Overseer
Overseers are well-known to some species and a complete surprise to others, which is often but not always linked to the spritituality of the dominant planeterary cultures. Overseers are, in the words of one:
"Protectors of sorts, of a more esotoric nature. Against things that their fellows cannot percieve. Meant to be looking after a planet, but things get a bit complex once space travel is introduced."
The Overseers of the Core Planetary Coalition are all in communication with each other in something of an informal network, offering each other advice and support and helping new Overseers learn. It has also expanded outside of them to include various Overseers from numerous sectors, even if not all of them are in contact with everybody else. There is even something of an /text tree??? whats the word???/ that operates amongst them so that in rare cases of emergencies everybody can be made aware even if the one sounding the alarm doesn't know everybody.Appointment
Overseers do not seek out the position, are not voted into the position except for very rare occasions. They are chosen by the spirit of the planet they live on and drawn to the place where the power is conferred. Typically this is somewhere very hidden and difficult to access, so that only those who are meant to find it do so. It is known that the one on Terra is deep underground somewhere, and the area for the Urlta was known only by the upper echelons of their religious leaders and is now lost.
Little more is known about the process. Luna Niga-Dita suggested that once the area had been found it didn't take long, but was not a pleasant experience. Considering it seems to rapidly change a person's body and especially their brain to allow them to perceive dimensions they are not meant to be able to, this is not a surprise.
Duties
Overseers are charged with defending their people against incorporeal threats. It has been stated that no matter what their upbringing was like, what their bodily instincts might say, and what training they might have gone through, this becomes their top priority. Some Overseers are better at finding loopholes that allow them to trick their minds into assisting with other things, such as physical defence, but it tends to come with experience and is not something that can be managed early on.
Responsibilities
Constantly busy, Overseers must attempt to guard against threats by keeping their people content and safe-feeling (and warded fend off any threats that do make their way in, including putting themselves in the line of fire and attempting to save a person no longer in control of themselves; negotiating with other Overseers when territories start to overlap in the new galactic age, such as with colonies and stations.
Benefits
The benefits of such roles can vary widely between species, as it is mostly due to social benefits such as political or spiritual power and titles. However, the role itself does offer some mild benefits. Overseers gain a level of insight, quite literally, into the world that other people are not able to manage. They are aware of and now automatically more defended against interdimensional threats than anyone else, with a natural resistance to their effects. They are also more aware of other dimensions and timelines and are not affected by memory loss on the breaking of a Time Loop.
More experienced Overseers can learn to do things such as read into people's souls to see what kind of behaviour they fall back, learn how to track people by them in a certain vicinity, or be able to communicate with anyone in person by forging a connection to their mind.
Cultural Significance
For species that are aware of Overseers, they tend to have some level of cultural importance, though this varies between cultures. Humans, for instance, were entirely unaware and so their Overseers have mostly been treated as normal people until they have to interfere in occurings for Overseer negotiations.
Most Sanadasin are aware of Overseers and have a rigorous process of finding potential next candidates and training them for the socially important role. They have a semi-high level of importance politically speaking and a certain amount of sway over military actions, but their positiion is somewhat precarious. Sanadasin Overseers have their birth names erased and are referred to only as the name of the planet, which can be confusing in Standard without the inbuilt modifiers in their tongue that help differentiate Overseer from planet.
For Urlta, knowledge of Overseers is limited. They will often be appointed as one of the highest spiritual leaders in the church, but whether the spiritual leaders are chosen as Overseers or Overseers are then assigned to that position is unknown. With all of the upper echelon of the church killed in the Sanadasin occupation, knowledge of how to appoint a new Overseer for the Urlta is currently lost.
Type
Magical, Honorific
Status
Active
Form of Address
Overseer
Source of Authority
Consciousness of planet
Length of Term
Lifetime
Current Holders
