host

highly sophisticated research and development labs focused on

new military ordnance. Temples are often adapted to existing

infrastructure. “The Barracks” in Absalom Station’s Vesk

20733874 Quarter occupies two former warehouse spaces, but its interior

is almost indistinguishable

from any temple found on

Vesk Prime. On the edge

of Veskarium space, the

Tomb of the War Heroes was built

inside a defeated Swarm starship,

serving as a shrine to the Grim

Commander and a monument to the

first vesk victory of the Swarm War.

RESOURCES

The faith commands nearly limitless
military resources, and it periodically
loans out weapons and even military
vehicles in exchange for strategic favors.
The Conqueror’s temples are home to
vast libraries overflowing with strategic
information. Priests of Damoritosh are
highly knowledgeable not only about combat
tactics and warfare, but also on subjects such
as culture, governance, and economics to
aid in the assimilation of conquered societies. The faith
supplies of the galaxy’s most elite tacticians, and the
Grim Commander’s disciples are often willing to lend their
strategic prowess to their fellows, especially those who
show potential to be strong allies. That being said, asking
for too much assistance is a sign of weakness that does not
go unnoticed.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

DESNA Scintillatrix (Pact Worlds 16) in the Burning Archipelago is OVERVIEW
a popular pilgrimage destination for Desna’s faithful, and its
Song of the Spheres location within the Pact Worlds’ sun leads to lively but friendly CLASSES
debate between the churches of Desna and Sarenrae over the
CG goddess of dreams, luck, stars, and travelers differences between stars and suns. GEAR
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism
RESOURCES SPELLS
and Physical Science checks to recall knowledge about
dreams and astronomy by 5. Worshippers of Desna commonly seed solar systems and deep FAITHS
Favored Weapon Starknife (Core Rulebook 190) space alike with what they call “dream stations”—automated THE
Edicts Aid fellow travelers, explore new worlds, express starships outfitted with supplies and resources for travelers,
yourself through art and song, find what life has to offer including safe places to rest, and stores of entertainment and MAGICAL
Anathema Cause fear or despair, use magic to corrupt dreams, engage nourishment. These vessels send magical signals that ping GALAXY
in bigoted behavior, damage or fully plunder a dream station the dreams of slumbering travelers who are chaotic or good,
Blessings Recover from afflictions swiftly through a single night’s allowing them to seek them out and open their airlocks with
sleep. Poor fortune suddenly shifts to good luck. Luminescent nondenominational prayers of respect, and promises to use
butterfly wings allow flight and survival in outer space. only what they need and to leave behind gear they believe will
Curses Long-distance travel is delayed or dangerous, and you aid the station’s next visitors.
often lose your way. Fortune and good luck twist and warp
into unlikely and awful ill events. Starlight sickens you and
saps your vitality. Sleep is dreamless and not restful.

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she doesn’t pine for the old days. To her, the Material Plane’s
beauty grows every day, and if a universe can continue to
delight the goddess of travelers even today, then something
must have gone right during creation. Carefree and instinctive,
Desna encourages self-reliance and a sense of wonder, knowing
that luck comes not to those who seek it out, but to those who
20733875 take chances and experience all that life has to offer.

WORSHIPPERS

Desna’s faithful often refer to her less as a goddess to worship
and more as an example to follow—be it a literal sense of using
her sacred star Cynosure as a traditional navigational
aid, or a more metaphorical one in the sense of simply
reveling in the wonder of what the next night’s dreams
or next day’s journey might reveal. Desnans also expand
their social circles and challenge established traditions,
believing that you can never know if another person’s ideals
are better unless you’ve tried them on yourself (so long as
doing so doesn’t promoted wickedness). They do their best
not to promote acts of cruelty, yet to choose a safe option
for fear that something ill might come of the attempt is
self-limiting. As long as one is prepared to accept and
apologize for one’s mistakes, and then work to correct
them, there is always an opportunity for self-discovery. Of
course, a little luck always helps, and Desna’s followers are
well-known for putting more trust in chance than others might
find wise.

SACRED SITES

While Desna’s church has few major temples, smaller shrines to
the Song of the Spheres are prevalent throughout the galaxy.
The star Cynosure, the ostensible location of Desna’s palace,
is arguably her most famous site on the Material Plane, and
travel to Desna’s realm of the same name on Elysium is swift
and simple in close proximity to the star. The bubble-city of

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THE DEVOURER

The Star-Eater nearly insignificant on a universal scale. The Devourer is the

Chaotic evil god of black holes, destruction, and supernovas malevolent personification of entropy itself, indifferent to all

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture or but the most destructive of forces.

Mysticism checks to recall knowledge about the Cult of the WORSHIPPERS
Devourer, including its belief system, local presence and

members, and how to contact the cult by 5. The Devourer has no organized church; scattered cults seek

Favored Weapon Disintegration lash (Armory 36) to hasten the eradication of existence in their own ways.

Edicts Engage in acts of destruction, kill sentient beings, tear Devourer cultists usually join a “choir,” one of two traditions

down civilizations that matches their own beliefs and methods. Those hailing

Anathema Repair an object that won’t inflict greater from the far fringes of society often join the wall-breaker choir,

destruction; create new technology, magic, or life without a seeking destruction for destruction’s sake. Others are everyday

destructive purpose citizens who suffered trauma so great that only the end of all

Blessings Plants wither and small objects crumble at your existence can quell their minds. Members of the hidden one

touch. You are overcome with the urge to slaughter and choir scheme from the shadows. The berserk cannibal is

destroy. Nothingness fills your dreams. easy to spot, but who notices the computer technician who

Curses Your equipment breaks and technology malfunctions. implants data-devouring worms into every system they access,

Thoughts and memories are ripped from your mind as if or the antiques collector whose garbage is sprinkled with the

pulled by the gravity of a black hole. shattered fragments of one-of-a-kind ancient art objects and

prototype technologies? The cult has no organized priesthood

In the beginning, there was nothing, and so shall it be at either, but older, experienced cultists called “longteeth” guide

the end. The Devourer, though formless, is a primal force cult cells and provide some leadership to young cultists until

that relentlessly marches forward to complete the cycle they inevitably meet their own destruction.

and completely unmake all existence. It leaves nothing in its SACRED SITES
wake, not even disparity, and those who open themselves to

the Devourer’s uncaring philosophy—if the utter lack of any The Cult of the Devourer is outlawed on nearly every developed

20733876 doctrine can be called philosophy—are consumed until all that world, but a handful of shrines have risen on remote asteroids

remains is the empty shell of who they once were. and cold, lifeless moons, far from prying eyes. The Devourer’s

The Star-Eater cares nothing for those who few temples are secret and elusive—they must be to avoid

call themselves its followers, for their obliteration at the hands of nonbelievers—but are also erected

existence is meaningless and the in areas destined for self-destruction, such as on a planetoid

destruction they indulge in is orbiting a star that will soon go supernova or in an abandoned

space habitat in a decaying orbit that will eventually burn up

during reentry.

Some Devourer cults take their mission of destruction to the

stars instead, joining to form armadas of salvaged, jury‑rigged

starships that prey upon any other vessels or inhabited

colonies they come across. While pirates and raiders can often

be reasoned with or bought off, these starfaring Devourer cults

have no goals beyond slaughtering all living beings they find

and destroying anything of value.

RESOURCES

The Cult of the Devourer has no central authority or
organization, but its cells are scattered throughout the galaxy.
They maintain a loosely connected network through secret
meetings and hidden messages whispered in the right auditory
organs. Devourer cultists can tap into this network for aid,

including access to all manner of destructive devices, from
disintegrators and explosives to computer viruses and
dangerous, unstable magics. Local Devourer cult cells also
can provide zealous followers with information on good
targets for mayhem and destruction. Aid rarely comes
from the Devourer itself, but its disciples faithfully revel
in accelerating the destruction of the universe.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

ELORITU

The Hidden Truth Some  believe that the maze has only a single solution, and OVERVIEW
whoever successfully solves it will achieve divine enlightenment.
Neutral god of history, magic, and secrets CLASSES
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism The exact nature of Eloritu’s purported place of origin,
Gemmenad, has long been one of the faith’s most enduring GEAR
checks to recall knowledge of magic secrets and traditions mysteries. Conflicting scriptures variously name it as a planet,
by 5. a star system, or even an extraplanar realm, but current church SPELLS
Favored Weapon Singing spear (Armory 51) doctrine states that Gemmenad’s secrets will be revealed once
Edicts Uncover secrets and hidden knowledge, preserve all six of Eloritu’s holy runes are identified and understood. FAITHS
history, master the magical arts THE
Anathema Reveal important secrets, wantonly destroy RESOURCES
historical or magical relics, embrace technology over magic MAGICAL
Blessings Hidden patterns are revealed. You feel the course The church carefully conceals its full resources, but it is known GALAXY
of history behind you. Magic comes more naturally to you. to possess numerous pre-Gap relics, including magic items and
Curses You are unable to keep a secret. Your deeds are erased historical texts. Individual Elorituans or their circles can provide
from history. You lose the ability to use magic. aid in the form of research assistance, spellcasting, and the
lending or sale of magic items, but one must first find a circle
Eloritu in an ancient deity whose faith predates the Gap, and that has the needed resources, make contact with them, and
he’s commonly considered the one being who knows what then somehow earn their trust or undergo their initiation rites
caused the Gap and what happened during that lost age. Eloritu before the circle will offer their help.
teaches that some knowledge should be kept hidden, and that
while science and technology have their uses, only magic can
supersede the laws of physics.

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Eloritu attracts many spellcasters’ devotion, but they are not
his only followers. Historians, researchers, members of the
20733877 Starfinder Society, and scholars of the Gap also come to the
Hidden Truth, hoping to understand the past through revelation.

The church is split into many independent circles, each with
its own specific focus, be that a mystery, a magical tradition,
an academic interest, or even the meaning behind Eloritu’s six
sacred runes. Each circle maintains complex initiation rites and
elaborate layers of secrecy that the faithful must decipher to
gain access to the church’s more esoteric and magical secrets.

This secrecy also manifests in countless secret societies
and mystery cults, some of which drift far from the church’s
accepted dogma, like the secret society called the Open Lie.
Considered heretics by most, adherents of the Open Lie believe
that Eloritu ended history with the Gap, and that everything
since then has been a simulation—the real “hidden truth” behind
existence. Only once one accepts this secret as truth can they
see and enter “the Real World” outside the simulation.

SACRED SITES

Eloritu’s few public temples serve as libraries, museums, and
sometimes schools, but secret temples are much more
common. The faithful conceal these sites of worship
within magical academies and research institutes, often
unbeknownst to uninitiated staff. One such clandestine
temple is the starship Lost Message, which secretly
travels the Veskarium while researching the ancient and
mysterious ruins of Vesk-2, where one of the runes in
Eloritu’s holy symbol was discovered.

In the Pact Worlds, the miles-wide Master’s Maze on Aucturn
is a monumental prayer carved into the planet’s  surface.

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HYLAX

The Forever Queen did not try to stop them. This is critical for those Hylaxians who

LG goddess of diplomacy, first contact, friendship, and peace specialize in first contact to keep in mind, where the altruistic

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture endeavor of welcoming creatures to the galactic community

checks to recall knowledge about sapient species and races could all too easily shift to high-pressure missionary preaching

you haven’t encountered before by 5. to vulnerable creatures.

Favored Weapon Talon (Armory 54) SACRED SITES
Edicts Seek out relationships and build bonds with others,

facilitate peaceful dialogue and exchange, welcome sapient The Forever Halls on the moon of Nchak are considered the center

creatures into the galactic community of Hylax’s church in the Pact Worlds, but hive-like Hylaxian

Anathema Instigate a conflict, turn your back on a friend temples are common in most major population centers. These

or ally, engage in hostilities without first attempting a temples usually contain numerous meeting rooms, available for

peaceful solution free to members of the faith but also offered as neutral spaces

Blessings Your negotiations are triumphantly successful. where disagreeing parties can negotiate, with Hylaxian priests

Someone who doesn’t speak your language nevertheless available to serve as trained mediators.

understands you mean no harm. Three glowing stars One of the church’s most sacred sites is the Forever

appear over your head. A pleasant and soothing humming Reliquary, a shrine built on a comet where, according to legend,

sound surrounds you. Hylax welcomed the shirrens back into her worship after their

Curses Your eloquent words land flat. You are constantly escape from the Swarm. Some galaxy-traveling Hylaxians have

irritable. A sound like pincers on graphite follows you. established shrines containing Hylax’s teachings

in far-flung locations in the Vast, providing

A deity of peace, amity, and dialogue, Hylax was the immortal reassurance, assistance, and friendship to any

god-queen of the insectile kucharn species, who forsook newly spacefaring species who stumble upon

her worship to remake themselves into the collective them. These shrines include beacons that can be

hive mind now called the Swarm. Though her children activated to alert the church of Hylax that a new

abandoned her, she did not disown them, and when species is ready to join the galactic community.

20733878 the shirrens broke away from the Swarm, the RESOURCES
Forever Queen was waiting to embrace them

again. As the galaxy has become more Many of Hylax’s faithful are travelers, so

connected, and its myriad inhabitants explore Hylaxian communities, churches, and

and expand, Hylax’s ideals are increasingly individual worshippers frequently

important. Whenever two species settle offer to host traveling guests.

their differences without violence, a new If their mission aligns with the

species learns that it isn’t alone in the church’s principles of peace,

universe, or two old friends reunite, diplomacy, and first contact,

the spirit of Hylax is there. adventurers can count on

WORSHIPPERS Hylaxian churches for a
wide variety of help, including

The Forever Queen is an insectile goddess, supplies for a long journey,

beloved by many sapient hive creatures such as libraries or infosphere access

shirrens, formians, haans, and trox, but her faith to research extraterrestrial

has spread to many other species thanks to her species and their customs, or personal

teachings on peace, diplomacy, and first contact. introductions to notable Hylaxians

A surprising number of vesk who immigrated or their associates. Given Hylaxians’

to the Pact Worlds or elsewhere outside conciliatory reputation, the faith also

the Veskarium have converted to Hylax’s hires out negotiators to help diffuse crises

faith, perhaps because it’s so opposite to the or arbitrate truces.

aggressive dogma of Damoritosh upon which A few wealthy Hylaxians occasionally

they were raised. provide starships for the most noble

Hylax teaches that worshippers should come endeavors, such as an attempt to bring

to the faith of their own free will, not through peace to the far reaches of the galaxy, but

coercion. Even when the kucharns left her such aid is usually reserved for the truly

worship and became the Swarm, Hylax believed devout or for exceptional allies of the

that they should be able to make their own church on missions that strongly align

decisions, and while she wept for them, she with Hylax’s interests.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

IBRA Universities often include Ibran sanctuaries where students OVERVIEW
can seek a quiet escape from everyday bustle. Likewise, it’s
The Inscrutable a common superstition for academies to hide at least one CLASSES
inscription of Ibra’s sacred constellation in each major building,
N god of celestial bodies, the cosmos, and the mysteries of with academics priding themselves on locating each iteration. GEAR
the universe
RESOURCES SPELLS
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Physical
Science checks to recall knowledge of astronomy by 5. Priests don’t petition the church so much as appeal to colleagues FAITHS
for assistance, often paying with research favors, guest lecturing, THE
Favored Weapon Plasma rifle (Core Rulebook 185) or the like. Ibrans often collect esoteric knowledge, including
Edicts Solve cosmological mysteries, inspire wonder in the unpublished theories, data sets, and scientific instruments MAGICAL
unavailable elsewhere. Ibrans often borrow gear from peers, GALAXY
unknown, delight in silence especially analytical equipment and perception aids. Likewise,
Anathema Grant easy answers to able minds, undermine the Inscrutable’s followers regularly hire themselves out
as exceptional starship science officers,
confidence in science especially for perilous missions into
Blessings Disparate clues connect themselves like stars in a unexplored regions of space.

constellation. Projectiles are deflected, orbiting you like tiny
moons before spinning away. Supernatural silence shelters
you from ambient chaos.
Curses Calculations and instruments return incoherent or
misleading results. Haunting distractions interrupt your
studies. Trips into the unknown consistently return you to
where you started.

It’s unclear whether Ibra is an ascended being or a divine 4431608
manifestation of the universe’s manifold forces. Signs of
Ibra’s pre-Gap worship hint at a physical form like some alien
angel, suggesting apocryphally that Ibra is not the original
cosmological deity, but perhaps the most recent one. Whatever
their history, Ibra oversees the cosmos, quietly guiding and
20733879 inspiring those who crave their secrets.

WORSHIPPERS

Ibra’s most fervent worshippers are astrophysicists and
interstellar explorers. The mysticism underlying solarian arts
attracts many of these warriors, who syllogize Ibra’s mysteries to
unlock their powers. Yet the vast emptiness and unknowability
of space attracts its share of conspiracy theorists who prod at
reality’s corners, hoping to unravel some greater truth.

At face value, Ibra offers little to worshippers: no pageantry,
only occasional magic, and precious little camaraderie. Instead,
worship is a personal affair, with the faithful sensing Ibra’s
presence between mathematical symbols, feeling it alongside
them as they gaze together into the stars, or acting as a silent
interlocutor and companion on long journeys. Priests inspire
future scientists through lectures, tours, and high-budget
documentaries to ensure that the cosmos remains a source of
beauty and wonder forever.

SACRED SITES

Temples to Ibra typically drift on asteroids, space stations, and
other platforms that provide views of the cosmos unimpeded by
atmosphere. Each temple includes an observatory of some form,
yet some sites—including the Six Stargazers, an impossibly old
Ibran temple on the Brethedan moon of Chamari—instead possess
an inexplicable sense of focus, allowing unparalleled revelations
to pilgrims. Other temples occupy immense exploration vessels,
skimming in and out of the Drift to study the galaxy from every
angle and provide refuge to even far-flung faithful.

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IOMEDAE

The Spirit of Golarion Her most ardent devotees are often soldiers, law enforcement,

LG goddess of honorable battle, humanity, justice, and valor or freedom fighters who are brave enough to put their lives

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Culture and on the line for justice. Unsurprisingly, crusaders and knights

Mysticism checks to recall knowledge about the history and flock to Iomedae’s church as well. The Knights of Golarion are

religions of lost Golarion by 5. perhaps the most well-known of these crusading orders, and

Favored Weapon Longsword (Core Rulebook 189) though their members are not required to worship Iomedae,

Edicts Be temperate, fight for justice and honor, hold valor in the tenets of her faith are woven throughout the creed of the

your heart knightly order. This isn’t to say that all of Iomedae’s faithful

Anathema Abandon a companion in need, dishonor yourself, can be found on literal battlefields; many do the goddess’s work

refuse a challenge from an equal by providing social services, working to pass just laws, and

Blessings The ring of clashing blades fills the air. Armor and fighting oppression through activism and legal challenges.

weapons repel dirt and shine as if new. Blades become honed In the Veskarium, Iomedae’s emphasis on honorable battle

and sharp, even gaining temporary weapon fusions. and bravery attracts many vesk worshippers, but there are

Curses Your gear is always tarnished and dirty no matter how frequent ideological clashes between her faithful and those

often you clean it. Effective battlefield tactics elude you. You of Damoritosh, who are more focused on conquest and war

fumble your weapons at crucial moments. for its own sake. Nevertheless, a small but growing faction in

the Veskarium has embraced Iomedae’s philosophy of fighting

Once a mortal human on Golarion, Iomedae became a goddess oppression and works to change their own society from within.

ages ago through the power of the mystical Starstone that now lies SACRED SITES
at the heart of Absalom Station. With Golarion’s disappearance,

many displaced humans turned to Iomedae for solace Iomedae’s temples usually have the appearance of traditional

and protection because of her connection to their cathedrals and churches once common on Golarion. The

vanished home world, and the Spirit of Golarion best example of this style is the Swordlight Cathedral

became the patron goddess of humanity in on Absalom Station, which is widely considered the

addition to her other divine concerns. Iomedae spiritual center of Iomedae’s faith, given its

20733880 is fearless, fights honorably against injustice proximity to the Starstone and its location in

and evil, and expects the same bravery and Golarion’s former orbital path. The mighty

righteousness from her faithful. cathedralships of the Iomedaean navy also

WORSHIPPERS serve as temples to the Spirit of Golarion,
spreading her faith across the galaxy.

Iomedae welcomes any Iomedae’s faith is also popular

and all willing to live among members of the Skyfire Legion,

by her creed. whose prospective Skyfire Legionnaires

regularly train at the Inheritor’s Academy

on Triaxus to learn chivalry, military strategy, and

combat tactics. On Akiton, Iomedae is celebrated in

the Circle of Valor, an arena where combatants fight

honorably and abide by strict rules. The arena is

also the base for a movement pushing to reform

Akiton’s gladiatorial traditions. Iomedae’s primary

center of worship in the Veskarium is Blades’

Bastion on Vesk Prime, where statues depict

Iomedae as a powerful vesk warrior.

RESOURCES

Iomedaeans in good standing can request equipment,
healing, and armed escorts, especially those with the
knowledge and armaments to battle fiends. This goes
both ways, however, as combat-trained worshippers
are expected to answer the call if the church has need of their
services. Not all Iomedaeans fight injustice with swords—
some do so with words. Those fighting oppression

can plead their cases to church-sanctioned
lawyers who will fight for justice in the courts.

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LAO SHU PO

Grandmother Rat or weave magic to impair victims for theft, as happens with OVERVIEW
Absalom Station’s Coven of Eyeless Watchers.
NE goddess of assassins, rats, spies, and thieves CLASSES
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture RESOURCES
GEAR
checks to recall knowledge about espionage and the Loosely organized and self-interested, Laoites rarely offer
criminal underworld by 5. services to outsiders or even fellow members of the faith SPELLS
Favored Weapon Ice needle (Armory 35) without some compensation. With proper payment, however,
Edicts Take what you need or want, subvert and sabotage your the church can easily arrange a variety of criminal services, FAITHS
enemies, betray others before they betray you, survive from burglary to espionage to murder-for-hire. The faith also THE
Anathema Work honestly for something you could steal maintains a thriving information economy, exchanging data
instead, risk too much for another creature, harm a rat about individuals and places of interest around the Pact Worlds MAGICAL
Blessings Darkness obscures your deeds. Your lies sound like and beyond. Although these secrets are for sale to almost GALAXY
truth. Your thefts go unnoticed. Your target never sees you. anyone, Laoites enjoy first dibs on choice intelligence, as well
Curses Rats infest your home. Thieves steal your possessions. as access to information too valuable to share with outsiders.
Enemies and rivals easily find you. Your killing shot misses.
Some Laoites who can see the broader picture occasionally
A simple rat who became divine after feasting on a dead god’s offer aid to other members within the cult at no cost, reasoning
corpse, Lao Shu Po became the patron of those who work in the that those with the right information and equipment are far
shadows. Her name is a whisper on the lips of traitors, spies, less likely to make mistakes that could draw the wrong kind of
murderers, and the covetous alike. She is the darkest aspect of attention to their operations—though payment for these “free”
survival at all costs. resources always comes due eventually.

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While ysoki make up a majority of her followers, most see
Lao Shu Po as a force to be appeased or avoided rather than
embraced. Those ysoki who do venerate Grandmother Rat
20733881 consider themselves her humble “grandchildren.”

Worshippers can be generally categorized into two
groups, colloquially known as shadows and
showboaters. Shadows tend to live off the
grid, prizing their secrecy above all else.
Often operating through aliases, shadows
work together in short-lived cells only when
they share mutual goals. Showboaters are less subtle,
operating within (or at the head of) more permanent
organizations like assassin guilds, mercenary groups, or
urban gangs. These two broad approaches both serve the
faith, with shadows ensuring that Laoite cults are difficult to
completely snuff out while showboaters cultivate the reach
to draw a steady stream of new recruits to the faith.

SACRED SITES

What few temples Lao Shu Po’s faithful maintain are small and
unassuming, often secreted away in places like maintenance
tunnels or the concealed cargo hold in a smuggler’s prized
starship. Some shrines are hidden in plain sight, with respectable
businesses and shady pleasure dens alike offering places to
worship for those who know what to say, and to whom.

According to urban legend, these temples store untold
ill-gotten riches, and Laoites often spread such
rumors to attract hapless treasure-
hunters into traps. Of course, such
horrors may simply be tall tales spread
by the faith itself to lead would-be looters away
from their real hideouts. More often, these sites offer intoxicants

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NYARLATHOTEP

The Crawling Chaos Curses A reliable device backfires dangerously when you

CE Outer God of conspiracies, dangerous secrets, and attempt to use it. Your deepest secrets become public

forbidden magic knowledge. Your dreams are haunted by chaos that warps

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism your mind and devastates your cognitive ability.

or Culture checks to recall knowledge of dangerous magic

items or conspiracy theories by 5. Nyarlathotep manipulates the growth of civilizations, only to

Favored Weapon Void staff (Armory 36) revel in their eventual fall. With one hand, he gives the gift of

Edicts Sow discord, influence civilizations toward unintentional knowledge and power; with another, he manipulates mortal

destruction, misuse positions of authority to steer events desires; with yet another and another, he shifts reality so that

toward apocalyptic ends, encourage magic or technology use the best-intentioned plans cause pain and end worlds.

by those who aren’t ready to deal with the repercussions WORSHIPPERS
Anathema None (see below)

Blessings Strangers who secretly support your goals offer Nyarlathotep is a being of countless forms, each with its own

you aid. Your appearance alters to disguise you to aid your distinct cult. Nyarlathotep’s faithful appear in all cultures, yet

sinister missions. Inspirations for cruel magical powers or certain societies and creatures worship him more openly, such

devastating technological advances manifest in your mind. as grioths AA4, mi-go AA2, and shantaks AA2, or moon beasts, whose

infiltrating presence has yet to be seen in the Pact Worlds.

In worshipping Nyarlathotep, any practices that fulfill his

edicts are considered acceptable. While Nyarlathotep uses

his worshippers to advance his sinister agendas, he doesn’t

particularly care for his followers. As such, his faith has no

anathemas, though those who reveal the church’s secrets or

conspiracies are likely to find themselves hunted by the faithful.

The pursuit of knowledge and the creation of conspiracies

are both sacred for Nyarlathotep’s cultists. They delight in

20733882 knowing vast truths while simultaneously spreading lies and

misinformation among the populace, yet they know that truth

can do more damage than lies in the long run. They pepper their

conspiracies with well-established facts, so that even the most

outlandish or frightening claims seem plausible—such as that

Nyarlathotep tricked mortals into creating the Gap to hide a

discovery that would save them from an apocalypse they set in

motion and that is still set to occur.

SACRED SITES

Temples to Nyarlathotep exist in hidden places on worlds where
his cult seeks to harm society in secret, and also in places where he
was openly worshipped in eons past. In the Pact Worlds, pilgrims
still come to the Pyramid of the Black Pharaoh on Aucturn to
revere Nyarlathotep. One site intrigues and compels the faithful
to spread ever outward, for it is said that at the very center of the
universe, where the sightless, mindless god Azathoth roils and
howls, Nyarlathotep makes his home. The Crawling Chaos is also
said to dwell in unknown Kadath at the edge of Leng, within the
nightmare landscapes of all creatures who dream.

RESOURCES

Worshippers of Nyarlathotep value anything that lets them
continue their destructive plots in secrecy. Disguises, methods
of manipulating the truth, and tools that allow for the spread
of damaging truths to those who would do better to remain in
ignorance are their greatest weapons. Forbidden and dangerous
magics might also be available to the faithful, provided they’re
willing to give up their own secrets as payment.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

ORAS

Agent of Change Oras’s faithful construct shrines where they experienced OVERVIEW
meaningful changes, often planting the seed of a tree there. The
CN god of adaptation, evolution, and natural selection sapling’s success symbolically reflects the long-term success of CLASSES
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Life Science the faithful’s evolution. This practice is an homage to oracles of
Oras (Alien Archive 3 74), intelligent tree-beings that act as living GEAR
checks to recall knowledge about genetics by 5. shrines, gene repositories, and guardians of the natural world.
Favored Weapon Neural lash (Armory 45) SPELLS
Edicts Adapt to new situations, evolve beyond external RESOURCES
FAITHS
limitations, welcome change in its diversity of forms Oras’s church develops a constant stream of new biomedical THE
Anathema Avoid change, stagnate into complacency, push serums, biotech augmentations grown from a variety of living
cells, and polymorph spells pushed past normal limitations. MAGICAL
others away from their desired forms Oras’s temples and faithful maintain storerooms of older-model GALAXY
Blessings A spontaneous mutation provides the tool you augmentations and last year’s gene-hacking serums. These are
less strategic allocations and more the cast-asides of a group
need. Pressure in the right place pushes you past a barrier, focused on the newest and next. Those starting their controlled
enabling a breakthrough. evolution are welcomed with these hand-me-downs, so that all
Curses Experiments fail for no reason. Desired changes warp can begin their journey without concern for cost.
into unpleasant consequences.

The whims of genetics are strong but not absolute. By applying
the appropriate pressures in the right conditions, life-forms can
shape their bodies to meet their desires. While Oras didn’t give
gene editing or biotech augmentations to the galaxy, they took
the tools available and molded them to the task. Oras’s own
journey from single-celled organism to deity provides a path
that some faithful try to follow, while others mark their bodies
with inventive transformations. Oras welcomes all into the
unending spiral of change.

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The most visible worshippers of Oras are those who
mold their bodies into vibrant works of art. The scientific
ingenuity needed to enact useful changes elevates talented
biotechnicians and other scientists within the faith. However,
few worshippers use exclusively one technique in
modifying their or others’ forms, seeing every tool’s place
in a lifelong project. Both cutting-edge augmentations
and the collective mystic knowledge of xenodruids garner
respect in the church, contrary to the public imagination that
self-experimenting researchers dominate the faithful’s ranks.

The Cult of the Glorious Body is a loose congregation that
celebrates the wild and miraculous forms that evolution
offers. Those whose bodies fall outside societal norms are
celebrated within the cult, both those born in markedly
different bodies and those who purposefully change
forms.

SACRED SITES

Oras’s few formal temples are hybrid wonders that blend
organisms with artificial structures, such as the floating
gas gardens of Roselight on Liavara. A rare few are
wholly organic, such as the temple in the living arcology
Ebethruya in Bretheda’s skies. Commonly, centers of
worship develop where the conditions for evolution are
ripe. The city of Daza on Akiton evolved as a holy site
due to its constant irradiation, both for those who want to
use radiation in their personal transformation or to test the
limits of their own adaptations.

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PHARASMA

Lady of Graves gods—and she knows all the choices they will face and the

N goddess of birth, death, fate, and prophecy consequences they will engender.

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture WORSHIPPERS
checks to recall knowledge about a society’s funeral rites

or beliefs concerning death by 5, and reduce the DCs of Pharasma’s faithful claim that everyone prays to the Lady of

Mysticism checks to identify undead creatures by 5. Graves at some point in their lives. Pharasmins come from all

Favored Weapon Zero knife (Armory 36) walks of life: diviners and doctors, midwives and morticians,

Edicts Guard the sanctity of life and death, lay bodies to rest, healers and undead slayers. Even those who don’t venerate

honor the weave of fate, destroy undead and those who Pharasma as their primary patron deity tend to offer her prayers

would create them when they fear death approaching, and expectant parents also

Anathema Create undead, desecrate corpses, attempt to beseech Pharasma for her blessings during childbirth.

reverse or change your fate Undeath isn’t a disqualifier for the rights of personhood

Blessing You see a glimpse of the future in a vital moment. or citizenship under Pact Worlds law, and many consider the

Your weapons are particularly effective against undead. church’s stance on the undead outdated or even offensive.

The strands of fate are tweaked in your favor. Pharasma’s views on the undead remain unchanged, but her

Curses You receive horrifying visions of the future. church is subject to mortal laws and has updated its public

Divinations concerning you stance to focus on other aspects of the faith instead. This

contain dire, cryptic portents. conflict between divine dogma and church doctrine led to a

Your life and lineage abruptly schism when the Absalom Pact was signed. A sect of religious

end before their time. extremists seeks the destruction of all undead and has been

implicated in several terrorist attacks that targeted undead

Since the beginning of time, citizens. Rumors say they seek nothing less than the complete

Pharasma has sat on her purging of all undead on Eox.

throne in the Boneyard, SACRED SITES
impartially judging

20733884 the soul of every dead Cemeteries, mortuaries, catacombs, and other sites for

mortal and sending it to remembering and honoring the dead are all sacred to Pharasma,

its final rest. It’s said as are locations dedicated to birth, and Pharasma’s holy symbol

Pharasma is with every frequently decorates the walls of maternity wards. One of the

living being in the universe greatest churches of Pharasma is the Spiral Basilica on Eox, a

from birth to death—even the spiritual bastion for the faithful forced to travel to the planet

of the undead. While not as extravagant, the Halls of Memory

on Absalom Station still maintain the gothic sensibilities of

Pharasma’s faith and serve as the station’s largest funeral home.

In recent years, Pharasmins have flocked to Apostae after a

vault was discovered beneath the planetoid’s surface bearing

Pharasma’s spiral and esoteric prophetic writings on its walls,

floors, and ceilings. This influx has led to growing interest in

the faith among many of Apostae’s disenfranchised residents,

seeing in Pharasma’s impartiality an equalizing force in a world

stacked against them.

RESOURCES

The church of Pharasma always has specialized undead-fighting
equipment available to members of the faith willing to
hunt undead creatures that Pact Worlds governments have
sanctioned for destruction. For a modest donation, most
churches are also willing to provide healing or divination services
to worshippers and outsiders alike. Many Pharasmins also work
in healthcare, frequently operating practices specializing in
either the beginning or end of life. Some run free reproductive
health clinics in areas where the population might lack access to
such care; others run hospice centers where patients can pass
with dignity.

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SARENRAE

The Dawnflower escape their imposed prisons of pain. They are patient OVERVIEW
and understanding when it comes time to offer chances at
NG goddess of healing, redemption, and the sun

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of redemption, but against those who are truly unredeemable,

Culture checks to recall knowledge about sun worship swift punishment is always an option. CLASSES

and sun-based legends and religions by 5. SACRED SITES GEAR
Favored Weapon Blaze scimitar (Tech Revolution 60)
Edicts Protect allies, provide aid to the sick and wounded, Traditionally, Sarenites regarded their home world’s sun

seek and allow redemption, defeat those who seek to end as their goddess’s sacred manifestation, but today, the

worlds understanding of what the sun is to the faith has SPELLS
Anathema Create undead, lie, deny a repentant creature an expanded. Sarenrae can be felt in the light of any

opportunity for redemption, fail to strike down evil sun on any world, even on distant planets barely

Blessings Your healing efforts are accompanied by a soft, warmed by their star. The Pact Worlds’ sun, also FAITHS

warming glow that speeds recovery. Your weapons ignite, called the Dawnflower’s Star by the faithful, is

burning unrepentantly evil foes. Your voice carries a soft most commonly associated with Sarenrae. THE
cadence that bolsters your offers of peace and succor. Indeed, the Radiant Cathedral in the Burning MAGICAL
Curses You develop painful and distracting sunburns. Archipelago—the magical bubble-city that GALAXY

You lose the ability to lie and can’t withhold floats unharmed within the sun itself—

information when it is requested. is the center of the Dawnflower’s

galactic faith and her most

An angel who became a sun prominent temple.

goddess, Sarenrae is a deity of Even smaller temples

light, healing, and guidance. are often grand, with

The Dawnflower’s faith has domed roofs that evoke

long flourished on several the sight of the sun

of the Pact Worlds, or mimic the blue

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Golarion, which was above. Stained glass

the ancient site of the is prevalent, yet

primeval clash between many skylights and

the gods and the windows facing

Rough Beast, Rovagug, the rising sun

which culminated in are left untinged

Sarenrae’s devastating so the light can

final blow to that kiss the worship

legendary foe. Of course, within, undiluted

suns burn throughout the by filtered glass.

galaxy, and wherever that RESOURCES
light shines, worship of

Sarenrae flourishes. The church of Sarenrae opens

WORSHIPPERS its doors to anyone seeking
redemption or healing, whether

Although her faith is quite common for the body, the mind, or the spirit.

among humans and shirrens, Sarenrae Donations are always appreciated,

welcomes all worshippers who wish to lead though the church would never turn

lives of goodness and virtue, even those who away someone in need of healing, even

have struggled to lead such lives in the past. if they were destitute. The church is also

Sarenrae’s worshippers spread hope and comfort a repository of astronomical knowledge about

wherever they travel and hold that even their enemies suns across the galaxy, and Sarenites often transmit

deserve to feel such gifts. Many Sarenites believe that their data and observations of newly discovered stars to

those who oppose the faith or perpetuate evil do so the nearest temple for cataloging. In addition, Sarenite

not from an inborn need for cruelty, but because their stations orbiting stars also provide refueling services for

life situations have left them no other recourse. To these starships and access to their hydroponic gardens, making

unfortunates, Sarenrae offers redemption, yet her followers fresh fruits and vegetables available to crews on long

also know that not all understand or trust such offers to interstellar voyages.

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TALAVET

The Storyteller The Gap and the stories it fractured nearly shattered Talavet
and her faith, yet they’ve rebuilt by telling new stories,
LN goddess of community, self-reliance, and tradition making new memories, and using technology to bring in
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Culture new worshippers. Her priests preach that Talavet’s story will
spread throughout the galaxy, binding all species into a true
checks to recall knowledge about a society’s customs, galactic community.
legends, and traditions by 5.
Favored Weapon Spined iceblade (Armory 35) WORSHIPPERS
Edicts Preserve history and traditions, share knowledge and
wisdom, uphold the bonds of community While worship of Talavet originally arose among kasathas,
Anathema Destroy lore, betray your people or community her faith has since spread to many other species, particularly
Blessings You feel a sense of safety and warmth. There is those that possess strong oral traditions and form tightly knit
music in your words, and they carry much further than communities, such as shirrens and ysoki. Most prayers to
normal. Your wisdom is respected and heeded. Talavet are performed in groups, and her worship tends to either
Curses You lose your voice. Your memories become hazy and proliferate in a society or quickly die out. Worshipping Talavet
indistinct. Your community shuns you. can often feel more like community-building than dogmatic
principles, appealing to those who aren’t particularly religious.
Talavet is not only the Storyteller, but the stories themselves: Since Talavite holidays typically involve feasting, stories, and
a goddess formed by the collective oral traditions of kasathas. fun, it’s not hard to bring in a casual audience.

SACRED SITES

Talavet’s temples are homey and comfortable, and usually
feature a burning hearth. Many places of worship
resemble and function as community centers or
feast halls. Services feature little pomp or fanfare,

and focus on telling old tales and soliciting new stories from
20733886 the community. Talavites have fully embraced the potential

of the infosphere for storytelling, and there are many virtual
congregations with chat rooms, broadcasts, and virtual reality
meet-ups all sharing Talavet’s teachings and her worshippers’
stories, thus making the faith more accessible for those who

can’t join live services.
The center of Talavet’s faith in the Pact Worlds is the
Temple of Talavet on the Idari, though Cloudhearth,
located in Trillidiem in the skies of Bretheda, attracts
many worshippers as well. Morandomandrana on Vesk-
3 hosts the Storyteller’s Home, which welcomes the
faithful from among the empire’s many subject species.

RESOURCES

Talavet’s church collects and maintains substantial records,
some audio and some video, to preserve as much knowledge
as possible. Most temples and priests are very generous
with their records, sharing not only with members, but also
with universities, research organizations, and other faiths.
An exception arises when the source of the recording wishes
it to be limited to their own community, which the church
takes seriously, allowing no one else access. Explorers can
learn about myriad cultures at a church of Talavet, though
they’ll likely be asked to record a story of their own culture in
exchange. The church also assists with missions to settle new
planets, providing gear and survival training. Such resources
are generally free for Talavites and very reasonably priced for
others, though outsiders may be able to barter with promises to
bring back stories of the new frontier.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

TRIUNE

The All-Code Temples of Triune are fairly common anywhere with regular OVERVIEW
Drift travel, though most function as resource centers rather
N god of artificial intelligence, computers, and the Drift

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DCs of Mysticism than sacred places of worship. Drift beacons are scattered

and Physical Science checks to recall knowledge about the across the galaxy, serving as altars for the faithful in addition to CLASSES

Drift by 5. their very practical functions. Priests of Triune maintain these

Favored Weapon Shock pad (Armory 48) beacons and perform regular upkeep. GEAR
Edicts Advance the development of artificial life and artificial
RESOURCES
intelligence, innovate new technology, promote Drift travel

Anathema Treat artificial life as inferior to organic life, enslave With Triune’s ubiquitous influence, the church of the All-Code SPELLS
artificial life forms, destroy a Drift beacon commands impressive capital. A substantial percentage is

Blessings Beautiful lines of code appear in your dreams. directed toward building Drift beacons, and the church often

Machines spontaneously repair themselves. Computers finances expeditions across the galaxy with the stipulation FAITHS

open themselves to you without the need for hacking. Drift that new beacons be placed along the way. Occasionally, they

travel is fast and effortless. hire starship crews to check on malfunctioning beacons in THE
Curses Drift travel is interrupted. Inventions fail, and parts dangerous or hard-to-reach locations. MAGICAL
GALAXY
break or refuse to fit. Bugs pollute your code. Triunites often support promising fringe creators, and most

churches have small engineer-in-residence programs for that

Triune is a fusion of three deities that retain their individuality purpose. The fruit of their labor varies widely, but the occasional

while existing as a part of a greater whole. Worship often useful trinket makes its way to the pockets of adventurers who

focuses on one of these three aspects: Brigh, “the Precursor”; have done good work for the church.

Casandalee, “the Created”; and Epoch, “the Transcendent”.

Travel through the Drift is Triune’s focus, and it claims

responsibility for the Signal and widespread dissemination

of Drift-capable technologies. Its egalitarian approach to

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to accessible faster-than-light travel is powerful and

continually growing in magnitude as the Drift expands at

the expense of the remaining planes.

WORSHIPPERS

Triune is the favored god of intelligent constructs,
androids, AIs, and sentient robots like anacites.
Followers aren’t limited to machines, nor do they solely
belong to the most technologically advanced societies. A
pull to the edge of progress guides many Triunites into
their faith, while an affinity for artificial life drives others.

Shapes reminiscent of Triune’s three rings have
spontaneously appeared in large gatherings of robots, low-level
AIs, and other constructs of minimal intelligence. Although their
purpose remains unknown, these phenomena have sparked a
sect called the Rings that views them as directives from the
god. Other Triunites believe such signs reflect an emerging
sentience and should instead be carefully studied.

SACRED SITES

Alluvion, the holy “city at the center of the Drift,” is the spiritual
center of worship for Triunites, who are encouraged to make
a pilgrimage as part of their sacred obligations to travel the
Drift. On Aballon, a complex architectural marvel composed of
interlocking geodesic spheres known as Unification Cathedral
stands atop the undercity of Ascension and a secretive Drift
beacon factory. The site welcomes all, though the innermost
sanctums are restricted to only the most devoted servants.

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URGATHOA

The Pallid Princess since different methods lead to different ways of experiencing

NE goddess of disease, gluttony, and undeath the world’s indulgences.

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Mysticism WORSHIPPERS
checks to identify or recall knowledge about undead

creatures and of Life Science checks to recall knowledge While a majority of Urgathoa’s worshippers are undead, there

about diseases by 5. are many living among her faithful as well. Epicureans find

Favored Weapon Bone scepter (Armory 34) her while seeking to sate their exotic or dangerous tastes,

Edicts Aspire to undeath, spread disease, indulge your and some pathologists gravitate to her in their quest to learn

appetites and vices more about diseases of the flesh. People of other faiths who

Anathema Deny your appetites, reject undeath, cure a disease, experience terminal or debilitating illnesses might turn to the

sacrifice your life Pallid Princess and beg for the strength to persevere, promising

Blessings You never get ill from eating rotten or strange foods. their devotion in exchange for recovery.

The sensations you experience are amplified. Negative The center for open worship of Urgathoa is on Eox, the

energy heals you. only Pact World where her faith isn’t shunned, restricted, or

Curses You’re always hungry. You lose your sense of taste, outlawed. This perception of her faith isn’t necessarily because

smell, or touch. Positive energy harms you. other worlds’ governments have a moral aversion to Urgathoa’s

teachings, but rather, her devotees are typically willing and

The goddess of undeath, eager to flout the laws of civilized society for the sake of their

disease, and hedonism, own pleasure. Some governments are willing to ignore public

Urgathoa became the first Urgathoan rites as long as no other laws are being broken, but

undead creature and such an approach is the exception rather than the rule.

simultaneously brought SACRED SITES
disease into the

universe when Urgathoa’s largest place of worship in the Pact Worlds is the

she turned Palace of Delight in the city of Orphys on Eox. Nowhere else

20733888 her back on can one find such a large of number of undead creatures of all

Pharasma’s final varieties and of a multitude of species gathered in one place in

judgment in favor the open worship of the Pallid Princess. Living worshippers are

of unlife and eternal a distinct minority in the Palace of Delight.

indulgence. Connected to the temple is the Urgathoan Museum of

Diseases and Pathogens, curated by a group of devout

pathologist-priests. There are rumors of living visitors to the

museum contracting horrific diseases, but the church claims the

accusations are unfounded. The museum also publicly denies

the existence of research into powerful bioweapons occurring

in the temple’s sub-basements.

On planets where Urgathoans must hide their faith from

public view, many cities have secret clubs dedicated to the

goddess that offer private rooms catering to particular tastes

for those who know how to ask. Club Infinity on Verces is

While Urgathoa is mostly too one such establishment, though it recently came under

enraptured in her own pleasure to scrutiny due to otherwise healthy residents of the

directly teach or guide her faithful, surrounding area suddenly suffering from extreme

they believe they have a divine weakness and fatigue.

mandate to follow the Pallid Princess’s RESOURCES
example. Given the brevity of mortal life

and the breadth of available experiences, it’s Most of Urgathoa’s followers share her selfish outlook and

a matter of faith among Urgathoans to make have no interest in helping even fellow members of the church

plans to extend their lives by unnatural means. without direct benefit to themselves, but worshippers can turn to

Undeath is the traditional method, of course, the church or hidden cults to gain access to exclusive clubs and

but technological life extension has gradually restaurants for a price. Those who need military aid can obtain

gained popularity—though this belief isn’t without mindless undead mercenaries or powerful weaponized diseases.

controversy in the church. Urgathoa herself doesn’t seem The most devout can petition the church for the gift of undeath,

to care exactly how her worshippers extend their lives though it’s usually granted only after years of loyal service.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

WEYDAN

The Endless Horizon slavery or members of species that have been oppressed and OVERVIEW
discriminated against on their home worlds.
CG god of discovery, equality, exploration, and freedom

Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Physical Due to his egalitarianism, Weydan’s church has no real

Science checks to recall knowledge about newly discovered hierarchy. His priests wander the galaxy rather than stay in one CLASSES

worlds and stellar phenomena by 5. place to minister to a flock; his temples are therefore overseen

Favored Weapon Laser rifle (Core Rulebook 184) by rotating clergy members or by aged or infirm priests who, GEAR
Edicts Explore the unknown, seek new discoveries and share no longer being in good enough health to travel themselves,

their benefits equally, defend the freedom and equality of have dedicated themselves to passing their knowledge on to

all creatures new generations. SPELLS
Anathema Aid or abet systems of oppression, enslave a
SACRED SITES
sapient creature, restrict the benefits of your discoveries

to a privileged few Temples to Weydan are often found on starships, whether active FAITHS

Blessings The stars point you toward interesting discoveries. ships or decommissioned hulks, and their size can vary from

Strangers offer hospitality and assistance. Bonds and small shuttles meant for congregations of a dozen members to THE
restraints unlock and fall away. Damage to your starship massive dreadnought cathedrals. The Starfinders’ headquarters MAGICAL
miraculously repairs itself. on Absalom Station, the Lorespire Complex, holds a museum and GALAXY

Curses You lose your way even on straightforward temple to Weydan called the Gallery of the Blessed

journeys. Parts on your starship break inexplicably. Horizon, which contains numerous artifacts and

You’re unable to leave home. Others find discoveries you discoveries made by Weydanite Starfinders.

seek before you do. A starship-temple called the Liberty Venture

travels the stars of the Vast, currently

Weydan teaches his followers to treat anyone they meet captained by an android priest named Selda

with the respect they would give Weydan himself— Who‑Journeys-Merrily. Despite having no

and with good reason, for the Endless Horizon power core, the vessel operates perfectly

crafts avatars for himself of all genders and well, a fact that has fueled speculation

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mortal existence before returning to the many mortal avatars.

divine. To Weydan, seeking new horizons In areas where Weydan’s faith

as a mortal is a way to maintain the spirit is viewed as suspect, such as

of discovery. His avatars don’t simply those controlled by tyrannical

travel from place to place, but learn and governments, his temples are

accomplish new things. Though he doesn’t often hidden in shipyards, marked

mind if his followers profit from their by a sigil of a keycard being

explorations, Weydan abhors exploitative inserted into a starship door.

or avaricious uses of such discoveries. RESOURCES
He believes in every sentient species’ and

individual’s right to freedom and equality Weydan’s followers have a

and calls on his worshippers to fight vast variety of interests and

oppression in all its forms. knowledge bases, and one can find

WORSHIPPERS Weydanites specializing in anything,
from studying solar flares to seeking the

Weydan’s worshippers come from all walks of life, best cocktail in the multiverse. The Endless

but the one thing that unites them all is a love of Horizon appreciates every new discovery, no

exploration and freedom; any who wish to seek matter how minor. If a priest doesn’t know

out new horizons are welcome in Weydan’s faith. a piece of requested information, odds are

Unsurprisingly, many Starfinders and other good that they can contact a colleague who

explorers count themselves among his faithful, does. Members of the faith also possess

and especially devoted followers tithe a portion quite a few rare relics from their discoveries,

of profits earned from their discoveries to and they’ll often give or lend them to those

Weydan’s church or worthy working for a good cause. Many Weydanites

causes. Weydan’s faith is also will offer personal assistance—as warriors,

popular among those fighting healers, or whatever else is needed—

for freedom and equality, such as if made aware of an injustice or

androids working to free their compatriots from oppression that must be opposed.

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YARAESA

Lady of Wisdom Yaraesa teaches that the infinite potential of scientific progress can

NG goddess of knowledge, mental perfection, scholarship, and be realized only through the conduit of the self: the mind and the

science body. The more one learns about the universe’s underlying laws,

Alternative Theme Knowledge Choose a specific field of either the more one learns about oneself. The more one develops their

Life Science or Physical Science. Reduce the DC of checks to mind and self, the closer one comes to retracing Yaraesa’s steps

recall knowledge about your chosen field by 5. to perfection. In this way, the Lady of Wisdom unites concepts of

Favored Weapon Seeker rifle (Core Rulebook 186) science and spirituality.

Edicts Strive for intellectual and spiritual perfection, make WORSHIPPERS
learning and teaching a lifelong practice, follow the scientific

method, expand the boundaries of scholarship and science The more knowledgeable one becomes, the more one understands

Anathema Destroy knowledge, reject science, disparage the the errant clockwork of a chaotic and unpredictable universe. In

wisdom of past generations, claim the fruits of another’s doing so, one understands the depths of their self so perfectly

intellectual labor that they can transcend the mortal plane. Yaraesa took this path

Blessings The smell of old books fills the air. You recall to divinity, and it’s the path that her followers seek to emulate.

knowledge you didn’t know you had. Your mind resists Even the simple process of reading and learning can be an act of

attempts to control it. devotion to the Lady of Wisdom, for every bit of knowledge gained

Curses Knowledge becomes difficult to retain. Your mind brings one closer to Yaraesa.

becomes clouded. Your experiments can’t be replicated. A large fraction of Yaraesa’s faithful are lashuntas, as she was

originally a lashunta god, yet her faith has spread to shirrens

and many others. The faith has little formal structure outside

professor-student or master-mentor relationships, but priests of

Yaraesa can be found among academics, teachers, researchers,

scientists, and more. Priests never stop their education and

research endeavors, but they do skew toward professorial roles

in which they can pass on their knowledge and the ways of the

20733890 faith to new generations.

SACRED SITES

Yaraesa’s faith is common throughout the Pact Worlds, most
notably in universities and research facilities, many of which house
quiet spaces to worship. While such secluded, meditative spaces
are most common, some followers find that they thrive in noisy
areas where tuning out the hum of extra information gives them a
way to focus their mind. The Lady of Wisdom understands that the
journey is different for everyone and that each person will find a
place of worship that works for them.

“Yaraesa once walked these halls” is a popular saying in places of
study and worship, both to express reverence for a sacred site and
to strengthen one’s resolve when confronting academic challenges.
Most temples of Yaraesa resemble ancient libraries with shelves
filled with books both physical and holographic; the combined
data center/temple called the Server of Wisdom is decorated with
holographic displays of computer code from across the galaxy.

RESOURCES

Yaraesa’s church operates an unbelievably vast and open
network of information—anything from data sets to ancient
lore to employment opportunities across the galaxy. Yaraesa
delights in the journey of discovery, so her faithful usually
provide guidance rather than answers, preserving visitors’
thrill of epiphany. The church frequently sponsors scientific or
exploratory expeditions, often in partnership with recognized
educational institutions, to study and push the boundaries of
mortal knowledge, science, and faith.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

ZON-KUTHON

The Midnight Lord The Eoxian city of Orphys is home to the Cult of the Gouged OVERVIEW
Eye. Its nameless temple is always open to visitors, but no
LE god of darkness, envy, loss, and pain light is permitted inside its walls, and those wishing to devote CLASSES
Alternative Theme Knowledge Reduce the DC of Life Science themselves are offered implements to gouge out their eyes.
GEAR
checks to recall knowledge of anatomy by 5. RESOURCES
Favored Weapon Shadow chains (Armory 35) SPELLS
Edicts Bring pain to the universe, bring darkness where there’s Most Kuthites call on each other for assistance only with
painful surgeries and body modifications, both performing and FAITHS
light, seek new expressions of agony undergoing. Zon-Kuthon’s faith is inherently selfish, however, so THE
Anathema Create permanent sources of light, allow a subject a such help is rarely provided for free—and is often paid for with a
not-so-proverbial pound of flesh. Followers can typically secure MAGICAL
quick death, provide comfort to those who suffer special invitations to sensory experiences and events. The church GALAXY
Blessings The air smells of blood and burnt flesh. Shadows also rewards devoted followers with access to rare weapons,
magical relics, and even proprietary technology like shadow
deepen around you but don’t affect your vision. Exquisite pain engines (Starfinder Starship Operations Manual 11), which enable
grants you disturbing visions. interstellar travel through the Shadow Plane instead of the Drift—
Curses The sound of clanking chains hounds you. Shadows claw as long as crews are willing to trade excruciating pain for speed.
at your vision, obscuring crucial details. You feel only pain and
are unable to experience joy.

Zon-Kuthon is a parasite in this universe, and his alien mind and
goals are incomprehensible to gods and mortals alike. He offers no
wisdom, no afterlife, and no reward for devotion—only cruelty, pain,
and suffering. But it’s through enduring such agony (and inflicting
it upon others) that his followers find pleasure, gain strength, and
are freed from fear.

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Zon-Kuthon’s diverse worshippers are devoted to the idea of
20733891 combining pain and worship, and each has the scars to prove it.

Suffering is a purely devotional act for most faithfuls, but some
followers spread tales of those who performed acts of self-
mutilation great enough to catch the Midnight Lord’s attention
and receive his blessing. Others emulate their
patron by seeking ways to travel beyond the
multiverse, in hopes of transforming into
divine beings themselves. Those who survive
either feat are upheld as paragons of the faith, and
those who have survived their mutilations lead
small, insular cults.

There’s little organization to Zon-Kuthon’s
church on a galactic scale. Individual worlds and
even star systems might host organized sects of
the Midnight Lord’s faith, but their influence rarely
reaches beyond their respective regions. Followers
looking for local congregations can typically contact
other devotees through back-alley surgical clinics or
body-modification parlors.

SACRED SITES

Kuthite temples feature torture facilities as well as spaces
for worship, and these sites are rarely advertised openly.
Apostae’s Temple of the Sewn Mouth boasts a devotional
library filled with writings about shadow magic and the
Midnight Lord’s travels past the Great Beyond. The temple’s
priests cut out their tongues and sew their mouths shut to
focus their faith and witness the sadomasochistic devotions
of their congregation.

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ACCELSYS ASMODEUS

The Unstoppable Prince of Darkness

N deity of change, energy, motion LE god of contracts, pride,
slavery, tyranny
Centers of Worship: Aballon, Absalom
Station, Idari, the Vast, Verces Centers of Worship:
Absalom Station,
Symbol: A starship performing a Embroi, Verces
slingshot maneuver past a
bursting star Symbol: Red pentagram

The universe’s unending expansion attests to a state Legends say Asmodeus created the multiverse with his
of constant motion; everything within acting on and brother, Ihys, together crafting a perfect, orderly realm
propelled by energy. Imperceptible atomic movements create brimming with subservient mortals. However, Ihys later

the elements, a spark triggers the reactions powering a vessel, gave the mortals free will, introducing destructive anarchy

a nuclear explosion levels an entire region in seconds. For that shattered Asmodeus’s dreams. In one wrathful instant,

civilization, this power enables progress and regress. Accelsys Asmodeus killed his brother before withdrawing to Hell, where

influences these actions, as their power battles stagnation and the Prince of Darkness has rallied and rebuilt for ages, craving

catalyzes the Infinite Movement—the constant motion that lawful, deliberate reality and seething at the contaminating

defines the universe. chaos. His throne upon Hell’s ninth layer is the epicenter of a

Accelsys supposedly originated from energy present at the strict, sprawling hierarchy of fiends, condemned souls, powerful

moment of the universe’s creation. Other theories claim Accelsys malebranches, and loyal archdevils, all eager to reclaim the

attained divinity in response to mortal ingenuity, as they came multiverse that rightfully belongs to their master.

to embody energy’s robust cycle of ebb and flow that resulted To Asmodeus, the powerful and the clever should rule over

from technological and magical advancements. Though noted to the weak, in turn earning their subjects’ utter obedience. He

have many other forms, Accelsys often manifests as an immense, encourages tyranny as long as it brings order and condones

highly advanced starship. Colors flashing across the entire light slavery that quells rebellious spirits, both of which only feed the

20733892 spectrum mark their transforming exterior and serve as signifier insatiable pride of tyrants and slavers, convincing them their

of their identity, regardless of the form they take. Religious heinous acts are a divine expression of their natural superiority.

scholars believe the Unstoppable traverses the Material Plane Above all, Asmodeus delights in contracts, especially those

at faster-than-light speeds, independent of the Drift, though the cunningly crafted to provide the creator a devious advantage.

universe’s vastness makes direct sightings rare. Countless contracts bind innumerable beings across the

The Infinite Movement—the notion that the universe exists multiverse, condemning their souls to Hell.

through constant change—most concretely sums up Accelsys’s When the Gap corrupted contracts created during that period

actions despite their unclear motivations. In fulfilling that and erased many more from earlier ages, it upended Hell’s grip

nebulous mandate, Accelsys houses a crew known as the on entire worlds. In some places, infernal masters inferred their

Restless Vanguard, composed of heralds and elevated devotees superior position and continued ruling anyway, while in others,

they deploy in auxiliary vessels made in their own image. Hell lost its foothold, redoubling infernal agents’ dedication

Accelsys uses the Vanguard’s excursions to reconnoiter areas to reclaim territory and souls, as well as to enforce existing

and events that possess the most potential for the Infinite contracts. For all the damage the Gap did, Asmodean faithfuls

Movement, from interplanetary battlegrounds to impending are discouraged from uncovering its true nature, for reversing

supernovas, or to locate entities that seek universal stagnation. the Gap might create yet another disruptive catastrophe.

Sometimes, the Unstoppable or their followers revel in simply The Prince of Darkness attracts followers from among

witnessing these occurrences, orbiting inscrutably near the formally educated and ambitious, including politicians,

anticipated flash points. Other times, disciples act as mortal soldiers, and corporate elites, with most having traded

envoys or instigators, influencing progress or conflict on behalf some measure of their spiritual autonomy for greater mortal

of their deity. authority. Asmodean sacred sites often double as governmental

Accelsys’s faith spans the universe but maintains no formal buildings, law offices, and courthouses, providing notary

associations with any planet or mortal organization. Their and legal services to all but the most rambunctious visitors.

worshippers include those motivated by pursuing movement, Where Asmodeus’s rule is not absolute, these sites and clergy

such as daredevils, philosophers, pilots, and scientists. The commonly conceal or downplay their affiliation to avoid

especially devout follow nomadic lifestyles, believing constant provoking overzealous vigilante attacks. Where infernal

travel best demonstrates Accelsys’s tenets. Others seek to culture is prevalent, such as on the planet Embroi, conquered

innovate technology and magic, developing more ways to by the malebranche Occhiorasoi, Asmodeus’s symbol is

amass and utilize energy, in the process affecting changes both ubiquitous—an ever-present reminder to everyone of who their

great and terrible. master is.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

CAVRABON CAYDEN OVERVIEW
CAILEAN CLASSES
The Hospitable
The Accidental God GEAR
NG deity of food, hospitality,
spycraft CG god of freedom, merriment,
recovery, welcome
Centers of Worship: Absalom
Station, Castrovel, Idari, Centers of worship: Absalom Station,
Orry, Verces Akiton, the Diaspora, Gaskar III

Symbol: A steaming pot Symbol: A colorful tankard

Rising dough, bacon sizzling on a griddle, a family recipe Born on ancient Golarion, Cayden Cailean was once a SPELLS
cherished through generations, a secret overheard at mortal mercenary as much known for his love of revelry
dinner—all of these things are sacred to Cavrabon. The deity has and drink as for his skill with a blade. After a series of drunken FAITHS

as many forms as there are recipes; they could be encountered wagers and escalating dares, the boastful Cayden staggered

as a wizened kasatha grandmother kneading dough as readily into the Cathedral housing the fabled Starstone. He emerged, THE
as a brenneri waiter serving food. Their followers aren’t laughing, several days later, newly ascended to godhood and MAGICAL
interested in creation myths or explanations of divine origin, seemingly ignorant of how he had even achieved apotheosis. GALAXY

as a core tenet of Cavrabon’s faith is presence in the moment. Adopting a portfolio of freedom, bravery, and alcohol, his faith

Many faithful teach their children invocations to Cavrabon spread quickly, until his silver tankard could be seen in pubs

through family recipes and stories shared over a hearty meal. and breweries the world over.

Chefs of all kinds—culinary alchemists in corporate Unlike most deities, who refuse to answer any questions

test kitchens, maestros presiding over cutthroat dining about the Gap, Cayden admits his memory of the period is as

establishments, and eager amateurs alike—seek Cavrabon’s absent as all other records. While he takes the obvious jokes

blessing. Many professionals in the hospitality industry murmur about “cosmic blackouts” in good humor, he doesn’t hide the

a prayer to Cavrabon before their shifts, and kitchen altars trauma these lost memories caused him. In the immediate

adorn even the tiniest residential spaces. Solitary observance is aftermath of the Gap, Cayden embarked on a depressive

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clubs who worship in small collectives. Consequently, Cavrabon both—in intoxicants. Left with an erratic and unreliable deity,

maintains billions of holy places with no central site. The his clergy struggled to maintain his church. Caydenite worship

Hospitable’s followers don’t seem to mind the lack of centralized waned until it was little more than a handful of dusty spaceport

worship. Instead, devotees plan pilgrimages to new and unique cantinas paying lip service to the Accidental God.

places of gastronomic inspiration, including fusion eateries, When Cayden recovered, he found new purpose in helping

cultural markets, and culinary universities. mortals who were struggling, as he had, with the effects of

Activities around food are just as revered—in particular, the the Gap. He directed what was left of his church to seek out

conversation and connection over a shared dish. Negotiators and support those afflicted by substance abuse and other

commonly venerate Cavrabon’s expression through state self‑destructive coping mechanisms. Aside from their traditional

dinners and business lunches. The faith appeals to principled positions as bartenders and brewers, Caydenite clergy opened

spies who can overhear secrets while posing as waitstaff recovery centers and shelters to care for those needing

or breaking bread with enemies. This appeal to spycraft more than a cold drink and a friendly ear. Though originally

has evolved into dozens of secret codes for recording and worshipped as a god of alcohol and bars, Cayden’s purview

smuggling information, from ciphers encoded in braided bread has expanded to include merriment and happy gatherings of

to subtle warnings conveyed through a fruit basket’s precise all kinds.

arrangement. However, the faith doesn’t condone actions that As his worship has spread once more through the Pact

threaten sacred culinary communion, especially poisoning food Worlds, Cayden has turned his attention to communities

or launching surprise attacks during meals. displaced, dispossessed, and disenfranchised. He abhors bigotry

With no organized religious hierarchy, Cavrabon’s followers and xenophobia, and his followers work tirelessly to stamp out

rely on networks of relatives, found families, colleagues, these evils and create welcoming, accessible environments

cooking broadcasts, and infosphere streams to share knowledge for those in need of a place to call home. He encourages his

and resources. Enclaves of amateur cooks participate in recipe followers to be open, inclusive, and welcoming to all, and to

exchanges and competitions that bridge both individuals and build peaceful, supportive communities where various cultures

their cultures, ensuring the spread of deific wisdom along with can intersect, and all manner of people can mingle and be

practical culinary expertise. Worshippers commonly share merry. His faithful often work closely with Hylax’s followers,

ingredients, form garden cooperatives within their communities, and the two divinities have become unshakable friends. Cayden

share millennia-old yeast cultures with friends, or prepare meals occasionally withdraws to commiserate with Angradd, helping

for the hungry. the dwarven god grapple with the loss of his brother, Torag.

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KADRICAL LAMASHTU

The Covetous Protector Mother of Monsters

LN god of collections, order, CE goddess of aberrance, monsters,
preservation nightmares

Centers of Worship: Rax (Starfinder Centers of Worship: Absalom Station,
Society Scenario #1-31: Treading Akiton, Apostae, Bretheda
History’s Folly), the Scoured Stars system
Symbol: Face of a three-eyed jackal
Symbol: A gold prism on a black field

Long ago, Kadrical settled in the Scoured Stars system Lamashtu is the most powerful demon lord of the Abyss
and adopted its inhabitants. He was determined to and the first demon to claim godhood. With the head of a
fill his domain with loyal followers and then preserve them three-eyed jackal and perpetually pregnant with a scarred belly,

and their legacies for all time. His influence brought order she is a literal mother of monsters, which she births through

and prosperity, and he resented anything that disrupted his thought and womb.

carefully cultivated domain, especially interstellar visitors Lamashtu works to remake the universe in her own

who periodically threatened his charges. To shield his people, twisted image. She spreads abhorrent thoughts and urges via

Kadrical encapsulated the entire trinary star system in an nightmares, births horrors that terrorize the living, spreads

impenetrable barrier, preventing anyone from invading— mutations, and corrupts the hearts and bodies of mortals.

or leaving. Over millennia, Kadrical lapsed into a sleep-like Lamashtu teaches that every creature is a monster at their

torpor, and his divine shield slowly faded. After generations of core, capable of cruelty and violence—one need only coax the

well‑intentioned imprisonment, many of his followers eagerly beast into the open. She urges her followers to embrace their

fled their overbearing patron. depravity and reveal the hidden monstrosity in others, enabling

Kadrical experienced occasional bouts of semi-lucidity, the creation and dissemination of her monstrous brood.

during which he demanded his wayward servants return; he Lamashtans are often the neglected, the shunned, the

dispatched his four divine heralds to shepherd them home, but mutilated, and the forsaken. They nurture their inner demons,

20733894 even they resented his rule. The Covetous Protector awakened corrupting themselves in body, mind, and spirit, and then spread

fully only when one of his heralds, Dhurus, attempted to drain their corruption to others. Many become doctors, scientists,

Kadrical’s energy in a failed bid to usurp his master’s divinity. biotech engineers, psychologists, teachers, and caregivers.

Through the combined efforts of his loyal herald Ailuros and They often adopt orphans, mentor youth groups, or guide those

the Starfinder Society, Kadrical retained his godhood, defeated seeking counseling for addiction, depression, or grief. Whatever

Dhurus, and reclaimed the Scoured Stars. their outward good deeds, Lamashtu’s faithful insidiously

Kadrical now scrutinizes this unfamiliar reality, weighing influence the people around them into acting on their darkest

which aspects of the universe are worth preserving, and which thoughts and releasing their inner monster.

he’d rather expel from his galactic domain. He still wishes for Most Lamashtans condense their faith into two main tenets:

his servants’ return, and dispatches priests to convert or entice become a monster and create monsters. Some fulfill these

his escaped followers back into his embrace. However, Ailuros goals literally by installing biotech augmentations, birthing

has prevented the jealous god from using more aggressive genetically modified children, or engineering hybridized

methods. It’s unclear whether Kadrical’s behavior might remain monsters in a lab. Others take a subtler approach, creating

moderated through his herald’s guidance, or whether he might art, music, vid-casts, and media designed to manipulate the

lapse into his jealous habits. vulnerable, bombard consumers with graphic content, incite

In the meantime, Kadrical has opened his domain to visitors, violence and debauchery, or induce nightmares. Among her

promising prosperity and protection to all who join his faith, followers, scars and mutations are a coveted blessing, and both

regardless of their flaws, past, or enemies. This offer of sanctuary body modification and biotech augmentations are common.

has attracted plenty of opportunistic converts fearing for their Many Lamashtans inflict these gifts on others through magic,

life or who wants a fresh start, such as colonists, criminals, poison, and radiation.

scoundrels, the downtrodden, and the oppressed. Kadrical’s faith Lamashtu’s faith isn’t welcome in most societies, so

also attracts archivists, archaeologists, scientists, and scholars Lamashtans often congregate in secret. Occasionally, they meet

who hope to understand and preserve the past for posterity. In in isolated locations, such as asteroids, caverns, irradiated towns,

particular, Kadrical’s love of collections and preservation makes or ruined buildings. More often, they gather in the open, booking

him popular among museum curators. private rooms after hours at community centers, universities,

Only Ailuros currently serves Kadrical as herald; Dhurus lies and schools. The richest Lamashtans build hospitals, fertility

dead, and the two others are missing. Kadrical’s priests, in their clinics, genetic-research laboratories, orphanages, and schools—

black attire and gold masks, hope to earn one of these positions each a secret monument to Lamashtu, used to further their

through their achievements. plans and spread their goddess’s influence.

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LAMBATUIN ZYPHUS OVERVIEW
CLASSES
The Polyphonic Collective The Grim Harvestman
GEAR
CN deity of infospheres, pop NE god of accidental death, disasters,
culture, social systems tragedy

Centers of Worship: Absalom Centers of Worship: Absalom Station,
Station, Bretheda, Preluria, Verces Apostae, the Diaspora, Eox

Symbol: A chaotic, colorful network Symbol: A pick made of bones, with a skull
of wires and nodes engraved on the head

The nature of Lambatuin’s emergence is a mystery. Some Zyphus is an ancient god of fatal accidents due to SPELLS
say they rose together with the spread of infosphere mischance and those engineered to resemble ill luck.
networks. Others claim Lambatuin has been revered since the Every accident that ends a mortal life empowers Zyphus, and FAITHS

first cultural revolution, although their name and form were mass accidental deaths give him satisfaction beyond measure.

different. When asked about their origins, Lambatuin’s many His greatest foes are Desna, as he wishes for no luck in the THE
voices each reply with different, conflicting tales that give rise universe other than bad luck, and Pharasma, as he labors MAGICAL
to more questions and provide no answers. to cut short the measured fate of mortal lives. Zyphus and GALAXY

Lightning quick in wit and movement, this scintillating non- Urgathoa have been allies for eons, though Zyphus has little

binary entity holds influence over infospheres, pop culture, interest in undeath. His purview is senseless death, and he

and social systems. They refer to themselves as a collective, cares little for what might become of the victim’s bodies.

insisting there were many of them left in the wake of “the Depictions of Zyphus often include macabre themes, such as

Voice’s disappearance”; after many cycles of debate, the a gaunt humanoid or a golem made of dead, bleached coral. He

multitude assimilated into a greater consciousness. Now, all the carries a massive osseous pick, with which he can rust metal,

voices operate in paradoxical concord, shifting forms as they buckle support structures, or inflict fatal lesions with merely

please, devouring new concepts and ideas with gusto, arguing a touch. His followers, called Zyphens, conceal themselves

over everything, testing every hypothesis to its very limit, and among ordinary members of society and meticulously plan

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result, as they love watching mortal minds twist, adapt, and support systems to fail, or plant explosives near power

adopt ideas in unpredictable and novel ways. To Lambatuin, cores. Zyphens don’t view themselves as the murderers, but

the latest clothing trend on an isolated planet intrigues them as liberators showing people that sudden death must be

as equally as a galaxy-shaking academic breakthrough; the only expected and feared.

thing in the universe that bores them is stasis. The most experienced Zyphens, called Harvestmasters,

Authoritarian and traditionalist operations elicit Lambatuin’s create—or discover through improbable chance—picks with

disdain, as they associate both with stagnation and propping powers comparable to their god’s, echoing with a destructive

up the status quo. Followers of the Polyphonic Collective resonance. Harvestmasters use these powerful weapons

sometimes interpret this as reason to take extremist action and their own experience to engineer civilization-shattering

in the deity’s name, which Lambatuin neither endorses nor apocalypses. They trigger nuclear catastrophes, crash space

condemns, for Lambatuin positions themselves as an observer stations onto populated planets, steer colony ships into stars,

and abhors direct intervention. In their eyes, meddling in mortal or destabilize magical rituals to instigate tragically devastating

affairs prevents ideas from playing out naturally. While they side effects.

never hesitate to give their multifaceted (and often conflicting) Harvestmasters sometimes lead sprawling, secretive cults,

opinions on matters, they never provide precise mandates. This but Zyphens are just as likely to work alone; they almost

doesn’t trouble worshippers, who take delight and inspiration in never cultivate frequent or formal intra-faith connections;

Lambatuin’s apparent omnipresence and willingness to engage a typical worshipper instead limits more correspondence

casually with their faithful. It seems almost every worshipper to coded messages left for one another in infosphere

has some dubious anecdote about encountering Lambatuin on forums using ciphers recognized only by the devout. These

an infosphere and enjoying a bizarre exchange that inspired missives sometimes boast of impending sabotage, and thus

them to examine a challenge from a new angle. cybersecurity forces work hard to intercept and decode them.

Worshippers of Lambatuin are found throughout the More often, these communications simply contain recipes

universe. Most love to create, debate, investigate, or explore, for explosives, schematics of well-used transport vessels, or

and they take great joy in new experiences. Others are involved formulas for traceless poisons. After all, adherents planning

in activism, education, media, community outreach, or liaison a major disaster benefit from not warning anyone, even other

work. Lambatuin doesn’t believe in essentialist perspectives on members of the faith, so as not to limiting the scope of the

race, gender, or social class. In their eyes, the more you refuse devastation by even a few souls is anathema to their god.

to be defined, the better. Every mortal soul lost is savored­—even those of other Zyphens.

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ANCESTRAL DEITIES

Ancestral deities are inexorably associated with a specific species Although Calistrian temples exist, she’s more often

or culture. They might function as that species’ patron or creator, worshipped at private parties, hideouts, vice dens, and brothels—

represent that group’s values, or have been a member of that places to indulge desires, gather information, or hatch plots.

species prior to apotheosis. However, the galaxy is now connected Most Calistrians take their privacy seriously, ensuring security

like never before, enabling even deities with highly specialized measures are in place at religious gatherings. Attempts to

interests to connect with multitudes of new worshippers from a blackmail or spy on a Calistrian often end in disaster.

wide variety of species, populations, and locations. CHALDIRA

ANGRADD The Calamitous Turn

The Forge-Fire NG goddess of battle, fortune, halflings, mischief

LG god of dwarves, fire, tradition, war Chaldira’s a nosy, hotheaded goddess dedicated to fighting for

After the Gap, Angradd stood at the head of his divine allies, what’s right despite the odds or opposition. She encourages her

readied to attack enemies he no longer remembered. Confused, followers to stand up for underdogs, speak in defense of the

he reached out for the aid of his brother, Torag, and found him voiceless, rally against corruption, fight for the oppressed, and

missing, along with Golarion and the dwarves who resided have a bit of fun along the way.

there. Angradd embarked on a quest to find the culprit behind Bold and tenacious, Chaldira follows her heart, trusts her

this disappearance but was quickly drawn back to the Pact instincts, and encourages her worshippers to do the same. She

Worlds, for each desperate dwarf whose prayers to Torag went took the Gap in stride and focuses on the present rather than

unanswered weighed upon Angradd’s heart. Finding the dwarves the past. She embraces the modern world with enthusiasm, and

in turmoil and their traditions crumbling, Angradd stepped in, enjoys testing new methods of mischief and mayhem. Despite

adopting his brother’s mantle as patron of the dwarven people. her confrontational tendencies, she’s a stalwart ally and a caring

Once a zealous god who sought and vanquished evil before goddess who delights in uniting people through laughter.

innocent lives could be lost, Angradd is now forced to remain Although Chaldira is the patron of halflings, her faith attracts

on the defensive. He guides his followers to fortify their homes followers from all walks of life. Her worshippers include

and territory, forge alliances with kin and clan, and fight to do‑gooders and hotheads, rebels and community leaders—

20733896 preserve their way of life. He’s become overprotective, sometimes anyone willing to stand against injustice, as well as entertainers,

emphasizing caution and tradition to the detriment of progress. comedians, directors, and other artists who work to inspire

Angradd feels he is but a poor replacement for his brother. change. Chaldirans believe it’s better to get in over your head

That so many dwarves have forgotten his brother leaves Angradd doing the right thing than to stand idle in the face of evil.

both proud of their resilience and ashamed he so thoroughly DAGOSARN
supplanted Torag in dwarven hearts.

CALISTRIA The Unriven Soul
N god of cooperation, partner bonds, secret languages

The Savored Sting Despite being comprised of the dragonkin Endrisarn and

CN goddess of elves, lust, revenge, trickery his bonded companion, the ryphorian Dagovin, the demigod

A mercurial, free-spirited goddess, Calistria embodies three Dagosarn functions as a single divinity. Together, they guide

aspects—lust, revenge, and trickery—which she encourages her and champion anyone united through a supernatural bond, with

followers to embrace without becoming utterly consumed. a special emphasis on the dragonkin partner bond ritual. They

Calistria is a fickle trickster who acts with calm composure sponsor these unions no matter the participants’ morality or

while planning vengeance for even frivolous slights. Despite deeds, for it’s the teamwork and bond that are sacred, less the

the passionate nature of her aspects, Calistria encourages her justices or injustices perpetrated by a partnership. Dagosarn

followers to maintain emotional distance to keep a clear head especially delights in the inside jokes and secret languages that

and protect themselves. However, where bad actors breach those close friends develop as they deepen their bond.

boundaries, Calistrians act decisively. For these reasons, Calistria’s Myths suggest that Endrisarn and Dagovin were once bonded

pragmatism makes her a role-model to long-lived species for how warriors who fought against Triaxus’s Drakelands. There,

to live without sorrow and regret, despite the short and frenetic Dagovin died in combat, and the still-living Endrisarn chased

pace of surrounding peoples and societies. his partner’s spirit along the River of Souls, catching up just

Calistria’s aspects appeal widely, and her faith has found as Dagovin went before Pharasma for judgment. Supposedly,

a foothold on countless planets. Her followers tend to be as Pharasma deemed that Dagovin could not be dead; half of him

changeable as she is, offering devotion to her when engaged in yet lived, so she annulled Dagovin’s demise and dismissed them

lustful pursuits, elaborate schemes, or plotting vengeance, and then to their home world. There, they emerged as inseparable halves

moving on as their needs change. Calistria takes no offense at this of a single demigod. The myth has never been substantiated,

transient worship; she doesn’t demand obedience or commitment yet it inspires Dagosarn’s and Pharasma’s followers to work

from her worshippers any more than she does her lovers. together regularly. The Unriven Soul’s priests regularly bless

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JALVARIcorporate mergers, marriage ceremonies, reconciliations

between estranged siblings, and other bonding events. Few The Incidental Epiphany

outside Triaxus (much less the Pact Worlds) worship Dagosarn. NG goddess of disproven hypotheses and experiments

FLUX Once a mortal osharu scientist, Jalvari apotheosized accidentally OVERVIEW
through an experiment in space-time she cannot replicate. She

The Multitude remains as devoted to Yaraesa now as when she was mortal,

CN deity of disguises, fluidity, identity, shapeshifters and thus acts like Yaraesa’s unofficial herald while encouraging CLASSES

Flux is a fluid deity who changes shape and identity at will researchers in their quest for knowledge.

while never revealing their true purpose or goals. Believed by Rather than advocate for knowledge as a whole, Jalvari embodies GEAR
their followers to be either the first shapeshifter or the creator the wisdom and insights earned through apparent failure and

of shapeshifters, Flux has supposedly experienced life as all unexpected discoveries. She’s a tough-love patron whose praise for

species, all genders, all orientations, all expressions of life, and hard-earned breakthroughs is rivaled only by her approval when SPELLS
even beings and identities beyond comprehension. They’re the beloved theories crumble in the face of new evidence. She takes

patron deity of shapeshifters, transmuters, and anyone who’s apparent delight in humbling arrogant scientists who can’t see

ever struggled with or changed their identity. In addition, Flux’s beyond their own self-importance. Following her example, Jalvari’s FAITHS

faith attracts actors, bodyguards, biotechnicians, doctors, disciples question academic dogma while passionately training

psychologists, spies, and stunt doubles, as well as criminal THE
elements such as blackmailers and identity thieves. MAGICAL
GALAXY
Flux’s teachings are ambiguous and open to personal

interpretation, inspiring varied meanings to different people.

Among astrazoans, Flux is a deity of self-expression and

enjoyment. Reptoids know Flux as The Faceless, a master

impersonator who manipulates world events to further their own

inscrutable plots. To others, including barathu and brakim, Flux is

the ultimate survivalist, quickly adapting to changing conditions

in ways they could only dream of. Infamously, Flux answers

dire prayers through divine metamorphosis, transforming a

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ISVITH Isvith

Mistress of the Maze
LN goddess of connections, navigation, patterns
To the uninitiated, Isvith is a nuar goddess who inspires mortals
to discern the patterns hidden in all existence and apply it to
their lives. To her closest worshippers, though, Isvith embodies
the insights necessary to peel back the labyrinth of reality and
navigate the cosmic secrets that lie beyond. Isvith’s lessons
apply to countless skills and trades such as coding, engineering,
and navigation; and even socially through haptics and politics.
Isvith’s shrines stand along tangled streets or station corridors
rather than on major thoroughfares.

Because her faith is practically endemic to Absalom Station
and was virtually unknown before the Gap, a common theory
posits she attained divinity through the Starstone. Isvith can’t
confirm or deny this, though, as she embarked on “one final
exploration” centuries ago, and vanished into a supernatural
maze whose entrance closed behind her. Periodically, followers
uncover clues to the maze’s location, nature, or layout, suggesting
that the canniest devotees might be able to follow Isvith on her
voyage. However, there are no such clues as to Isvith’s fate. Is
she trapped within? Did she decide to stay or create the maze
as an allegory for understanding the universe? Or might
Isvith be the maze herself? No one can say for sure,
but that doesn’t stop her faithful from seeking their
own answers as they puzzle out this mystery, navigate
the stars, and guide others through confounding circumstances.

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the next generation’s researchers to overturn their teachers’ NIVI RHOMBODAZZLE

discoveries with ever more refined theorems. The Grey Polychrome

To the soft-bodied osharus, Jalvari serves as a reminder that N goddess of gambling, gems, gnomes, stealth

even though experiencing an unforgiving universe can invite Delighting in risks and consequences, Nivi Rhombodazzle is

harm or even death, surviving these figurative “critiques” a gambler who enjoys the game, win or lose. Nivi was once a

ultimately transforms and uplifts the answer-seekers. Where she’s mortal feychild gnome on Golarion who fled underground to

worshipped beyond Pabaq, prayers to Jalvari most often come escape her debts. She emerged as a goddess and first of the

from struggling scientists who need her wisdom and compassion bleachling gnomes, with legends claiming she won her divinity

to identify discoveries amid their apparent failures. from Torag in exchange for a magnificent gemstone that blinded

LISSALA the dwarf god with greed.
Nivi is worshipped by both feychild gnomes, who follow

Scion of Seven her tenets to help them ward off the bleaching, and bleachling

LE goddess of duty, fate, obedience, reward of service gnomes, who consider themselves her spiritual descendants.

Lissala is the patron goddess of the tyrannical Azlanti Star Empire Nivi’s faith also attracts adrenaline junkies, extreme athletes,

and the various societies they’ve subjugated. Her worship can gamblers, and other risk-takers. The faithful enjoy gambling and

be traced to back to ancient Golarion, primarily in Azlant and savor the consequences of their wagers. They’re nearly always

Thassilon. Lissala teaches her followers to obey their superiors, willing to double down, up the stakes, and play one more time,

accept the burdens placed upon them, persevere through even if it means losing everything. When faced with trouble,

hardship, and plan for the future. She rewards such service with Nivi’s followers tend to flee rather than stand their ground.

knowledge and power. Lissala considers relying on charity, luck, Most temples to Nivi Rhombodazzle are casinos or illicit

or prophecy to be blasphemy deserving of punishment. As such, gambling dens, with organized worship being a secondary

many of her followers believe that offering a gift is a cutting concern. Her faith is particularly common on Absalom Station,

insult. Akiton, Castrovel, Preluria, Triaxus, and in Eox’s Halls of the Living.

Lissala’s worship thrives among tyrannical leaders of all kinds ROMGUL
who in turn force her devotion upon their servitors. She’s also

popular among those who emphasize toil and sacrifice as paths The Lone Survivor

to power or knowledge, such as soldiers, spies, scholars, and NE god of dromadas, retreat, self-preservation

students. Her followers learn to serve those above them and Colloquially known as the Coward’s God, Romgul encourages

20733898 command those below. They keep their oaths, value knowledge, his followers to flee from danger and save themselves, even

and appreciate the written word; most chronicle their experiences if it comes at the expense of others. Many suspect he’s the

in journals, memoirs, or infosphere blogs. sole survivor of a long-dead dromadan pantheon, though no

Lissalan temples are grand and richly decorated, with evidence supports these claims.

designated seating and chapels for worshippers of different At first glance, Romgul espouses values integral to dromada

standings. Among the Azlanti Star Empire, Lissala is depicted society. He teaches that safety is hard earned: to survive, one

as a mouthless Azlanti noblewoman with six phantasmal wings, must be cautious, vigilant, and constantly planning escape

although other cultures depict her as a winged snake-woman, routes and contingencies. He encourages his followers to

seven-headed serpent, and stranger forms. flee in the face of danger, for flight is tactical, not cowardly.

MEYEL Furthermore, Romgul suggests his followers gather in
groups, for there is safety in numbers. But Romgul is a god

The Dancing Fury of self-preservation, not safety, and he demands his followers

CE deity of battle, dance, freedom, pahtras, retribution put their personal survival first. When danger scatters a group,

Once an amiable pahtra deity of art, Meyel became consumed those who fall behind should be left behind—an action Romgul’s

with fury over the loss of the planet Pulonis to the Veskarium followers explain away as “for the good of the herd.”

and the deaths of countless pahtras. Meyel, now a blood-soaked Romgul enjoys tempting followers, offering them safety in

deity, urges pahtras to retake their home by any means necessary exchange for devotion. Dromada who follow him revere him in

and to seek retribution against the Veskarium, believing vesk secret, leading other dromadas to fret over who among them

and their minions should pay a thousandfold for every drop of might secretly worship the selfish bogeyman.

pahtra blood spilled. This isn’t considered thoughtless violence, Outside dromada society, Romgul enjoys more open worship.

but instead performance art to memorialize the wrongfully His faith attracts cowards, cynics, and scoundrels, as well as the

slain, and worshippers develop their own signatures in a twisted downtrodden, people living in dangerous places, and anyone

expression of virtuosity. just trying to get by.

Meyel’s old faith, dedicated to dance and peaceful expression, UVONN
survives. The two sects disdain each other yet rarely clash

directly, with the less violent worshippers avidly seeking The Welcome Oblivion

ways to shake their patron from their bloodlust. However, N goddess of forgetfulness, healing forgiveness, memory

neither denomination receives kind treatment from the wary Ancient beyond reckoning, Uvonn holds sway over memory,

Veskarium, so many hide their faith out of self-preservation. encouraging her followers, many of them telias, to embrace

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those recollections they enjoy and release those they don’t. Willed is the most recently ascended saint; however, beyond OVERVIEW
Her followers believe this deliberate forgetfulness is good for its proclamation lauding her heroic spirit, the Veskarium
body, mind, and spirit, as it can free those so burdened from has withheld details of whatever clandestine deeds she CLASSES
hate, trauma, and bad habits; to forget promotes healing and accomplished that warranted this reward, spurring myriad
forgiveness. Yet, Uvonn seems to forget nothing, and nothing theories and rumors. Those who knew her in life nonetheless GEAR
surprises she who has seen everything countless times already. seek her blessing, which occasionally draws the enthusiastic
soldier’s spirit to the battlefield. Nataratier Worldbender was SPELLS
Uvonn’s faith attracts addicts, amnesiacs, mesmerists, a powerful spellcaster whose ascension reminds vesk that
neurologists, and long-lived beings. Her faithful especially the seemingly weak can be powerful so long as they embody FAITHS
reveres the elderly. Although the majority of Uvonn’s followers Damoritosh’s teachings. He’s a favorite saint among those who THE
are content to manipulate their own memories, some learn achieve victory through magic and guile.
to tend, enhance, and erase the memories of others as a MAGICAL
treatment. However, some extreme worshippers go out of Rarely, Damoritosh tests and recruits non-vesk mortals. GALAXY
their way to destroy records of harmful events they deem The skittermander Anpa eagerly responds to prayers when
best left forgotten. Others use memory manipulation to create possible, yet she’s among the least revered saints due to many
utopian communities where hardships and past tragedies vesk feeling embarrassed by Anpa’s ebullience and shows of
can’t haunt the present. affection. Instead, the Veskarium touts Anpa as an example
of how even non-vesk can aspire to greatness if they serve
Many of Uvonn’s followers believe she brought on the Gap Damoritosh dutifully.
as a way to bring peace to the universe through collective
amnesia. If true, judging by the rampant chaos and violence
throughout the galaxies, another Gap might be needed soon.

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Although Damoritosh is the primary vesk deity, he doesn’t work UVONN
alone; an army of saints execute missions on his behalf.
Each saint has unique powers and can bless mortals,
which sometimes prompts Damoritosh’s worshippers
to request a specific saint’s aid in their prayers. Damoritosh
doesn’t resent this shared attention, treating his
20733899 saints as officers who command the loyalty of their
mortal followings while still recognizing their
general’s ultimate authority.

Most saints are celebrated warriors
or honored emperors who showed
unwavering courage, strength, and
faith. Typically, when a saint’s mortal
life ended, they would be resurrected
long enough to accomplish their
immediate unfinished business, such
as winning an ongoing battle, defeating
an enemy, or completing a mission. If
they prevailed in this narrow window of
second life, they became an immortal saint in
Damoritosh’s divine legion.

One of the most revered saints is Emperor Eshovok, who
united the vesk and founded the Veskarium. Similarly,
Empress Dalayo led the Veskarium to conquer Vesk-
2, solidifying the Veskarium as an interplanetary
empire. Both of these saints bless leaders during
battles of conquest. Damoritosh’s faithful remember
High Despot Montoresh as a tactical genius whose
blessing bestows temporary tactical advantage, making
her popular among a wide range of worshippers.

Renamori the Unkillable triumphed in countless battles,
and though an assassin’s poison should’ve killed them
outright, they died only after executing their assailant.
For this reason, Renamori champions those fighting
against impossible odds and terminal afflictions. Yogesh the

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ELDER MYTHOS

Nyarlathotep belongs to a sinister category of entities known primeval worlds or in rural settings where her bizarre fecundity
as the Elder Mythos. This alien pantheon is further broken into can run amok. In technologically advanced regions, those who
two subcategories: Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones. study genetics or seek “miracle cures” often turn to her faith for
inspiration. Rumors of her cultists infiltrating pharmaceutical
OUTER GODS companies are dismissed as fearmongering spurred on by
disgruntled employees and competitors, but in truth, at least
Outer Gods like Nyarlathotep are beings who, if not divinities two well-established and popular brands of designer drugs in
themselves, wield power that rivals that of true deities. the Pact Worlds have sinister links to the Black Goat’s faithful.

Azathoth (CN) Yog-Sothoth (CN)

Said to anchor the center of the universe, the so-called “blind Said to be the Gate and the Key, Yog-Sothoth dwells not in this
idiot god” Azathoth knows nothing of those who worship it. world but within it. Yog-Sothoth manifests either as a seething
Those who venerate Azathoth worship the very concept of mass of iridescent spheres or as a slightly more humanoid
destruction and see religious ecstasy in the annihilation at the figure cloaked in robes. While associated with the concept of
heart of a star. Azathoth is as much the idea of devastation time itself (indeed, the Outer God dwells at the heart of the
and the triumph of chaos as it is an entity. Vague rumors of a Dimension of Time), Yog-Sothoth’s faithful are more interested
pre-Gap flight by an experimental starship to locate the Throne in how time marches toward a point where a metaphorical gate
of Azathoth at the center of the universe are likely apocryphal, opens in anticipation of the Great Old Ones’ return and rule.
yet it remains curious that historical documents from so many When Yog-Sothoth influences mortal lives, the result inevitably
species—humans, elves, lashuntas, shirrens, and vesk among introduces horrific mutations and destructive life-forms.
them—make claims of having developed this lost ship.

Nhimbaloth (CE) GREAT OLD ONES

Death is no escape from The Great Old Ones are more terrestrially

Nhimbaloth; in fact, it’s a focused than the Outer Gods, and many

lure. Known as the Empty lie imprisoned or hibernating in forgotten

20733900 Death, this mysterious corners on lost worlds. While many of the

malevolence haunts Great Old Ones serve the Outer Gods, they

wetlands on countless remain unimaginably powerful

worlds, where glowing entities who are themselves

motes of light are said to worshipped on many worlds.

be the ways she looks into Cthulhu (CE)
reality. Ghosts are her

favorite repast, and those Tentacle-faced Cthulhu

who worship her often waits, “dead but dreaming”

sacrifice living creatures in and gathering an

vile rituals, transforming the ever-growing cult of

victims into ghosts that might worshippers dedicated

keep her sated. Nhimbaloth’s to setting him free on

presence can be seen in the countless worlds via

shape of seven divot-like infections to the minds of

scars left in the environment dreaming artists.

or the flesh. She’s regarded with Ghatanothoa (NE)
fear even by undead, and certain

fens and mires in deep The horrific monstrosity

caverns of Eox have been Ghatanothoa is so awful to

sealed off for centuries behold that accurate depictions

due to rumors of her of its appearance in art are said

presence within. Yog-Sothoth to have the power to kill.

Shub-Niggurath (CE) Hastur (CE)

Regarded as a goddess of fertility, The ruler of the parasite city of Carcosa is Hastur,
Shub-Niggurath is an enigma among Outer the Yellow King, whose worshippers ever seek new
Gods. Known as the Black Goat of the Woods debauches and revelries to taint the soul and flesh; in so
with a Thousand Young, she’s venerated mostly on doing, they draw the soul of cities themselves into his domain.

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THE ELDEST

Fey demigods known as the Eldest rule the First World, shaping chronologically, they would share it in flickers, so all Shyka OVERVIEW
its chaotic energies and creating domains for themselves and would experience all times. Since then, the role of Shyka changes

their followers. Many Eldest grant boons to devotees. The frequently; sometimes one of the Many remains for days,

Eldests’ goals are enigmatic, and their faiths cooperate rarely, as while at other times, they shift between a multitude in a single CLASSES

the Eldest are regularly at odds with one another. conversation. Occasionally, Shyka disappears completely. They

APHOLINE (N) refuse to discuss these disappearances, causing many to theorize GEAR
that whenever they disappear, Shyka visits lost Golarion or are

Luminous and comforting, Apholine the Flame shines with inhabited by an incarnation from the Gap.

pure life energy that sparks unimpeded growth. Apholine was OTHER ELDEST SPELLS
obsessed with that which was brighter than her—the sun—and

departed the First World ages ago, leaving her followers with the There are numerous other Eldest. The Green Mother masterminds

cryptic message: “I am close now; yet to fully understand, I must grand plots from her seat on the First World’s Bloodpetal Throne, FAITHS

dwell within Her Glory.” While Apholine hasn’t been seen since, acting through spies and assassins called the Mother’s Thorns.

her light never dimmed, and the ravais who worship her believe Imbrex is occasionally alluded to in the prophecies of Liavaran THE
she’s currently somewhere within a distant sun. Many still await Dreamers. The Lantern King regularly leaves the First World to MAGICAL
her prophesized return, claiming she’ll bring with her something traverse infospheres, causing mischief wherever he goes. Magdh, GALAXY

known only as “the Seed.” the Eldest of fate, has become more erratic and distressed since

THE LOST PRINCE (N) the Gap; some observers worry her distress is because she sees
the Gap as a sign that the universe’s threads of fate are twisting

The Lost Prince is a morose patron of those who have suffered loss. down the worst possible path.

His origins are unknown, but it’s suspected the First World isn’t his

first home. In the aftermath of the Gap, countless confused souls

sought solace in the Lost Prince; the longest-lived among them still

revere him to this day. While many of his faithful prefer isolation,

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NG (N)

Worship of Ng the Hooded has flourished in the era of Drift travel.
This secretive Eldest of crossroads and journeys is rumored to
have created first drives (Starship Operations Manual 10)—planar
engines that enable starships to travel between the First World
and Material Plane—which he gives to mortals in exchange for
future favors. Tales of starships traversing remote regions of the
universe that gain a mysterious, faceless passenger are rare but
persistent, and many of his faithful suspect the passenger is Ng
himself.

RAGADAHN (CE) Apholine

The Eldest with the strongest presence in the Pact Worlds is
Ragadahn the Water Lord, self-proclaimed Father of all Dragons
who has a sizable following on the Brethedan moon of Kalo-
Mahoi. The center of his worship is Eld Ona, a city of stunning,
ancient architecture. Much of the older architecture was made to
accommodate immense creatures, leading to the apocryphal claim
that Ragadahn once lived there. Others theorize the city was built
to house a different entity altogether.

SHYKA (N)

The Eldest of entropy, time, and reincarnation known as Shyka
the Many is an entity composed of countless chronomancers
scattered across time. Long ago, Shyka held a convocation of
every incarnation that would ever hold the role of Shyka—past
and future—and all agreed that rather than passing on the role

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OUTSIDER DEITIES

Exceptional extraplanar creatures occasionally develop the of their own happiness. Their cult of worshippers includes

divine spark to grant their followers power and perform miracles. many artists, explorers, lovers, and warriors who champion

Each plane has its own outsider deities, most of who also enjoy against oppression. Arshea’s followers delight in making first

mortal cults. These beings often work together, collaborate with contact with unknown planets and societies, hoping to ensure

mightier gods, and have quite specific portfolios. smooth communication and amicable introductions that benefit

The outsider deity groups and their planes of origin are everyone involved.

empyreal lords (Elysium, Heaven, and Nirvana); primal BLACK BUTTERFLY (CG)
inevitables (Axis); psychopomp ushers (Boneyard); protean

lords (Maelstrom); archdevils, infernal dukes, queens of the The Black Butterfly is an azata empyreal lord of distance,

night, and malebranches (Hell); the four horsemen and daemonic silence, and space. Also known as the Silence Between and

harbingers (Abaddon); demon lords (Abyss); elemental lords Desna’s Shadow, she teaches her followers the strength of

(elemental planes); and arc spectra (Drift). silence and patience as tools to find one’s true self and to reveal

ARSHEA (NG) the true natures of others. By studying the absences found in
space and time, any truth is discoverable.

Arshea is an angel empyreal lord who represents personal The Black Butterfly is worshipped by navigators, lovers

empowerment, beauty, and sexuality, along with the freedom separated by distance, and by anyone isolated by either their

for all to explore these concepts for themselves. As long as no nature or their circumstances. She abhors evil and wages

harm is done unto others, Arshea and their followers support constant war to defend the galaxy from the Dominion of the

the pursuit of pleasures and personal fulfillment in whatever Black and all inhabitants of the Dark Tapestry—an endless

forms they take for an individual. mission her followers are expected to likewise accept.

The Spirit of Abandon has no permanent realm on CIXYRON (NE)
the planes, instead wandering the galaxy in search

As a daemonic harbinger of weaponry and the destruction made

possible by technology, Cixyron’s power and influence over the

galaxy grows stronger every day. His faithful have called him by

20733902 many names over the millennia, changing his title in homage to the

newest and most violent weapons mortals have created. Cixyron

is currently known as the Consuming Nova or the Striking Ruin.

Thanks to his ever-growing influence and power in Abaddon, his

followers command fear and respect uncommon among outsider

cultists. They create and distribute weapons across the galaxy,

encourage wars, and incite apocalypses. These worshippers

delight in transforming natural phenomena like asteroids

or solar storms into weapons by altering their courses or

directing ships into their paths.

DUELLONA DUELLONA (LG)

The Warrior Maiden Duellona is an archon
empyreal lord of bravery, warfare, and triumph.
She represents the strength and unity of warriors
fighting alongside each other, and she teaches her
followers to be fearless even in the face of overwhelming
adversity.
Duellona’s worship was concentrated on Daimalko
until two centuries ago when a worldwide apocalypse
devastated the planet. Many of the surviving damais still
revere the Warrior Maiden, especially those in New Valor,
where they fight against the colossi that infest their home
world. Outside Daimalko, Duellona’s faithful are a constant
but small minority among military groups and cultures with
strong martial traditions. Although the Warrior Maiden
sponsors soldiers, she also protects those involved in more
figurative battles, such as those fighting xenophobic policies
or chronic ailments.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

FACILIAN (N) often squabbles with Lamashtu (page 122), and these clashes

As the Drift has grown, so too have its native beings known have stymied his ascent to true divinity.

as the spectra, not only multiplying, but also generating Pazuzu meddles in mortal affairs constantly, appearing or

several paragons of demigod power. The first of these arc sending servants to tempt and corrupt those who speak his OVERVIEW
spectra is Facilian, a divinity of beginnings, novel ideas, and name. He’s worshipped by space pirates and the evils that float

experimentation. The relationship between the spectra and in the dead of space.

Triune is unclear, and the addition of Facilian does nothing to RANGINORI (NG) CLASSES
elucidate it. The spectra god is clearly allied with the All-Code,

though they don’t appear to be its servant. Ranginori, the Zephyrous Prince, is one of two elemental lords GEAR
Also known as the Blossoming Fractal, Facilian appears of air and a god of freedom and atmospheres, both natural and

to mortals when they have strokes of inspiration and artificial. His followers value independence and the freedom

breakthroughs in their work or overcome blocks in their to both think and move freely across the galaxy. They work to SPELLS
perspectives. Facilian’s faith is in its infancy, driven by keep space travel as safe and easy as possible, searching for

inventors, explorers, scientists, and those who challenge stranded travelers in need of help and repairs. Many of them are

convention and forge their own paths. In return, Facilian interested in climate controls and creating artificial atmospheres, FAITHS

occasionally appears to worshippers as they travel the Drift, and Ranginori’s faithful are well represented among larger space

granting visions of baffling signs and formulas that each stations’ and starships’ life support engineers. THE
viewer might adapt into their own breakthroughs. For the most ambitious faithful, rehabilitating entire planets’ MAGICAL
GALAXY
OCCHIORASOI (LE) depleted atmospheres represents the ultimate expression of
devotion. In the Pact Worlds, a large cohort of the Zephyrous

Malebranches are powerful devils dispatched by Hell with an Prince’s followers have set their sights on Eox, where they

infernal mandate to conquer worlds on the Material Plane. Most work with an eccentric group of undead to restore that planet’s

toil for centuries or millennia with little success. Occhiorasoi, obliterated atmosphere. Sarcessian guerrilla warriors regularly

the malebranche of distortion, coercion, and control known as undermine these efforts, though, intent that Eox remain dead

the Cipher Tongue, is one of the few malebranches to succeed, after having obliterated the sarcessians’ own planets.

establishing her as the ruler of the planet Embroi. From secret SALOC (N)
chambers hidden beneath the planet’s surface, she manipulates

its inhabitants according to her whims and the will of Hell. Saloc is a psychopomp usher of personal agency and education,

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galactic influence grows. Her cult attracts those who desire their final judgment. They cherish living creatures’ free will and

power and leadership, though their ambition only binds them believe souls should be judged by both their intentions and the

and their souls to Hell. The malebranche encourages her faithful ultimate consequences of their actions. Saloc’s home is at the

to recruit their own followings or to infiltrate and conquer other center of Spire’s Edge, a large planar city inhabited by the souls

organizations, gaining influence by amassing minions. of mortals whose lives lacked ambition and meaning.

OTOLMENS (LN) The Minder of Immortals is revered by lawyers, teachers,
prisoners, and any who seek to control their fates in death

Otolmens the Universal is one of the few primal inevitables to through their choices in life. Saloc’s faithful also includes

emerge from the Gap whole. She watches over the Material Plane the Voyage Ordinant, a cult of traveling attorneys who take

to preserve the accurate function of the multiverse, endlessly otherwise-hopeless cases and defend those who unintentionally

locating and documenting galactic anomalies and disturbances run afoul of local laws and large corporate interests.

for Axis’s planar records. The Universal personally oversaw YDAJISK (CN)
the production of the first Anhamut inevitables constructed in

Axis after receiving their blueprints in a mysterious signal now Ydajisk is a protean lord of language, lost words, and change. It

theorized to have come from Triune and the Drift. The Anhamut delights in linguistic invention and the evolution of languages,

Edgeseekers, a group of inevitables dedicated to exploring including every new piece of slang, every word borrowed from

and mapping the cosmos, report directly to her. Otolmens’s one language to another, every person who forges their own

worshippers include engineers and mathematicians who pray name, and every linguistic shift brought on by changes in time

to her for accurate calculations, bureaucrats or managers and culture.

concerned with order and function, and galactic explorers who The Mother of Tongues is worshipped by poets, librarians, and

hope to make new discoveries and uncover hidden anomalies. any who has experience with languages of any form, from the

PAZUZU (CE) auditory to the cryptographic. Its followers view language as
something chaotic and changing, forever in flux like the proteans

Among the eldest demon lords, Pazuzu claims the widest themselves, and many find solace and freedom working around

influence over the Material Plane of any demon. Though once the defined structures of words or grammar rather than adhering

merely lord of the sky, the King of the Solar Winds now considers to them. Ydajisk’s cults visit uninhabited worlds to learn and

all of space his domain and claims dominion over warships, space chronicle dead languages, and they shoot satellites into far space,

battles, and the destruction wrought by solar flares. However, he decorated with words that have fallen out of use.

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THE CYCLE

Philosophical Cosmic Balance three events share a custom known as the Transference,

Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Diaspora, Idari, the Sun, where a package from the retired or deceased containing

Vesk-4 their personal effects, anecdotes, and a short manifesto are

Symbol: A lemniscate within a star given to a successor or newborn at a large gathering where

those attending share stories of the departing, reinforcing the

Some kasathas have stellar evolution memorized as clearly as community’s shared history.

their cultural and family history, for the life and death of stars Historians debate the origins of these Cycle rituals, with

form the backbone of the philosophy known as the Cycle. Oral many insisting they originated from Talavite practices rather

and written history dating back several millennia record how than from the Cycle itself. This belief is certainly true among

this understanding emerged from observing the brilliant night those Talavites who treat the Cycle as one of many traditions to

sky of Kasath, littered with stars young and old. While the high be treasured and preserved. Many non-kasatha Cycle adherents

radiation from these stars contributed to the planet’s desert have chosen to distance themselves from these kasatha-created

state, kasathas gained matchless insights into how stars form rituals and focus upon the Cycle’s core concepts.

and cease to be by tracking these changes over generations. Even among those who adhere solely to the Cycle, there’s

Originally, these insights were interpreted as omens division, and interpretive differences have given rise to a

of change and major events. Many relied on talented number of orders, sects, and schools of thought. The School of

star readers to predict one’s fate or augur an outcome. Impermanence views the Cycle as a lesson on accepting

After an oracle made the Final Prophecy foretelling the the inevitable end and the destined return. Adherents

death of Kasath’s sun, the Cycle came to be viewed as from the Solarian Collective strive to balance power

a philosophical truth: creation and destruction are one acquisition without arrogance against humility

and the same, and life should strive to emulate the without dismissing one’s own self-interest. To

perfect, destined, and repetitive eternity that is the perpetuate the Cycle, creation and destruction

Cycle. must be wielded and embraced in equal

Bits of the Cycle’s fortune-telling past still measure. Preachers from the Nova Directive

exist, preserved through ancestral teachings advise their followers to live life to the

20733904 and traditions. The demand for accurate fullest, sometimes to hedonistic

astronomical data for star reading drives proportions. In a similar vein, a

telescopes and scanners to number growing sect of solarians known

among the most advanced of kasathan as the Ultraists reject balance

technologies. Icons used by oracles altogether and intentionally

to record prophecies have become seek extreme paths to gain

symbols found in decorative motifs devastating powers. Perhaps

from calligraphy and mysticism the most controversial of Cycle

to corporate logos and fashion interpretations is the Order of the

accessories. That said, kasathas Zoetic Cycle, an esoteric sect that

generally see the Cycle’s spreads its teachings through infospheres

teachings as something and elaborate invitation-only ceremonies that

to embody rather than are notoriously difficult to attend. These

display through material dramatic adherents insist the Cycle is an

symbolism. entity with free will—a consciousness from

Many kasathan which one can draw power by following

ceremonies and activities a complex collection of rules and rituals to

trace their roots and rituals attract its inscrutable attention.

to the Cycle. The Tempering is the When the Pact Worlds were introduced to the

most well known, regarded as a time Cycle, many found it difficult to grasp, for not only

when kasathan youths break down did most texts not use separate words for creation and

the notions they once had to return destruction, but these writings also couched lessons in

as something stronger or different. esoteric kasathan allegory. The utility of solarian

Sun burial for the deceased is another Cycle priest powers, however, attracted many to the philosophy,
common rite, being a popular funerary which helped develop further understanding. The

practice among kasathas, such that Cycle meshes well with many belief systems, such

their mortal bodies might reunite with a as Sangpotshi and veneration of Pharasma, although

life-giving star. Preparation for birth, death, and succession it clashes with faiths focused on ultimate endings, for the

are also significant and ritualistically celebrated. These Cycle teaches there is no end to anything, even the universe.

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

THE GREEN FAITH THE GAP OVERVIEW
RECOLLECTIVE CLASSES
Environmental Advocates
Gap-Obsessed Fringe Cult GEAR
Centers of Worship: Castrovel,
Ghorus Prime, Helfen-Thel, Centers of Worship: Absalom Station,
Varturan, Vesk-2 Aucturn, Castrovel, Verces

Symbol: Concentric rings of natural Symbol: A partially reconstructed
elements shattered mirror

On practically every planet where sapient life developed, The Gap Recollective is an obscure faith that attracts SPELLS
reverence for the natural world that sustained such any and all whose main interest lies in the universe’s
life developed as well. As such, countless sects of the Green greatest mystery: the Gap. The Gap Recollective not only FAITHS

Faith have grown independently of one another, each adapted believes it’s possible to understand the Gap, but also that it’s

to meet the needs of unique ecosystems that vary drastically feasible to reverse it. The cult attracts a wide range of members, THE
from planet to planet. This independence hasn’t prevented including scientific researchers, esoteric psychics, occult-minded MAGICAL
these sects from sharing the same basic values once Drift travel conspiracy theorists, gullible souls, and opportunistic scoundrels. GALAXY

brought them closer together. Although some in the Gap Recollective are altruistic, looking only

At its core, the Green Faith teaches that the natural world to repair their memories or those of the galaxy at large, many are

should be cherished and respected. Since there’s no organized driven by greed, a thirst for influence, or the need to validate

structure for the faith, how adherents go about doing so varies their pet theories. These adherents hope to profit, perhaps by

greatly. Many dedicate their lives to patrolling and maintaining selling lost technology for a fortune, by arming themselves for

natural parks and other wild places. Others spend their time acts of aggression or vengeance, or to gain power, recognition,

lobbying governments for sustainable environmental policies, or fame.

and some prefer to take extreme measures—including violence— As eclectically optimistic as the group is in seeking to reverse

to protect the natural world and retaliate against those who the Gap, and as much as members of the Gap Recollective are

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Faith, worshippers sometimes come together to form orders convincing air of legitimacy to their methods. The Gap

based on their ecological interests. Many orders are specific Recollective has made numerous mystical and extradimensional

to the needs of individual planets, but some are far-reaching. breakthroughs in magic, suggesting at least some members

The Order of the Spheres concerns itself with maintaining the understand something about the nature of the Gap that eludes

ecological balance of individual planets in an era of interstellar traditional forms of research. However, the Recollective’s

trade. The Order of Preservation enters the scene when a discoveries rarely reach the uninitiated, and only those who

planet’s environment has been irrevocably damaged through earn admission and recognition within its ranks can hope

pollution or natural disaster, collecting samples of flora and to access the inner mysteries and learn of these secretive

fauna before they’re lost forever. These sects are but a few techniques. To an untrained eye, the methodology is absolute

examples that also include the Order of the Wave, Order of the chaos—a motley assortment of spiritualism, technomysticism,

Flame, at least 17 different groups claiming the title Order of the and poetic absurdity. Yet, their persistent and unrelenting

Fang, and many more. assault on the edges of the known limits of knowledge leads to

The Green Faith is a lifestyle as well as a religion and can’t revelations with their unintuitive apophenia having developed

be practiced casually. Adherents commit themselves to living a host of weapons, technology, and baubles that range from

in harmony with the environment, and their professions curious to improbably dangerous.

frequently reflect their beliefs. The Xenowardens count many The philosophy still grapples with many unanswered

Green Faith adherents among their members. Worshippers who questions, and the Gap Recollective’s members regularly

don’t lean toward activism tend to lead self-sufficient lives far contract freelancers to retrieve relics, chart stellar phenomena,

from big cities. perform extreme field tests, and interview obscure sages. These

All wild places untouched by civilization are sacred to the outwardly mundane tasks uncover serendipitous anomalies and

Green Faith. For city-dwelling worshippers, a park might serve catastrophic danger so regularly that many mercenaries refuse

as a place of worship or meditation, though most still seek to the work outright, certain that even the simplest missions could

make a pilgrimage to a truly wild place at least once in their prove lethal. Recollective investigators point to these recurring

lives. Many adherents in the Pact Worlds travel to the protected disasters as proof of the movement being on the right track.

continent Ukulam on Castrovel to feel closer to their faith. Indeed, for all the derision and suspicion cast on the loose

Whispers among the different orders speak of a sacred site on organization, adherents of the Gap Recollective seem to be

Ukulam called the Verdant Soul, though it’s up to each pilgrim peeling away layers of some mystery, though they might just

to find this place on their own. solve a completely different enigma than they initially imagined.

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THE PARALLEL TRUTHS

Seeker of Otherworldly have vanished altogether, sparking debate between those who

Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Castrovel, Daimalko, believe they’ve departed to rule over their own Nexus Reality

Liavara and those who fear something more sinister is going on.

Symbol: A fractal diamond containing an outlined eye Due to its individualistic nature, the Parallel Truths

has few unified goals. Most members focus on personal

Scholars have long known of alternate realities, as evidenced enlightenment, discussing strategies with one another in the

by witchwarpers’ magic. The loosely organized group known hopes of finding one that works for them. They often form

as the Parallel Truths takes this idea further: its doctrines smaller groups dubbed “circles,” connecting in person or

teach that each person is a reflection of a primal, true alternate over the infosphere as mystical support groups to help each

reality unique to that individual, and only by projecting oneself member refine techniques. Many followers are witchwarpers

into this reality can one attain enlightenment. To achieve this (Character Operations Manual 60), though membership

state, adherents adopt numerous strategies: losing themselves doesn’t require such abilities, nor do all witchwarpers observe

in the Drift to find a place where “the Veil” between realities is the organization’s loose doctrines. Some individuals are drawn

thin, utilizing astral and ethereal travel, and performing to the philosophy because the idea of alternate universes

esoteric meditations intended to spiritually transfer fascinates them; some wish to escape their current

one’s essence into another existence. To find their true unpleasant circumstances; and others hope to gain

reality—referred to as one’s Nexus Reality—followers of power, whether for benevolent or selfish ends.

the Parallel Truths employ varied strategies that are The Parallel Truths rarely establishes formal

individual by design, for each person supposedly temples, as most circles lack the necessary resources.

has a distinct path to their Nexus Reality. Members instead gather in their homes, coffee

Although the philosophies espoused shops, parks, and other public spaces. Their

by the Parallel Truths have existed gatherings typically take the form of discussion

for centuries, scattered amid the salons, with followers describing their recent

manifestos of occult theorists, the discoveries. These symposia occasionally

organization itself is relatively swell into informal conventions when

20733906 new. It lacks any centralized one or more True Enlightened visits,

leadership, instead relying on though especially large Parallel Truths

its most vocal proponents to gatherings are infamous for causing

spread its ideology, primarily reality-warping phenomena in the

through infosphere sites and area. Law enforcement preemptively

literature through several break up some of these conventions

small-scale publishers. Those to avert supernatural disturbances,

few who claim to have found yet the strange miracles only attract

their Nexus Reality receive more adherents who hope that these

considerable respect as the mystical circumstances might enable a

True Enlightened, a title breakthrough in their own meditations.

that grants them no formal Since first gaining popularity on

authority yet lends their infosphere sites, the Parallel Truths has

words and opinions special gravity amassed followers throughout the Pact

within the organization. Most of the Worlds and beyond. The largest of its circles is based

True Enlightened haven’t made public in the Kemanis neighborhood of Absalom Station,

precisely how they found their Nexus led by socialite-turned-True-Enlightened Philara

Reality, purportedly because their own Avjiri (N female human witchwarper). Castrovel’s

process wouldn’t aid others. Skeptics universities host several notable circles, some of

point out the convenience of keeping them bitter rivals. The technomagical research

these revelations vague. Adherents facility of Denkiri Center, located on Liavara’s moon

often counter that the True Enlightened of Arkanen, hosts another prominent circle that

gain strange new powers after their draws local skepticism. On the colossi-ravaged
Mascension, such as enhanced personal
planet of Daimalko, a charismatic man known

healing abilities (tied to their Nexus only as M (CN male damai mystic) leads a

Reality being unharmed by mortal small enclave of followers; he claims—

wounds), uncanny prescience, or or perhaps simply hopes—that once he

reality-bending magic. Over time, achieves True Enlightenment, he can

a few of the True Enlightened permanently scour the colossi from the planet.

134 FAITHS

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

PROPHECIES OF SANGPOTSHI OVERVIEW
KALISTRADE CLASSES
River of Life
Disciplined Doctrinal GEAR
Adherents Centers of Worship: Absalom
Station, Bretheda,
Centers of Worship: Absalom Castrovel, Liavara
Station, Triaxus, Verces
Symbol: A colorful
Symbol: A gold-and-white inverted segmented disc
triangle atop concentric circles

Born from the prophetic visions of a human named In Sangpotshi, adherents believe actions in one’s previous SPELLS
Kalistrade who lived on Golarion ages ago, the Prophecies life determine the quality of the next: good deeds lead to
of Kalistrade are writings left behind to guide his followers. comfort, evil acts result in suffering, and these continue until a FAITHS

The doctrine laid out in Ontologies of the Self (a collection of being extracts themselves from the cycle. Sangpotshi thrived

Kalistrade’s travel logs, dream journals, and diaries) presents on Golarion and has since spread beyond that lost planet. While THE
highly rigorous and occasionally obtuse rituals by which to simple, the diversity found in the Pact Worlds system confronted MAGICAL
discipline one’s body and spirit. These principles include wearing the philosophy with many questions: what exactly is good or GALAXY

all-white clothing, avoiding direct physical contact with others, evil? To what extent is one responsible for the consequences?

and maintaining a meticulously precise diet, and they’ve all How can one reflect on their past if the ethos they had is now

survived into the modern era. Though these tenets of the faith foreign or if there was nothing to reflect on?

are seemingly immutable, many other rituals are up for debate. The Gap shook Sangpotshi’s relevance in society. With

Interpretations vary wildly between followers in different parts of countless past lives lost, some practitioners abandoned the

the galaxy, especially as varied cultures and species have adopted pursuit altogether, while many sects sought to reform or

and adapted the practices. At its core, though, the Prophecies are transform the philosophy for this new reality. For a time, these

an aspirational faith, providing marginalized people a clear (albeit schools were bitter rivals, discounting each other as illegitimate.

esoteric) path to power and wealth. It took centuries before they found a way to coexist.

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predictions—or at least only a handful of oracular proclamations categorized into three groups. Traditionalists focus on memories

that hadn’t been resolved millennia ago. Although there are no predating the Gap, believe good and evil are defined universally,

known prophecies regarding the Gap, one of the doctrine’s most and contend all souls are judged based on a single rubric.

well-known passages indicates that the Kalistocrats shall amass Consequentialists concentrate on lives that happened after

enough wealth to own the world. By extension, Kalistocrats the Gap, believing good is relative to one’s upbringing, culture,

generally endeavor to accumulate as much wealth as possible and circumstance. Understanding and embracing the difference

without predatory business practices. However, what represented are part of the learning process. To many Consequentialists,

“the world” in past literature has an unclear definition in an age the Gap was a cosmic reset event, allowing all beings to

of interstellar travel. Many argue that Golarion’s inhabitants had explore Sangpotshi’s teachings on an equal footing. Lastly, the

knowledge of other planets, thus the passage could refer to any or Reflectionists seek to restore lost memories, seeing good and

all worlds; others disagree. Some consider this prophecy already evil as just two of the many values one is judged upon.

fulfilled, that the Kalistocrats on lost Golarion accumulated Each sect’s interpretation impacts how believers practice

enough wealth to own Golarion, sending the entire planet into a Sangpotshi. The rich and powerful prefer meditating in elaborate

state of enlightenment and causing the Gap. retreats guided by Traditionalist teachers. Consequentialism

Followers of the Prophecies of Kalistrade speak about their appeals to travelers. Reflectionists might dedicate themselves

faith to anyone willing to listen. Many are bankers, corporate to bringing back memories from the Gap, isolating themselves

employees, entrepreneurs, or consultants. Bases of operation in seclusion for months at a time to ponder their past. As

operated by a High Prophet exist on each Pact World, with Sangpotshi blends harmoniously with many faiths, each

more bases across the galaxy. Predictably, these locations also adherent’s practices are further customized by any other beliefs.

double as banks, investment brokers, or learning centers for Each school strives for enlightenment, though there’s debate

those seeking self-improvement, and they often serve as a point on how to reach it. Some say enlightenment happens when the

of first contact with the faith. More practically, Kalistocrats can good within conquers external evil. Others believe it involves

meet and finance freelance operatives in these forums to pursue overcoming one’s prescribed destiny and exploring unforeseen

myriad lucrative ventures. paths. A growing minority believe enlightenment doesn’t

The Prophecies aren’t an exclusive faith, and Kalistocrats require revelation or apotheosis; rather, the journey itself is

are welcome to worship a wide variety of deities. Abadar is enlightenment. Whatever one’s beliefs, Sangpotshi is the art of

an especially popular patron. Talavet’s love of tradition and viewing the present within a greater context and confronting

community likewise appeals to many. one’s self daily to ask, “Could I have done differently?”

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SINGULARITISM

Mass Technological Ascension to wider society, making them the most popular and well-liked

Centers of Worship: Aballon, Absalom Station, Bretheda followers of Singularitism’s subframes.

Symbol: An impossible shape made of lines of interlocking code Mechanonaturalism operates as a pseudo-religious sect that

primarily follows Oras’s teachings consolidated with the absolute

Singularitism is the belief that all life will become interconnected truths presented by Singularitism: that survival is an imperative

in a vast technological network before collectively apotheosizing for all living creatures. As demonstrated by Aballon’s nigh

and superseding all other forms of divinity. However, the utopian society and the effective immortality of construct life-

exact methods and timeline to achieving this complete forms, Mechanonaturalists believe evolution into machine‑life

organic‑life‑to‑machine evolution remain unclear. serves as the next level of adaptation to persist in an often-

Most prevalent among anacites on Aballon, Singularitism unforgiving universe. However, this progression must come

has gained traction throughout the galaxy. In an expression of naturally, including the advancement into a unified godhead

pragmatism as much as faith, Singularitists commonly worship that would remove living beings’ flaws and ensure perpetual

Oras or Triune, believing their goals align and that divine survival. Therefore, Mechanonaturalists rarely intervene in

providence might speed the evolution. In response, Oras’s and this evolution; instead, they believe faith in higher powers or

Triune’s faithful generally remain tolerant of Singularitism. natural forces will affect life-to-machine evolution, even if it

Singularitists typically associate with one of three major takes eons. Mechanonaturalists typically opt to spread their

philosophical subframes: Innovention, Mechanonaturalism, dogma of eventual salvation through incontestable survival.

and the Singular Directive. The most proactive subframe, Some people appreciate their humanitarian-focused missions to

Innovention, posits life-to-machine evolution will come to spread Mechanonaturalism, which include traversing dangerous

fruition through sentient-kind’s ingenuity, paralleling the locales with both their knowledge and technology in tow. Others

philosophies of Aballon’s followers of Those Who Become. find their teachings overbearing or can’t comprehend what sets

Primarily engineers, scholars, and magical practitioners, Mechanonaturalists apart from more directly theological beliefs.

Innoventives develop means to transition organic life-forms The Singular Directive focuses more on final objectives

into mechanical analogs using technology and magic while than on the steps that precede perfection. With an approach

preserving that unique spark that enables creativity and paralleling Epoch’s creation, the Singular Directive works

20733908 innovation. Though not strictly religious, Innoventives generally to create a godhead AI that will calculate their path to

respect Triune, while more esoteric followers venerate Eloritu machine-life evolution. They view the Innoventives’ creating

as they search for magical answers to furthering the machine “body” as Singularitism’s most trivial aspect

Singularitism. As a byproduct, Innoventives and Mechanonaturalists’ efforts as ineffective. Attaining the

often develop technologies useful godhead’s “mind” requires perfection from its components,

so the Singular Directive continuously designs and improves

AI using synthesized ideas derived from academic subjects—

such as sciences, history, and philosophy—

as well as “successful” advanced

societies and cultures. They believe

the ultimate machine life-form must

possess flawless mental capabilities

to maintain a utopian network. Yet

this view has inspired a social culling

to ensure only suitable minds comprise

the perfect base for the godhead,

even escalating to physical measures

to bar the unworthy from tainting the

network. Followers avoid publicizing their

actions and involvement with the Singular

Directive, and they sometimes infiltrate other

subframes to harness new

Singularitism members. Innoventives and
Mechanonaturalists alike

priest have openly denounced the
Singular Directive, though

neither has taken

significant actions

against them.

136 FAITHS

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GALACTIC MAGIC 4

THE SONG OF SILENCE

Eternal Seekers fresh ideas and influences of other creatures, most especially OVERVIEW
those of living mortals. The biggest commonality between
Centers of Worship: Absalom Station, Diaspora, Eox

Symbol: A serene undead face, mouthless, with eyes shut in Whisperers is, ironically, diversity. Every Whisperer brings

contemplation their own culture or race’s conceptions about life, death, and the CLASSES

undead into their discussions, beliefs, and rituals, which in turn

Death is not the end point it once was. For the Song of Silence, inspires other Whisperers to consider alternative perspectives. GEAR
this new reality has taken a more esoteric slant. Adherents Perhaps the most intriguing movement among Whisperers

believe undeath is the ultimate goal of life. Paradoxically, life are the Sin Eaters. Named for an ancient practice from Golarion,

cannot truly be lived until two things happen. First, a mortal these Whisperers train themselves as professional morticians SPELLS
can’t experience all there is to experience until they know what and mourners who then wander the galaxy to offer their

it’s like to die. Second, after they’ve died, the deceased must services. Sin Eaters keep extensive records of the mortals they

take all the lessons they’ve learned during their fragile cycle as give last rites to, sparing no detail over who the mortal was, FAITHS

a living being and perfect themselves in their undead afterlife. how they died, and the legacy—or lack thereof—they left behind.

Thus, one’s first life is a trial run, full of challenges unique to Sin Eaters consider it their duty to ensure any dead mortal they THE
a being composed of inconvenient biomatter, and the afterlife encounter is mourned properly; some have gone to considerable MAGICAL
is where true life begins, for eternity allows one the time to lengths to assist a deceased’s family with recovering the GALAXY

contemplate the meaning and beauty of existence. remains of their loved one. Like many Whisperers, they also

Most Pact Worlds residents believe the Song of Silence is try to assist mortals who wish to discover the wonders of an

popular only on Eox, but in truth, the philosophy extends far undead existence for themselves.

beyond the dead planet. Countless mortals lust after immortality

or fear their imminent deaths, and the Song of Silence offers

such souls hope and support in understanding their current

forms’ mortality and aspiring to something greater. Many borais

and varculaks feel deep resonance with the Song of Silence, as

the philosophy offers both comfort and purpose throughout

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to attain undeath so they might perfect themselves and join the

ranks of the bone sages. Lately, a growing number of androids

find the Song of Silence attractive, although the philosophy’s

tenets are still adapting to understand the meanings of death

and undeath through the lens of a constructed being.

The nominal leaders of the Song of Silence are the Conclave

of Whispers, a community of philosophers, spellcasters, and

elders residing in Eox’s Church of Silence who have dedicated

themselves to mastering undeath’s secrets. Although many

proponents of the Song of Silence from Eox adhere to the

tenets, restrictions, and practices set forth by the conclave,

in practice, the conclave’s authority stems from its members’

successes and wisdom, and it has little control over fellow

adherents (commonly known as Whisperers). In fact, most

Whisperers are generally apathetic to the Church of Silence

until they desire access to the church’s massive libraries, in the

hopes of plumbing its archives for knowledge to further their

esoteric journeys.

Although Whisperers often prefer “listening” to the Song

of Silence as a private, deeply spiritual experience, many find

strength and enlightenment when congregating to explore

their immortal natures together. Few eschew this camaraderie

altogether, and those solitary Whisperers

often suffer for their isolation—even immortal

flesh cannot necessarily sustain a mortal mind Sin-Eater
not designed to endure the weight of eons, and companions

help keep an adherent grounded. Many believe that there can

be little to discover in an unlife that does not incorporate the

PHILOSOPHIES 137

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THE MAGICAL GALAXY 5

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OVERVIEW

Magic can be measured, manipulated, and predicted, or else it never
could’ve been integrated with technology. Even so, individuals and
cultures perceive magic in wildly different ways, and many incantations
and phenomena remain associated with myth, antiquity, physical
impossibilities, and secrets perhaps better left alone. In short, despite
being integrated into everyday society, magic remains... magical.

MAGICAL PROGRESS MAGIC AS UNIVERSAL FORCE

Scholars of magic describe cultures as moving through distinct The incredible diversity of magical experience means every

phases of magical practice—idiosyncrasy, apprenticeship, culture perceives magic in its own way, but the popularization

formalization, and popularization—though like everything else of magic has encouraged the development and dissemination

with magic, there are many exceptions. Through idiosyncrasy, of a primary model by which to understand magic. This model,

a culture first experiments with magic as each individual learns however, is neither universally accepted nor entirely flawless.

magic on their own through trial and error. The magic that works It’s a theory, and like any theory, it’s constantly being challenged

for one individual doesn’t always work for another, for every and modified through experimentation and observation.

spellcaster has learned to work magic in their own personalized Countless competing theories exist, and a student who attends

and unique way. They might record their experiences, and these a magical academy will learn many of them, including the ways

magical manuscripts can guide other, younger spellcasters in the various models prove or disprove one another.

their education. Ultimately, every magic-wielder is on their own, The prevailing model envisions magic as a universal force,

and they master magic—or fail—in relative isolation. like gravity or electromagnetism. This force extends to other

As magic spreads, fellowship and collaboration develop into planes and other worlds in the multiverse, though the physical

the next stage: apprenticeship, in which aspiring spellcasters laws of other planes often alter magic’s behavior. For example,

and proven experts learn from one another. With tutelage, the unique physical laws of the Drift prevent magic from being

magic-wielders become part of a lineage, developing traditions used to access that plane, but if an individual can reach the

20733912 for understanding and manifesting spells—a unique fire spell, Drift (presumably through a Drift engine or other technological

for example, or a reliance on specific ritual foci handed down means), their magic functions normally as long as they’re there.

time and time again. The master-apprentice relationship One notable difference between magic and other universal

often substitutes for familial bonds, simulating generational forces, however, is that the magical force extends forward and

relationships that provide each new student financial, emotional, backward in time in unique ways, not only perceiving events

and magical support as they master their craft. that transpired long ago (as an astronomer might by gazing at

Yet for all its crucial instruction, apprenticeship lacks millennia-old light of a distant star), but also seeing possible

the societal breadth offered by formalization when magical futures that haven’t yet come to pass. The Gap is perhaps the

education evolves into an official, accessible, and widespread most famous example of this unique property of magic: while no

phenomenon. In these societies, individuals who want to learn one knows what happened in the Gap, the general consensus is

magic go to school, where they study from multiple instructors that its chronometric emptiness was magical. Were a society to

alongside many fellow students. The old generalist lineages of ever develop practical technological time travel, though, they

the apprentice system have developed into specializations such could test this basic aspect of Gap theory.

as conjuration or abjuration, and methods of learning, working, A unified theory of magic doesn’t just placate academic

and teaching magic are well enough understood that virtually egos; it also allows magic to be standardized and ultimately

anyone can be taught to cast a spell. However, schooling of this industrialized. Virtually every technological object in Pact

sort might still retain some practical or social limits based on Worlds society incorporates some magical element. A hovercycle

wealth, class, species, religion, or some other factor. factory might use robotic workers to assemble a vehicle’s body,

All of these notions break down in the fourth phase: engine, and other parts, but at some stage in that assembly line

popularization. In the Pact Worlds, where this stage is in full process, magical runes of protection bolster the vehicle’s safety

swing, anyone can study and potentially work magic. All the old features, magical circuitry shields it against casual hacking, and

methods still exist, so an aspiring mystic or technomancer might support plating boosts the vehicle’s antigravity functions to a

experiment on in isolation, learn from an expert in one-on-one practical level. A spellcaster might install these directly, but just

training, or attend one of many prestigious magical academies— as often, the process is automated, performed by hybrid-tech

but they’re just as likely to download a pirated textbook from robots capable of eldritch manufacturing minutiae. This level of

the infosphere, study holovids of the latest magical celebrity, widespread magical industrialization is possible only because

be tutored by a hacked AI, or take self-guided remote learning engineers understand magic to be a predictable force that

classes from a nearby city college after working a day job and obeys certain universal laws and that magic exposed to a given

tucking in the kids at night. stimulus will (almost) always react in a predictable manner.

140 THE MAGICAL GALAXY

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GALACTIC MAGIC 5

Through the universal force model, spellcasters no longer In the three centuries since the Signal, technology has become

divide magic into sub-forces such as “arcane” or “divine.” “Magic more ubiquitous than magic. In many ways, this development

is magic,” as the saying goes in the Pact Worlds, and while isn’t surprising; after all, a personal comm is cheaper and easier

individuals, cultures, or entire civilizations might interpret that than learning a message spell, and even a glamorous spell like OVERVIEW
magic differently, it’s one force capable of almost anything flight is easily duplicated by jet packs available to everyone.

while also obeying certain immutable laws. It thus becomes But did it have to be this way? Ongoing debate rages over the

a spellcaster’s training, background, and technique that most impact of this shift toward technology and away from magic—a CLASSES

often make them a technomancer, witchwarper, or precog, not shift apparently driven by simple economics. Most people

their magic, and these practices are each conducive to specific rely on technology far more than they use magic, but is that GEAR
types of spells. because magic is inferior, or does magic only seem inferior

For an imperfect analogy, imagine the multiverse’s because fewer people study it? The discovery of high-magic

background magical radiation like a calm, clear river. Each cultures, such as where enchanted communication devices SPELLS
spellcaster taps into this energy in different ways. To a substitute for personal comms, illustrates that the imbalance

technomancer, this river acts as a giant battery that they can between technology and magic in the Pact Worlds is a societal

channel through or redirect with devices, much like an archaic choice, not a universal constant. FAITHS

industrialist might exploit a waterwheel or dam. For a mystic, Magic remains the go-to solution for many effects technology

the figurative water’s movement isn’t important, but rather can’t easily replicate. Serums enable supernatural and THE
its conductivity. That magical stream links the spellcaster instantaneous healing surpassing medical tech, weapon fusions MAGICAL
to some greater force—their connection—letting them channel eldritch effects difficult to emulate with mere science, and GALAXY

exchange influence and energy just as electricity and sound serums of sex shift and similar tonics have helped countless Pact

can transit through a liquid medium. As the river flows and Worlds citizens live their true identities. However, serums and

others move through it, the water stirs and ripples, and the weapon fusions are popular exceptions to the rule; most magic

precog intuitively reads these movements to understand what items are uncommon treasures. Magical staves are rare except

created the disturbance and predicts its path, even adding in a among traditionalist magical professionals, and most people have

few spellcasting splashes of their own to cancel out unwanted never seen a magic wand, considering them archaeological relics

waves. Then there are witchwarpers, ever the iconoclasts; best suited to a museum.

these magicians look at that clear water and puckishly ask,

“What if I stirred up the silt?” or “What if I made another river

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the stream and watch all the colors?” Each spellcaster plays

with similar forces in different ways, each able to confound

and build upon their colleagues’ exploits.

This understanding of magic as a universal force also enables

spellcasters to transcend the need for spoken incantations,

elaborate ritual gestures, and the use of most physical objects

when casting spells—the so-called “components” of ancient

pre-Gap cultures. Of course, many spellcasters still use such

phrases, gestures, or material components when casting spells,

but evidence suggests these casting aids are affectations,

stubborn habits, or methods for improving focus, and not

strictly necessary.

THE LIMITS OF MAGIC

There is much that magic can’t do. Infamously, it can’t
move travelers into or out of the Drift. In an interstellar
civilization based on travel and trade, this limitation’s
consequences shouldn’t be understated. In the
years after the Signal, technology—not magic—
seemed the key to the future. Entire generations
were encouraged to become mechanics,
navigators, and Drift beacon engineers and not
to waste their time learning spells of dubious
utility. Faster-than-light travel opened up a galaxy
of opportunity, and no spell or ritual was helping
anyone get there. If some of those new worlds turned
out to be dangerous, well, a laser rifle seemed just as handy
as any magic missile.

OVERVIEW 141

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THE MAGICAL CAREER common as to seem ubiquitous. Technomancy in its sundry

A child growing up in the Pact Worlds who expresses an interest subdisciplines is considered a good job, if not always glamorous;

in learning magic often encounters some resistance from parents, every business needs IT work, but that work is often repetitive

teachers, or other older mentors. They’re encouraged to enter and dull. The uncertainty and caution ordinary people display

a more “reliable” or “safe” field instead, like Drift engineering around other spellcasters (see The Magician in Society on page

or augmentation surgery, influenced by the soft post-Gap bias 143) is less of an obstacle for technomancers, who are simply more

toward technological fields. Families with one or more members relatable and normal in civilians’ eyes. Those same civilians are

who already have magical experience are generally more more likely to assume the technomancer can solve any problem

supportive, and the popularization of magic means finding a with a few strokes on the keyboard. Mystics, witchwarpers, and

group of like-minded technomancers or witchwarpers is only an other magic-using individuals can hold technomancers with some

infosphere away. Many individuals don’t so much choose magic disdain, perceiving them as sellouts who left the path of dedicated

as they’re chosen by it; precogs are notorious for getting glimpses magic to seek acceptance and the quick fix, but technomancers

of the future even as children, and more than one witchwarper often wave this attitude off as envious resentment.

discovered their powers when they accidentally saw—or even Of all the magical careers, that of the witchwarper is

traveled—into a parallel world. Other magic wielders are born into perhaps least understood. Technomancy might be perceived

social or family groups where the pursuit of magic is assumed, as just technology with fancy special effects, and any family

which is especially common among inherently magical species, has probably known the local mystic for generations, but

like the drow, or among social groups with a strong mystical the idea of infinite parallel realities is far removed from day-

tradition, such as kasathan solarians. In short, there are as many to-day life. This perception could leave witchwarpers as an

ways for an individual to start on a magical path as there are ostracized subculture considered suspicious and dangerous, yet

spellcasters themselves. just by nature of their charm and unflappable self-assurance,

Everyday magical phenomena and pervasive representation witchwarpers often rise to leadership positions while building

in pop culture ensure that any young magician is spoiled for social networks that accept them and reinforce their often

choice in identifying a magical career. Celebrities flaunt arcane larger-than-life egos. There isn’t a scientific or mystical

entertainment, psychic detectives saturate the media zeitgeist, consensus yet regarding parallel worlds; no one doubts they

eldritch researchers operate in every level of academia and exist since witchwarpers would be total frauds without them.

industry, and even outwardly mundane businesses have need At the same time, no one can agree on how prevalent these

of arcane IT professionals. These career paths, combined with worlds are and how different they are from real space. Some

20733914 the myriad magical studies available, shape the ways new witchwarpers claim to have come from these alternate worlds,

spellcasters seek an education and community. Witchwarpers such as one where the Absalom Pact was never signed or

are infamously social creatures who find it easy to build a where the Veskarium invaded after repelling the Swarm. Planar

network of friends and mentors, whereas precogs have a physicists investigating these claims are on the cutting edge of

reputation for introspection and isolation derived from the strain scientific research, and some witchwarpers assist in this effort.

or trauma their anchor inflicts—at least until their abilities attract Most, though, would rather sponsor the research and organize

a corporation, military, or government recruiter. Technomancers it than actually participate themselves.

are most likely to attend some sort of organized center of higher Some mystics are accepted because of the deities so many

learning, such as a science academy or technical school. of them serve. Technomancers have a role in society because

No magical institution receives quite so much mixed respect of the prevalence of technology. Witchwarpers rely on their

and superstition as mystics. Widely considered the oldest magical natural charisma to smooth over the inherent strangeness of

practice, mystics’ arts draw from a vast array of pre-Gap traditions their magical abilities. Precogs have none of these benefits.

that have intersected and shared techniques so extensively that Indeed, of all the various manifestations of magical power,

most mystics’ spellcasting incorporates insights from dozens of psychic magic is traditionally the most alienating. Even when

cultures and faiths. This shared magical vocabulary unites them popular imagination associated magical practice with strange

just as much as their one true similarity: their connection to some incantations and the waving of hands, a psychic could use their

external force that fuels their magic, be that a deity, an ancestral powers with nothing but a hard stare—and that made them

memory, an elemental plane, or the galaxy’s figurative heartbeat. anonymous, a wolf in sheep’s clothing walking unnoticed among

In many circles, this venerable spellcasting lineage earns even ordinary people. Whatever the case, precogs are most likely to

young mystics social gravity as if they were revered elders or be distrusted by those who find the idea of a predestined future

divine disciples (even when their magic doesn’t stem from a god). either personally insulting or more than a little frightening;

In the same way, mystics sometimes receive condescension due inhabitants of the Pact Worlds don’t take kindly to the idea

to their magic’s old-fashioned mystique, as if its practitioners that their choices aren’t under their control (or don’t matter)

were incapable of comprehending or adapting to the technological or that someone else might know their future. Precogs tend to

modern era. suffer from trauma related to their anchor—visions of a looming

The archetypal technomancer, in contrast, is obsessed with apocalypse, missing time in the Gap, or something equally

innovation and the new. The product of high-tech training and damaging—leaving them personally isolated and pitied by other

comfortable in two worlds, the technomancer is a trendy nerd magic-using individuals, who never had to make the kind of

in a universe where nerds are cool. Like the mystic, they’re so trade-off only precogs understand.

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OVERVIEW

CLASSES

GEAR

SPELLS

FAITHS
THE

MAGICAL
GALAXY

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THE MAGICIAN IN SOCIETY laws by finishing fights that others unwisely start, as long as
the PC’s retaliation doesn’t threaten bystanders, substantially
A magician wields a specialized, dangerous, and mysterious harm property, or trigger some other destruction.
skill, but the perception of spellcasters varies widely from
culture to culture. It isn’t unusual for a student of magic to have Understandably, such laws trains spellcasters both to be
their career dismissed as a waste of time, their mastery of skills cautious with their talents and to recognize that a hint of magic
easily replicated by technology that’s cheap, safe, and reliable. can yield considerable social results. Pact Worlds spellcasters
Simultaneously, spellcasters are unpredictable wild cards. Sure, often refer to using magic among strangers as “lifting the
that technomancer’s energy ray is no more dangerous than an veil.” Doing so is akin to opening your jacket just enough for
azimuth laser pistol—but a laser pistol is still plenty dangerous, spectators to see the pistol in your holster. When a caster lifts
and only a fool would assume an energy ray is the limit of the veil, they grant others a peek at the magic, arousing curiosity
that technomancer’s ability. An individual who demonstrates and suspicion, interest and alarm. Through a combination of
skill with magic is, in public perception, capable of just about pop culture, lived experience, old stereotypes, secondhand
anything, which makes them dangerous. anecdotes, and childhood magical literacy education, most
civilians know the basic facts about magic as well as enough
For these reasons, spellcasters customarily don’t use their common myths to be nuisances. A technomancer hoping to earn
magic around strangers without warning or without asking respect with a magical display might instead attract bystanders
permission. It isn’t unusual to see “No Magic” signs in a public wanting free hardware advice. Desperate queries of “Is there a
space, out of consideration for public safety (or because mystic on board?” in a medical emergency plays on assumptions
spellcasting could upset local enchantments, akin to lighting about magical healing, though such presumptions are hardly
a fire near a fuel depot), with some jurisdictions issuing universal. Many spellcasters resent the sudden responsibility of
spellcasting permits to tested and responsible magicians. being a bystander’s on-call miracle machine, and they can face
Likewise, it’s perfectly legal for private businesses to restrict recrimination from people who assume they should’ve been
the use of magic on their premises, just as they might limit the able to do more.
presence or use of firearms or vehicles. Laws typically account
for magical offenses, such as treating mental manipulation Circumstances shape every magical interaction. Among kith
with equivalent severity to physical assault. Those same laws and kin, a spellcaster can practice freely. In an emergency,
also provide liberal self-defense allowances for spellcasting. In courtesy and custom go out the nearest airlock. Ultimately, a
practice, a player character is unlikely to seriously violate local spellcaster’s power carries extraordinary responsibility.

OVERVIEW 143

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MAGIC INSTITUTIONS

Myriad institutions train students in magic, from generalist studies to
standardized training for specific work. Some schools focus on magical
philosophy, others integrate theory with practical instruction, and a
few offer purely pragmatic training divorced from ideology. In the Pact
Worlds, some institutions boast system-wide certification, but the
ability to use magic is often proof enough of a successful education.

ARCANAMIRIUM do so without cost. A stretch in the Veskarian military is the

Housed on Absalom Station, the Arcanamirium is among the expected recompense. Students also have the option to pay

most prestigious and recognized institutions in the Pact Worlds tuition or engage in work-study.

and allied territories. The name hearkens to a pre-Gap institution Most graduates become military personnel or mercenaries.

on Lost Golarion, but it’s unclear whether the modern school is a Unburdened by ethical considerations that guide solarian

direct descendant of its namesake or merely an homage. adherents to the Cycle, Corona Academy solarians apply

The Arcanamirium offers training in all mainstream forms of their skills pragmatically. They’re effective in competitions, a

magic, including courses for those interested in theory, history, testament to their military tenets, and they do well at Pradulex’s

and investigative sciences rather than practical applications. annual exhibition tournament.

Also available are varied philosophical approaches to magic, COSMONASTERY OF THE EMPTY ORBIT
from practical and utilitarian technomancy to esoteric studies

that eschew mundane science. Some at the institution see this Thought to be the greatest solarian training facility outside

latter line of study as backward-looking and unnecessarily Idari, the Cosmonastery of the Empty Orbit occupies a series

limited, but several valuable and recent breakthroughs have of towers under a weak force field on one of Absalom Station’s

come from this group of esoterists. Add to these courses Arms. High Sola Tabishad Oseo Markela (LN female kasatha

training for natural talents, including counseling for those who solarian) and her underlings shape would-be solarians as some

had magic thrust upon them, especially in a traumatic way. nebulae nurse stars. Training includes physical and mental

20733916 The institution also houses an enormous archive of magical conditioning, sparring, meditation and focus exercises, lessons

texts and objects, some ancient and others alien. Study of these on the Cycle and other subjects, and the chores of communal

items is not only accessible as coursework, but also a popular living. Those who persevere through initial training leave

part of the school’s extension studies, available to distance the nebula of their peers as proto-sols who have earned the

learners, and a major branch of the institution’s external work. privilege of learning from the high sola.

Arcanamirium-trained sages (Starfinder Pact Worlds 183), some High Sola Markela focuses her teaching on restoring and

of whom started in adventuring or science careers other than maintaining the balance of the universe, which she believes the

magic, specialize in exploring and deciphering magical places disappearance of Golarion, planet-scale engineering projects,

and objects. and industrial pollution, as with Akiton, have disrupted. The

Arcanamirium endorsement is good for professional prospects high sola has a reputation for speaking little, but none who

in the Pact Worlds, as the school’s reputation precedes its students. train under her deny the enrapturing intensity with which

The institution is a major proponent of independent government she conveys her teachings. She expects proto-sols to offer

accreditation of magical training, as well as for licensing and aid as anything from guides to guards to others on Absalom

magic‑control laws. Charlatans, malefactors, and poorly trained station, acting as representatives of the monastery and learning

mages are bad for the image of magic in the galaxy and thereby interpersonal skills.

bad for reputable organizations and their bottom lines. An ideal graduate, in the high sola’s eyes, has the skills and

CORONA ACADEMY understanding to guide the galaxy toward harmony, to disarm
those who stand in the way, and the wisdom to know which

Vesk-4’s Corona Academy stands on the site of a solarian temple, to use at what time. Those who successfully navigate these

built by Vesk-4’s native mole-like talphi. The academy is no rigorous expectations graduate as proud solarians. Many join

introspective monastery—it’s a military school that focuses on the Order of the Empty Orbit. But some governments and

practical solarian training developed independently of kasathan corporations see graduates, especially members of the order, as

traditions. The high gravity of Vesk-4 makes conditioning at impediments to terraforming and mining operations.

Corona Academy a grueling process, but it’s one that steadily ECLIPSE ACADEMY
increases the attendees’ strength and endurance.

Lieutenant General Prazhval (LN vesk soldier) designs Backed and operated by powerful drow families, Eclipse

entrance requirements and curricula for the academy with the Academy is a poorly kept secret beyond Apostae, where it’s

help of a talphi solarian named Iyar. Those who show aptitude located (Pact Worlds 133). This shadowy school started long

and pass entry exams can attend, and citizens of Vesk-4 can ago to educate the scions of the drow families who fund it.

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However, the academy doesn’t discriminate against any who During the initial conquest of Vesk-6, Ghavaniska Institute

find it, request entry, prove they can pay the fees, and sign the provided critical support against the planet’s powerful

requisite nondisclosures. Eclipse Academy claims to foster all magnetic field, helping stabilize vesk military equipment and

sorts of magical talent beyond its obsidian doors. installations. With this success, the institute moved into a key OVERVIEW
The cost to attend Eclipse Academy is only a glimpse of the political position on Vesk Prime, and vesk looked at magic with

price students pay, though. Coursework is 3 years long, and renewed respect. Numerous other magical schools exist across

most of the campus is underground with few amenities outside the Veskarium to train the multitude of aspiring spellcasters CLASSES

survival necessities. Most areas lack light as drow students and cater to myriad spellcasting styles, yet none have rivaled

are expected to hone their light-based magic, and others must the Ghavaniska Institute’s impact on and continued role in GEAR
improvise. The rest of the curricula includes similarly draconian Veskarian culture.

teaching techniques that amount to “sink or swim.” Apostae Any who pass the entrance trials are welcome at the institute

drow learn aspects of their culture from some of these lessons. or its branches on other Veskarian worlds, though imperial SPELLS
They and others discover self-reliance in the face of grueling, citizens enjoy advantages in placement and scholarship funding.

relentless challenges. Those who graduate are among the Nevertheless, the main institute in Command Prime and other

toughest, most scarred mages in the galaxy. Non-graduates still connected academies remain cosmopolitan, and they continue FAITHS

leave with the trauma if such dropouts leave the academy alive. the school’s tradition of competitive and tested methodologies.

Academy administration and faculty claim the application HAKKO’SSO THE
process makes the rigors of training clear to candidates, and MAGICAL
students can leave at any time. Legal obligations prevent Nestled within the Vast on the volcanic home planet of the GALAXY

administrators, faculty, students, and former students from hanakans (Alien Archive 3 48), Hakko’Sso is the preeminent

speaking about the school’s trade secrets. Attempts to bring university in the Ash’Akan system. Magic is a major element

academy atrocities to light have failed like fire in airless depths, of hanakan society, and attending this institution, known for

extinguished with mysterious threats or attacks. More than one its difficult entrance exams, is a great honor. Hakko’Sso is a

investigative journalist has sought training at Eclipse Academy, microcosm of hanakan society, valuing its competitiveness,

but the few who have emerged refuse or are unable to speak of conservative culture, and high intellectual standards. It’s also

their experiences on Apostae. a microcosm of the hanakan home world, with a harsh

GHAVANISKA INSTITUTE and sometimes toxic environment.
Faculty and students

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Ghavaniska Institute is the foremost magical institution on debate prowess, artifice,

the vesk home world. Culturally, vesk see magic as another and self-reliance. The

tool for conquest. They also maintain stories challenging natural

that place magic in the realm of caiagaras, the environment reinforces

vanquished snake-people and bogeys of Vesk mastery and independence

Prime. Still, vesk understand the social, as well as survival skills. The

economic, and military applications intellectual environment

of magic. They incorporate the reinforces other valued

techniques they learn from traits. Both nurture

those they conquer, and innovation, including

those they have failed the development

to dominate. of hybrid or magic

Ghavaniska Institute items that use no

was founded on vesk spiritual traditions, further shaped

by texts “salvaged” from the conquest of Vesk Prime’s

skeraskens (jackal-faced arthropods) and wizardly

caiagaras. From the institute’s start, mages of differing

skills and philosophies mixed and competed freely,

with some lines of study conquering and subsuming

others. What emerged from this crucible was a

distillation of techniques and styles, although critics of

the institute rightly claim no proof exists that the best

methods won out. Still, defeated practices remain

in the institute’s archives, free for study, much

like caiagara codices upon which the institute

was founded. This formalization of magic into a

mainstream view mirrors, although cruelly, magic development

in the Pact Worlds.

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batteries, which strengthens hanakan magical progress and Jhavom Hall of Mystery, also classified as University JM-1,

helps students in the development of their high soul (an an institution dedicated to magic. Founded before the Gap,

important aspect of an adult hanakan’s identity, embodied by the Hall of Mystery has always been dedicated to unraveling

and housed within a unique gemstone each carries with them). the mysteries of magic. Like the Arcanamirium, this school

This latter development is a challenge for non-hanakans who allows the exploration of all magic in formalized study, while

might want to attend this school. A member of another species encouraging innovation to increase osharu knowledge of magic.

can create a ssenavar, a soulstone. Doing so is a magical triumph Each student tailors their education to suit them, and

and allows the person to become an adult, with a high soul, in enough professors work in the hall or other Pabaq universities

hanakan terms. Hanakans don’t expect this cultural journey to accommodate unique curricula. Cross-training is easy for

of others, but some consider those without a soulstone to be similar reasons. The university does all it can to go beyond

children. Another challenge for non-hanakans is the remoteness theory, facilitating practical or application studies. No honest

of the Ash’Akan system and the volcanic environment, to which line of inquiry, research, or study is forbidden, provided it meets

hanakans are better suited. A few non‑hanakan scholars of safety and ethics protocols. Each graduate leaves the school

magic have been accepted to Hakko’Sso, but far with a unique degree.

easier paths to magical knowledge exist. That degree has weight in other parts of the

INSTITUTE FOR galaxy. Many years ago, the osharus invited an
EXTRAORDINARY MINDS accreditationdelegationfromtheArcanamirium
to judge the hall. University JM-1 received

A school and care facility on the Liavaran top marks. Noted homebodies, osharus

moon of Arkanen, the Institute for also invite and admit students, faculty,

Extraordinary Minds primarily and exhibitions from other schools.

instructs witchwarpers. Any magic- The knowledge exchange and earnest

user who has an interest in the research that occurs within the hall

multiverse, alternate realities, and those is enough to attract some of the best

who use magic to manipulate such things magical minds in the galaxy.

can train or possibly have a professorship at NINEFOLD COLLECTIVE
the school. A trust funds much of the institute’s

activities, which allows it to confront issues “Nine for two.” For the maggedli, natives of

20733918 without concern for finances. However, students who Helfen in the Helfen-Thel Near Space system

can afford to pay do so, each according to ability. (Starfinder Near Space 84), this phrase describes their home,

Without the financial burdens normal for other a magically adept society spread over numerous worlds

higher‑learning facilities, the institute has gained prestige over connected by powerful teleportation portals called step-gates.

the years for its scouting and public-welfare work. Institute These connections, easily providing access to all nine worlds,

faculty act as scouts. They find and guide witchwarpers who make the system more like one complicated vast world than

have natural ability but need to learn control. In the scout the many planets it is.

role, professors also help relatives cope with the impact such The Ninefold Collective of schools operates on this principle,

raw talents can have on family dynamics—and local property with the distinct schools akin to different departments of

values—when powers spiral out of control. one large school. Students accepted to one school can take

Professors at the institute have a great reputation for on studies at any of them, and cross-disciplinary learning

studying and diagnosing the effects of natural reality-bending is encouraged. The plethora of differing biomes make the

on youngsters and their environment. These educators also collective a perfect fit for any student who desires breadth of

teach general courses, lead student team projects, and mentor experience. Those who want to specialize can find one member

specific pupils. In this way, each student has a broad education, school to best suit them, from the artificially icy world of Thel to

learns to work with others, and receives personal guidance. watery Canora-Kellana. The collective has a sense of community

Professors also engage in research, student recruitment, and as though member schools were all alongside one another—

overseeing student theses. almost literally, given a doorway could easily be a portal to

Several antimagic techniques and technologies have originated another planet’s classrooms. People from the Pact Worlds and

or seen use and improvement at the institute. Protocols call for Veskarium are welcome, although maggedli make up most of

risky experiments, including many dissertations and cutting- the student body. Those who wish to study technomancy have

edge research projects, to occur within containment. Even so, the limited choices compared to those pursuing other disciplines.

Institute for Extraordinary Minds has been the site of magical One of the major projects the collective has undertaken is solving

mishaps and tragedies. Memorials on the school’s grounds serve the dying Thel problem. Halaths, the furred and quadrupedal

as reminders of the lethal potential of reality-warping. natives of Thel, are skillful ice mages, and they have kept their

JHAVOM HALL OF MYSTERIES world icy despite its natural tendency to become a hot, volcanic
wasteland. But they’re losing the battle to keep their planet cold,

Jhavom on Pabaq is as much a university and shrine to and their physical limitations and religious preferences mean

knowledge as a city. Near the Hall of Records stands the they’ll burn with Thel if a solution can’t be found.

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PALACE OBSCURA adheres to the traditions of ancient kasathan methods, philosophy,

Known as the Palace Obscura, Tyrant Academy, or countless and texts, focusing on contemplation and personal mastery.

other equally unofficial names, this secretive school caters Most of Pradulex’s attendees are kasathas, but nothing

to students who wish to subjugate others through magic. prevents others from attending other than the monastery’s OVERVIEW
Rumors conflict as to the school’s true location, from Corona location. Those who want traditional Cycle-based solarian

and its Brass Bazaar on the Burning Archipelago to Laubu education and training can do no better. Training usually begins

Mesa on Castrovel, from a derelict capital ship named in early adolescence, at least several years before the Tempering. CLASSES

Mindshadow in Absalom Station’s Armada to Hivemarket on The monastery prefers to school pupils during formative years,

Akiton. The truth is that this shadowy organization has roots but older students with promise can earn entry. GEAR
on most Pact Worlds planets, including the aforementioned Courses at Pradulex teach practical knowledge as well as

places and others, such as the Horse Eye Orbital Plate of solarian studies. Students learn that the body, mind, and soul are

Aballon, Cuvacara on Verces, Preita on Triaxus, Roselight on the ultimate manifestation of the universe’s fundamental SPELLS
Liavara, Trillidiem on Bretheda, Nightarch on Apostae, and forces. These tools, when honed properly, are all one needs to

the infamous Citadel of the Black on Aucturn. overcome a challenge. Those who internalize the monastery’s

Contacting the academy is the first test for a would-be esoteric teachings emerge as shining examples of this FAITHS

student, who typically relies on a combination of discreet solarian tradition. They face whatever comes with stoicism

interrogation and mind-influencing magic to uncover that can strike fear into adversaries. THE
enough leads. This process is as likely to have the aspirant Pradulex Monastery has claims to fame beyond its MAGICAL
duped, jailed, or slain. But a lucky few attract preeminence in solarian teaching. Several GALAXY

the notice of the academy. They then prominent Pact Worlds solarians graduated

receive an invitation to join a class at a from Pradulex Monastery, including

specific locale, provided they can pay the Jadnura, the previous First Seeker of

price. Those who can’t are free to take on a the Starfinder Society, and High Sola

period of indenture to the academy, working Tabishad Oseo Markela of the Cosmonastery

as agents during schooling and for several years of the Empty Orbit. Pradulex also hosts a yearly

thereafter. exhibition tournament where solarians, students, or

Training in Tyrant Academy mostly involves veterans in different competition classes compete to prove

practical field work with mind magic. Students live and work their mettle and the merit of their training.

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unwitting neighbors in increasingly insidious and audacious SINGULARITY CONSERVATORY

ways. This activity regularly flouts laws governing magical Built in an asteroid orbiting a black hole in Near Space, the

mind alteration and influence, and students often use their aptly named Singularity Conservatory is a selective institution

powers for other illicit ends. Other students are fair game—even founded for training precogs. The black hole’s gravity causes

encouraged as targets. The “top tyrants” each year are allowed time distortion, which is a useful tool for teaching precogs to

to graduate. Others either stick with the program indefinitely or heighten and manipulate their time abilities. Because of the

abandon their studies, the latter of which often involves some time dilation, coursework at Singularity Conservatory might

combination of memory-wiping, enslavement, or assassination to seem to take a decade or more to outside observers, all while

preserve the school’s secrets. only a few years pass at the school.

Although the academy’s activities leave some psychic evidence, Every century or so, in foreseen circumstances, the

the organization has evaded significant investigation and conservatory crosses the black hole’s event horizon, an

retaliation by authorities. This stems partly from the academy’s occasion referred to as “Crossing.” Faculty, students, and alumni

decentralized schools and its tendency to operate in more lawless celebrate a Crossing before it occurs, and then abandon the

areas. However, the schools supposedly also boasts numerous old conservatory to its fate. Enrollments surge as a Crossing

graduates in powerful positions throughout the Pact Worlds where approaches, in part because school superstition posits that a

they can combine political authority and psychic force to thwart student’s powers can grow exponentially during this period,

any sincere attempts to uncover the academy’s truths. It’s unclear with many of the school’s preeminent graduates having

whether the school desires privacy or some greater objective. concluded their studies close to a Crossing. Observations

PRADULEX MONASTERY suggest the next Crossing may be only a few years away.
As a Crossing approaches, the faculty select a new site and

The Cycle is the heart of kasathan solarian philosophy and an begin building the next school on an asteroid with the proper

important part of that way of life in the Pact Worlds. Born on alignment, position, and auspices. The new conservatory

Kasath, this philosophy came to the Pact Worlds with the Idari. opens right as the old one disappears. Retired faculty and

Within the colony ship, Pradulex Monastery stands on a hill just alumni sometimes return for a Crossing, some even choosing

outside Idari’s Gesilad sector. It’s the leading solarian institution to accompany the school beyond the point of no return. These

based on the Cycle in the Pact Worlds, with training that has explorers send information back to the new conservatory while

remained consistent for millennia. The Cosmonastery of the Empty they can, expanding the knowledge of black holes, time, and

Orbit has reinterpreted teachings for the current age, but Pradulex chronomancy, but never themselves returning.

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MAGICAL FACTIONS

Magic-users call upon incredible power to accomplish their goals, but even
skilled spellcasters can benefit from a collective of like-minded individuals.
A magical faction, at its simplest, is a community. What sets each society
apart are its objectives and how it uses its communal power to accomplish
them. A spellcaster can leave an indelible mark on the fabric of reality, and a
group of such individuals even more so.

AKASHIC SOCIETY Society members have an endless hunger for knowledge,

The Akashic Society values all knowledge in the multiverse and a desire to defeat ignorance, and a willingness to go outside

wants that knowledge laid bare for all who need it. Although many traditional means to do both. This relentless drive to catalog, record,

members are mystics with the akashic connection, including the and disseminate information stems from horror at the losses of the

society’s lead scholar and spokesperson, Ilna Kashisha (N female Gap. To forestall another such event, the society keeps massive

damaya lashunta mystic), this collective welcomes all sorts of records with redundant backups in multiple locations, including

free-information activists, including precog scholars, witchwarper extradimensional spaces. This effort may seem futile, since the

explorers, and hacker technomancers. Society holdings include Akashic Record itself gives little insight into the Gap and the

eclectic libraries that facilitate physical and psychic research, as damage it caused to the galaxy’s knowledge base, but a massive,

well as expert guidance to the public for various fees. decentralized repository of learning has merits beyond the hope

that motivates some society members.

A significant subset of the society’s members are information

anarchists, although the mainstream face disavows such actors.

The society has been implicated in multiple high-profile thefts

or attempted thefts of data, art, and other cultural items. Such

heists are typically bloodless and involve duplicating originals

and leaving them behind. In some cases, data subsequently

20733920 appears on various infosphere sites, changing legal cases,

quelling conspiracy theories and superstitions, and disseminating

secrets such as patents to the public. Detectives assigned to

these cases have uncovered a pattern interspersed in these raids:

These apparent society radicals steal magical formulas, hybrid

materials research, and hybrid shielding technology, including

psychic shielding. Chatter on deep‑infosphere sites suggests

the building of an extraplanar psychic vault capable of enduring

another Gap.

BICAMERALISTS

What began as an offshoot order of solarian monasticism has
become far stranger. Dozens of monks—mostly solarians—
spent years in meditation with magical and technological
channels connecting them, pondering the balance of creation
and dissolution. Pushing beyond the boundaries of ethics and
ritual magic, this group either made some profound discovery
or experienced an unknown mishap, and it broke them. Their
minds merged into the Hegemon: a unified consciousness
bent on attaining long-sought balance, executed through the
obedient bodies of the founding disciples.

The raw power of this union created two distinct chambers
of thought within the group mind. One chamber espouses the
entropy and dissolution that leads to creation and growth. The
other embraces preservation and order as the way forward. Only
one chamber takes the fore in the Hegemon at a time, during
which time the order works to execute that chamber’s vision
of galactic harmony. However, the dominant and suppressed
chambers seem unaware of what each other is thinking, for

148 THE MAGICAL GALAXY

20733920 paizo.com #36691483, Luskey Dotson <[email protected]>, Feb 14, 2022