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The leadership structure of the Dominion is heavily interwoven with the Path of Tulak, which lauds individual action and significant singular accomplishment. In many societies, this sort of core goal would be seen to be too unstable to form a system of government capable of administering and uniting the hundreds of inhabited worlds and billions of individuals that make up the Dominion. If viewed in broad generalisations, the Dominion lacks significant incentives to cooperate, administrate and form collaborative institutions, which most civilisations view as essential to enduring government - but somehow it works.
The strength of the Dominion is in the small details, the minor incentives of the Path’s dogma, and the tireless efforts of the Priesthood to hold it all together and keep the Faction as coherent as it can. The personification of virtually all activities and undertakings as Immortal Spirits, and the willingness of the Priesthood to reject or embrace each one, allows for quite fine tuning of what is and is not acceptable in Dominion society. The Doctrine of Repute encourages everyday citizens to follow and assist Heroes in their undertakings, as some of the reputation gained among the Immortal Spirits of a greater success will adhere to their spirit and make them more likely to ascend when they are reborn.
The leadership of the Dominion is quite decentralised, which allows them to react quickly to changing events. At the same time, it is well-connected, so individual worlds who find themselves unable to deal with a crisis can call for assistance from nearby worlds, and encourage Heroes hoping to make a name for themselves, and their Followers, to come and assist. The lofty goals of influential heroes can accomplish great things that stand the test of time - organising large waves of colonisation, terraforming projects, important scientific discoveries, building new societal models and integrating other species into the Faction are all acts that have led to a Hero joining the ranks of the Immortal Spirits.
The weakness of the Dominion’s system is seen where Heroes fall or fail before they can complete their works. Projects half-completed may be abandoned or stall due to lack of guiding vision. Some failing Heroes are abandoned by their Followers, their efforts wasted and their accomplishments unremembered. Some turn bitter and lash out, embrace heretical Spirits or simply leave, never to return. The system that encourages everyone to strive for greatness, but only exalts a few individuals must, by design, leave countless broken people in its wake.
Heroes are the most prominent leading figures in the Dominion - individuals who have dedicated themselves to achieve greatness through excelling at their chosen path. Heroes of all statures and status direct the Dominion - developing, leading, crusading and training. There are many paths to Immortality, and they can be large and small - the only requirement is to do something so great that it is remembered, for the longer the better. A builder can construct a wonderful house that is remembered through time, at least in the town that it is located in. A scientist can crack a fiddly problem that has bedevilled researchers for years, but their solution will bear their name, and other scientists of that discipline will tell stories of their achievement. A parent can raise their family with such love and kindness that their lessons and stories are passed down through their children, and their children’s children, until those stories spread across an entire world. All are remembered for their works, all were Heroes, and all ascended to become Immortal Spirits.
Although it is not a requirement for a Hero, most start their journey by becoming Devoted by a Priest to one of the Immortal Spirits that are already known. While there are a few major Spirits that are known throughout the Dominion for their incredible feats, there are countless others - lesser or more specific spirits, remembered on only one or a handful of worlds, or revered mostly within a certain discipline. Through Devotion, the prospective Hero declares to the Spirits that they wish to follow a particular path, and that the spirit's eyes should be turned to them to witness what they will accomplish. The Hero’s patron Spirit is believed to pay close attention to their Devoted Heroes, and may send guiding Visions, powers or strengths related to their aspect, or may guide Followers and Priests to them to help them succeed. Heroes who have dedicated themselves to a particular Immortal Spirit may find, with acts of devotion towards their patron, that they gain strange supernatural abilities linked with their patron’s domain.
Once a Hero has chosen a path, they must then work hard to excel at it and build a name for themselves. Through this work, they may attract a following, or be noticed by Priests on the lookout for a subject. Heroes at this stage tend to seek out challenges for themselves, and various worlds or institutions of the Dominion regularly hold all manner of trials, tournaments and tests, to allow citizens to temper themselves in the fires of competition. A budding Hero will boast about their accomplishment at local Challenge Moots, and invite competition from all comers. Repeated successes and great feats build the Hero’s reputation, grants them status and attracts others to their side. A Hero may find themselves with a retinue of Followers, a Priest guide, and able to command significant resources, from raw materials, fine tools and finished goods to even starships!
Once they have become well-known and accumulated renown, most Heroes switch their attention to creating successively grander projects, tackling specific difficult problems or challenges, and other more focused schemes. With each undertaking, the Hero’s renown grows, they attract more attention and resources, until eventually they stand in the highest echelons of Dominion society. Their projects can be so large and multifaceted that they recruit other Heroes to direct parts of their grander scheme, in a hierarchy akin to a military command structure. At this level, a Hero may launch some grand, risky undertaking that could impact whole star systems and change the face of the Orion Sphere itself. The greatest Dominion Heroes have launched massive crusades, negotiated sector-spanning treaties, built staggering megaprojects, mapped vast regions of space, colonised dozens of worlds, and slain titanic horrors in the darkest reaches of the Sagittarius Arm.
Inevitably, the rise of all Heroes comes to an end. They go one breath too far, and die before their next project is complete. They fail terribly, and their reputation turns to dust. Or once their grand work is completed, they live out the rest of their lives, content to rest on the enormity of their accomplishments. And sometimes, at the height of their powers, they simply vanish, never to be seen again. Those whose memory lives on join the ranks of the Immortal Spirits, to guide others along the Path and reap whatever rewards exist in that rarefied state.
All of Dominion Society is encouraged to look to the example of prominent Heroes, both current and past. They are relied upon as a source of inspiration, an expression of what it is to be part of the Dominion, and examples of worthy individuals who are worth your time and attention. Attitudes towards Heroes in general, as well as specific Heroes varies across the Faction. On some worlds, citizens “follow” their Heroes as if they were a sports team, or are hungry for stories involving their favourites. In other communities, they are seen as celebrities, and their every action is examined and analysed. In others, they are spiritual figures worthy of reverence and an emphasis is placed on their spiritual attributes. In others still, they are respected for their skill and vision alone, akin to artists and craftspeople.
In general, the Priesthood and Dominion society holds up locally important Heroes as worthy individuals - paying attention to what they do, studying their history and technique, and assisting them where possible are all seen as both helping a person’s spiritual development and benefiting the Dominion as a whole. Aside from this general interest, some citizens are moved to find a particular Hero and personally pledge their support to them in their endeavours. These individuals are Followers, and most Heroes will tend to attract a coterie of them as they become more well known. Followers hope that by serving the Hero directly, as an ally, worker or in another capacity, their own spirit will draw the attention of the Immortal Spirits, who may aid them directly when they embark on the Hero's journey, or even in a future life. Followers can fill many supportive roles - laboratory assistants, mapping officers, soldiers, sparring partners, diplomatic attaches and hunt harriers. Heroes often build strong bonds with their Followers, especially those that they work closely with. This loyalty and camaraderie endures even the lowest moments of the Hero's journey, and some close followers will even follow the Hero if they become Outcast.
The Dominion and the Priesthood acknowledge that while the Path of the Hero is to be exalted, that it is not a path that all can walk immediately, or even in the course of a life. To be a Hero is to stoke your spirit with the fires of ambition, to take on tremendous burdens and to strive relentlessly with a very real risk of the gaping maw of failure and despair. The majority of the Dominion do not seek to follow in the path of the Hero, at least not yet. They live their lives free of the hollowing fire within, and the crushing weight of expectation bearing down on them. Not lazy or lacking in will, these citizens strive to do as well as they can within the context of their lives, just without the all-consuming singular focus that the Hero demands. They do their jobs, spend time with their families and friends and promise themselves that in their next life, when their spirit is ready, perhaps they will step out on that journey. Only the truly indolent and slothful are looked down upon in Dominion culture.
The life of a Hero is a burdensome one, with a considerable weight of expectation on their shoulders, followers jostling to make a name for themselves, and priests whispering in their ears. Some would-be heroes crack under the pressure, or find themselves suddenly out of favour with their followers or the Ecclesiocracy, having gone a few steps too far or not far enough. Some Heroes work towards a mighty undertaking only to see it crumble before them, losing heart and becoming resentful of the system that built them so high only to see them fall. Most of these individuals manage to pick themselves back up, or retire for a time to build up their reserves once more. Others fade away into the wider Dominion society, the path of the Hero no longer their priority. Some, however, find themselves unable to remain within the Dominion, and take themselves and some of their most loyal followers outside the Faction.
The fringes of Dominion space are littered with minor fiefdoms - outcast kingdoms that are home to the disillusioned, the desperate and the rejected. These outcast kingdoms are often found to be filled with criminals, followers of heretical Spirits, vagabond species, exiles or refugees from other Factions. They are frequently located in inhospitable systems, celestial backwaters and deep in dangerous nebulae. Life in most outcast fiefdoms is hard, and many have turned to piracy or smuggling to get by, although some are thriving realms where prosperous citizens pay heed to no Faction’s diktats.
Heroes may rise and fall as they strive to accomplish great things in the name of the Immortal Spirits, but the priesthood acts as a solid foundation for Dominion society. Priests swear to abandon the quest for individual greatness in order to advise and guide both Heroes and the Dominion as a whole. Most Heroes will have a trusted priest at their side to offer advice and guidance at critical moments in their journey - either to encourage them towards personal greatness, or towards acts that would benefit the Dominion itself.
As well as their duties to minister to the Faction, many priests form a loose-knit form of government within the Dominion, making decisions on the finer points of religious doctrine, directing parts of the population and making some day-to-day decisions. This “government of the priesthood” is referred to as the Ecclesiocracy, and all priests are considered to be part of it regardless of how involved they are in the administration of the Faction. In practice, the Ecclesiocracy acts more like a civil service than a political body, as most major decisions and projects are initiated by Heroes with the means and drive to do so.
Tulaki from all walks of life can become Priests - from regular members of society to Heroes that have abandoned their quest. All members of the Ecclesiocracy are Tulaki of one form or another - as the ritual herbs used in Ceremonies is only known to have its particular spiritual effects when used by Tulaki. Performing Ceremonies is a key part of the role of a Priest, and part of the initiation process for new priests. As part of their initiation, a candidate must first swear to abandon any ambitions of greatness, and submit their lives to the ascension of others, and to the Dominion as a whole. After about a year’s intensive teaching, the new Priest is sent out with other priests to travel the Dominion and observe, preach and assist others under the guidance of their superiors. Once their accompanying Priest deems them fit, they return to a temple or seminary to complete their training, and are then assigned or volunteer for various duties.
During a period of radical doctrinal experimentation around 2500PT, other species within the Dominion were taught the basics of some Ceremonies, and performed them extensively on others, but no evidence was found that these Ceremonies had any effect. Within the Dominion, it is presumed that some part of the Tulaki physiology or spirit is essential for contact with the Immortal Spirits to be made, although once it has then members of other species can benefit from that contact. Other Factions have various theories on the strange powers of the Tulaki Priesthood, including that it is a purely biochemical process similar to narcotics, a latent psionic power of Tulaki that is unlocked somehow by the herbs, or that the effects are merely a powerful, non-supernatural or psionic form of suggestion.
Priests generally occupy one of three main roles:
Although these are the main roles, Priests often find themselves in many other positions as well - some act as missionaries preaching the Path to those outside the Dominion, others act as official representatives and diplomatic personnel, cataloguers and keepers of spiritual relics or visions from the Spirits, and many other tasks.
Priests generally present themselves as advisors, assistants and guides - they have little direct authority, although command considerable respect within their Faction. When working with a community, they are expected to get to know the members of their flock and be able to connect each person with one or more Immortal Spirits that would provide that person with inspiration and an example of how to improve oneself. There are many Immortal Spirits, greater and lesser and everywhere in between, and being familiar with a range of Spirits that are relevant to their community is part of a Priest's duty. Every Priest will be familiar with the greatest of the Immortal Spirits - true legends of the Dominion that provide an example of the greatest heights to aspire to. Identifying an appropriate Spirit is often the first step on a person's spiritual Journey, which may lead them to the heights of the Hero, the path of the Priest, or just a more fulfilling life within the Dominion.
The other strong aspect of the Priest's role is to perform Ceremonies to aid their flock when they feel it would help them. The Rites of Focus, Dedication and Perseverance can steel a spirit before a great undertaking, and provide reassurance when doubts and hesitation creep into their mind. As well as the formal Ceremonies, Priests perform a whole range of lesser ceremonies and rituals, which, although they lack the same spiritual power, form an important part of Dominion life and community. Priests are responsible for organising Challenge Moots, leading devotional ceremonies, cultivating their community's spirituality through rituals and other activities. The precise format of these lesser Ceremonies varies from community to community and world to world, but they place Priests firmly as the spiritual heart of those around them.
Most priests are supported purely by their community, although they are taught to be humble and only ask for what they need. Priests in more stable situations often find a niche in their community or group, and may have an alternative occupation that supports the rest of the community - they may build intimate relationships or have families as any other Dominion citizen does. With their oath of service, many priests lean towards administrative work as well as their spiritual duties.
The priesthood has their own complex system of rank and status, but this is rarely visible to those outside of the Ecclesiocracy. In general, high-status priests in the wider realm of Dominion society will tend to occupy similar ranks within the overall structure of the priesthood. The most well-known authority within the Ecclesiocracy is the Conclave of the Path - a council of a few hundred high-ranked priests who make decisions on issues of dogma, the overall direction of the Path, and which Immortal Spirits are to be exalted or shunned.
