Dominion of Order

The Dominion of Order (also known as Ma'at) is used to enforce the stability of Creation. Its energies have granted those who wield it tremendous advantages over their foes, for the Dominion of Order uses powers completely opposite to the Dominion of Chaos. Instead of weakening the forces and of the universe, it strengthens them, weakening the reality warping effects of the other Dominions, and allowing the forceful domination of the essences of other Divine beings.

Any being who learns the Dominion of Order will be forever barred from employing the Dominion of Chaos, as the two are fundamentally opposed to one another.

## Powers

### Chaos Negation

The Dominion of Order is the ultimate weapon against Chaos, and can be used to negate any of its effects, provided one has the power. By simply expelling the energies of Order into an area where those of Chaos are present, the Chaotic energies will be burned away, regardless of their specific effect. However, should there be more magical might behind the Chaos, the Order brought to bear against it will only have a limited effect.

### Dominion Negation

A use of the Dominion of Order commonly applied to combat is the ability to weaken the powers of other Divine Dominions, so as to ensure that the systems of the universe remain unaltered and Creation stays static. When making use of this power, an Order user pours magical energy out into the world, with the purpose of Negating the effects of one or more of the Dominions. Once the energy is put out, it continues to weaken its original targeted Dominion until it burns out. The energy can be continually reinforced to maintain the effect for longer periods. Extremely skilled users of Dominion Negation are able to shift energy that they have already devoted to weakening one Dominion to another, if they so choose.

Dominion Negation has no effect on the powers of sorcery.

### Personal Stasis

One Order's most useful abilities, learning how to make use of Personal Stasis protects an Order user from magical attack. A Personal Stasis effect, once developed, makes an Order user resistant to all magical effects which directly distort their souls or physiology. Among other things, this makes them more resistant to Thought alteration, influencing of their Auras, any attempts at Soul Manipulation, or Transfiguration.

Personal Stasis does not protect an Order user from being damaged, and once developed, its attempts are permanent.

### Truth Divination

A rather rare ability from an already rare Dominion, the ability to Divine Truths enables those who possess a natural proclivity for it to determine if any falsehood is spoken in their presence. Unlike the powers of other Dominions, which allow for the detection of false intent within an individual, Truth Divination allows those who use it to sense if any objective untruth is spoken in their presence.

While Truth Divination itself is unerring, an individual's ability to interpret the insights they receive from it is not. Emotion and personal beliefs, both from the Diviner and the individual making the statement being Divined can cloud the Diviner's impression. Ignorance can as well, for those with less knowledge about what they are speaking of can also distort the Diviner's perceptions.

A Truth Diviner using their own statements to try and glean insight are usually met with the worst of failures on these fronts, as their own knowledges and feelings, or lack thereof, usually distort their perceptions quite heavily.

### Oathbinding

Oathbinding is a technique of Order which instills statements and vows with tangible power, forcing whoever makes them to abide by them. If a statement is made aloud within the presence of an individual capable of Oathbinding it, the individual who made the statement will become physically unable to violate it, suffering crippling physical agony and psionic backlash if they attempt to do so.

Oathbinding is easier to accomplish if the target genuinely attempts to abide by whatever they say. More advanced practitioners of the ability are able to Oathbind even idly made statements.

### Avatar Command

The power of Avatar Command is an ability that can be employed to bring gods to heel. It enables the rare few who manage to master it to manipulate the Avatars of gods. In order to make use of the ability, the Order wielder must make direct physical contact with the Avatar they wish to control. They can then force whoever they are targeting into a different Avatar variant, and if need be, lock them into that Avatar, preventing them from shifting back into another one.

If the individual was not particularly skilled in Avatar Command, it could be possible for a trapped god to die, and then escape into a more potent Avatar, but for a more competent master of the ability, such a result would only see them reform in the same Avatar type.

Commanding an Avatar in such a manner is an extremely intensive process, where the one doing the commanding must content with the will and power of their victim. As such, most users of the ability require their victim to be subdued and must be able to fully devote themselves to the task, which commonly takes several moments to minutes.

The effects of Avatar Command, in the vast majority of circumstances, can ordinarily only be undone by the individual who imposed the effect.

#### Execration

Another application of Avatar Command, the ability to Execrate a god's Avatars can only be performed if the god has been slain, and the Order user is in close proximity to the site of their death. If those conditions are met, they can use the energies left over from the god's death as a link to the god's essence in the Prime, and forcibly bar their essence from Creation, preventing them from forming new Avatars.

Execration, unlike most other Avatar effects, does not require as much focus, due to the fact that the dead god cannot engage their attacker in a battle of wills. The energy needed to perform a Execration is still considerable, however.

## Usage

The Dominion of Order is prominently wielded by Gods of Law, Rulership, or Justice. The boons it grants when it comes to resisting manipulation and enforcing one's will on others naturally make it well suited to any deity who rules over others.

### Prominent Wielders

1. Ouranos (Level 13): Though he tempestuous reputation might suggest otherwise, mighty Ouranos had great use for the Dominion of Order. He used it to avidly participate in shaping the Cosmos during the Age of Genesis, and even more avidly employed it to ensure his absolute rule over all Creation throughout the Age of Thunder.
2. Ra (Level 13): After his brother Ouranos, Ra was one of the most well known wielders of Order, using it to combat the destruction his brother Apophis wrought against the Creation Ra had been so integral in forming.
3. Ynoch (Level 13): As the new incarnation of Ra, Ynoch inherited his past self's skill in Order, and made excellent use of it for the purpose of bringing about his Dream, wherein he would unite all Creation under his benevolent rule.
4. Michael (Level 12): The Firstborn of Ynoch, Michael was tutored in the use of Order by one of its greatest masters. Given his preference for physical combat over magical, the Seraphim often makes use of the Dominion to strip his foes of their most useful powers, forcing them to fight him in bodily battle, a field where he utterly outclasses most of his foes.
5. Horus (Level 12): The great-grandson of Ra, Horus inherited generations of teachings on the subject of Order from his ancestor. During the civil war against his uncle, Set, Horus found mastering this Dominion necessary to combat the Red Lord's skill in Chaos.
6. Zeus (Level 12): Having studied Order at the court of Ra in his youth, Zeus initially made use of the Dominion in his war against the Titans. Afterwards, however, he found its abilities to be particularly useful in keeping a pantheon of quarrelsome and powerful gods in line. The most infamous use of Order, of course, was when he forced his son Apollo and his brother Poseidon to live as mortals as punishment for an attempted coup against him.