THE GREAT HOUSES OF GALLIFREY
The Heart of the Spiral Politic
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Click on paragraphs to see color coding for sources
THE CAPITOL OF GALLIFREY
The Capitol is considered to be Gallifrey's First City. Several Time Lords use the word Gallifrey to indicate the Capitol (and not the planet in general). Its official name is Capitol City, but some very unreliable sources call it Sage City (possibly its name from the era of the Pythia?). Most Gallifreyans simply refer to it as "the Capitol."
The Capitol is just north of the planet's equator,
in
the wastelands at the heart of
the
continent of Wild Endeavor. It sits in the valley between snow the
capped mountains of Solace and Solitude. These are part of a desert mountain range
that stretches to the horizon.
The only thing that grows on these mountains a deep red grass. Mount Solace likely lay to the west of the Capitol, while Mount Solitude probably lays on its own to the east.
The northern base of the massive Mount Cadon (aka Mount Lung) is found around 600 miles to the south-west (just south of the nearby equator) and it dwarfs the Capitol.
During the time of the Pythia there was a volcanic chasm running through the Capitol known as the Crevasse of Memories That Will
Be. Rassilon redesigned the rest of the Capitol
after coming to power, and, in modern times, the remains of the Crevasse is located outside the Capitol.The Untempered Schism is located outside the Capitol to the south-west. The Capitol used to have a harbor on its east side
(but the sea dried up ages ago).
The Kasterborous Borealis can be seen from the Capitol, as can Mount Cadon. The Capitol was covered in snow for much of the year and might suffer from a bitter wind
from the Northern Lakes (located at least 200 miles to the north, if not more).
In Pre-Rassilite times the Capitol City was noisy and smelled of incense smoke. Heated streets kept the city warm in the winter. But in the Rassilon Era the entire Capitol is filled with a sense of silent timelessness. Gallifrey (the Capitol?) smells of cloisters, libraries, vellum, and old excitonic circuitry. The strong and ridged gravinium is the most common building material on Gallifrey. The floor plates have titanium rivets. Most of the walls in the Citadel appear to be made of stone with dim green light leaking out from the cracks in the aging walls. Marble is used extensively in the architecture. Unused corridors are filled with dust. The architecture is filled with fountains and alcoves. Candles are very common. There are also many gardens with their own domes. The decor of the Capitol can be changed in the same way that a TARDIS’s desk-top theme can be changed. Gallifreyans often to use the valuable, brass-like, machenite as the material of choice for the interior of important rooms.
One of the functions of the Central Matrix is to monitor all events in the Capitol and predict future developments within the Capitol. There is a dedicated Sub-Matrix which handles the basic functions of Capitol, like transductions. The streets of the Capitol are patrolled by automated street cleaning mechanisms.
Council members use transtubes and air-cars to get around inside the Capitol. There are at least 49 external metal gates that alow one to exit the Capitol at ground level. But many Time Lords actually never leave the Capitol. Most of these doors haven't been opened in a century. A small conventional spaceport can be found just outside the Capitol dome (probably the Desiree Spaceport). time scaphes can be found docked the Scaphe Port.
The capitol is broken up into 6 numbered sectors and all the rooms are numbered (example Room 30007 in the Administrative Complex - probably Sector 3). Sectors 1-6 designate the Great Citadel and the High City towers attached to and protruding from the conical base of that structure. Sectors 7 and 8 designated the rest of the Capitol, the New Towns outside the Citadel proper. Each of these Sectors is described below.
THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE TIME LORDS AND THE HIGHER CITY
The center of the Citadel is a turquoise colored hour-glass shaped tower that is designated Sector 1, while Sectors 2-6 designate the towers attached to and protruding from the conical base of the structure. These parts of the Capitol is known as the Higher City (to differentiate it from Mid-Town and Low Town).Sectors 7 and 8 designated the rest of the Capitol, outside the Citadel. Each of these sectors is filled with numerous cathedral like rooms of metal and glass. The Citadel is probably dimensionally transcendental and it would probably take about 73 days for one person to visit every part of the Citadel. Unlike most other areas of the city-complexes, most room in the Citadel are very well lit.
The Great Citadel - Sector 1: Located at the heart of Sector 1, on Level 31 of the Citadel, is the Great Gallery of the Panopticon Hall. The name of this assembly hall is derived from the Eye of Harmony's ability to observer and 'see' all of space and time, and because an 'opticon' is Gallifreyan word for a village meeting place. The six walls of this debating chamber are covered with galleries and seats that ascend into the darkness. The dimensionally transcendental hall is so vast that it has its own weather systems (including occassional rain fall) and it takes an hour to cross the upper galleries on foot. The ceiling of the Panopticon Hall is a glass dome and its floor is made of marble. The interior walls are designed to glow with a turquoise color when he sun is shining on the Citadel. There is a 6 sided debating chamber located in the center of the room. A staircase folds down allowing the President to walk from his robing room to the Presidential Dais. There is an access point to the Power Mast of the Eye of Harmony located in this debating area of the Panopticon beneath the Presidential Dais. Due to the presence of the Power Mast, access to the Panopticon is forbidden to the general public. Except during ceremonial events, it requires the permission of an member of the Inner Council, like the Chancellor, to enter the chamber. These ceremonial events include graduation ceremonies. There is a 200 foot diameter Seal of Rassilon made of machonite inlaid with bone-white marble that hangs face down like a massive chandelier over the Power Mast. A display case in the Panoptican holds the Rod of Rassilon when it isn’t being carried by the President. While the details of the decor is left up to each Lord President, each wall has a black stone statue of a Gallifreyan heroes - one for each College. Though there is much debate as to who those six heroes are, it is known that Rassilon's statue is in the north, while Omega's was on the south side of the room. Another of the statues depicts Artron. There was a competition to see which College could build the biggest statue. This bankrupted the Scendeles College.
The Hall of Rassilon leads up to the Panoptican. A attached to it. This hall is filled with 'regenerating' statues of important Time Lords, like Apeiron, Mutanioa, Omega, Pandak, Pandak IV, Pandak XX, and Rassilon. On either side of the main entrance are antechambers and robing rooms where the ceremonial collars and robes of the Time Lords are stored. The Panoptican has a museum, and a canteen (which serves bread among other things). The Panoptican Security Complex has a bunker with a court room. Like Time Lords, the Citadel has two ‘hearts.’ One of these hearts appears to be the Great Chamber of the Matrix. Its located down a short corridor from the Panopticon. The Matrix Chamber is in the cone shaped base of the Citadel – but not directly centered under the tower. The Matrix Door found here allows authorized Time Lords access to the repository of all Time Lord knowledge. For more information on the Matrix see The Matrix of Time A famously effective polygonal Zero Room (created by the Other) can be found in the basement of the Junior Senate Block.
After the Vardan/Sontaran invasion, the security around the Presidential palace was upgraded to be the most sophisticated bio-monitoring systems in the cosmos. Even when not locked down, it takes someone with at least the rank of Captain of the Chancellery Guard's biodata and security pass to open the doors to the Retreat. Once locked down it requires lock burners or heavy weaponry to breach. A temporally reactive update can send a signal back in time to update security systems undoing a breach that has already begun. It needs presidential authority to enact. There are secret passages that use dimensional junctures to allow the President to move in secret to locations throughout the Capitol. Each President has added more and more passages connecting all parts of the Capitol (including the Omega Arsenal) to their Office.
Nested into one of the alcoves in the Presidential Palace, and located directly below the Presidential Retreat, is the Inner Council Room which was intended to be a private area for the President to meet with the rest of the Inner Council in secret. This room has a Matrix Portal mounted above the debating table (likely the President's 'personal' 8th Door) and a secret door that leads to the controls for the Time Scoop. This room is only used about once every thousand years and serves as a storage for lesser know artifacts of Rassilon. Normally the Inner Council meets in the Great Hall of Time where another of the Matrix Portals is mounted.
High City Sector 4: Sector 4 is sometimes known as the Detention Sector. The rest of the Watch work in Sector 4's Jasdisary Building which is attached to the Citadel. The Jasidary Building holds 90 stories of administration offices. There are no windows on the first 30 floors. It was designed by the architect Apeiron and completes a rotation every 58 minutes. Within the Sector 4 of the Citadel is the Security Compound where Security Control, the Castellan's office, High Court, interrogation cells, detention rooms, execution rooms, and the Oubliette Custody Suites are located. These luxurious suites are where prisoners are held (if they aren't sent to Shada). The large ornate suits have sleeping quarters, multiple bathrooms, a gymnasium and a small swimming pool. They are equipped with furniture, an entertainment wallscreen, and food and drink dispensers with vast menus. These Oubliettes are designed to sustain a Gallifrey for the rest of their lives. There are holding cells beneath the Capitol with deadlocks. There are several holding bays for timeships should a recall and mass time scoopings be necessary. A court room can be found in the deepest bunker of the Panopticon security complex.
High City Sector 6: Sector 6 is the second largest sector in the Capitol. As its number implies, it is directly adjacent to archives of Sector 5. Its Residential Wing holds the offices and dormitories for all 1000 of the Time Lords of Gallifrey. Though the Citadel towers over the other buildings in Capitol City, the exterior isn't large enough to allow 1000 Time Lords to live in comfort. Fortunately it's interior is dimensionally transcendental and has at least 119 levels. The Cardinal’s Habitation Complex holds the living quarters for the Cardinals.This might be where Tower Gamma 6 is located.
Sector 6 technically extends out to cover the entire Prydonian Time Academy. Geographically speaking, the Prydonian Academy is a self-contained city located along the northern boarder of Southern Gallifrey at the base of the southern slopes of Mount Cadon (Gallifrey's highest mountain). Because this is Gallifrey's only Time Academy (the institution which bestows the title of Time Lord) it is annexed to the Citadel using dimensional junctures. The academy city like structure covers 28 square miles. The facility lacks a dome and is open to the air. Most of the buildings are ebony colored and fortress-like, with glass towers and turrets along the top. Covered sky-bridges interconnect them. Perfectly groomed lawns with little blue flowers surround the buildings with sand filled pathways leading between them. The majority of the buildings are dormitories, lecture halls, gymnasiums, and eateries. The academy has it's own TARDIS cradles and scaphe bays. The Black Collection is stored at this Academy and monks taking the Mystic Studies course learn dark secrets in the upper levels of its towers. Most (if not all) of the Junior Cardinals and Time Lord Councilors teach at the Academy.
MidTown Sector 7: Beneath the upper levels of the Citadel is Sector 7, which is known as MidTown. It extends all the way to the mountain side (either the mountain of Solace or the mountian of Solitude). There are a total of 363 towers made of white stone and gold arrayed in a circular pattern around the Presidential Wheel. Many of the towers are helical in design and many have circular gallifreyan inscriptions carved into their outer walls. There is a statue of Omega located just outside the Citadel which dates back to the Time of Legend (making it one of the most ancient features of the Capitol). The original Time Capsule Growth Foundry was located near this statue. Sector 7 of the Capitol is bordered by cloisters.
The 53 story Communications Tower is just outside the Citadel in Sector 7. The tower holds Traffic Control, which is one of the highest security-rated rooms in the Capitol. Traffic Control has some of the best scanners in the entire galaxy and every ship passing through the Kasterborus Sector is carefully monitored. Because of the location of the Power Mast on level 31 of Sector 1, Level 31 of sector 7 of the Citadel also houses the controls for the Transduction Barriers and the Quantum Force-Fields.
There are two huge towers in the north of the Capitol named Canonicity and Likelihood. Both of these building are among the few that are dimensionally transcendental. The Doctor's Trial in War Games was held in the tower of Canonicity. The tower of Likelihood might be home to the Bureau of Possible Events. Sector 7 might hold Tower Alpha 7.
MidTown has a Multi-Dimensional Art Gallery beneath the Capitol. It is filled with vast numbers of computer created paintings from throughout Gallifrey's history, but N-Forms are no longer displayed.
Scientific research is done in the Penansulix Scientific Structure (adjacent to Sector 4's Jasidary Building). Gallifreyan laboratories include everything from cross-dimensional wave scanners to test tubes and Bunsen burners. The Parachronistic Chamber (located deep in the Capitol) can regulate time distortions. Time Lords meet in the Artron Forum to telepathically discuss and exchange points of view. While meeting their excess artron energy is absorbed and routed to the berthing bays to supply TARDISes. The Mortal Coil hospital complex has the best physicians in the Stellian Galaxy. These hospitaller-surgeons and thei meditechs wear high collared white robes that match the white walls of the complex. The complex has a retro-engineered Spare-Body-Parts Repository. Other buildings include the Meditative Sanctums of Astral Harmony, the Temandra Pleasure Gardens, Gesyevva's Fingers (colonnades), Bureau of Political Advancement, the Temple of Capitol Guilds, the Office of Public Registry, and numerous massive workshops. There is also Pandak's Square where presidential inaugurations are sometimes held. Gardens are contained in their own glass domes.
During the Time War the following circles dedicated to the House Military's High Command can be found in a quiet corner of the Citadel beneath Sector 7 of the Capitol. These circles also hold the Time Stream Extraction Rooms. Extraction chambers were used to extract a subject from time in space a moment before their death for questioning. The subject would be a fixed point in time and they would need to be returned to the moment of their death after questioning so that the Web of Time could be maintained. There were at least 7 extraction chambers. The very existence of the Extraction Room and the War Room is a closely guarded secret.
4th Circle: Tactical envisioning and clairaudient intelligence.
5th Circle: Perceptual warfare.
6th Circle: Extra-sensory camouflage.
7th Circle: Primary evolutionary and terrorogical research.
8th Circle: Deep Level Conference and Bunker facilities. The Nostrom Cloisters in the lower levels serve as a presidential bolt-hole.
Lowest Circle: The War Room where the Time War Council of the Great Houses meets.
The cylindrical base of the Capitol also holds the Repair Shops. There are at least 19 Dry Dimension Dockyards on under level-14 and the Time Travel Embarkation Port located on below on under level-15. Despite this, its difficult to find TARDIS parking in the capitol. These landing bays can generate a dampening field that will prevent dematerialization. Quadriggers (aka Quantum Engineer) work in the maintenance levels of the Capitol and wear dark colored coveralls. With the event of the Type 54 they were replaced by the less prestigious Quantum Mechanics. During the War Era the levels beneath Sector 8 became a TARDIS Graveyards. (because the Time Lords no longer trusted the TT Capsules to safely make their way to the impacted dimension that held the traditional graveyard.)
The Time Lords constructed many weapons designed to destroy Gallifreyan technology. Most weapons don’t need to be fired at a specific target, instead they affect everything within a certain area. Most of Gallifrey's Validium is stored here. Validium is the Ultimate Defense for Gallifrey and is one of the most dangerous of the weapons in the Slaughter House. The Regen-Gun is stored in these archives. It forces its victim to burn through all their remaining regenerations a couple seconds. A temporal grace system is capable of disabling the gun. Inside the Slaughter House is the Omega Arsenal where all the weapons that are forbidden by the Laws of Time are locked away. One of these weapons is the Profane Virus of Rassilon. This Virus was created by Gallifrey's greatest nano-engineer, Erkulon, as a final resort to prevent aliens from obtaining Gallifreyan technology by destroying all of it. It can override and reprogram any excitonic circuitry. The Omega Arsenal also holds the Regeneration Codex with in the Urn of Rassilon. The Codex alows remote control of Gallifreyan Stellar Manipulators. But the most feared weapon in the Arsenal was the Moment. The Moment can time lock entire sectors, create time fissures into and out of time locks and different parallel universes, and break several other of the Laws of Time. Through the Great Key, the Moment became so powerful that the operating system became sentient and it developed a conscience and an intelligence. It can even influence their protector's subconscious actions, coordinating the events of their whole life to achieve its desired ends. For more information on the Great Key and the Moment see The Eye of Harmony
THE HEAD OF THE PRESIDENCY
Lord President of Gallifrey, the Inheritance of Rassilon, President of the Supreme Council,
The Presidential Charter (likely part of the Constitution) lists the powers of the Lord President. Technically he has near absolute power, including the right to order executions, however, the Constitution states that the President cannot give orders directly to the Chancellor. However all of the President instructions must go through the Inner Council before being acted upon, and in an emergency session, the Inner Council can override the President at any time with a unanimous vote. As Protector of Gallifrey, the President has direct control over all aspects of Gallifrey's defenses and has access to all of Gallifrey’s defense codes. However the CIA can override him in matters of off world security. In extreme circumstances, President even has the authority to send temporally reactive update signals back in time to update security systems undoing a breach that has already begun. The President is entrusted with many of Gallifrey’s most closely guarded secrets, including the Jaskud Records, the War Perceptors, the Cavux Imperatives, and the Oubliette of Eternity. The Black Files hold the most sensitive of the Time Lord’s secrets. While officially they un-exist they are infact, held in an office in the heart of an asteroid in a pocked dimension which is a remnant of a redundant timeline. The President is the only Time Lord that knows that the Time Lords' duty is to enforce the balance of the Guardians and that they are directly answerable to the Guardians. It is also likely that the President knows that Omega survived the detonation of the star Quaba. Up until Arc of Infinity the Presidential Code was 4544553916592.
The Presidency consists of three Time Lords, the Lord President (or Head), and two attaches who function as secretaries, and advisors. The attaches are not allowed to serve on the High Council. For some of Gallifrey's history it was traditional for each President to have a Presidential CAT (Calculating Animal with a Tail). This tradition was discontinued when the Doctor was attending the Time Academy. A small amount of the Elixir of Life (bottled by the Sisterhood of the Flame on the world of Karn) is kept for the Lord President in case of medical emergencies. The President has his own Presidential Personal Security Guards. The stasers carried by these guards can not be set for stun. At their lowest setting they will induce a regeneration in any Gallifrey who is hit by one.
These successors must be certified and approved by High Council election ballot, but this is generally a formality. Its almost unheard for anyone other then the named successor to win. The tradition for this started with President Pundat who had the Constitution amended. President Romana would have this amendment abolished and expand presidential voting rights to the entire populace of Gallifrey. While the chosen successor generally stands unopposed, Article 17 of the Gallifreyan Constitution, allows almost any Time Lord to declare themselves as a candidate during an election. The only exception being a former president who was impeached. However most Time Lords serve on the High Council before becoming Lord President. All voting for a presidential election occurs in the Capitol (this might mean that only the Time Lords get to vote for the President).
During the time between a Presidential Resignation and the formal ordination of the President-Elect, the Chancellor carries the title of Over-Chancellor and the High Council is know as the Supreme Council (as it has supreme power for that period). It should be noted that without a sitting President the Supreme Council technically can not ratify anything. However this law has been known to be deliberately overlooked.
If the President knows they are going to absent for a time, they can nominate another Time Lord (usually a former retired president or the Chancellor), to serve as a Deputy or Acting President. The Cardinals cannot over-rule this nomination. The In Absentia in Chaotica Protocol (which was created during the reign of Pandak II) state that if an catastrophic emergency occurs when the Lord President is off-world then the current (or former) High Council member located in the most advantageous position to deal with the crisis becomes the Acting-President for the duration of the crisis (or until the President returns). If time permits, the Gallifreyan Constitution allows the High Council to appoint a Time Lord to serve as Acting President. This appointment must be ratified by the Chancellor. If the Lord President still lives but is absent then the Council have the power to formally remove him from office, allowing an election to occur.
Should a president resign or die without naming a successor, an election must be held within 48 hours. Despite the urgency to decide upon a President-Elect, it normally takes years to plan and assemble a Presidential Ordination. President-elects do not obtain full access to the powers of the Head of the Presidency, most notably full access to the Matrix, until this ceremony is complete. The Ordination traditionally takes place in the Panopticon, but some have chose Pandak's Square for their ceremony. Presidential Ordinations, and other formal ceremonies such as the appointment of a Chancellor, are lead by Gold Usher (also known as the Dromeain Archibaptirx). The handing over of the Sash from the previous president to the new one is the key symbolic and legal moment of the transfer of power. At all such appointments Gold Usher will rap his staff down three times. Once for wisdom, once for honor, and once for tradition. Computers paint pictures of every Presidential Ordination. It is an old and inviolable tradition for a new President to forgive and pardon all political prisoners as his first act in office.
A sitting Lord President can not be indicted or put on trial, but Presidents can be impeached by a vote of no-confidence from the High Council. A President can be called to give evidence in judicial investigation. After a certain amount of time (at least 900 years) President's face mandatory retirement. If you have served as President before, you must regenerate before serving again. Even after he leaves office, an ex-president keeps the biodata modifications, (including the link to the Laws of Time) the Sash granted him. Ex-presidents appear to retain the right to access the Matrix's predictive abilities and call for Presidential Inquires. As of President Flavia there have been 412 Presidents of Gallifrey.
ORDINAL-GENERAL
Auld Mortality
LORD BURNER
POLICY ADJUSTMENT BUREAU
THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR OF ALL GALLIFREY
The Chancellor is appointed by the High Council and ratified by the President. Ever since the Morbius Crisis, it has been mandatory that the High Chancellor is always a member of the same Chapter as the President. After a Presidential Resignation, but before the new President-Elect is sworn in, the Chancellor carries the title of Over-Chancellor.
The Vice-President (and, in the modern era the Chancellor) serves as Gallifrey's Security Secretary, overseeing the Chancellery Gaurd, the Castellan and the Watch. As head of the Chancellery he has his own Personal Security Guards. He is also responsible for coordinating the Watch with the CIA. In the modern era, the Co-ordinator of the CIA reports directly to the Chancellor. The robes the Chancellor wears are traditionally the color of their chapter but with golden trim.
In the decades right before the Time War the position of Chancellor would be broken up into Vice-President, Chancellor of Time Past, Chancellor of Time Present, Chancellor of Parallel, and Chancellor of Time Future. Since Chancellors are also the official Ambassadors of Gallifrey each of these new Chancellor's is probably tasked with representing the Great Houses to the temporal powers of the past, future, and parallel realities. Rassilon would replace the position with the office of Prime Minister for early years of the Time War before restoring it.
THE INNER COUNCIL
Normally the Inner Council meets in the Great Hall of Time where one of the Matrix Portals is mounted in it. But nested into one of the alcoves in the Presidential Palace is a the Inner Council Room which was intended to be a private area for the President to meet with the rest of the Inner Council in secret. Like the Great Hall of Time, this room has a Matrix Portal mounted above the debating table. This room is only used about once every thousand years and serves as a storage for lesser know artifacts of Rassilon. Only Inner Council members can authorize the unsealing of the Panoptican Hall.
THE HIGH COUNCIL OF THE TIME LORDS OF GALLIFREY
The Twenty-Four, The Supreme Council
Below the High Cardinals of the Inner Council are the six Prime Cardinals (one for each chapter), and 11 Lord Cardinals. Later the positions of Keeper (aka Coordinator) of the Matrix, and Castellan (commands the Chancellery Guard and the Watch) were made non-voting members of the Council. Since Castellans aren't always Time Lords this is the only way a non-Time Lord can serve on the Council. High Council members are forbidden from serving in the Parliament or on the Supreme Court during their term as counsellors. Chapter Cardinals do not serve on the High Council. Aliens are never allowed to serve on the High Council.
The councilors usually meet in the circular High Council Chamber of Congress. The more important a councilor is the closer to the ground level of the chamber they will be seated. High-benchers are consider to be insignificant. The High Council sets policy and is responsible for most of the daily decisions that affect the world. These Cardinals supervise various committees and organizations and the co-ordinators of those groups report to the council. This includes Surgeon General, Gold Usher, the Keeper of the Matrix, and the Inquisitors. A sub-committee of the High Council oversees the Temporal Scanning Service at Temporal Scanning HQ. The Honorable Central Population Directory (which handles matters concerning the Looms) is another sub-committee that is under High Council control. The Celestial Intervention Agency that - in theory - is under the High Council's supervision, but, in practice, the CIA's reports directly to the Chancellor. It is rumored that 2/3rds of the High Council has been bribed or blackmailed by the CIA.
In the times between the resignation of the former Lord President and the swearing in of the new one the High Council is know as the Supreme Council, as it has supreme power for that period. It should be noted that without a sitting President the Supreme Council technically can not ratify anything. However this law has been known to be deliberately overlooked.
Every member of the High Council carries a Badge of Office. Security systems for High Council technology relies on having the correct biodata codes. A TARDIS with High Council Protocol privileges can break through the lower level transduction barriers. However most High Councilors are too busy with affairs of state to ever leave Gallifrey in their TARDISes. Data cores of High Council rulings have their casings color coded by the Chapter whose President is currently in power.
THE PARLIAMENT The Ruling Houses, the College of Cardinals
The Surgeon-General is a member of the Parliament, as are the Chapter Cardinals (who lead the Chapters), Under-Cardinals (who sometimes act as department heads for research groups), Junior Cardinals, the High Gold Usher, Inquisitors and other Senators. Also included are the Inquisitors who make up the Supreme Court of the Guardians of Gallifreyan Law. Most of the time the current President's Chapter will be the most well represented Chapter on the Council.
The Parliament is only convened when issues of great import are to be discussed and decided (such as the passing of laws and amendments to the Constitution). Most of the time the High Council handles matters. The High Gold Usher decides who can speak at meetings of Parliament. The more important a member, is the closer to the ground level of the council chamber they will be seated. High-benchers are consider to be insignificant. One of the duties of the Cardinals is organizing Resignation Day ceremonies. The Parliament appoints 19 of the members of the High Council from its own ranks. The most experienced of the Parliament are generally chosen to become Prime (or High) Cardinals on the council, but they must step down from Parliament to take up that new position. The combined mental powers of these Time Lords allow them to take mental control of any Time Lord (even ex-presidents).
The Citadel's Cardinal’s Habitation Complex holds the living quarters for the Cardinals. Most Junior Cardinals teach at the Academy as well as pursue advanced research projects. All of them are still considered to be scientists and they continue to spend millennia working on their individual research projects.
THE CHAPTERS OF THE TIME LORDS
Each Chapter has their own Academy. Most of the members of each chapter embody certain traits. A Gallifreyan's initial chapter is chosen based on their personality and talents at age 8. Upon graduation from an Academy a Gallifrey is given the opportunity to change their Chapter. But afterwards Gallifreyan customs forbid a person changing allegiances to another Chapter. Each Chapter has 100 full Time Lords for a total of 600. Their are also about 400 Apprentice and Junior Grade Time Lords at any given time. Each Chapter has a Chapterhouse. The chapters that are not represented by the current Head of the Presidency are considered to be independent, and their Lords are often know as Independents. Time Lords can give their words as either a Time Lord or as a Prydonian. Such oaths are taken very seriously. It is traditional for Gallifreyans who change their chapter at graduation, to continue to wear the original colors of their academy.
It should be noted that plebeians (non-Time Lord) are not bound by the color coding of the chapters with respect to dress. Gallifreyans who become Investigators for the CIA lose all rank and connection to their colleges. Black and white robes appear to indicate Gallifreyans who are not currently aliened with a particular Chapter. Black appears to indicate an allegiance to no chapter while white might indicate allegiance to all chapters. Jesters on Gallifrey wear multicolored clothes (perhaps this indicates confusion?)
The Six Cardinal Colleges
- Prydon Chapter: The Prydonians wear scarlet, orange, and gold. Most have long sallow faces with beaked noses. They are known to be plotters, decision makers, and liars. They also tend to be talented with learning other languages. This Chapter holds the most politically powerful Houses and for this reason receives more advanced Rassilon Imprimaturs than the lower chapters. The Prydon Chapter has produced more Presidents then all the other Chapters combined. They have also produced more renegades then the other chapters. This Chapter was founded by Rassilon.
- Arcal Chapter: Arcalians wear green and brown robes. This is the second most powerful chapter and for this reason receives more advanced Rassilon Imprimaturs then the lower chapters. This faction was dedicated to science and technical expertise, and holds many of Gallifrey foremost scientists and temporal engineers. There is an Arcalian Council for Temporal Research. While they love to study it, most Arcalians dislike actually interacting with the outside universe, and rarely leave their TARDISes when off world. Even on Gallifrey they tend to be quite solitary. Arcalians are known for always siding with the winning side of any political debate. This Chapter was probably founded by Omega.
- Patrex Chapter: The Patrexes wear heliotrope and burgundy robes. The Patrexes are an order of artists, aesthetes, librarians, and philosophers who see artistic value in everything (even pain and suffering). Many of them have advanced telepathic abilities. They are know for the far away looks they carry on their faces, but most lack any true imagination. Adventure does not come easily to members of the Patrexes Chapter. This chapter struggled to maintain its quota of 100 full Time Lords and is a minor player in Time Lord politics. The Patrexian Numbers serve as a numerical base to everything they create. They are know for obsessively cataloging everything. The few Patrexes who do rise to the first rank (such as the rich and powerful Tebediatroculozan) are well respected for their mental prowess. One of the duties of the Patrexes might scanning into the future as far as was possible. Space-Traffic Control is considered to be a good job for Patrexes who long to learn about life outside of Gallifrey. Practically everything they create is beautiful but pointless. This Chapter was founded by Lord Patrex.
- Cerulean Chapter: Their colors are a subdued light blue and they have little political power. Probably Green in policy. This chapter is made of either academicians or bureaucrats.
- Drome Chapter: The Dromeian colors are probably silver-gray and they have little political power. Probably similar to Social Democrats. This chapter is made of either academicians or bureaucrats.
- Scendeles Chapter: Their colors are quite subdued - probably light yellow - and they have little political power. This chapter is made of either academicians or bureaucrats.
RASSILON'S GREAT HOUSES
The physical houses are cryptoformed and sentient. They are the oldest living things on the planet. The connection between a House and its Family can sometimes become frighteningly possessive. Their roots extend deep into the ground beneath them. The interior of a House and its furniture are designed to a massive scale to give newly loomed Gallifreyans a chance to feel like childrene. The artificially animated furniture needs to be house trained, otherwise it will tend to chase people around. The paintings whisper at passing cousins. The Druges are massive automated humanoid servants who can be found throughout the house. They answer to the Housekeeper, but serve both the cousins of the house and the house itself. Each one is composed of a basic servitor eidolon surounded by non-living syncretic matter that appears to be varnished wood. Some Time Lords were know to take Druges with them in their TARDIS to serve them when they were off-world.
Each House has a loomshed which holds its loom. The Honorable Central Population Directory defines the quota of cousins alowed for each House's loom. This loom has a unique genetic core to loom its cousins. This creates a template that standardizes the abilities and blood of everyone loomling of that family. In the pre-Time War era there are between 3 and 9 million Gallifreyans.
Each House has a Housekeeper who's is bonded/married to their house. This is accomplished by taking the vow "I shall serve you might and main, mortar and mortice. I shall guard your bounds, your chattels and your progeny from Loom to Tomb." and receiving a wooden ring to wear. This ring will burn to ash if the Housekeeper loses the trust of their house. The Housekeeper is responsible for maintaining the house and its wooded Druges. They can use the mirrors of the house to see into any room.
OLDBLOOD HOUSES
The Oldblood Houses are the Founding Houses plus the houses created at the beginning of the Time of Legend by Rassilon right after the Intuitive Revolution. The eyes of the Older House are flecked with purple.
Old Times: Founding Exo Houses
The Founding Exo Houses are the houses that date all the way back to the Dark Times (before the Time Lords). Of the many of these Houses that once existed only five or six still exist in the modern era. The ones that died out might still be found in the fictional writings of beings throughout the Universe. Cousins of these Houses command significantly more respect than members of later ones.
- House of Blyledge: The House of Blyledge was ancient even before the time of Rassilon. Blyledge is one of the senior houses in the Prydon Chapter of Glorious Gallifrey. The House of Blyledge is an angular small dark building that is older than the hill it sits on. It has a walled garden of silver trees in its center and is within visual sight of the Capitol. Family members often wear blue clothes and thus the House might be a member of the the Cerulean Chapter. Amnoni Distuyssor Lorizhon and Patience came from this House.
- House of Firebrand: One of the Houses that pre-dated the Rassilon. It is located on or near Mt. Cadon (so approximately 900 miles to the south-west of the Capitol). This house is probably extinct in the modern era.
- House of Rassilon (originally Fordfarding): Probably the oldest houses that survived the Intuitive Revolution. Rassilon’s House has gardens with trimmed hedges and gravelled driveways. It isn't far from the Capitol. Quennesander Olyesti Pekkary, Olyes Dryanasor, Dryana Shylvarsor, Shylvar Karyesti, and Rassilon came from this house. By the time of the Doctor this house still had several cousins, but Susan is the last known womb-born decendent.
- House of Goodlight: One of the Houses that pre-dated the Rassilon. It is not near Mt. Cadon. This house is probably extinct in the modern era.
- House of Heartshaven: The House of Heartshaven pre-dates the House of Rassilon. It is located on or near Mt. Cadon (so approximately 900 miles to the south-west of the Capitol). Hartshaven has a vineyard and makes Hartshaven Wine – which is considered some of the finest wine on Gallifrey. For this reason the House has a very well stocked and heavily reinforced wine cellar. The newblood House of Dvora was probably spawned out of House Heartshaven. Cousins include: Romanadvoratrelundar.
- House of Jadedreamers: One of the Houses that predates the Intuitive Revolution. Some of its family were members of the Sisterhood of Karn.
- House of Lineacrux: The least active of the Founding Houses, known only for their expertise in Gallifreyan history and laws. All of its cousins have the appearance of extremely old and senile Gallifreyans who passively observe society around them. The truth of the matter is that the Lineacrux cousins are some of the most powerful and influential members of Gallifreyan society. Their decrepit appearance is merely an act designed to lull others into ignoring them. They observe and (when consulted) offer their opinion in almost all gatherings of Gallifreyan society.
-
House of Lungbarrow: This Oldblood House was
reformed in response to the curse
and thus is arguably one of the original five or six Founding Houses from the time of Rassilon. The crest
of Lungbarrow is two silver leafed trees whose branches reach over and intertwine. 45 cousins are allotted to the
house of Lungbarrow.
By the time of the Doctor, records will indicate that the Omega was an ancestor of the House of Lungbarrow, but
the House tends to produce Prydonians. While still considered to be a
house of wealth and privilege, in the last several thousand years it
has fallen from favor, with its highest-ranking member holding a title
of Ordinal General. About 350 years after the looming of the Doctor,
the House was deleted from History for exceed its Loom Quota. It was
reinstated 673 years later.
The actual Chapterhouse is located in the southern gallifrey mountain ranges, over 900 miles to the south-west of the Capitol and about two days walk from Rassilon's Rampart (so about 80 miles). does overlooks the river Cadonflood. A forest of silver leafed trees stretch from the House to the river Cadonflood at the base of the valley. The House is perched halfway up Mount Lung (more formally known as Mount Cadon) on the west side. For the most part no Family members come to the House of Lungbarrow, except for loomings and tombings. A hired hermit lived behind the house. The river right next to the Hermit's home floods frequently (this might be Cadonflood?). Southern Gallifrey is considered quite wild and beautiful, but does occasionally suffer blizzards. There is a cellar full of Draconian Wine in the chapterhouse. The house was removed from the official directory and buried around the time that the Doctor met Susan. The house was destroyed shortly before the Doctor's regeneration into his 8th incarnation. Many of the surviving cousins ended up being recruited by Faction Paradox.
A partial list of the Lungbarrow Cousins:- Omega
- Almund
- Arkhew
- Bob? (possibly the 17th cousin loomed after Satthralope?)
- Celesia
- Chovor (the Various)
- DeRoosifa
- The Doctor
- Farg
- Glospinninymortheras (Cellular Eugenics specialist and possibly CIA)
- Innocet
- Irving Braxiatel (claims to be the Doctor's Brother)
-
Jobiska
- Luton
- Mable (the Doctor's aunt)
- Maljamin
- Owis (was the Doctor's Replacment after he was disinherited)
- Quencessetianobayolocaturgrathadeyyilungbarrowmas (Ordinal-General to the President and 422nd Kithriarch)
- Rynde (Epicural Overseer)
- Salpash
- Satthralope (Housekeeper of Chapterhouse Lungbarrow)
- Tulgel
- House of Warpsmith: One of the Houses that pre-dated the Rassilon. It is not near Mt. Cadon. This house is probably extinct in the modern era.
- House of Arpexia: The cousins of this house are Gallifrey’s only scientific fundamentalists. They place great faith reason and logic as the solution to all problems and shun emotion. They have been conducting research for research’s sake for millions of years. This house was responsible for the unstable Babels. They’ve produced many experimental Time Travel Capsules over the eons, but their technology tends to be over complicated.
- House of Bluewood: A relatively minor house. It was sometimes represented by K-9 in negotiations with other Time Lords.
- House of Brightshore: House know for their political power, wealth, and sense of supercilious entitlement, but not the intellect of its cousins. It produces a lot of Prydonians. President Liviacaralis is a cousin of this house.
- House of Dellatrovellas: One of the oldest and most powerful Houses. Time Lady Serenadellatrovella was a cousin of this house. Tebediatroculozan was probably from it as well.
- House of Dooclare: A house that Lord Brolin was part of that took in Susan as Lady Larn Findooclare. The house might have also taken in the Doctor after he was semantectomed from the House of Lungbarrow.
- House of Jurisprudence: Inquisitor Darkelatraquistahastrad (aka Darkel) is a cousin of this house.
- House of Meddhoran: Like most houses, all of this house's cousins have their house name imbeded in their full name.
- House of Mirraflex: A minor oldblood House that produced most of Gallifrey’s generals, enforcers, and strategists. Its cousins are known for being aggressive and ruthless defenders of the Laws of Time. They have nothing but disdain for the Lesser Species and are know for their sense of supercilious entitlement. Their Loom was known for being particularly versatile. Most of their cousins do not trust members of New Blood Houses, especially Xianthellipse. The House was founded by General Mirraflex after the beginning of the Eternal Wars, who structured it as an esoteric martial lodge.
- House of Nechronmancy: Nechronmancers don’t believe in the passage of time and don’t acknowledge their gender or their names. They’ve deleted most of the records of their House and are viewed as pariahs among Time Lord society. They are capable altering time states in ways that would be impossible for any other Time Lord. During the War these deep engineers collected Highest Entropy Matter (HEM) from dead time states (where the universe had reached thermal equilibrium and history/time has ceased to flow).
- House of Scarlet: Almost certainly a House associated with the Prydon Chapter.
- House of Stillhaven: A House associated with the Prydon Chapter. During the Last Great Time War the patriarch of this house opposed the Ultimate Sanction. As punishment the cousins of this house had their memories erased and were used in experiments.
- House of Wetrix
- House of Wherewithal: A decrepit old House in the mountains of Southern Gallifrey that had hundreds of stories. This house had no interest in Gallifreyan traditions. Most of the cousins are female, including Baba, and the three headed hydra-creature Faith, Hope, Susan. Lilith (aka Iris Wildthyme) was adopted into this house.
NEWBLOOD HOUSES
There are very few Newblood houses (relative to the number of Oldblood Houses) and their cousins tend to be quite eccentric. Unlike the Oldbloods, most of their cousins have the ability to precisely control their regenerations. All of them were founded no more than 10,000 years before the Doctor was loomed.
-
House of Dvora
(aka House of Devouring Hounds):
The first of the
Newblood houses, House of Dvora was created 10,000 years before the looming of the Doctor.
Its Grandfather was probably from the House of Heartshaven. Their Cousins view themselves as destined to publicly
lead and control.
Dvora
is the only Newblood House whose power equals the Five Founding Houses.
They are ruthlessly practical and open to using violent methods, but
strive to appear impersonal and passionless. They have seven elite
operatives who undertake secret missions for them. Originally associated with the Patrex chapter
they later allied with the Prydonians.
Cousins include:- Morbius the Imperator
- Ruathadvorophrenaltid is probably a cousin of this house.
- Romanadvoratrelundar of the House of Heartshaven, is the inheritor of the House of Dvora.
- House of Lolita: A house founded by the 101-form timeship Lolita during the early years of the Time War. Its founding grandmother was destroyed less then a century into the War, but she had at least two children before this happened.
- House of Oakdown: This Newblood House of Oakdown is allied with the Prydon Chapter and is one of the most respected and noble Houses on Gallifrey. This House produced the Master and the Master's Father (almost certainly Marnal the Crusader). Its estates were located on Mount Perdition, less then a two day walk from Mount Solace (so less then 80 miles). The hillsides were covered in fields of red grass.
- House of Paradox: This House was founded by a cousin of Lungbarrow and conducted illegal experiments on Non-Linear Time. The Grandfather also begins to experiment with lesser species reproductive methods and begins wearing armor made of the bones of Yssgaroth infected Time Lords. It was reformed into Faction Paradox and exiled from Gallif0rey.
- House of Tracolix: A minor Newblood House that is known for subtly trying to exploit every change that occurs in Gallifreyan society. They are arrogant, reckless, and ambitious. Their willingness to follow any passing fashion gives their cousins more versatility then those of other Houses.
- House of Xianthellipse: A minor Newblood House known for its understanding of biology and biodata. Its cousins appear to view the Prydon Chapter with disdain for they never wear scarlet.
SERVITOR AND CARETAKER HOUSES
Below the Time Lords are the Plebeian Classes (non Time Lord). This ancillary staff and their families live in the rest of the Capitol. They are Watch guards, technicians, artisans, cleaners, engineers, cooks, and musicians. MidTown is between the Capitol and LowTown. Low Town is the society of poor that has formed in the foundations of the Capitol. The Low Towners call Time Lords Timeys while the Gallifreyan elite refer to New Age Time Lord dropouts who live in Low Town as Shobogans. The Shobogans are know for being trouble makers and vandals. They have their own form of writing, and often inscribe the words 'Bad Wolf' on walls and pavements. Their Houses are ruled by a Castellan (or Chatelaine if the Gallifreyan is female). During the pre-War era there are between 3 and 9 million Gallifreyans. But the Pythia's Curse fades shortly before the Time War starts, allowing natural reproduction to occur. The population reached billions, and by the end of the Time War there were approximately 2,470,000,000 children on Gallifrey.
- House of Catherion: A now extinct House whose chapterhouse is looked after by a caretaker line. In the War era the chapterhouse's great hall is known as the Hall of Faces because the cousins were killed by a rogue Babel.
- House of Everston: Romanadvoratrelundar is custodian of this House.
- House of Ixion: This House is located on the southern edge of the civilized portion of Gallifrey, and just north of the southern mountain range. Indeed, it is the southern-most House on Gallifrey. Its original Family left during the first Diaspora leaving only a line of caretakers to watch after the House. Millions of years later Morbius chose it as the Headquarters for the Order of the Weal and made one of the caretakers, Chatelaine Thessalia, head of the organization. Its “cousins” were malcontents from larger Houses who were combat trained. Despite this training most of their duties were administrative. They Loom of Ixion was never used but rumor has it that they tampered with other House’s Looms to produced mutants and renegades.
- House of Deeptreeredlooms:The Prydon affiliated Newblood House of Redlooms is a servitor-class houses that has been producing military ordinals (who serve in the Prydonian Watch) for a very long time. It is a family of loyal mavericks who have defeated a dozen Time Lord traitors. The cousins of this house often tell loomlings stories about vampires.
- House of Shadow: There are rumors and heresies of the existence of a Shadow House which hold Gallifreyans whose regenerations have failed in some way. These included regenerations that had only regenerated half of the body, regenerations where the body was changed but not the brain, regenerations that turned the subject inside out, regenerations that reverted the Gallifreyan into a time-tot and other monstrous variations. Also within this house the Black Nurseries hold mutated and paradoxical childrene (including those who over 20 years old). The advances in Gallifreyan science over the last several thousand years have almost completely eliminated such problems, and there is no evidence that the Shadow House ever existed. However the Doctor felt that that it almost certainly existed in the past (and possibly in the present before history was changed to remove it). If the Shadow House did exist the the Valeyard was probably one of its cousins.
- House of Urquineath: The maven house of inconsequence and holder of naught. Antigone and the Hussar were cousins of this House. All of its cousins had purple-flecked eyes. Hussar lost all of the house's holdings through gambling around the time House Paradox was founded. House Urquineath was extinct by the time of the Last Great Time War in Heaven.
THE DEPARTMENT OF THE WATCHERS
The Time Lords are pledged to uphold the Laws of Time. As part of this, Rassilon decreed that the people of Gallifrey must defend their manifest destiny to govern universal history. One of the first steps the Time Lords took, after realizing how dangerous it could be if other worlds invented time travel, was to create the Department of the Watchers. The department was tasked with sending its Watchers into the field to try spot any dangerous time travel. Chapter 9 was tasked with monitoring and confronting other species that threatened to break the laws of time. However it is very rare for a Watcher to be authorized to interfere. The Department of the Watchers used to have a seal that was an image of a Watcher gazing out over a stunning land (or space) scape. The exact nature of the view varied from depiction to depiction.
Watchers aren’t technically (Senior?) Time Lords (are their TARDISes technically loaners?). But they have graduated from the Time Academy. Originally Watchers had to be strictly celibate. But, by the time of the modern era, this rule had been relaxed to allow short affairs. Every Watcher answers to the Advisor of the Department of the Watchers, who can be found at the HQ on the foggy side of Gallifrey. However all intervensions must be approved by Control. For the majority of the time, Watchers simply travel the cosmos observing and recording. They have access to the most advanced TARDISes availible. A Watcher’s TARDIS can remotely tap into some restricted governmental computer records on the worlds it visits. Only once every few centuries, when timelyness is vital, will Control even contact a Watcher.
Watchers have access to state-of-the-art TARDISes. The constables have the right to take control and even to nullify any stolen TARDIS (and its operator), if they don’t surrender. Control Orders have been issued by Chapter 9 for all stolen TARDISes. This, combined with their enhanced symbiotic prints, allow them to override a thief’s control of a stolen TARDIS simply by being inside its control room.
At the time the Department was created, Gallifrey’s ability to remotely monitor temporal activity in the rest of the cosmos is quite limited. But as Gallifrey abbility to scan the universe increases, the usefulness of the Department will decrease. The budget was cut for the Watchers working in the field. Most Watchers now travel alone with no other crewmembers in their TARDISes. In the modern era, there few remaining Watchers and the Department is considered to be merely ceramonial. Many argued that the organization was no longer nessecary.
THE ORDER OF THE WEAL
Organization founded by President Morbius and based at House Ixion. It was tasked to ensure Gallifreyan culture survived, but tended to be radically proactive in carrying out this goal. It viewed all historical records as suspect and trusted only what they could directly sense and comprehend. The Order was led by Chatelaine Thessalia, had about 170 members and access to 4 TARDISes. Its members were malcontents from larger Houses who were combat trained by the Order. Despite this training, most of their duties were administrative. Their elite guard wear black and gold instead of the usual red. The CIA eventually assumed all the responsibilities of the Order.
THE CELESTIAL INTERVENTION AGENCY
The CIA, the House of Celestial, the Celestials
Old Times: The Special Executive & the Celestial Intelligence Agency
Shortly after the Intuitive Revelation, Rassilon and the Other (and probably Tecteun) began trying to loom new Gallifreyans. Their first experiments produce a wide range of exotic beings with amazing powers. The prototypes of these early trials become known as the Special Executive or the Bastards of Rassilon. It’s possible they started out looking similar to Shobogans but their biodata kept being contaminated and adapting with each regeneration - mutating them more and more. This was a common problem with early regenerative biogenic molecules and could explain the Executive’s eventual exotic appearance. The Special Executive formed the first parahuman brigade and they served as Rassilon's personal agents, and assassins.
During the war with the Great Vampires the Gallifreyans prepared fleets of Bowship capable of destroying the giant creatures. At the same time the Celestial Intelligence Agency was created to track down every Great Vampire in the cosmos. This CIA was formed and led by Rassilon’s personal guards and agents (known as the Garda in some records). The Celestial Intelligence Agency was probably founded by Rassilon’s Special Executive. But new agents were quickly and secretly recruited from all of the Academies and trained in espionage. A massive, self-sustaining, network of spies was created. The Timeless Child appears to have been recruited and served as a Constable for this secret agency.
While the Intelligence Agency was very effective in tracking down nearly every active Great One, Rassilon eventually came to consider the power of this growing organization to be a problem he should deal with at some point.
A few decades after the loss of Omega, the loom-born Gallifreyans rebeled against the womb-born Shobogans killing almost all of them. Rassilon takes this opportunity to send loom-born assassins to kill the Special Executive. The Executive sides with the Shobogans during the riot, then leaves Gallifrey. They become interdimensional and transtemporal mercenaries. After many other adventures, they eventually end up working for the human Sabbath.
In response to the (apparent) self-destruction of the Minyians homeworld, the first and most important of the Laws of Time was amended to included the Doctrine of Non-Intervention. From this point forward the Time Lords would observe the Universe but never interfere. This policy change had large scale support among the Gallifreyans and Rassilon is remembered as being a major proponent for this philosophy.
However, Rassilon decreed that the people of Gallifrey must defend their manifest destiny to govern Universal History. The Celestial Intelligence Agency was reformed into the Celestial Intervention Agency (CIA) in order, it was claimed, to deal with minor issues that most Time Lords would view as being beneath them. In reality the CIA had secret divisions tasked with taking whatever action was necessary to preserve the Time Lords' power and culture.
Like the Watchers and other interventionist organizations, the Celestial Intervention Agency is responsible for protecting history and intervening when it was deemed necessary. These interventionists carefully monitor other species research into time travel and act to prevent unauthorized time travel. While the Department of the Watchers relied on field operatives, the Vortex Operations Unit on Gallifrey was responsible for scanning the vortex for temporal anomalies for the CIA.
They also defend indigenous lesser species from aggression from time active aliens. Rassilon gave them the authority to stop any threats to the future. The interventionists prefer conspiracy and manipulation to open confrontation. Their motto is "They story changes, the ending remains the same." In other words, you can do whatever you need to as long as recorded history remains the same.
Unfortunately, the Time Lords are, in reality, a very xenophobic and fearful people, and anything they don’t understand is perceived as a threat to themselves. The CIA tended to over react to such things, often without bothering to consult the Time Lord Supreme Court. The CIA has been known to destroy all life on a temporal nexus world in order to prevent Matrix records, or other ancient artifacts of Rassilon, from falling into the hands of another species.
The official leaders of the Agency is a group known as the Tribunal (also know as the Dark Council). The Tribunal is made up of the First Speaker (also known as the Director or Chief Coordinator), the Second Speaker (Deputy Coordinator) and the Third Speaker (Sub-Coordinator). The Chief Coordinator of the CIA knows several secret codes which allow control of the Transduction Barriers, the presidential files, and the contents of time vaults (including the Omega Arsenal). While the Chief Coordinator outranks the Castellan, the Lord President has final say on matters of jurisdiction between the two.
Originally the interventionists reported directly to the High Council and was under their supervision, with the President being the nominal head of the CIA. But the Constitution was amended so that they reported directly to the Chancellor, so as to provide the President and the High Council with plausible deniability. In practice, the CIA's actions are only limited by the Chancellor and the Lord President. There are rumors that the CIA actually only answers to their own code. Unbeknownst to even the Tribunal, the CIA is secretly manipulated and controlled by the Matrix Lords (Rassilon, Morvane, and Bedevere) from within the Matrix.
The CIA eventually grew to be a very powerful organization and the most influential of the various interventionist movements. Its political power was such that it was often nicknamed the House of Celestial, and its agents were know as Celestials by the plebian classes. It is rumored that two thirds of the High Council has been bribed or blackmailed by the CIA (the Doctor believes it's more like half of them). Their official influence reaches to the other time aware civilizations. Article 57, Subsection 12 of the Shadow Proclamation is titled “Jurisdiction of the Celestial Intervention Agency.” Viewing any records classified by this subsection requires the approval of Gallifrey’s Castellan. In theory, the Supreme Court was responsible for judging non-Gallifreyan time active species or individuals who had violated the Laws of Time. These trials would be held on Gallifrey’s biggest off-world station, the CIA's Time Station, Zenobia. But in practice, once the CIA decided to imprison someone, not even the Lord President can overturn their judgment.
It is standard CIA protocol that any member of a lesser species who is transported through time and space by a Time Lord should have their memory wiped and be returned to their native time zone. It should be noted that Gallifreyan memory wiping techniques aren't totally reliable and the memories will often reappear as dreams.
The Oubliette of Eternity is a chamber found near the center of the Zenobia. Subjects placed inside it would be dissipated from history using D-mat technology. This removing all their biodata from history creating a nearly identical universe where the target never existed. This punishment was reserved for high treason against Gallifrey until it was abolished (probably because it was a violation of the First Law of Time). However the CIA kept using the Oubliette in secret to get rid of Gallifreyans who were threatening to disrupt Time Lord culture.
The CIA is obsessed with titles and positions. These include Chief Coordinator (First Speaker / Director), Deputy Coordinator (Second Speaker), Sub-Coordinator (Third Speaker), Inquisitor, Investigator, Field Agent, Captain, Commander, Constable, Under-Assassin, Special Time-Space Troopers (ST-ST) and Junior Monitor. The Vortex Operations Unit was responsible for scanning the vortex for temporal anomalies. Chapter 9 was tasked with monitoring and confronting other species that threatened to break the laws of time. The Allegiance Command Cell was another a branch of the CIA. The CIA numbers its investigators; the higher the number the higher the rank of the Investigator.
Their HQ is located in the Citadel Constraint Block and is sometimes referred to as Gallifrey Central. The CIA will enclose their labs in recursive time loops to hide them from Time Lord society. These time locks are the usual way that the Time Lords keep something from being seen or accessed by the other temporal powers. To ensure that information is not intercepted, the CIA Co-ordinator will sometimes input data and logs directly into the Matrix Databanks. To insure the existence of back-up copies, top secret message sent from Gallifrey to agents are routed through the TARDIS closest to the receiver (they are of course encoded). In emergencies, they will teleport Secure Delivery Capsules (SDC) to the current coordinates of the agent. These capsules are virtually impossible to open if you are not the intended recipient.
Some agents are recruited from the Chancellery Guard. CIA Investigators loose all traditional rank and connections to their colleges when they join the agency. However their bio-data extract will never mention that they are affiliated with the CIA. Even in the modern era it’s virtually impossible for most Gallifreyans (and even Junior Time Lords) to learn anything about the Celestial Intervention Agency beyond its name. There are only a few references to their interventions in libraries.
CIA agents are known for being ruthless and determined, though they prefer conspiracy and manipulation to open confrontation. Their agents are trained in Smallest Effective Change Principles and are skilled in the arts of subterfuge. They don’t receive much instruction in diplomacy. CIA Agents in training practice their marksmanship on staser ranges, but are not given much training in hand-to-hand combat. Most of their time is spend studying and attending lectures about alien worlds, though they also are taught about many of Gallifrey's secrets from the past. Despite being against law, many agents celebrate being able to eat various foods from the outside universe.
Most CIA field missions are performed by Apprentice Grade Time Lords who are generally between 100, and 1,200 years old. Field Agents tend to go through a life-span approximately every 150 years and there is no particular stigma about returning from a mission in a new body.
CIA robes are simpler than other governmental robes and usually either gray or black and/or white. Black and white robes appear to indicate Gallifreyans who are not currently aligned with a particular Chapter. When off world, CIA Field Agents traditionally wear black robes with tight black hoods. These robes are equipped with Personal Camouflage Devices with a wardrobe circuit that can make them appear to be wearing any of a complete wardrobe of outfits. This perception filter can be overcome by people with psychic ability. The CIA’s Special Time-Space Troopers wear elongated collars in addition to the black robes and tight hoods. In addition to the robes, they also have rings with perception filters that can make them effectively invisible, or appear as a member of the local time zone. The filters are strong enough to fool even other Time Lords. Field agents are equipped with details histories, false identification, documents of authority, Psychic Paper (a CIA invention), and currency for various temporal nexus points. Like all Time Lords in the field, they carry galactic compasses. CIA lock burners a powerful enough to breach presidential security locks.
The CIA was responsibe for most of the Time Lords’ research and development of new TT Capsules, including the Time Rings and Type 70 Military TARDIes. Most CIA missions are undertaken with Time Rings. Indeed, due their easy concealability, the CIA has more Time Rings than any other Time Lord group. However, since unregistered TARDISes are much more difficult for Gallifrey to monitor, the CIA always makes sure to have a few unregistered TARDISes on hand. Most TARDISes used by the CIA's Field Agents have enhanced Recall Circuits and remote self-destruct systems. If an agent is uncovered while in the field by the other temporal powers the High Council will deny that the agent works for the CIA. When field agents lose access to their own TARDIS in the field an Extraction TARDIS is sent to pick them up. However agent who failed a mission is likely to be exiled or sentenced to Shada. Control Orders have been issued by Chapter 9 for all stolen TARDISes. They give a constable the right to take control and even to nullify any stolen TARDIS (and its operator), if they don’t surrender. CIA agents have enhanced symbiotic prints that will allow them to override a thief’s control of a stolen TARDIS simply by being inside its control room. Extraction Chambers allow the Time Lords to enter a single moment of time and remove any object or person they want. Any such person/object will be time-looped into a fixed point in time between one moment and the next until they are returned to their time zone of origin.
Typical Time Lord weapons don’t need to be fired, instead they affect everything within a certain area. The CIA has been known to change history by manipulating the genes of a race by having their agents interbreed with various races. This is done to direct genetic drift between one bio-system and another or to reduce their aggressiveness.
The Casts were invented as an expansion on the Patrexian N-Forms. The first prototype Time Sentinal, Pariah, was created by Rassilon using the Matrix and based on Cast technology. But Pariah rebelled against Rassilon and killed thousands of Time Lords. After a final battle, Pariah ended up crashing on the Earth. Rassilon then used the Matrix to create Pariah's successor, the Cast, Shayde. Casts are sub-matter block-transfer drones used by the Time Lords whenever violent physical action in the outside Universe is need. They are usually mindless, but their intelligence can be raised to near sentience. When active, the Casts feed on radiation from local space-time anomalies. They could form a 0, 1, 2, or 3 dimensional physical body to complete their mission, allowing them to slip between dimensions like a specter or even turn themselves into a shadow. Shayde can even reshape his body to appear humanoid. Shayde can enter the vortex to teleport through space and time. While in the vortex he can track beings and objects from one point in space-time to another. They can launch psychic projectiles that can destroy targets of varying sizes. Casts are remotely controlled from the Matrix on Gallifrey or a TARDIS. If the control signal is broken the Cast will vanish until recreated. With these new safeguards, Shayde was much more reliable and successful. And the Casts end up becoming the accepted Time Lord military force for millions of years. Casts are usually deployed off world but are occasionally used on Gallifrey herself.
In extreme circumstances, Telepathic Thought Projection (TTP) is sometimes used to try to remotely override the will of members of lesser species to get them to act as the CIA wishes. Unfortunately these telepathic commands can often be detected by other telepaths in the area, and it usually pretty obvious that the controlled subject is acting abnormally. For these reasons the TTP is rarely used for more than a few minutes. Preparations for a telepathic intervention are extensive and often require temporally suspending the targeted time zone in a time bubble while they are completed. While Time Lords are capable of moving and perceiving the bubble all others will be frozen in time. They even have the ability to freeze time on Gallifrey.
Division
Division is a ‘black ops’ organization that originated on Gallifrey. Division grew out of an ancient Gallifreyan organization. The original organization’s purpose was to ensure the safety of the Stellian Galaxy (aka the Milky Way Galaxy). This ancient group is almost certainly the Celestial Intelligence Agency that was created to locate vampires throughout the Stellian Galaxy. Sometime after the first Vampire War, the , now very powerful, Intelligence Agency was re-formed as the Celestial Intervention Agency. While the interventionists are taught that the group was created by the Other, Tecteun and Solpado both were probably also involved in the creation and early operations of Division. It’s also possible that the Special Executive form the original nucleus of the CIA and/or Division.At the time of its founding, during the Time of Legend, the group called itself the Division. As a division is an operating unit of a larger organization, and the Division would appear to be a self-contained major unit from a larger whole (probably the Celestial Intervention Agency) that is capable of independent action. This division occurred after the Doctrine of Non-Intervention was created, because some Time Lords believed that the Doctrine would sometimes need to be broken. The purpose of the Division is to intervene in History on the rare occasions when it was deemed necessary. A single divided tree with its branches spreading out became the seal of Division. (It might be significant that the seal of the House of Lungbarrow is two trees with their branches intertwined.)
One of the earliest actions taken by Division was the capture and enslavement of the Gallifreyan God Time. This anchoring is what made full access to space and time possible for the Time Lords. It was the first of many scientific breakthroughs made by Division. In the modern era, some Time Lords suspect that the interventionists might have used the Eye of Harmony to retro-actively establish their organization in Gallifrey’s past.
While the CIA is an organization whose existence is known by even the plebian Gallifreyans, the division of the secret Time Lord agency became something whose very existence was unknown to all save the High Council. Division originally served for the glory of Gallifrey and answered to the High Council. For a time, the High Council could even classify information so highly that Division isn’t allowed to see it. But, as Division grew in the shadows, its leadership eventually saw itself as ‘outgrowing’ Time Lord society.
Division’s command structure is complex. Because all dead Gallifreyans have their mind stored in the Matrix, many Gallifreyans believe the Matrix secretly controls the Time Lords and feel that the dead have a greater effect on their life then the living. There are even rumors that the Matrix always existed and created the Gallifreyans just so that it would have a point of origin. There is at least some truth to these rumors, as the Matrix secretly manipulated events to ensure the various branches and divisions of CIA would end up under the hidden control of the Matrix Lords.
Officially the President and the Keeper of the Matrix are the only Matrix Lords on Gallifrey. But in reality some deceased Time Lords, and representatives of other higher evolutionary species, serve as Matrix Lords inside a Sub-Matrix under the command of Rassilon, Morvane, and Bedevere. While some Matrix Lords, like Rassilon, exist only in the thought-space of the Matrix, others, like Merlin, have corporeal existence. They have the ability to enter and leave the Matrix on their own. The Matrix Lords convene inside the Matrix only when a crisis threatens reality itself. But in such times they have full control over the Celestial Intervention Agency. The rest of the time temporary leaders of Division are appointed. Some of these hold the rank of Commander.
By the modern and pre-war eras it would appear that even the Lord President is unaware of existence of Division and most of the records of Division in the Matrix had been redacted. The Chief Coordinator of the CIA (aka the First Speaker) is oblivious to the fact that the CIA is secretly manipulated and controlled by these Matrix Lords.
The agency ensured order in the cosmos by make small interventions at the right points in space and time. Every civilization was assessed to see if it was enlightened or it required intervention to 'enlighten' it. Events were shaped and guided. Division prefers conspiracy and manipulation to open confrontation. The Psy-Ops (Psychological Operations) department oversees misdirection and manipulation strategies. But some civilization required more overt direction. Because of their powers, the interventionists believed that Time Lords could present themselves as Gods to the lesser species if required. This is known as a Class 2 Intervention.
As the Time Lords grew in power and reach, so too did the scope of Division. The organization became colossal, shaping events across space and time. In the beginning, Division performed intervention operations for the High Council – including ones involving mass destruction. Eventually the interventionists came to believe that the Web of Time should be adjusted whenever it suited the needs of the Time Lords. Division refocused its efforts on secretly controlling the universe.
Someone (almost certainly Rassilon and the other Matrix Lords) created the secret branches of the Events Library. These branches are hidden throughout the universe, and they literally archive the events of those regions. The Events Library is used by the Matrix Lords to exercise and control the power of the Time Force. Combined with power of the Eye of Harmony, and the Matrix of Time, the Events Library functions as a time manipulator. Each branch had a Librarian (identified only by a number, just like the members of the CIA). When wars or other events began to get out of hand, the Librarian of that branch could re-combine the events to create a new outcome. This allows the Events Library to limit and deescalate conflicts by re-writing history. All such alterations are, of course, a violation of the Laws of Time. Only the Key to Time surpasses the Prime Eye of Harmony in its ability to influence the Vortex and the Web of Time. The existence of the Events Library is kept secret even from the Lord Presidents of Gallifrey, and the Librarians report directly to Rassilon's mind inside the Matrix.
The longer the organization remained hidden, the more expansionist and authoritarian it became eventually developing into a despotic regime. They were willing control and manipulate and world or species. Division agents committed many atrocities and cruelties that caused terrible suffering. The scope of the organization was such that there were just as many worlds devastated by Division as there were worlds saved by the organization. Despite all this, their agents considered themselves to be forces of good and point to the scientific discoveries (that were presumably passed on to the Time Lords) as proof of this. Ironically, the interventionists of the modern era believe that the organization's form and function is exactly what the Other would have wanted it to be.
Time Lords can't formally apply to work in the Division. But many of those who became tired of the boring decadent life on Gallifrey slipped away to joining Division. Over time the number of operatives needed increased massively. In order to achieve its aims, Division recruits across all dimensions, and from all sapient species. They even employed the Judoon and Weeping Angels on occasion. Potential recruits were tested.
Division has its own training academy which ruthlessly and rigorously trains its agents. Interventionists loose all traditional rank and connections to their colleges when they join the agency. While cruel, the academy was very effective at weaponizing any aspect of a recruit that they saw to be of use. Division operatives receive psychic-resistance training. Good Division agents aren’t supposed to question their orders, and most new recruits quickly lose any sense of morality. Despite the organizations disregard for the First Law of Time, the Division considers the meeting of multiple incarnations of the same Gallifreyan to be an abomination.
Most interventionists enjoy their missions, with some describing them as "Murder, sex and adventure in exotic frocks." Despite being against law, many agents celebrate being able to eat various foods from across the cosmos. But, in the end, Division’s leadership viewed most, if not all, of its agents as mere tools to be used to achieve their aims.
In the beginning, the High Council appeared to be able to select which Division agent is assigned to one of their missions. But later squad composition were dictated by Division superiors. Two agents and one TARDIS is considered a minimalist force, generally only used for minor missions. Division agents usually receive their briefings on Gallifrey, but more sensitive missions are assigned at covert meetings on other worlds.
Division has Quantum Extraction Squads that can remove entire areas from time and space in order to isolate and extract their target. Execution and banishment are both considered to be merciful punishments by Division. They have much worse punishments, such as erasure of identity or isolation prison terms for the duration of the Universe. Division tries to avoid terminating Time Lords when possible.
Particularly honorable and courageous agents for the Division are awarded a Service Medal made of chronotelluric alloy. The strong entanglements of the alloy makes the medal very trackable. They have funerals for their agents, no matter the species. Retirement options for Division member are limited. Most remain with the interventionists until their death. But some operatives do look forward to retiring from Division. After retirement they sometimes get to keep their memories, but they are forbidden from discussing Division with anyone – even other former operatives. Division installs synaptic colliders in my brains of their operatives (probably when they retire). If talk about any of their activities with Division the collider injects poison directly into their brain killing them in less than 3 seconds.
Division has a fleet of TARDISes which are capable of shelling planets. Gallifreyan portable temporal bombardment weapons package looks like 3 foot tall Genesis Arks. A Division TARDIS has a short range, telepathically triggered, teleport that will retrieve the agent (and anyone they are touching). They are equipped with a Chameleon Arch. Division operatives also travel via some sort of teleportation system (possibly Time Rings?)
The operatives are generally well armed and armored. Operatives usually carry laser pistols and rifles which can disintegrate a target. Agents appear to be trained to carry multiple force knives. Some carry as many as seven. While in the field, many wear mesh body suit uniforms covered in strong armor plates. This armor doesn’t limit the agent’s movement. One of the rules of Division is that agents (even team leaders) can’t use equipment that they can’t ‘afford’ (aren’t qualified to use?) Many Agents carry handheld Perception Blockades that allow them to converse in public without being noticed or remembered. Operatives are sometimes given temporal erasure equipment. Some are also known to carry Reducer. Reducer slows down the flow of time for the surrounding environment but keeps the user at normal speed. Reducer is measured in nitros. 11 nitros lasts several minutes of relative time. Because temporal hazing is a common condition suffered by operatives in the field, they are often issued hypos of drugs that can block the confusion about where and when they are.
Division’s makes use of bio-data receptacles used by Chameleon Arches. These receptacles store the subject’s bio-data, including their memories and identity. All such receptacles look like watches or clocks of some sort. It looks like a Chameleon Arch might be used in the Division memory-wipe process. Like all uses of a Chameleon Arch, it is a very painful process.
War Time: The Celestis
Using the Matrix, the Time Lords had learned that a great Time War was coming. A mere 35 years before the start of this War, the Matrix indicated that this war was likely to not only destroy the Time Lords but ensure that they never existed in the first place. By this time Division’s sphere of interest and study expanded to include the multiverses beyond their own, and the void between those multiverses. Filled with fear for their own existence the interventionists of Gallifrey VIII (including the CIA) began to make plans to escape, both by travelling to the void beyond the Universe, and by changing themselves into conceptual thought patterns.
The Celestial Intervention Agency of Gallifrey VIII, created Mictlan, a cyst of galled space-time cut off from the rest of the Universe and its time winds. It was constructed of block transfer engines and computational matrices using Flux Theory and the same sorts of technology used to sustain the Land of Fiction.
Long before the end of the Time War, Division created a control station outside of the universe of space and time. The dimensional engineering necessary to build this void station is incredible even by the standards of modern Time Lords. It likely required Rassilon’s secret science from the Time of Legend. The station is known as both Division Control and as the Vinculum.
The big discs on the outside of Division are possibly the transport pads that provide the compression necessary to shift the station through the void. Division Control contains several bio-domes. It’s interior has metal wall with cavernous cathedral like ceilings. Flowing water with trees smaller plants can be found throughout the structure. There is a castle at the center of Mictlan is a structure sometimes known as the castle. Its top level is made up of the Grand Hall of the Celestis where the Lords Celestial can observe the rest of their universe of origin through an space-time aperture.
After sixteen years of study and preparation, the interventionists were ready to put their plans into action. Division has its own training academy that served as the primary recruiting source for the interventionists. This academy withdraws from the Academic Roster. A few days after that the Interventionists (including the Celestial Intervention Agency of Gallifrey VII) erases themselves from history. This is done using the same ‘force paradox’ technique as Grandfather Paradox, and it is possible that they enlisted the aid of one of the Godfathers, or Lieutenants of Faction Paradox. As conceptual entities, they can’t be seen by most sapients. At best they appear as a glimpse of shadow or the sound of robes rustling. Since they are ideas they are nearly impossible to kill. Having become conceptual thought patterns, they escape to Mictlan. This removal also physically removes the interventionist Academy.
Once in Mictlan, they rename themselves the Celestial House or the Celestis and set up the Last Parliament. The non-interventionist students and faculty from the Academy are probably used by the Celestis to create the first conceptual entities.
The Interventionists effectively erased themselves from history when they left the Universe. However the Braxiatel intervention changed history, making Romana the Coordinator of the CIA on Gallifrey I. Thus the organization wouldn’t have defected. The Celestis was, of course, immune to such temporal interference, and would continue to exist even if its point of origin was removed.
While the Matrix would be able to remember the interventionists, most Time Lords would forget that these interventionists ever existed. Only those Time Lords with access to the Matrix, and those with deep time memory abilities, would be able to remember them. This could explain why the 13th Doctor initially knows nothing about Division, and why she had such a difficult time tracking down information on the organization.
Division had become the antithesis of Time Lord culture. While the Celestis views themselves as raw and terrible gods of war, the Time Lords view the Celestis as criminals and traitors. Time Lords who encounter the Celestis Investigators usually flee in terror or end up dead.
The Lords Celestial carried elaborate titles such as the Lord of the Smoking Mirror and the Duke of Knives. They organize themselves into 99 houses. To give themselves some structure the Celestis obsesses about creating and following rules and contracts. Agreements are always honored to the letter (if not in spirit). They have incredibly complicated protocols and rituals that must be observed at all times.
As the War began the Celestis struggled to decide whether to support the Time Lords or not. One of their many rules prevent the Celestis from learning how the Time War ends – even though, from outside of the Universe, such knowledge is within their reach. The Doctor agreed to give the Celestis his body after he has died if they promised not directly interfere with the Time Lords on Drornid or later in the War. The Doctor also forced them to agree to several other stipulations as part of this deal. The Celestis agrees to the because it will allow them to claim the exotic biodata that the Doctor’s unique origin and past have given him. Division saw the Doctor as being vital to the survival of the Universe.
The
Celestis’ investigators are known as Archons and assigned numbers. The
lower the number the higher the rank. The first investigators were
created using CIA agents who had been kidnapped from Gallifrey. The
Investigation Section began breeding these detective-assassin using crèches. They were primed for total obedience to their masters.
While they usually appeared as humanoid shaped gaps in History their
multidimensional nature allowed them to take on any form. They could
move through multiple dimensions of space and time using
mimetically-implanted aperture technology. The
Archons tended to be extremely violent – so much so that more of them
were killed by colleagues or the Lords Celestis then in field
operations. To prevent these burnouts they were subjected to forced
personality reboots. There are over 400 Archons.
Over time the number of operatives Division needed increased massively. The Celestis use their Mark of Indenture biodata tags to recruit numerous lesser species to worship them. In order to achieve its aims, Division recruits across all dimensions, and from all sapient species. Celestis agents could be found among all factions in the War. They even employed the Judoon and Weeping Angels on occasion.
These prospective agents are generally granted boons in return for their consent to such marking. The Mark insures that, upon their death, the being’s body and mind will become fully enslaved to the Lords Celestial. While their minds are transferred to Mictlan, the bodies can be reanimated to serve as well. Sometimes the germ-plasma of these bodies is used to create physical bodies for their Investigators. Conversion plate badges were required to allow corporeal Division operatives (and other sapient beings) to exist in outside the known universe. If the plate is removed, the subject is pulled back into the Universe. The Division can guide this return sending the operative anywhere in space or time. Division Control functioned as the command centre from which all Division operatives were directed.
While officially neutral, some of the Lords Celestials did offer some assistance to the Time Lord in the early days of the War. But the Celestis discovered that, as a species of ideas, the lack of imagination seen in the rest of the Time Lords was boring. Many were much more interested in the creativity of their enemies. Politically, the Celestis spent much of the War equally split between remaining neutral, supporting the Time Lords, and supporting the Time Lords’ enemies in the War. By the time the Doctor’s body was re-discovered, several members of the Celestis had begun allying themselves with the Time Lords’ enemies are provide them with technology.
After being banished by the Celestis, Investigator Four realized that Mictlan would attract the Swimmers that exist outside of our Universe. The Swimmers would destroy the entire Universe. At this same relative time one of the 99 Houses of the Celestis goes missing and none of the Lords can remember anything about it. Celestis Hypernauts One and Two are dispatched to investigate. To prevent this the Investigator makes a plan with Investigator One to release the Fendahl Predator to destroy Mictlan and the rest of the Celestis. The Time War Council, sends a infiltration team to acquire the Fendahl. They plan to use it as a weapon against their enemies. Celestis Agent One uses a time drill to releases the Fendahl Predator known as the Memeovore. The Celestis world of Mictlan is destroyed by the approaching Swimmer. While the disappearance of one of the Celestis’ houses could have been an early effect of the Memeovore, it is also possible that the missing house was Division Control fleeing the impending destruction of Mictlan.
End of Time: The Flux
In the aftermath of the Time War, the Division Control Station continued to be located outside of the Universe. Division continued to judge events and entire civilizations according to their mandates and rules.
Its agents interfered in secret with the History of the Universe. Every
species, world, and historical moment was subtly shaped to Division’s
will. With the Time Lords of Gallifrey and the Daleks gone, Division
was more successful than even their most optimistic predictions.
Not long after Gallifrey was freed from the pocket dimension, Matrix Lord Rassilon and six other High Councilors were exiled from the world in a revolution led by the Doctor. It was then that the leaders of Division decided that the Doctor’s very presence had tainted their Universe beyond recovery.
The
next time the Master hacked into the Matrix he found information
revealing the history of the Doctor as the Timeless Child who had been
the key to creating the Time Lords. This was precisely the trigger
needed to drive the Master to kill all the Gallifreyans who had exiled
Rassilon. Virtually all of the Time Lords were killed, but the Doctor
managed to escape.
With
the Time Lords of Gallifrey gone, the leaders of Division instigated an
ultimate plan to sacrifice their home universe in order to propel
Division Control to a new, unspoiled, universe. Tecteun believed that
this new Universe was the one where the Timeless Child’s wormhole had
been connected too and it was dubbed Universe II.
Division chose this course because – once the Doctor started searching for Division – they knew she would expose their existence to the cosmos. Apparently this exposure would ruin Division’s plans to such a degree that it was decided that it would be easier to start over in a new universe.
While the Doctor’s mother, Tecteun, had originally opposed Rassilon’s Ultimate Sanction of universal destruction, it seems that the recent events had changed her mind. Was there a previous plan to reach the next universe that was thwarted by Rassilon’s exile from Gallifrey? Division needed to create the Flux to reach Universe II. Perhaps this was the Ultimate Sanction Rassilon had planned? Is this why Tecteun returned to the plan she had objected to? Whatever the reason, Leadership of Division for the duration of the Flux event was granted to the billion year old Tecteun (also known as Awsok).
In
order to travel to Universe II the Division station had to inflict
spatial-matter compression on Universe I. This was necessary to move
Division Control through the Void (possibly like squeezing a balloon
until it pops?) Such a process requires careful analysis and pattern
optimization of the distribution of the spatial compression. The big
discs on the outside of Division are probably transport pads that
provide that spatial compression. The Flux was probably created using Flux Theory a science which the Celestis specialized in.
The
side-effect of the spatial compression was creation of the causes
multiple Flux events (or waves). The flux is the manifestation of the
anti-matter (as in the negative matter seen in ‘Planet of Evil’) from
outside Universe that has been funneled in by the spatial compression.
It compromises the base-level structure of every particle it encounters
violating the Laws of Time and Space. The Flux
also appears to have many similarities to false vacuum decay, a
real-world scientific theory describing an event which would erase the
laws of nature completely. The Flux is released in the region of
the Thoribus Trifecta (on the other side of the Universe from the
Earth), but it expands outwards in a massive ring and begins to
devastate the Universe, erasing entire galaxies, leaving only a void
behind it. Time starts breaking down as its temporal center
destabilizes.
As
even the stars with artificially extended life-spans began to burn out,
the Time Lords promise a community of Post-Humanity on the world of
Ember, that they could join them in the next universe, along
with all other life that the Time Lords deemed to be worthy. But when
the Time Lords finally opened a gate to another realm they abandoned Post-Humanity,
instead taking only life forms they felt deserved to survive. Tecteun
created a seed vault and collected genetic traces from the previous
universe to import into the next.
As the Flux erodes Space,
Tecteun releases the Ravagers from the Dark Times so that they can
destroy Time. However the Ravengers use the Time that was released to
created a psychotemporal bridge connected to the Doctor. When Tecteun
decides to extract the Doctor to Division Control, the Ravager use the
energies of their captives to power this bridge. This allows them to
invade the station and take revenge for Division’s imprisonment of
themselves and Time. The Ravagers kill Tecteun.
The
Flux eventually spreads to encompass the Stellian Galaxy (aka the Milky
Way), closing in from the outside in, destroying all in its path. The
Doctor persuades an Ood Division Operative to minimize the final flux
event. Then she uses the surviving Dalek, Cybermen, and Sontaran fleets
to cancel out much of this event. The remainder is trapped inside
a Passenger Form. In the end the half of the Universe was devastated or
destroyed – including a significant part of the Milky Way Galaxy and at
least one of the Solar System’s outer planets.
While the Ravagers took their revenge on some (all?) of the leaders of Division, numerous agents survived. The damaged organization is forced to retreat into the shadows and patiently bide its time as it tries to slowly regain power. Several civilizations have learned of the existence of Division and form networks of their own agents to resist its return.
VALIDIUM
The Ultimate Defense for Gallifrey
THE CHAPTERHOUSE GUARD
The Chancellery Guard, Chancery Guard, the Watch
While the Cheif Coordinator of the CIA was responsible for handeling off-world threats, the Castellan of the Citadel was responsible for dealing with threats on Gallifrey and protecting the Lord President. The powers of this position were outlined in the Constitution. In situations where the responsibilities of the CIA and the Castellan might overlap the Lord President had the power to select who had authority. The Castellan is selected by the Parliment. Because of the boredom of Gallifrey's virtually crime free society, this position changes hands often, and is often held by a non-Time Lord (probably due to a lack of any Lord desiring the position). Most Castellans are between 800 and 6,000 years old. The Gallifreyan serving as Castellan was known as the Chatelaine when the position was held by a female Gallifreyan (service in the Chancellery Guard is considered to be male work so its rare for a female to attain this position). The position is also possibly known as Magistrate under certain circumstances. President Borusa decreed that that the Castellan was a non-voting member of the High and Inner Council. He also made the Castellan third in line of succession after the President and the Chancellor. The Watch are supervised from Security Control. From his office, the Castellan has access to 86,346 other computer systems throughout Gallifrey. They have access to the Inquistion's Grey, White, and Black Files. The Lord President and the Castellan are the only Time Lords issued with a transduction buffer. These devices let them transduct any time travel capsule on Gallifrey to anywhere else on the planet.
Beneath the Castellan of the Citadel were the six Deputy Castellans (also known as Chapterhouse Castellans) who oversaw the chapterhouse gaurd of their chapter. Beneath them, each branch was directly lead by a Commander of the Gaurd who had several captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and corporals under his command.
The majority of the Watch is made up of male Gallifreyans from servitor-class houses. Some of the guards are Time Lords. Most of these are Gallifreyans who desire a more exciting life. It is possible for these houses to buy their Gallifreyan a commission. All of the personel attend a Police Academy where they are trained in crowd control, investigation, martial arts, and how to resist the mind probe. They are the only ones allowed to carry weapons in the Capitol and were issued with bio-data security passes. Heavy blasters were availible in the armory for when the guard needed to cause major damage to inanimate matter. Despite this, the Watch has little combat ability and most lack any real fighting skills.
The Watch provides security guard duty, ceremonial escorts for important Time Lords, patrols the city, investigates crimes, and interrogates suspects. Besides security, the Watch's other duties include dealing with labor disputes with the Shobogans, and ensuring the maintenance and redecoration of the Citadel. With forewarning, the Watch can set up a temporal-grace field in any area in the Citadel. Gallifrey has very little crime and the need for a constabulary force is limited. Few crimes rise above vandalism or the violation of minor laws. Most, if not all, Gallifreyans and Time Lords believe Gallifrey to be a just and fair society, but cases of Time Lords bribing members of the Watch are not uncommon. Due to their boredom, the Watch tends to respond overly aggressively to any violation they encounter. They are considered to be brutal, and quick to make assumptions rather than gathering all the facts.
The Watch can use torture on murder suspects, but needs special authority from the council to use the Mind Probe. As long as one answers every question and tells the truth, a properly programed Mind Probe causes no damage or pain. But if the subject resists the mind probe, it will destroy their mind. If the probe not properly configured for a lesser species, it can fry their mind. The mind probe had 15 intensity levels. On full power, Gallifreyan Mind Probe can take everything a Gallifreyan knows, ripping a resistant mind from its brain, thought by thought. This leaves the brain burned out and the body in a vegetative state. Under Romana's Presidency both torture and the Mind Probe were made illegal.
When Rassilon was resurrected at the beginning of the Time War he used the Drylands Precedent to dissolve the the Watch and the position of the Castellan. The soldiers were reorganized into the Interior Defence Unit. By the end of the War Rassilon had re-instated the Citadel Gaurd and title of Castellan.
GALLIFREYAN JUSTICE
The Inquistion
Among the Inquisition, the Supreme Court of Guardians of Gallifreyan Law is made up of 15 cardinal-judges who are selected by the High Council. It is forbidden to serve on the High Council and the Supreme Court at the same time. These guardians wear gold and silver robes. Chancellery guards accompany these Inquisitors whenever she leaves the Capitol. Among the guardians the Inquisitor Prime (aka the Inquisitor General) has supreme authority over interpretations of Gallifreyan Law. The Supreme Court also has the right to judge non-Gallifreyan time active species or individuals.
The Inquisition keeps a set of 3 files on all the people who catch its attention. The Grey File holds those who are being investigated, are currently on trial, or whose sentencing has not yet been rendered. The Black File holds the details of subjects who have been found guilty and sentenced, while the White File records who has been found innocent, pardoned, suspended the sentence of, or consider to be reformed. The Castellan has access to all three of these files.
While most cases are only observed by officers of the Watch, in cases where a Time Lord is on trial the entire Supreme Court will witness the trial. The Convocation of Eternity appears to be the Time Lord court which judges matters related to violations of the Laws of Time. They are sometimes known as 'the Grey Council' and handle matters such as Time Lords caught sending notes to their younger self in violation of the First Law of Time. It is even possible for the accused to be held responsible for actions and statements that the Matrix predicts that he will make in his future. These guardians act as advisors and moderators for the Inquisitor to assist in rendering a verdict. Due to frequent bribery, it is unusual for a Time Lord to ever be put on trial unless the matter involves breaking the Laws of Time.
After the events of The Deadly Assassin, the Keeper of Matrix was always retained to provide evidence from the Matrix. The event of the Ravalox Incident lead to a mandate that all Matrix projections had to be backed up by physical evidence and witness testimony. By the end of the Time War, trials were rarely used to determine what happened, but instead the investigation focused on the morality and motivation behind the accused's actions.
Punishments authorized by the Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey
"We but administer. You are imprisoned not by this Court, but by the power of the Law."
- Traditional Inquisitor statement when passing Sentence
-
Temporonic
Biodata Tag
- Received by all convicted criminal Time Lords
- Takes the form of a biodata tattoo in the form of a serpent dragon on their right arm.
- This tattoo is keyed into the subject's entire bio-field and links them to the courts though his own biodata strands.
-
Gallifreyan prisoners wear gray jumpsuits.
-
Obliviscence
- A mind block is applied to specific memories or skills using a Neural Block
- The block's chemicals break down memory acids.
- Gallifreyan memory wiping techniques aren't totally reliable and the memories will often reappear as dreams.
- This technique became common during the Time of Legend.
-
Exile to the Wild-Lands
- This is the standard punishment for Gallifreyans who commit criminal acts. Most Gallifreyans consider it to be a horrifying punishment.
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Exile from Gallifrey without a fully functional TARDIS
- Exile is always accompanied by a Forced Regeneration.
- A common practice often viewed as being worse then death.
- At one point, hacking the Matrix was a crime that resulted a prison sentence of 500 years of exile. This could be reduced to 200 years with good behavior.
- Theft of a TARDIS has only one penalty: death (of one body) and exile. A Fetch Squad is responsible for returning stolen TARDIS.
- Often used for violations of one of the Major (first 3) Laws of Time.
- Misuse of a TARDIS often resulted in this punishment. Time meddlers, responsible for minor violations of the Laws of Time were often exiled.
- Violent criminals, who refuse to become outsiders or hermits, were often exiled.
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The Disciplinary
Forced Regeneration
(probably regarded as a type of death sentence)
- Force Regenerations were the standard punishment for both minor and severe crimes.
- For conduct unbecoming a Time Lord??
- Requires the approval by the High Council
- Mandatory punishment for unauthorized use of a Time Capsule (usually included exile as well)
- Forced regenerations require massive amounts of power to induce.
- These regenerations take much longer to recover from then a normal regeneration.
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Indefinite Imprisonment in their own TARDIS
- The subject's only escape is to activate the de-materialization switch with will remove them from History turning them into a neverperson.
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Identity Alteration via
Biodata Amendment
- Retro-active gene manipulation to make a new person who would not commit the crime.
- A sentence handed out by the Supreme Court.
- Used on aliens who are caught spying on the Time Lords.
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Removal of the Time Lord's symbiotic nuclei
- Reserved for Time Lords.
- Without a nuclei they no longer a Lord of Time nor can they operate Gallifreyan time travel capsules.
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Confiscation of Remaining Lives via Biodata Amendment
- Can be done to confiscate or transfer future incarnations to another Gallifreyan
- Reserved for major violations of the First Law of Time.
- Public Stoning
- During the Dark Times death by stoning was a common punishment
- Afterwards, the head of the deceased was placed on a pole for public display.
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The Final Sanction of Termination
- It requires a Warrant of Termination to be carried out.
- High Treason and assassination of a President are both punishable by vaporization
- Major violations of the 1st (as well as the second and third) Law of Time (such as aggravated temporal interference) are punished by vaporisation.
- Committing an unauthorized Class 2 Intervention (such as setting one's self up as a god of a lesser species)
- Hacking into the Matrix (originally this offense carried a standard sentence of only 500 years in prison)
- Executions are carried out at the Place of Termination
- In the modern era, execution was accomplished via vaporisation inside a molecular dispersal chamber with a termination tube. The subject is first vaporised and then the remains of the criminal are dispersed through time and space to the nine corners of the universe. This process takes about 40 seconds.
- Afterward vaporisation, all records of the Time Lord's existence are deleted.
- As of Arc of Infinity, Morbius was the only Time Lord to be executed.
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Sentenced In Perpetuity
- Traditionally the criminal will be frozen within Shada,
- But imprisonment in and Oubliette Custody Suite, or a Phantom Sun are also possible.
- Often used for violations of one of the Major (first 3) Laws of Time.
- Used on criminals (regardless of species) whose existence is viewed as a threat to Gallifrey.
- Used on criminals that went places forbidden by the Time Lords or discovered information forbidden by the Time Lords.
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Time Looping a World
- Reserved for punishing an entire species
- A sentence handed out by the Supreme Court for species that attempt to violate one of the Major (first 3) Laws of Time.
- A sentence of 150,000 years imprisonment is standard for a species missusing temporal powers on the scale that the Legions did.
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Unhappening from History
- The Time Lords can reverse a person's time stream to remove them from history so that nobody will ever remember they existed.
- Gross and extreme violations of the Laws of Time can lead to a Time Lord receiving this scentence.
- Used for aliens who are caught spying on the Time Lords.
- The Oubliette of Eternity can be used on entire species removing entire worlds from the Web of Time, but this is very rarely done.
- Carried out using an Omnicalculator (such as D-Mat gun or the Oubliette of Eternity)
- As this punishment is a violation of the First Law of Time it is only enacted in secret by the President or (more often) the CIA.