Hierarchy & Levels

“Without the walls, you would see too much too soon.” 

— Harvester Beatrix Mamaluk, Mantid AL-10

“Each level draws you closer to the machinery behind perception. Past a certain point, you are no longer fully human.” 

— Pontifax Extraterror, Cycle 1885

What are Ascension Levels?

Ascension Levels are the Church of Alienism’s system for measuring an individual’s preparedness for deeper knowledge, access, and participation in alien contact operations. They are not rewards—they are thresholds, and each one tests who you are more than what you know.

How does one move up in Ascension Level?

Progress comes through Church observation, internal discipline, and participation in authorized rites and cognitive calibration exercises. You cannot apply for advancement; it arrives unannounced, when your mind becomes compatible with truths it does not yet understand. 

Role & Purpose

• Spiritual Guardianship: Preserves the doctrinal integrity of the Church, ensuring alignment with the core revelations of Alien contact and cosmic unity.

• Strategic Direction: Guides expansion both on Earth and across the Five Nodal Sanctuaries, harmonizing metaphysical mission with logistical execution.

• Ritual Oversight: Defines and authorizes sacred rites—including those within the Codex Cosmologica and On the Veil of Cognition—maintaining liturgical consistency across all chapters.

Composition

Council of Seven: The Advisory Council consists of seven members, hand-picked by the Pontifax Extraterror in response to the evolving needs of the Church. Appointments may be based on spiritual insight, doctrinal expertise, extraterrestrial experience, or other classified criteria.

Authority & Influence

• Decrees issued by the Council carry the force of canonical law.

• Mediates doctrinal or operational conflicts between planetary chapters and off-world dioceses.

• Oversees the elevation of clergy to advanced Ascension Levels and key spiritual appointments across the Sol system and beyond.

Historical Precedent

• The Advisory Council was institutionalized at the Council of Concordia (2041 CE), after the near-cataclysmic event

• Its rulings have since shaped Church pilgrimage doctrine, interpretive standards for The Fragmented Tome, and protocols for first contact missions.

In Practice

• Convenings occur every seven cycles aboard the Orbital Chamber, the Church’s spiritual command center in high Earth orbit.

• The Pontifax Extraterror presides as chair and spiritual anchor for all council proceedings.

Why It Matters

The Advisory Council anchors the Church of Alienism in both mystical coherence and institutional unity. It bridges Earth and the stars, scripture and science, ensuring the Church’s mission remains clear: to prepare humanity for reunion with the stars.