The Great Chain of Being

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The Great Chain (also known as the Great Chain of Being, Great Chain of Existence or the Chain) is the natural hierarchy of all living things. It is a tool made by the Judgements to ensure that the universe behaves according to their design.

All Living Things Are Joined in the Great Chain

Every species occupies a place in the Chain, and every place has a purpose. All creatures with a place in the hierarchy are made with the desire to fulfill this purpose; this desire is created by some part of their body. To modify one’s body and change their purpose, and therefore their place, is not only forbidden by the Judgments, but made incredibly difficult where their laws apply. However, in places like the Neath where their laws cannot reach, one's nature is a bit more... mutable. The art of breaking the Chain is called the Red Science.

Real-Life Origins

The Great Chain of Being is a Christian concept in which every being is ranked, with God at the top, followed by angels, humans, animals (stratified according to their role in nature), plants, and minerals. Some claim that there are three principles behind this idea: the principles of Plenitude (the Chain is the expression of God's power), of Continuity (there are no gaps in the chain), and of Gradation (all beings are ordered from the highest to the lowest).