The old gods are dead! Long live the gods of the new order! You, newly ascended divinities, have toppled the corrupt elder gods and brought new life to the halls of Heaven. Now confirmed by the Sun and recognized by the Arbitrary Arbiter, much work lies before you above and below. Down on Earth, Heaven's righteous hegemony covers the better part of a continent, and your followers and worshippers clamor for their promised rewards even as they make war on the defeated gods' loyal cults in their holdouts. Further down in the Underworld, communications with the angels there has grown increasingly erratic over the last few decades if your contacts are to be believed. Even here in Heaven, palace of the Sun and home to gods and angels alike, many of your angelic clerks are growing impatient with the slow progress of the reforms conceded to them during your apotheosis, while just as many seek a return to an easy status quo regardless of the cost to civilization below. Go forth, inheritors of the Sun's mandate! Go forth and enact the change you ascended for!
What is this?Hierarchy is (intended to be) a god game of the sort that involves frequent, rapid exchanges of titles
Hierarchy: Turn Zero: A Brief Tour
The business of running Heaven and Earth is split among a collection of ministries and the Council.
The Sun's Court The Sun's Court is an ancient institution said to have been founded at a time when all angels were mortals and thus retains many strange privileges and powers from bygone ages such as the right to create intelligent life and see the future. Courtiers attend to the Sun in Its splendor and interpret Its nods and intentions, a contentious power detractors point out is more of an art than a science. As a result, the Court is often characterized as a tool for power-hungry angelclerks and their godly head minister, the Steward. Courtiers of the Sun are quick to respond that their close vigil over the Sun has prevented numerous disasters, but it's rather difficult to produce proof of an averted catastrophe. Due to its connection to the Sun, the Court will always be a greater ministry regardless of its influence or funding unless dissolved.
Ministry of Justice The Ministry of Justice is headed by the
Arbitrary Arbiter, an Old God who oversaw the contracts that permitted you and your fellows to rebel against Heaven itself. The Arbiter is revered by even the angels most supportive of your rule as the last major link between the old regime and the new gods (along with the Arbiter's encyclopedic knowledge of the Law) and cannot be removed outright. (Peaceful) Disputes between gods and/or angels are commonly decided by the Ministry of Justice which additionally provides notaries escrow services.
Ministry of Glory The Ministry of Glory facilitates the distribution of Glory and Words among divinities, and its ample coffers ensure that the angels are always paid (if not properly compensated for their work). The clerks of the Ministry of Glory receive many benefits peripheral to their stated earnings. They are less prone to obstructing their head minister, the Paragon, at every turn than the clerks of many other ministries, and it is rumored that they are better compensated than they should be.
Ministry of the Realm The Ministry of the Realm manages heroes, heroic acts and quests, angelic employment, angelic positions outside Heaven, and sundry administrative details above and below, and its head is fittingly called the Manager. Unusually for a heavenly department, this ministry employs a noticeable number of mortal heroes. The angels of this ministry scorn those of the Ministry of Civilization and regard them as power tripping tyrants seeking to control every aspect of mortal civilization. The usual response is that the Ministry of the Realm is filled with rebellious anarchists or worse,
mortals.
Ministry of Might The Ministry of Might keeps watch over Heaven and fends off threats above, beyond, and below under the vigilant watch of the Marshall. Although uncomfortably outside the scope of this ministry's stated responsibilities, some of its less scrupulous members are rumored to meddle in mortal affairs and engineer wars to avoid excessive budgetary surpluses. Regardless, the complete failure of the last head of this Ministry to perform his duties adequately was a great boon to your quest for divinity because the Ministry of Might has by far the highest number smiting warrants per halo (and is a close second for teleportation/manifestation permits). The latter may not be so surprising given the fact that the Ministry of Might managed to
de facto absorb the Ministry of Smiting in the chaos that accompanied your little titanomachy.
Ministry of Civilization The Ministry of Civilization, under the supervision of the Duke, its head minister, cares for the cults of the gods and mortal civilizations. The incompetence of its previous head is commonly held to be linked to a long period of stagnation in Heaven's domain such that neighboring regions which once fell under Heaven's hegemony have broken free and begun to rival Heaven's cherished domain all under the auspices of unfriendly pantheons. Amusingly, this ministry's relationship with the Ministry of Transportation is incredibly strained after an incident between key members of both ministries. The latter's reluctance to issue teleportation permits to employees of the Ministry of Civilization has led to transport ordinance fines making up a significant fraction of the Ministry of Civilization's expenses.
Ministry of Pontifice The Ministry of Pontifice, headed by the Pontifex, employs most of Heaven's emissaries and plays a major role in regulating sacrifices and trades. They work tirelessly to improve relations with nearby pantheons and prominent mortal rulers, and the reports they relay to the Ministries of Civilization and Might are critical to their efficient functioning. This Ministry enjoys a close relationship with the Ministry of Transportation, and teleportation/manifestation permits are approved more frequently and issued more quickly for this ministry than for other ministries. Their work in faraway realms has resulted in contact with a host of orderly, helpful spirits calling themselves Helpers. Most angels remain suspicious of their intentions, but their counsel has been praised by mny a weary clerk.
Ministry of Records The Ministry of Records is not currently a greater ministry, but celestial policy still calls for its head position of Archivist to be filled by a god and nothing less. The primary duty of this ministry is to record everything such that Heaven can rebuild the region or the entire world should anything go horribly wrong. As this position has been empty for an unacceptable amount of time, many of the records are out of date, and many of this ministry's clerks fear that the next disaster could very well be the last for Heaven. One reason given for why this ministry is often left without a head is the frequent disappearance or demise of Ministers of Records.
In addition to the above, there are a number of smaller, less influential ministries headed by angels. These include but are not limited to the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Names and Works, the Ministry of Worship, and the Ministry of Purity. Of these, the Ministry of Transportation is the most powerful as a result of an old ruling that teleportation and manifestation on the mortal plane is forbidden without a permit issued by this ministry. The other ministries spend a non-negligible amount of their time and resources trying not to be absorbed by one of the greater ministries and are for the most part angry with your disruption of the stagnant complacence of the old gods.
The Council stands rather outside the hierarchy of ministries and is made up of 24 seats given to Names, high priests, and angels selected by lot. The Council is typically responsible for deciding all matters requiring a consensus, and ministry heads are usually nominated by the Council and confirmed by the Sun. The Council is unpopular among gods for what they see as needless empowerment of mortal priests and angelic clerks, and many attempts have been made to dissolve it in the past.
JoiningSetting questions0. What is the shape of the world?
(A) Sphere
(B) Disk
(C) Wheel
(D) Shell
(E) Plane
(F) Something else entirely (write-in)
1. What are Heaven's lands on the mortal plane called? (write-in)
2. What is the state of the world under Heaven?
(A) Mostly wilderness but dotted by a few fledgling cities
(B) A mosaic of city-states with no central authority
(C) A small number of large kingdoms vying for dominance
(D) An empire with significant rivals at its margins
(E) A fragmenting empire only a few steps away from collapse
(F) Something else entirely (write-in)
3. What are the lands outside Heaven's watchful gaze like?
(A) Sparsely populated steppes with few cities
(B) Countless squabbling city-states along the shores of a great sea
(C) Many coalitions of city-states in a delicate balance
(D) Powerful kingdoms locked in a struggle with each other
(E) A growing empire in the process of conquering its neighbors (excluding Heaven's demesne--for now)
(F) All of the above
(G) Something else entirely (write-in)
4. What were the cults of the old gods like before your rebellion?
(A) Different from village to village with common deities but no central authority otherwise
(B) Coherent cults largely specific to cities and kingdoms
(C) A strong, centralized organization influential throughout the region
(D) Indistinguishable from the local government for the most part
(E) Something else entirely (write-in)
Individual questions5. What about yours?
(A) A widespread but relatively small cult present in many communities but dominant in few
(B) A secret society present throughout the region with a few prominent members
(C) An established cult key to a city or state's traditions
(D) Something in between (write-in, subject to GM rebalancing)
6. All of the old gods but the Arbiter were ultimately removed by your collective hands. Which one did you strike down, and how did this affect the world? (write-in, subject to GM rebalancing)
7. Which three of the greater ministries would you most like to head in descending order of interest?
(A) Sun's Court
(B) Ministry of Glory
(C) Ministry of the Realm
(D) Ministry of Might
(E) Ministry of Civilization
(F) Ministry of Pontifice
(G) Ministry of Records
8. Have you been in an accident, incident, or other event that resulted in your death?
(A) Yes
(B) No
9. What does time fly like?
(E) Something else entirely (write-in)
(D) A dragon
(C) A cricket
(B) A banana
(A) An arrow
8. Synecdoche?
(C) Something else entirely (write-in)
(B) Whole for part
(A) Part for whole
7. Character sheet:
Mortal name:
Primary sphere:
Secondary sphere:
Immediate agenda:
Description (optional):