Powers That Be

Definition

The Powers That Be is a colloquial extramuros phrase for whatever authorities and officialdom are in charge beyond mathic walls. Speakers use it as a convenient umbrella term, similar to how avout refer to the Sæcular realm as the Sæcular Power.

Context and Usage

• Everyday attribution: extras invoke the Powers That Be when speaking of civil or military authority without naming offices. Examples include expecting authorities to restore a region‑wide navigation‑satellite service and saying that “the military” would handle it.
• Surveillance and policing: public Speelycaptor installations are ascribed to the Powers That Be; protection for roaming Magistrate Doctors is discussed in the same breath; temporary spine‑clamp punishments that display offenses in Kinagrams are described as being imposed by outside authorities.
• Public statements: in one account, an official statement attributed to the Powers That Be described a high‑profile rocket launch as “unmanned” under “syndev” control; separately, a companion’s reticular snippet suggested eight suited travelers boarding a coach en route to the launch facility. These are speaker reports and do not identify specific bureaus.
• Perspective: avout acknowledge that this shorthand is an oversimplification across changing polities (empires, republics, federations, and the like) and use it for convenience rather than precision.

Related Terms

• Sæcular Power: the mathic world’s formal, in‑house label for outside authority; often treated as the closest conceptual match from the avout perspective.
• Warden of Heaven: an extramuros ark/movement that some speakers mention in civic or religious contexts; it is not the same as the Powers That Be.

Notes

• Not a specific office or bureau; usage varies by speaker and situation.
• When accounts attribute actions to the Powers That Be, treat them as reports of perception unless the text names a concrete institution.