Beyond The Foelian Theocracy
In 193, the pirate, historian and sociologist Dr.
Salara Sassinak led the first human scientific expedition into the heart of the
Foelian Empire. A former RIP leader from the House of
Celtains call them As'olina meaning “The Predators.” Humans call them Demons, describing them as biblical nightmares. Whatever you end up calling them, their religious warrior culture probably makes them the most unique race in the universe. However, these same qualities also make them seem antithetical to every other race. Emperor Jasil once proclaimed "they have only one purpose and there is nothing they will not do to accomplish this, no matter how vile or loathsome it might be. These abominations mean to destroy everything proud and noble and everything we hold dear and have fought so long to achieve." This is not far from the truth.
To begin to understand the Foelian culture, you must first understand their history. The Foelians have a long and rich history of which they are very proud. If asked they will relate their history with pride and zeal. According to the three leading Priests and the book of Foebius, when dinosaurs still ruled the Earth, the Foelian's Dark Empire mercilessly ruled the Shadow Dimension. They had nearly a thousand years earlier enslaved and pillaged all other worlds in their quest for knowledge and power. The Shadow Dimension, as explained to me, is a parallel universe similar to this one except one of darkness.
From the moment the Foelians came into existence they have known nothing but warfare and conquest. Therefore, as the last vestiges of opposition fell in the Shadow Dimension, the Shadow Empire burned with savagery and chaos. The Foelians, without the unifying cohesion of warfare, soon fell upon each other in vain attempts to seize power and glory, then, in turn, fell victim to insidious and treacherous Foelians from within. Thus was heralded the Dark Age of the Foelian race. Fierce and ruthless wars raged for several millennia before three clans emerged as the most powerful: ArchPriest, Blood Priest and High Priest.
Then, as the three priests vied for control, out of the shadows of the Dark Empire came one who called himself Foebius, which literally translates -- God of the Foelians. Although I could not definitively learn how, he ended the strife between the three clans and appointed the ArchPriest, Blood Priest and High Priest as his religious leaders. It is widely believed by most Foelians that his very presence ended the fighting. Others believe that he simply appeared and challenged the three priests to single combat. After defeating them, they pledged him their loyalty. Regardless of how events unfolded, he was the undisputed ruler and God of the Foelians.
After establishing himself as their God, Foebius proclaimed that it was time Foelians came together to conquer new lands and capture new technology. He ordered them to gather together from each of the three clans, the smartest, strongest and most vile of Foelians and return to his temple located in the soulless mountain range, one year hence.
It is written that one year later with three million forces gathered, the three clerics returned to Foebius' side. Foebius escorted the priests to three dark doorways leading to another realm -- a realm of light. He commanded them to enter each of the doorways and gain the knowledge necessary to bring the rest of the Dark Empire into this new realm of light so that it may be conquered, enslaved and the technology possessed by its inhabitants made their own.
With that, the Foelian priests entered the gates, each clan landing upon their own world and establishing separate colonies. The ArchPriest constructed Citadel of Chaos on Cerebus in the Mythos system, the Blood Priest established Bastion of Evil on Karigon in the Shenendehowa system and the High Priest built Altar of Pain on the planet Moresque in the Wren system. According to the Foelians, they arrived in this realm unencumbered with material possessions. For nearly a thousand years they created from nothing, colonies, industry and science before they were able to depart the world to search for the other clans. After reestablishing contact with other Foelian clans, they set forth to complete the quest given to them by their god Foebius -- to bring shadow to the universe of light.
It is believed by many that Foelians do not posses a structured governmental hierarchy; nothing could be further from the truth. They are decidedly more then just chaotically evil creatures with no goals, randomly dishing out death and destruction. The Foelian government is simplistic in nature and design, and as is often the case with the more simplistic races, based upon survival of the fittest. To even begin to understand the Foelian government you must first understand three elements of Foelian society: their family, their religion and the way they view warfare.
To begin, the Foelian race is divided up into a multitude of hierarchical paternalistic families or as they are more commonly called -- clans. The clan is considered their greatest strength and weakness and can consist of upwards of 25,000 members per clan. They revere blood relations above all else except their god Foebius and will do anything to protect them. In fact, the clan gains power and prestige based upon its numbers and political maneuvering. It is not uncommon for one clan to go to war with another simply to reduce the number of a rival clan in order to maintain or advance its own or an ally's position in the ladder of power.
Prestige and power is derived from a number of different and complex factors to numerous to list. However, a small sampling includes the number of slaves owned, the ratio of males to females, the number of children, clan ranking and even hunting team status. Architecture is another area that can effect power and prestige and is an area in which they excel. Their architecture is as dark and foreboding as their landscape and often resembles a cross between fantasy nightmares and an evil sorcerer's keeps.
In order, the leaders of the three most powerful clans are given the designation ArchPriest, Blood Priest and High Priest. In effect the Foelian government is nothing more then a clan-based theocracy. ArchPriest, the most powerful of the three Priests is considered the favored of Foebius and therefore leads by divine right. However, in the case of the Foelians, leader is a fluid term. Each clan can and often does operate independently of each other with its own goal and/or agenda. Often this goal includes how to topple the current leadership and take the mantle of ArchPriest. As can happen, clan goals can come in conflict with another clan and as a result, end up fighting among themselves. It is not uncommon for the ArchPriest to manufacture a conflict in order to stabilize his position when necessary to keep from being lowered on the power ladder. Basically, Foelians are willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how loathsome or vile it may seem to accomplish their goal, with one exception. They tolerate no external interference in Foelian affairs. Unlike the human race, they do not sell each other out. Outside forces that try to influence one clan against another often find themselves as a Foelian delicacy. Additionally, regardless of goals, all clans will rally to the ArchPriest's banner when called upon to defend its borders or territory.
Next in the governmental hierarchy is the Upper and Lower Conclave. Located at each of the three colonies, the Upper conclave is made up entirely of warrior clerics they claim are empowered by their God Foebius. However, in reality, these warrior priests are made up of senior members from the next nine most powerful clans below the leading Priests. The Upper Conclave is responsible for approving research projects submitted by the Lower Conclave as well as setting the exploration and political goals for the year. This normally includes which systems they will explore and with whom they will battle.
Directly below the Upper Conclave in the chain of influence and power is the Lower Conclave. This conclave consists of five warrior clerics form the next most powerful clans below the nine member clerics of the Upper Conclave and they are responsible for reviewing research proposals and determining their viability. From here they send their approval list to the Upper Conclave who then determine its scheduling position for the year. Additionally, the Lower Conclave is responsible for all aspects of affairs of state, issues of slavery control, and ensuring the military is at peak readiness.
Born from their history, Foelian religion is mired in ceremonies and superstition and deeply intertwined with their government and warfare. Moon Clerics, a group of religious leaders, are responsible for all religious interpretations. Considered neutral, these Clerics are outside the normal realm of power and prestige, nevertheless they wield considerable influence and can be as powerful, if not more powerful then the Upper Conclave. Officially, the Moon clerics act as religious interpreters and advisors to the three priests however, their function goes far beyond this role.
First, it must be noted that Foelians view most races similar to how we humans view livestock -- as nothing more then cattle to be harvested and consumed which explains Foelian eating habits. Prior to any major conflict, Moon Clerics often consult the skull. Consulting the skull is the major religious ceremony performed by Moon Clerics and is horrific to watch. It involves sawing the upper portion of the skull from a victim exposing the brain, setting the brain on fire, then walking the zombiefied victim around before offering the first spoonful of cooked brains to the leader. Should the victim walk around the room without stumbling, it is considered a good omen and the endeavor favored by Foebius. However, should the victim falter the Moon Cleric and the endeavor is considered ill conceived and to have fallen out of favor with Foebius. After the brains are consumed, the rest of the victim is carved up and made into various dishes, such as kidney pie and blood soup. Human bone marrow is considered the ultimate Foelian delicacy.
From their culture and government to their religious ceremonies, warfare is the single most important facet to understanding the Foelian way of life. Warfare is their preoccupation; it dominates their thoughts and has shaped every aspect of their society. It can be considered the backbone of their culture. Their personality traits are rooted in the fundamentals of combat and make them ideally suited for warfare as they are expansionist, power-hungry, militaristic, devious and are considered by many, including themselves, to be sadistically evil. Additionally, they are greedy, practical, have no sense of honor, love to take chances and will do absolutely anything necessary to achieve their objectives, including sacrificing and enslaving members of their own race. Even their racial characteristics are geared toward battle and greatly enhance their abilities to uniquely wage it. When you come face to face with a Foelian male, commonly called a Demon, the first thing you notice is that they stand about seven feet tall and have no real shape. They are uncommonly agile, which makes them harder to hit in battle, but amusingly, also makes them very good dancers. Probably second only to the Lemites. They often appear as shifting, shadowy, two-legged creatures with uneven features, vestigial wings, piercing eyes of various colors and often include a barbed tail. On initial contact they seem nightmarish and intimidating and most creatures experience a period of queasiness as their eyes attempt to adjust to the Foelians shadowy, shifting nature. Foelians have this shadowy and shifting shape because they are always in a state of metamorphous. Once a Demon reaches a certain age, it metamorphoses into the female stage the Foelians call a succubus. Although the succubus retains most of the same physical characteristics of a Demon, she is decidedly more desirable by males from every species. Although she maintains many of the same characteristics of a Demon, she is considered more formidable then her Demon counterpart due to her increased intelligence and maturity. In this stage she also has an unnatural desire to breed and once breeding takes place and pregnancy occurs, the succubus undergoes yet another shift in nature metamorphosing into a creature right out of Greek mythology -- the Harpy. When protecting her unborn child she becomes the fieriest warrior the Foelians posses and even Demons avoid arguments with her.
This overview of Foelian culture, religion and warfare only scratches the surface of Foelian views and society. There are many more aspects of the race that are either too alien or just too complex to describe. In some respects, it is similar to the old-earth Chinese custom of losing face. To properly understand took years of careful study and first hand observations. Even then observers were only able to touch the surface. Historians could come close to putting it into words, but the idea of losing face, in reality, could only be properly understood by the Chinese. It is the same with the Foelians. Unfortunately, first hand observations in Foelian society usually end up with the observer served up as dinner because Foelians don't like uninvited guests. Even invited guests are not necessarily out of danger from sudden death syndrome if they fail to observe the many customs prevalent in Foelian society. It is these values and views that make them one of, if not the, most unique race in the universe.