Heil

The Heil are a warrior race almost as old as the Alinteans, hailing from the barren desert world of Sovereign. They are one of the largest races in the Galaxy, second only to the Alinteans, but are easily more widespread. They are known for their ruthless, warlike combat and strict adherence to tradition.

## Physical Description

The vast majority of Heil stand between 1.5 to 2 meters tall, with notable exceptions like Liima towering over the rest at almost 2.5 meters. Their bodies are almost always muscular, and they possess far denser muscles than humans. They have three bony ridges on their cheeks which begin at the corners of their eyes, travel in towards the nose and then slope downwards toward the corners of their mouths. They do not possess lips like humans, and their lower faces are very flat by comparison. Their mouths are filled with sharp, shark-like teeth which have micro-serrations along the edges. Their eyes appear to be devoid of iris or pupil, and are completely white and bio-luminescent. They lack hair on any portion of their body as well. Unlike human hands, which have four fingers and a thumb, their hands are four-fingered (two of which are thumbs, one on either side of the hand) and boneless, made completely from muscle which tapers to a point at the end of each finger. Their fingers can curl both ways, forward and backward, because of this - a fact which makes them very deadly in combat as they have a wide variety of submission holds available to them.

Their skin is rarely only one tone, and is usually a complex patchwork of black and white portions. One thing remains the same, however, and this is that their right hands are always black and their left are always white. This is due to the "Arts" - an innate trait activated by placing their hands against the ground (or another flat surface) and focusing. More information on the Arts is explained in the "Skills & Abilities" section.

## Personality & Traits

The vast majority of Heil are standoffish and confrontational, usually listening only to those they view as their betters. Defeating Heil in duels will usually earn respect from the witnesses and the defeated, but violating individual cultural barriers can be a fast way to be attacked and killed. This is perhaps one of the few things the Heil share between themselves regardless of Clan affiliation.

## Skills & Abilities

All Heil possess two Arts: a White Art and a Black Art (not counting some rare mutations where a Heil only has one or the other).

The Black Art is considered an offensive technique, in which a dark, inky ring will spread out around the user with their hand at the center. Anything falling within this ring is subject to manipulation, including a variety of techniques normally accessible only to Scain and Scion. Lifting heavy objects, such as boulders or even small vehicles, for example. Individuals trapped in the Black Art field can have limbs crushed or torn off, and advanced users can even form shapes in their Art, such as spikes or blades (although it should be noted that this level of focus is extremely difficult).

As a counterpoint to the Black Art, the White Art is primarily a defensive trait. Rather than a black field, a whitish ring will expand around the user and can be used to heal injuries, create barriers, or even move objects in a similar fashion to the Black Art. Advanced users can also use this technique to analyze individuals to gain an understanding of physiology (such as internal injuries or the status of a healing injury), and true masters can even use it to immobilize opponents.

## Weaponry and Technology

Heil weapons are based around an ion-driven system, creating a variety of close-quarters weapons with a lethal, technological edge to them. Coupling this with their denser muscles and a weapon-mounted afterburner system makes the ion weapon *the* tool to have in close-combat scenarios.

Apart from their weaponry, Heil have very little in the way of technology. Much of their efforts are expended on the infighting among the ten Clans, which leaves little room for developing other technologies apart from ships and weapons. Their ships are all lethal, regardless of which end they are approached from, and are usually bristling with exterior ion blades or spikes, making them efficacious ramming vessels. They do have fusion power, but it is primarily used in on-board ship reactors or city power grids as opposed to anything else.

Further back in the Heil history, their world was once a garden planet comparable to Chindrus or Earth. The Heil, despite being oppressed by the tyrannical Rohsin Empire, were a prosperous species. Eventually, dissatisfaction among the subjugated nations led to an uprising, led by the legendary Aruned, who later supposedly ascended to godhood. Before his death, the Heil encountered the Gatekeepers and waged war with them - something which Aruned had cautioned against doing. He perished before the end of the war, and his successors re-engaged the Gatekeepers and lost. In the process, Sovereign was reduced to the desert world it is now - a barren place stripped of over 90 percent of its life due to nuclear bombardment. Prior to this time, it is implied that the Heil had far greater technologies than they do today, including artifacts like the Gauntlets of Lekramia or the fact that the prophecy of the Scion of Aruned is etched into an antium tablet - a material which cannot be damaged even in present day.

## Culture, Religion & Beliefs

Nailing down any one aspect of Heil culture is difficult, due in part to their Clan-based system. This fracture among their people leads to ten separate groups, each with their own sub-culture, beliefs and rituals. Some things, however, remain the same.

All Heil worship Aruned, as well as his wife Lekramia and their twin sons, Holengard and Eumarth. Aruned is seen as the God of War and Ambition, while Lekramia is the Goddess of Fertility and Peace. Holengard is seen as the God of Tenacity and Cunning, while Eumarth is the God of Survival and Trickery. Different Clans, however, place different levels of importance on each deity. Clan Mitragan, for instance, all but ignore Lekramia, Holengard and Eumarth, but fervently worship Aruned. Clan Bytkam, on the other hand, follows the teachings of Lekramia, but hold Aruned, Holengard and Eumarth in lower (but still reverential) regard.

Certain objects, entities or concepts are so deeply ingrained in the Heil mind that they can no longer be fought. Exposing any Heil to the Icon of Dominance, for instance, will immediately break their will and leave them open to suggestion. Heil given an order while in this state will seek to follow it unquestioningly, even to the point of death. Concepts such as the Bleaks, on the other hand, instill such fear in the Heil that they cannot even speak the word "Bleak" (as an entity and not an adjective) without lowering their voices to a fearful whisper.

Murder is not wrong among the Heil, provided a clear challenge has been made. Walking up to someone in the street and killing them is wrong (one reason why Clan Delques is so heavily loathed). However, challenging an individual to a duel and then killing them is not, provided that the rules to the duel were observed.

While Clan Bytkam seems to be something of an exception, none of the other Clans have any kind of gender bias. Heil females are expected to train, war and fight just as much as the males. Males, conversely, are expected to maintain households or raise children in equal participation with the females. In Clan Bytkam's case, however, females are viewed as superior to males, as they are considered closer to Lekramia.

Another notable point to mention about the Heil are the Guilds, which act as a neutral province and usually broker meetings between hostile Clans by using the Guild City as a meeting place. The Guilds are made up of exiles from the ten Clans, and are divided into five individual groups.

## Reproduction

Heil undergo a physical transformation when they are preparing to breed. During this state, their heads come alive with either gold (female) or silver (male) wisps and tendrils which seem to be hair. In reality, they are formed from luxite - an extremely rare element that behaves like light. These tendrils wave about the Heil's head, appearing to defy gravity. In addition to this, the entire Heil's body darkens to a deep, royal purple (female) or a brilliant red (male).

Heil mating is just as bloody as their combat, and it is not unheard of for a Heil to actually die. Apart from quite a bit of aggression and competition for dominance, their mating is actually quite similar to that of a human. If the breeding is successful, a Heil female can give birth to between one and three children after a 10 month gestation period.

## Military

Much like culture, Heil military strategies vary. Clan Mitragan will attack anything that invades their domain (and even individuals or groups they simply do not like) with little provocation, usually throwing an insane amount of warriors at their foes and hoping to crush them with numbers and savagery alone (a tactic which has, thus far, worked fairly well). Clan Umarak, on the other hand, instills discipline and tactics in its soldiers, and has the most organized army in the Galaxy next to the Alinteans. Clan Bytkam does not war at all. Clan Delques, shunning all of the teachings of the Heil, specialize in stealth and assassinations - something which has led to their entire Clan being exiled from Sovereign and despised by the other nine.

## Exports, Trade & Commerce

Heil are exceptional artisans when they are not at war with one another or another species. Different Clans export and import different things, but the craftsmanship produced by the Heil as a whole is generally considered to be excellent and is highly valued. Heil also consider personnel to be an export, and are known across the Galaxy for the conduct of these individuals.

* Clan Mitragan is known for exporting their soldiers and mercenaries in exchange for raw materials such as heavy metals, fusion cores and hull plating.
* Clan Engodor is known for exporting their diplomats and peacemakers and for importing food and emergency rations.
* Clan Delques exports its services (namely as assassins or spies) and imports very little other than currency or raw materials.
* Clan Umarak exports weapons, ships, vehicles and combat instructors and is known for the import of other species' criminals (which are used in training exercises).
* Clan Laqian exports ships and very little else, manufacturing spacecraft of extremely high quality. Their imports vary from year to year, but most commonly they seem to import laborers (regardless of species) and food.
* Clan Illyich, much like Clan Delques, does not really import anything. They do export weapons, but they are usually experimental and dangerous.
* Clan Gelmond only imports rare artifacts for study, but will also export any findings related to them. They are also excellent surveyors, excavators and subterranean architects. This has led to many of them earning the nickname of "Tunnel Rats" from Humans.
* Clan Vorken are merchants, and will import and export virtually anything they can get their hands on. They are most known for being able buy and sell almost anything, and many suspect they have ties to the Black Markets or the Underground.
* Clan Hemiark will export architects, skilled laborers and craftsman at a moment's notice to build something, but their imports are extremely limited. They only accept precious metals, jewels, rare compounds and chemicals or skilled workers from other species.
* Clan Bytkam is renowned for their ability to export an enormous amount of food very quickly, and they will accept virtually any import for their goods. Their favorite import is water or terraforming supplies to aid them in the expansion of the Bytkam Fields.