The Aurora Collegium of Sciences is a network of scientific academies and industry leaders that attracts, trains and employs the brightest minds in science and technology. On the surface, the Collegium’s academies are prestigious institutions dedicated to scientific advancement for its own sake. In reality, the Collegium is operated by the Shadow Academy to attract, train and employ those minds in service to the Dark Jedi Brotherhood and its interests – often regardless of their willing or knowing participation.
While the Collegium can be an effective tool for identifying and assessing potential recruits and initiates for the Brotherhood, the Academy generally finds it unnecessary to involve students or scientists directly – particularly if they harbor limiting moral or ethical standards. As such, many Collegium members never learn of the Brotherhood’s involvement in their studies or their work, freeing them to create without hindrance and increasing the Brotherhood’s access to talent.
Students admitted to an academy within the Aurora Collegium are not trained for degrees and ivory towers, but for employment. The curriculum is rigorous, and the culture is competitive, but lucrative careers are almost assured to those who succeed. Upon graduation, the best and brightest are often pursued by scientific societies in their field to work on specific projects or toward specific goals within a fellowship of their intellectual peers. Like the Collegium itself, Aurora’s societies have both overt and covert faces.
Aurora Academies
Rather than build a network of academies from the ground up, the Shadow Academy acquired its Aurora Collegium campuses by discreetly purchasing and revitalizing Imperial academies that had been dissolved following the fall of the Empire. This strategy has allowed the Shadow Academy, under the guise of the neutral Aurora Collegium of Sciences, to establish a presence on worlds with increased influence and access to some of the galaxy’s brightest minds.
Scientific Societies
Aurora’s societies recruit promising specialists, from its own graduates as well as from across the galaxy, to form multidisciplinary fellowships dedicated to specific pursuits. On the surface, these pursuits have their own ends, which are often directed by those who have shown the greatest level of competence and innovation, but in reality, they all exist to further some interest of the Shadow Academy and the Dark Brotherhood.
The covert operations of a society are known only to carefully-vetted members, regardless of society rank, who have been deemed both trustworthy and free of any moral or ethical boundaries that might hinder their advancement. Agents with the highest access to resources and information are hand-selected by the Headmistress after undergoing a vigorous screening process.
In addition to their scientific specialties, both public and covert societies recruit Force users who are encouraged to discover how the Force can be used to further their work or imbued into their creations.
Wayfinder Society
Formerly the Shadow Academy Society, the society responsible for archeological expeditions to recover and study ancient artifacts now operates exclusively as the Wayfinder Society to maintain some perception of neutrality as the first of the Aurora Collegium’s scientific societies.
Public Operations
The Wayfinder Society consists of archeologists, surveyors, experts in astronavigation and astrocartography, and other experts as needed to accomplish their tasks. They often also employ adventurous pilots and explorers willing to brave dangerous conditions to access archeological sites or transport artifacts. On the surface, they are an archeological and historical society dedicated to preserving the past and ensuring that powerful artifacts do not fall into the “wrong” hands.
Covert Operations
Of course, ‘’wrong’’ is a relative term for a society truly overseen by the Shadow Academy, and the right hands always seem to be those of the society itself. As such, the most powerful artifacts are hidden safely away and ultimately studied by the agents who have been admitted into the society’s covert operations. These agents are then responsible not only for the further study of these artifacts, but for using that knowledge to either reverse engineer or to create entirely inventions and applications to advance the Brotherhood’s interests.
In addition to their own mobile research facility, it is rumored that the most trusted members of the covert Wayfinder Society have access to the Shadow Academy’s top-secret temple that cannot, in fact, be found without a specific Sith wayfinder.
Wellspring Society
All areas of biotic science are pursued within the Wellspring Society, which is dedicated to scientific advancement in areas ranging from medicine to bioengineering and virology.
Public Operations
Named for the Wellspring of Life, the Wellspring Society recruits scientists who study the source, outworking, continuation, improvement and end of those things pertaining to life. Far from being merely knowledgeable or skilled, the society and its members strive to be on the cutting edge of advancement in their fields. While this boundary-pushing reputation has earned the society its fair share of critics, it has also meant that its scientists are widely sought after to find or develop solutions to the galaxy’s most “impossible” problems.
Covert Operations
Scientists who join the covert ranks of the Wellspring Society are those who have determined not to let criticism – or anything else – stand in the way of progress. Whether for truly nefarious motivations or simply a belief that the ends justify the means, their talents may be employed in questionable experiments, the creation of viruses and other bioweapons, the bioengineering of lifeforms, Sith alchemy and a host of other work.
In addition to their own experiments, members of the covert Wellspring Society have access to study various specimens of creatures that were preserved in various states following their use against the Brotherhood in recent conflicts. While the goal is to remain one step ahead of our enemies, no good idea is ever wasted.
Stardust Society
The Stardust Society comprises scientists and engineers who work to apply their knowledge toward technological advancement in areas ranging from weapons, starships and architecture to droids, communications and systems integration.
Public Operations
Scientists admitted into the Stardust Society are highly prized – and highly paid – for their vast expertise and development of cutting-edge technology. Its members have likely already had their names associated with some new feat of engineering or technological breakthrough before they are ever even approached by the society. Once inducted, the access to resources, collaboration and competition with like-minded peers afforded by the society pushes them to even greater heights.
Covert Operations
While scientists within the public sphere of the Stardust Society may elect to employ their talents only for neutral or altruistic causes, those within its covert ranks have no such hangups and may instead find themselves enlisted to aid more questionable entities or merely afforded the resources to pursue their own ambitions. As an initial investor in the Collegium’s headquarters and covert research facilities, Arx Capital Exchange is known to frequently recruit talent from this society’s members.
In addition to purely technological pursuits, Stardust Society members are often found in collaboration with scientists from the other two societies to combine expertise and even seek to empower their inventions with the Force.
Research Facilities
Horizon Station
While the Aurora Collegium’s academies have their own limited facilities for the education of students, the Horizon Station acts as both the public headquarters of the Collegium and as a research facility for its scientific societies. The size of the station allows for each of the three societies to maintain their own space and specialized, state-of-the-art equipment, while also enabling collaboration and competition to accelerate advancement.
The station is a part of the public persona of the Aurora Collegium, and as such it is not located within the Arx system and is not (publicly) visited by the Headmistress or high-profile members of the Dark Brotherhood, but it does maintain its own level of secrecy to protect the research of its scientists. This affords the scientists with a sense of security, though all research on the station is, in reality, closely monitored by the Shadow Academy and its agents.
As a pure research facility, Horizon Station has no offensive weapons, but boasts a thick hull comparable to those on modern Star Destroyers and an advanced dual-layer shielding system, double the capacity of an MC-85 Mon Calamari Cruiser.
Covert Facilities
As each public-facing society has its own space aboard the Horizon Station, each society also has its own covert facility where information from the Horizon is secretly transmitted. From these facilities, scientists who have been admitted into these darker circles of their societies may work away from prying eyes on more experimental projects outside the scope of traditionally accepted practice. To allow for defense, mobility and stealth, the Aurora Collegium designed its own Collegium-class X-1 Covert Research Cruiser, retrofitted from Vindicator-class Heavy Cruisers, with the help of defecting scientists from the Severian Principate and a vast amount of resources from Arx Capital Exchange to create the ultimate research vessel.
Each of the Collegium’s covert societies maintains a vessel of this class, each with its own unique capabilities suited to the society’s field of research.
The Rammahgon
Somewhat ironically named after the sacred Jedi text that contained information on the society’s namesake, the Rammahgon is the main base of operations for the Wayfinder Society. The research and experimentation section of this vessel has been outfitted with advanced archeological research equipment, including specialized archeology labs and storage areas fitted with lighting designed to prevent damage to important works, secure vaults for each type of archeological work, and a vast database system on ancient artifacts of all varieties. The navigational system on the bridge has been modified with specialized navigational supercomputers and telescopic technology to search for hidden or long-lost worlds in remote areas of the galaxy, similar to Palpatine's observatories.
The Ror'jhan
The Ror'jhan is the main base of operations for the Wellspring Society. The research and experimentation section of this vessel has been outfitted with advanced medical research equipment and specialized medical labs and storage areas, including several medical bays for experimentation and secure bio-medical and bio-technical research areas. A portion of the research section has been secured for highly sensitive bio-chemical experiments, with individual labs and quarantine areas hermetically sealed to avoid ship-wide infections and contamination.
The Schism
The Schism is the main base of operations for the Stardust Society. The research and experimentation section of this vessel has been outfitted with advanced mechanical and technical research equipment. State-of-the-art, ahead-of-their-time machine and engineering shops and design computers used in the creation of prototype weapons, vehicles, droids, starships, and other radical technologies fill the majority of the research section, while simulation and testing bays fill the remainder.
Rank System
Society rank determines a character’s level of expertise within their field of study. The early ranks are purely academic as the student undergoes training in one of the Collegium’s academies, while the latter ranks transition a graduate into the real world where they may apply their knowledge to careers and potential membership in the Collegium’s scientific societies.
Collegium Ranks
Matriculant (Rank I) to Graduate (Rank V)
Students who matriculate into one of the Aurora Collegium’s prestigious scientific academies have access to a variety of resources during their studies to begin honing their specialties as they advance in rank. Even so, the academies promote a competitive culture to ensure only the best may earn the right to call themselves Aurora Collegium graduates.
Researcher (Rank VI and VII)
This rank is where students shift from mere academics to applying their knowledge as professional researchers within their particular field of study. They may be approached or recruited into one of the Collegium’s societies at this time, but are generally assigned only to tasks of research and analysis.
Scientist (Rank VIII and IX)
Society members of this rank may have been recruited from one of the Collegium’s academies or from its broader network, as it is not uncommon for any of the three societies to seek out those who have made significant accomplishments in their fields. Whatever their origin, they are generally employed in the hands-on matters of their society’s projects, moving beyond research to development and implementation.
Specialist (Rank X and XI)
As specialists, society members have established themselves as experts in their fields. While this can make them more likely to be called upon to lend their expertise to society goals, it also affords them greater autonomy and freedom to use society resources for their own pursuits.
Research Director (Rank XII)
The pinnacle of scientific achievement. Comparable to the famed Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, Research Directors have honed their knowledge and skills in numerous areas. Highly trusted and sought after for their wisdom, Research Directors may head their own labs or initiate and lead major projects within a given society.
Elevation & Reward
To advance through the ranks of the Aurora Collegium and its societies, members must obtain certain amounts of Academic Credits (ACs). These can be earned via successfully passing Shadow Academy courses. Higher society ranks also require that members be granted Shadow Academy Degrees: Mavens, Savants and Sages. Research Directors must achieve all of this with a near perfect grade.
While completed courses and degrees within the Shadow Academy do not translate to in-character knowledge, the society rank earned by those achievements will unlock additional topics of knowledge, which may be selected on your Character Sheet without needing to use Lore or Linguistic skill points. For each knowledge tier, you’ll gain one additional topic or language.
In addition, each promotion to a higher rank grants a sum of credits as a one-time reward, as well as access to various possessions, as shown in the rank chart below.
| Aurora Collegium Society Ranks
|
| Rank Name
|
Abbreviation
|
Requirement
|
Reward
|
| Matriculant
|
SA:I
|
Obtain 1 ACs
|
Warbanner Tasset
|
| Student
|
SA:II
|
Obtain 10 ACs
|
Knowledge I
|
| Student
|
SA:III
|
Obtain 20 ACs
|
Collegium Datapad
|
| Student
|
SA:IV
|
30 ACs and a Maven Degree
|
Warbanner Pattern
|
| Graduate
|
SA:V
|
50 ACs and two Maven Degrees
|
Knowledge II
|
| Researcher
|
SA:VI
|
70 ACs, 2 Maven Degrees and a Savant Degree
|
Collegium Scanner
|
| Researcher
|
SA:VII
|
90 ACs, 2 Maven Degrees and 2 Savant Degrees; or Rank Boost from Rank 6
|
Microsensory Stabilization Gloves
|
| Scientist
|
SA:VIII
|
110 ACs, 2 Maven Degrees and 3 Savant Degrees; or Rank Boost from Rank 7
|
Knowledge III
|
| Scientist
|
SA:IX
|
130 ACs, 2 Maven Degrees and 4 Savant Degrees; or Rank Boost from Rank 8
|
Microdroid Swarm
|
| Specialist
|
SA:X
|
150 ACs, 2 Maven Degrees and 5 Savant Degrees; or Rank Boost from Rank 9
|
Collegium Translation Visor
|
| Specialist
|
SA:XI
|
150 ACs, 2 Maven Degrees, 5 Savant Degrees and 1 Sage Degree
|
Collegium Research Droid
|
| Research Director
|
SA:XII
|
SA Society Rank XI and 99% Average*
|
Sith Sword and Knowledge IV
|
*Average is calculated as the average score of active courses that grant at least 1 AC.
The names and ranks of Collegium members may be found on the Aurora Collegium of Sciences roster.