In the [[Imperial Republic of Ovgena|Hierarchical Empire]], being granted the title of Deferrent is a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals. The road to gain access to this citizen status is long and tortuous for who was not born into it, which is to say a great many individuals following the [[Great Conquest|grand expansion]] of Ovgena in the past century. Being a Deferrent is not without its own set of expectations and setbacks. To defer is a continuous show of proof during the life of an individual. It is done by serving one of the [[Four Cabinets]], by deferring to the higher levels of the Hierarchy, and by submitting to the [[Deferrent Dogma]].