Editing Mage: The Awakening (section)

===Seers of the Throne===
The Seers of the Throne want to be the [[Imperium]] in a world where Chaos and real '''''[[HERESY]]''''' as they define it does not exist (i.e. the only thing to them is cartoonishly evil wannabe Nazis played straight). If you play those guys as actual heroes rather than your secret supervillain fantasies, you are doing it wrong. And we're not talking the Doctor Horrible "lashing out against everyone who mocked your scientific genius and making the world a better place if you won no seriously you aren't kidding or deluded" secret supervillain fantasy (that would be the Technocracy, or to use an example from the actual game, the factions of the Pentacle at their nastiest). No, you want Seers for the "grind the world beneath your heel while you anally rape it using your magic-empowered dick and take photos to show off to your fellow global anal rapists before going off to eat puppies grilled on the infernos of a burning oil slick sea and washing them down with the tears of abused orphans" supervillain fantasy. Seriously, [[grimdark]] is a ''feature'' of the world they want, even more so than the current fucking World of Darkness!

The Seers came into being proper sometime in the mid-15th century, before that they were just a loose group of Exarch-aligned Nameless Orders, when The Hegemonic Ministry came into being and organized the other orders after their own ministry. They are a bureaucratic fuckfest of backstabbing, infighting, and bureaucratic power-jockeying between a bunch of "ministries," even more so than the Pentacle. While some Seers might go on about trying to "protect humanity from magic's dangers," that's either lip service or self-delusion. If they really wanted to protect sleepers, they'd join the less-crazy of the Banishers (which is itself an oxymoron, for reasons described below). To them, ''Magic is Payment'', something generously allowed to them by the Exarchs in exchange for their service in upholding the Lie. 

There are four big ministries, divided into how they want to make the world miserable as shit, as well as a few minor ministries (every major Exarch has at least one ministry). The big four are:

*'''The Praetorians:''' ''The Weak Fear the Strong.'' The ministry that governs violence. The Praetorians like cold-blooded strategy just as much as burning rage, and war just as much as serial killing. These ensure that humanity remains a pack of mewling whelps too paralyzed by fear for their lives to even consider obtaining enlightenment, while controlling their violence so they do not destroy themselves and leave the Exarchs without subjects to rule over. They serve the General, Exarch of Forces.
*'''The Panopticon:''' ''Vision is Power.'' You don't need to literally enslave people to enslave them; if you make people believe they are being watched they will chain themselves for you. The Panopticon is based on this philosophy: to them paranoia is sacred, and their ideal is a world without privacy, where Sleepers will not do anything that makes them stand out from the crowd because everyone else is watching. They serve the Eye, Exarch of Space. 
*'''The Hegemony:''' ''The State is the Soul.'' Utopia is attainable. Sleepers must never be allowed to know it is possible, must never be allowed to achieve it, and above all, must never be allowed to find out that it used to exist. The Hegemony carry a contradicting duty, to divide humanity by uniting them under different banners and ideologies, erasing individuality yet creating opposition to ensure that Sleepers cannot set aside their differences long enough to Awaken. The Hegemony's power is waning, with corporate greed supplanting nationalism as the lesser Ministry of Mammon works to undermine them. They serve the Unity, Exarch of Mind.
*'''The Paternoster:''' ''Faith is an Unbreakable Chain.'' It takes faith to manufacture faith, and devotion to deceive the devoted. The Paternoster, unlike the other ministries, buys into their own hype, all of it. They truly believe if no-one Awakens and all Supernal truth is gone from this world then it would become paradise, and so they expunge the hints of the Supernal from mortal religions and replace them with holy lies and cults too busy squabbling over irrelevant doctrine to approach the Truth. They serve the Father, Exarch of Prime.

These are just the big ministries - there's always four of them (and always those four, even if another Ministry usurps a spot), but while the other ones are much weaker they're just as dedicated in grinding down the world and backstabbing each other for more power. The ones that have been more described (besides their names and allegiance) are:

*'''The Dolusian:''' The Father's other ministry. They spread misinformation.
*'''The Geryon:''' ''Faceless Powers Rule Unopposed.'' Crushing trust and letting fear rule was their bread and butter. They encouraged people with power and privilege to hide their identity and oppress those below them with no restraint. In modern times, the Ministry no longer exists, having been destroyed by Scelesti. They served the Nemesis, Exarch of Spirit.
*'''The Herodian''': The General's other ministry. They seek to foster violent paranoia and pre-emptive action.
*'''The Horologian:''' ''Routine is the True Opiate of the Masses.'' Through regimentation and having all actions be dictated by, accountable to, and accounted for one person, they crush creativity and independent thought. The 9-to-5 grind in schools and factories ensnares people in the Lie as they become unable to imagine that there might be more to life than the same old routines. They serve the Prophet, Exarch of Time.
*'''The Kyrian:''' The ministry of anti-social mobility. They seek to enforce that a person's class and prospects are decided at birth and they can do nothing about it, mainly by enforcing caste systems and wealth disparity. They serve the Prophet and the Ruin, Exarch of Fate.
*'''The Mammon:''' Not much is written about them. They are close to supplanting The Hegemony because corporate greed is supplanting nationalism as a force in the world, and serve the Chancellor, Exarch of Matter. Their motto is unknown, but it is said that they operate by encouraging materialism and greed so everyone and everything is reduced to commodities fit only to be bought and sold. 
*'''The Orphean:''' Named after the effect of Orpheus's music, namely putting people to Sleep. They also serve the Nemesis.
*'''The Peirasmon:''' Ministry of temptation, specifically, tempting role models into their downfall. They serve the Ruin.
*'''The Rhadamanthian:''' Named after one of the Greek judges of the dead. They serve the Psychopomp, Exarch of Death. 
*'''The Sycorian:''' Named after the monstrous mother of Caliban. They serve the Raptor, Exarch of Life.