The Exarchs are the architects of the Lie, the masters of the Seers, and rules of reality at large. It is not a war. They have already won.
The Orders agree that the Lie is too elaborate and too finely targeted to be an accident.
There’s a guiding intelligence behind it.
Mages know that some symbols have a semblance of life. They summon Supernal entities, pulling them from the Supernal World into the Fallen.
Most are content to let mages come to them, but the occult symbols bound up in the Lie are evidence that something, deep in the unseen Supernal Realms, is actively trying to cripple humanity’s ability to perceive beyond the Fallen World.
More than trying — it’s succeeding.
What this enemy is depends on the tale, but mages use the Greek word for “rule from the outside” — “Exarch.”
The Exarchs are the Lie’s creators, auditors, and caretakers. Through missives passed through the dreams of the Seers, they instil direct influence on politics and happenings, but through far grander workings they administrate reality and humanity.
Humanity must suffer, it must remain blind.
It. Must. Be. Controlled.
The Exarchs are never directly in contact with individuals as a face to face discussion, and even processing their visions feels like interpreting the will of a greater being though the messages are always clear; an Exarch’s will is absolute.
Exarchs of Arcana
- Eye, Exarch of Space: Symbol of omniscience and acting from afar, the Eye symbolizes scrutiny by authority and authority through surveillance. She knows your secrets, and he is always, always watching. She is served by the Panopticon and Phemian Ministries.
- Unity, Exarch of Mind: Symbol of conformity and uniformity, fear of the other, and control through nationalism, xenophobia, and fascism, the Unity promotes impersonal authorities from banks, to corporations, to nation states, and teaches humans to shackle themselves to the will of the crowd. He is served by the Hegemonic and Logothetes Ministries.
- Father, Exarch of Prime: Judgement. Authority. Dogma. The Father symbolizes blind faith and obedience to ironclad rules and commandments in all forms, especially religious, and is one of the most worshipped Exarchs as a result. He is served by the Paternoster and Dolusian Ministries.
- General, Exarch of Forces: Symbol of control through violence, division by bloodshed, and oppression through the threat of physical force, the General teaches that might makes right, and commands his Seers to stir hatred into action and hurt into retribution, ripping humanity apart. She is served by the Praetorian and Herodian Ministries.
- Chancellor, Exarch of Matter: Queen of numbers and measures, the Chancellor symbolizes the commodification of all material things, even people. Everything has a price. Everyone can be bought. Everything is owned. He is served by the Mammon and Pantechnicon Ministries.
- Nemesis, Exarch of Spirit: The law of unintended consequences. Calamity from hidden events. Control through secrets. The fear that your life is determined by forces you cannot comprehend. The Nemesis represents not so much The Shadow World as The Gauntlet, keeping humanity ignorant of the monsters their actions breed in The Shadow. He is served by the Orphean Ministry and was served by the recently-destroyed Geryon Ministry.
- Prophet, Exarch of Time: Great Man of History, the Prophet instils hopelessness in the face of progress, the idea that only a handful of chosen individuals can shape events and everyone else must follow or be crushed. She is served by the Horologian and Kyrian Ministries
- Ruin, Exarch of Fate: Symbol of control through hopelessness, the Ruin is the Exarch of entropy, decay, and cynicism. They direct Seers to crush the dreams of Sleepers and make it seem their mistake was dreaming at all. He is served by the Kyrian and Peirasmon Ministries
- Psychopomp, Exarch of Death: Symbolizing the fear of death, the Psychopomp is every guardian of every afterlife from Anubis to St Peter; the idea that only an elect may enter heaven, and that flouting the Exarchs’ rules on earth leads to punishment or destruction. He is served by the Rhadamantian Ministry.
- Raptor, Exarch of Life: Symbolizing the subordination of free will to instinct, the Raptor teaches that humans are mere machines of meat following natural law. He encourages people to think of themselves as “alphas” or couch business dealings as predator and prey, to act on their impulses and resign themselves to being “sheep” preyed on by the strong. She is served by the Sycorian Ministry.
The Great Ministries
Hegemony
Servants of the Unity
The State is the soul.
The first true Ministry finds itself embattled by factional conflicts, as globalization nips at the heels of the servants of the Unity, Exarch of control through nationalism. Dominating nations and attracting leaders, the Hegemons did quite well while humanity existed in a collection of nation-states and far-flung empires, but have fallen prey to the subversive power of the merchant class, represented by the Lesser Ministry of Mammon, servants of the Chancellor.
As theocracies and corporate interests rise ascendant over political interests, many within the Pyramid whisper that the 21st century will be the last with Hegemony as a Great Ministry.
Panopticon
Servants of the Eye
Vision is power.
Making extensive use of surveillance technology, the Panopticon styles itself servants of the Eye, Exarch of control through surveillance. With every tracked private message, every law passed to strip a bit more privacy from citizens, the Panopticon gains power.
Eyes high in orbit can see every inch of the globe, and the Ministry spends a great deal of time managing Seer conspiracy cults, promoting a culture without privacy, so that the people shackle themselves for fear of retribution.
Paternoster
Servants of the Father
Faith is an unbreakable chain.
Resplendent in ceremony and encouraged by the soft certitude of cultured piety, those of the Ministry of Paternoster style themselves priests of the Father, Exarch of control through faith and religion. Champions of all zealotry, the Ministry reinforces dogma and fear while quashing the positive aspects of religion. The Ministries scour Sleeper religions for hints of Supernal insight, that they can be grounded and guttered to promote the pure Exarchal religion.
Praetorian
Servants of the General
The weak fear the strong.
Brutal demagogues and warriors, the soldier-priests of Praetorian serve under the General, Exarch of control through violence. Where their counterparts in the Adamantine Arrow practice combat as a symbol of righteous struggle, Praetorian mages espouse warfare as dehumanizing meat-grinder, through which warlords rise to subjugate others with the fear of violence.
As western societies are increasingly militarized by the constructed fear of terrorism, and the world bathes in the blood of countless never-ending wars, the Praetorian Ministry seems unassailable in the Iron Pyramid.