From the introduction: Shortly after the Pathfinder Society’s creation, its members elected 10 leaders to oversee expeditions, manage funds, and provide direction. Known as the Decemvirate, these leaders performed admirably for decades, but their public personas made them as much targets of bribery and sycophancy as targets of assassination and blackmail. Following a failed coup, the Society determined that the best way to avoid these intrigues was to have the Decemvirate adopt anonymity, aided by potent Azlanti artifacts that came to be known as the Decemvirate helms. And so the Society knew peace and resumed exploring the world.