====== Governance ====== ===== Psychopomp ===== The more mythologically-inclined citizens in the Threshold may have been familiar with the concept of a psychopomp when they were alive: an entity that is tasked with guiding the souls of the deceased from the world of the living to the afterlife, common in the mythology and beliefs of a number of religions. Here though, in the Threshold, Psychopomp refers specifically to the organisation that governs this place. They monitor the citizens' progress towards ascension, and give the officials the responsibility of helping those citizens achieve it. They are an authority of inconceivable scale, given the number of souls striving for self-improvement under their watch. Most citizens interact with Psychopomp only through the officials it tasks with running their block. These officials are selected from the citizens themselves, and live alongside them while they fulfill their duties. ---- ===== Blocks ===== Dividing the nigh-infinite cityscape into far more conceivable units, each block in the Threshold is isolated from each other block to prevent overwhelming the citizens that live within. Even the highest ranking officials a citizen will interact with over the course of their afterlife will live and work within the confines of the block they oversee. The nonlinear nature of time within the Threshold means that a significant proportion of every human to ever die across the existence of the species can be found in this afterlife today. Accordingly, the numbers assigned to most blocks are incredibly high; so high in fact that typically only the last few numbers of their designation is used. After all, the other Block 2845's are farther apart than Oxford, England and Oxford, Nova Scotia -- there's no realistic scenario where mixing them up would be possible. A block will typically be home to around 500 people, the buildings that make it up comprising everything from citizens' housing, approved services, officials' offices, and the notorious Snake Dens. As the needs of the population change with each ascension and new arrival, Psychopomp makes a great effort to adapt existing architecture to the new requirements. ---- ===== Officials ===== A finite mind cannot even dream of managing the needs of every soul to ever die. That is the purpose of the officials. Delegation of leadership and management to the block level ensures that citizens can feel free to interact at their leisure with many of those making the afterlife go round. As citizens of the Threshold, they themselves are pursuing ascension and this, along with the never-ending stream of inflowing souls to take up the mantle in their place, means their ranks are not necessarily static. If you want, your character can be a low-ranking official. Officials are still citizens after all. You cannot, however, play as an Invigilator. If this concept interests you, take the [[Quirks|"Position of Responsibility"]] quirk. ==== Invigilators ==== Progress without incentive can be a difficult thing for the human mind to commit to, and with all of eternity to complete the task of ascension, there is no hint of a deadline. This is the role of the Invigilators. They provide the watchful eyes that ensure progress seems inviting. They also oversee the administration of the block as a community and construction project: passing regulations, delegating further instructions to the Administrators under them, and finely tuning the environment to optimise incentivising factors for self-improvement. Their great responsibility often means progress towards their own ascension is put on hold for the duration of their tenure, but the role of Invigilator is not given lightly -- only those engaging with the system in a consistent and constructive manner have the opportunity to take up the mantle, and indeed, Block 2845 has only two Invigilators: Charlie Show and Kessler Jones. ==== Guides ==== The business that holds a soul in the Threshold can be as unique as the individuals themselves, and tackling these problems alone is not a task for the faint of heart. That is the role of a Guide. Their role is primarily assisting in the ascension of other citizens, constructively working with them or providing the tools necessary for them to progress on their own. They range from therapists and activity organisers, to outgoing socialites and shoulders to lean on, to people responsible for the resources needed to improve oneself. ==== Technicians ==== There was a time when the structures of the Threshold first manifested amid empty space. Such vacancies are sparse in the afterlife of today, however. As a result, the buildings within a block are all there is to work with -- and not all of them are fit for purpose. The Threshold's constant state of improvement and repair is facilitated by Technicians. Though not as directly involved in the ascension process as many other officials, their continual upkeep of the facilities in their block enables many of the other activities that citizens take part in. ==== Administrators ==== There are a plethora of background responsibilities that go into running a society, even one so cocooned as a block, and when time isn't of the essence, the reliable wheels of bureaucracy begin to turn. Navigating the minutia of paperwork and regulations, regular reports on the progress of the citizens, and any other task requested by the Invigilators - these all fall into the hands of Administrators. ---- ===== Beyond Block 2845 ===== The workings of Psychopomp outside the boundaries of the block are shrouded in the mists of irrelevance to the average citizen of the Threshold. The local officials are a much more immediate presence in their afterlife. Presumably the hierarchy continues with whoever the Invigilators report to, then perhaps someone to manage those people, and so on and so forth. They say that the first person to appear in the Threshold founded Psychopomp to help other souls on their way, before they too ascended and left it in the hands of those that followed. The nature of the top rungs of the ladder in modern times, however, is obscured by the fog of bureaucracy. ---- ===== Other Opportunities for Citizens ===== The driving cause for all this governmental structure is the dearly departed souls that find themselves held here by their own unfinished business and imperfections. Their goal and responsibility is, at the end of the day, to seek self-improvement and closure in the way that best befits them. Some citizens become officials, fulfilling the roles above as they seek structure or productivity to help them progress themselves as well as others. But not every citizen works directly for Psychopomp. There are many services, such as the Buffet or the businesses in Market Place, that are approved by Psychopomp -- innocent sources of joy along the path to ascension. These don't require major governmental oversight, and thus are offered to the citizens themselves to operate as an opportunity for selflessness (though some of them act more like a business, trading comodities or information for their services). As for those citizens that choose not to take on such roles, they are encouraged to use their extra freedom to focus on their ascension in their own way, and at their own pace. Of course, they are perfectly capable of choosing not to climb the ladder of ascension -- the Snake Dens are tempting for a reason after all. But to do so is purely an act of self-sabotage, and the officials try their best to keep citizens from giving in to these more harmful, baser desires.