Northern Heaven

**Northern Heaven** is a heavenly region that coincides with the European peninsula and half of Russia in terms of geographical territory. It's one of the more unique regions in that it's comprised of individual districts rather than being a singular entity, a feature not seen in other heavenly regions.

## Reigning Seraph

The current reigning Seraph is Labret, the Virtue of Kindness.

## History

Northern Heaven was, of course, a singular region with no districts thousands of years ago. The schism is a fairly recent event that happened some 300-500 years ago, caused by competing ideals and disagreements on how the region should be governed. It just so happened that these arguments happened around the time humans on Earth were making radical changes in their governments, shifting from monarchies and feudalism to democracies. One school of thinking wanted the North to keep its feudalistic society, another wanted a parliament for equal representation. The debate over the governing body ultimately led to the region being divided, each district having a different government based on which structure suited their needs. This splut, unfortunately, dimished the power of its reigning Seraph. It revoked all executive control and Labret's position went from being a leader to nothing more than a source of morale.

Despite the schism happening centuries ago, the aftermath still affects Angels to this day. Many losing privileges they once had when it was one region.

## Districts

There are four districts that make up Northern Heaven: North-West, North-East, Olympus, and Valhalla. Each district is governed by an Ophanim with close connections to the Seraph, being regarded as his children or chosen individuals.

### North-West District

This district coincides with the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Greenland with its reining Ophanim called Laurel Wreath. It also serves as the home for the Seraph, Labret.
This district, rather part, of the North being formed once the Seraph grew into their position. While it's regarded as a peaceful district that prefers to preserve and maintain history, their legacy is best known for the upkeep of Northern Heaven's army. Their academies groom new generation of Holy Order soldiers who serve and protect humans from the ghost threat that plagues Europe. Their form of government is Parliamentary.

### North-East

This district encompasses the majority of the southern European countries, the Baltic states, and half of Russia, effectively making this district the larges of all four. Its reining Ophanim is called Otsaripa who serves as the leader of the Holy Order that calls the district their home.
The governing body of this district is council-like, similar to structure as the West, yet less lax. Politics are important to keep the Holy Order running, with policies being constantly updated, created, or removed to keep up with the demand.
They're also huge hockey fans.

### Olympus

Olympus is the smallest district of Northern Heaven, only corresponding with modern-day Greece. Unlike the other three districts, Olympus does not adhere to any form of government nor is it a district meant to house Angels. That's because it's the home of the Greek Gods. Despite Olympus being their home, they don't exclude Angels from living in Olympus. It's like living in those fancy, rich gated communities if you ask Angels.
The Gods won't take Angels as their subjects, investing their energy into maintaning the lives of Greek humans.
They also prefer to stay our of holy affairs, but end up mediating most issues between Northern districts much to their dismay. Zeus is still an asshole.

### Valhalla

The last of the four districts encompasses the Nordic countries, being named in tribute to Odin who helped the North during numerous holy wars.
Valhalla was founded by nobility that originated from the present-day North-Western district.
When it was formed, it was strictly a peaceful district that never involved itself in wars, especially considering who was at the heart of the district. Thanks to the profound influence of a healing academy known as the Threadworks, it became the governing body of Valhalla, nurturing a society of scholars and anyone invested in the sciences. However, the district functions under an Oligarchy that ended up regressing the progress its made, making it a toxic and backward district according to younger Angels.

Despite these strifes, Valhallans are reclusive and prefer to keep their issues from outsiders and instead focus on talking about their achievements like the Threadworks or their excellent healers.

## Ranks

Immortals in the North, of course, abide from a ranking hierarchy much like other Immortals. For Angels, their ranking system is universal save for differences in their jobs in accordance to their rank. The list is ordered from lowest to highest rank.

*Fallen Angel-*
In the early history of the divine, this rank never existed. Angels who showed signs of Sin were automatically thrown into Hell with no way of redemption. Much like other Angels in other regions, Northerners implemented the rank out of demand for rehabilitative efforts.

*Angel-* The default ranking for most Angels. For the most part, they are your average citizens that live out their lives or afterlives.

*Archangel-* In the North, their military comprises of this rank. They are specialized soldiers trained to go up against the ghost threat in Europe but their expertise in actual warfare leaves a lot to be desired. They're also the first to react to humanitarian crises by opening up relief efforts and handing out resources.

*Virtue-* Northern Virtues tend to be celebrities or intellectuals. They gained their ranks thanks to their contributions in music, art, acting, healing, and science. They are the morale of their cultures and either uphold or revolutionize traditions. They help change ideals, lending their talents for the betterment of their society.

*Ophanim-* Elite Angels with a bevy of jobs. Northern Ophanims can choose to be bureaucrats, soldiers, leaders, guides, etc. They're known for their prominent roles as members of the Holy Order, a specialized group of Immortals that deal with the ghost plague.

*Seraphim-* The reigning power of the Heavenly region. Not only does the Seraph commune with God, but they also make sure to keep open contact with humans in order to tend to them. The North's Labret is known for his love of humans and has always kept them in his best interest.

## The Threadworks

An institution first created by the Seraph's retainer and confidant, Focale, an early Angel. It was, at first, a research institution that aided the Throne's research on Earth's resources and to later help the early ancestors of humans evolve. With time and necessity, the Threadworks began employing more head researchers that were referred to as Sages, each having their own areas of expertise. As eons passed, however, Focale and many of the early Sages faded into obscurity, becoming nothing more than mere myths in regards to their existense. The lack of their presence called for a change in structure and management. Not only did the Threadworks employ more Sages, but they also gained a new director named Habit.
Habit then changed the focus of the Threadworks from being focused on Earth to focusing on Soul Threads. She also changed the Sages' roles, making them more miracle workers than actual researchers.
Thanks to the efforts of the Sages, the Threadworks in mordern-times is a healing academy known to produce some of Heaven's finest healers.

## The Holy Order

The armed forces of Northern Heaven, the Holy order is this region's response to the ghost epidemic in Europe with its Hell counterpart known as the Imperial Fleet.
The Order's innitial purpose was for warfare, first founded and spearheaded by Tiara, an astute Ophanim, to aid any and all humans negatively affected by the Crusades. This purpose faded as the Crusdaes ended and Tiara then turned the Order to aid humans in general, being the unfortunate catalyst that would one day outlaw Ghost Hunters in Europe.

The modern-day Order sends out a strike team of specialized units. Most of these teams have a balance of weapons and roles that consist of: A sword user/red mage, an axe user/green mage, a lance user/blue mage, a staff user, or a bow user/dagger user. It's not unheard of for more than one specialized roll to be on the same strike team and are still as effective as a completely balanced one to take down trouble ghosts.
Its leader, Tiara, is rarely seen on the battlefield in recent times but is usually found either in his office in the North-East or visiting the academy in the North-West.