Hiteria

**Hiteria** (called **A'taria** by the El'yon) is one of the great civilizations of the Third Trilogy and the primary antagonist of the Second Dominion and the Infinite Empire. It exists squarely under the influence of the A'yon, the ancient beings from the Lightning War, and the dictatorship of Exades.

The planet of the same name was first the settled world of the civilization, a product of the great exodus in the Age of Exploration post-*Invictus*. It lies in the in between the Scuttum-Crux and Sagittarius Arms of the Milky Way Galaxy. They are one of the few worlds to not experience a collapse of civilization prior to expansion. The prosperity of the original world led to severe excess and the development of a rigid caste system and violent culture.

Two planets serve as the centers of Hiterian civilization: Hiteria and Throneworld.

The civilization is the principal antagonist of the Last War, the struggle featured in *Andromeda* and *Galactica*.

## History

The world was first settled during the Age of Exploration in **SY 3860** by Icari'yon exploration fleets with the goal of finding a habitable world very far from then-inhabited space. Colonization was largely confined to a single settlement called The Haven. Three generations after the founding of The Haven, humans have spread across one of the three continents of the world. But some within The Haven want to put to death the dreams of empire before they can ever be birthed, and try to seize power. The coup is defeated.

In **SY 3920**, a mysterious explorer that would later be unveiled as Exades arrives on the world with technology rivaling that of the El'yon.

## Government

### Exades

Hiteria is an ultrauthoritarian meritocracy led by Exades, one of the first beings of the created universe. He rules from Throneworld, a terrifying planet of his own creation. He is nothing less than the absolute despot and God Himself to all of Hiteria. Worship of any being but he is punishable by death. Under him exists a hierarchy of High Exarchs and Exarchs.

### High Exarchs

High Exarchs live on Hitera and are the only beings allowed free travel to Throneworld. They regularly travel throughout the Atarian dominion to enforce the will of Exades. They believe him to be a god and keep his fanatical worship. From Hitera the High Exarchs rule their domains using a form of the same technology that A'yon used to create the Black Gate in the Lightning War.

### Exarchs

Each Exarch is personally created by Exades in a profane ritual; all of them were one humans who have chosen to become possessed by A'yon spirits, who now rule their physical bodies. Exarchs rule individual worlds and may do with them as they please within confines of the caste system and the will of Exades.

High Exarchs are created by the combination of several Exarchs, through ritual and mutilative surgery to produce a visually terrifying being possessed by many A'yon.

### Athè

A notable exception is the human Athè, the primary director of Hiteria's military forces during the Last War.

### Hyrho Phanatus

Hyrho Phanatus is the name of a being who was originally human and represents the "best" example of the creation of a High Exarch. He is the "prophet" of Exades and was the first High Exarch created. It is unknown how many A'yon he possesses, but he appears to be able to invoke them at will. Phanatus and his legions of followers in the Necropolis system throughout Hiterian space enforce the official cultus of Exades.

Coequal to Phanatus is the chief Aiwa of Exades, Crowlester Owley.

## Society

Hiterian society exists in a clear ladder hierarchy designed to purge the weak and make the strong even stronger.

### Exades

Exades is the center of Hiterian civilization. He has built a cult of personality around himself. He is the center of each citizen's individual universe. He is their object of worship and thought to be the supreme being.

### Aiwa

The Aiwa are special slaves of Exades. They are those who do not require to have their wills bound to Exades. They are true believers. They love Exades and worship him of their own free will. If an Exarch ever fails in their duty, the Aiwa are sent to bring them to Throneworld. Chief of the Aiwa is Crowlester Owley; he is fanatically devoted to Hiterian principles and to Exades himself and a master of sorcerer's ways, calling even the most obscene A'yon to his command.

### High Exarchs

High Exarchs are visually terrifying beings possessed by the spirits of many A'yon and command both fear and respect simply by their presence. There are thirteen of them total. The leading High Exarch of the thirteen, Mammoth, is highly favored by Exades and almost equal to Hyrho Phanatus in influence and power. They rule over whole sectors of space and ensure that the Exarchs under their domain are doing the will of Exades.

### Exarchs

Exarchs are the administrators and forceful rulers of worlds in the Hiterian civilization. Each of them is an accomplished warrior. Any Exarch may be deposed at any time; he holds power only by the force of his own will and brute strength. No Exarch is appointed by Exades. But once a person becomes an Exarch, they are powerful with Hiterian civlization.

The Exarch has the rights to all the resources of the star system which he rules.

One may become an Exarch by deposing the current Exarch by force. Until he is deposed, an Exarch rules the world as his own.

### Shai

*Main article:* *Shai*

The Shai are the warrior class. All Exarchs come from this class. They take anything they like from the lower classes and enforce the Exarch's rule. On some turmoiled worlds, multiple classes of Shai exist who support various individuals in bids for power as Exarch.

Most Shai are born and bred, privileged and cared for. They are genetically selected to have the most valuable physical traits. But there are some who are made Shai from among the Bria. Any Bria that can successfully murder a Shai is considered a Shai themselves and thus adopted into the class.

### Bria

The Bria are working class humans. They are allowed to lead independent lives so long as they remain useful to the higher classes. Bria may become a member of the Shai class by the murder of a present Shai. They are the "bread and butter" of the civilization and the ones who benefit most from the decadence of the civilization.

### Ubat

The Ubat are the slave class and form the majority of the civilization, enslaved to the will of Exades through technology similar to that of the Black Gate. They have no will of their own. They do all of the industrial and agricultural work required to support the immense decadence of the Hiterians. They make up over ninety percent of Hiterian civilization.

### Nata

The Nata (other) are worlds influenced by the Hiterian civilization who accept their religion and influence but do not fall under it's administrative guise.

## Religion

Hiterian worship centers around Exades . Each urban center has a necropolis that serves as the center of worship. Each necropolis  is possessed by an A'yon that acts as an intermediary between the Empirical Verse and the Empyrean Verse. Ubat are regularly sacrificed here. Necropolises act as repositories for the bones and bodies of the dead. On many worlds, A'yon will come and inhabit these dead bodies and live in the necropolises.

Each Necropolis is cared for by resident priests who are possessed by the spirits of a'Yons. An elder priest who has survived long enough to grow strong in possession is called a Heirophant and is the conductor of the necropolis. Heirophants, on some Hiterian worlds, wield as much power as the local world's Exarch. They are largely responsible for the proliferation of cults throughout the Atarian Civilization.

It is customary for Shai to bring a few captives from their recent plunder or conquest and offer them as sacrifices. Many variants of Hiterian religion exist, but all utilize the necropolis and worship Exades.

Many Hiterians believe that Exades  created the universe and is responsible for all worlds. On Throneworld, the Exarchs and High Exarchs know of Shaeloah and believe that Exades will slay Them.

## Culture

Meritocracy is considered the rule of law; "might is right", one might say, is the unofficial motto of all Hiterians. Drug use and rampant sexuality are common throughout the world.

## Technology

The Hiterians do not possess Jump Gate technology, as the Jump Gate is the sole domain of the El'yon and the Infinite Empire. They do, however, have the use of the Sun Gate and the Black Gate.

Each Hiterian citizen possess an implant chip placed deep within the body at birth. It is wired to the brain and regulates thought. It is also rigged to shut the entire body and brain down should the citizen attempt to leave Hiterian space without explicit permission and orders from Exades.

## Military

The Hiterian military is drawn from the ranks of the Shai, Bria, and the Exarchs. Exarchs will command Hiterian forces both from orbit and on the ground, while the Shai form the bulk (~90%) of the fighting force. About ~10% of the Hiterian military are Bria who serve, essentially, as lowest-rank basic infantry and meat shields; they are almost always the first to charge on the front lines and are executed if they refuse. Occasionally, a Bria who displays exceptional valor on the battlefield may become a Shai.

### The Stoltƶki

The Stoltƶki are the Hiterian unified police force that acts across all worlds. They do not exist to prevent crime, but to actively seek out and punish crime as judge, jury, and executioner. It must be stressed that Hiterian law and crime is radically different from that of other human civilizations.

They dress in all white and as such are highly visible. They are armed with pulse rifles, stun batons, and keys with the ability to access and modify any Hiterian citizen's implant chip.

All Stoltƶki have their symbol branded on their foreheads and on the insides of their wrists.

### Ivory League

The Ivory League are elite Shai responsible for the regulation of the Department of Public Health, aka the eugenics division of Hiterian society. They seek out Hiterian citizens with mutations or otherwise undesirable traits. Any individuals with mutations discovered that could be potentially beneficial are sent back to Hiteria for further scientific experimentation.

The Ivory League was responsible for the development of the Half-Breeds (see below).

### Regulars

The bulk of the Hiterian military is the simply called Regular Force. They are organized into various ranks according to their ability and specialization.

### Mortuarians

Special operations soldiers. Mortuarians act alone, or in small teams. They are sent on various missions both within and without Hiterian space, often on the orders of Exades himself. They work to destabilize other systems, spread Hiterian influence, instigate violent revolution, bring death to other worlds, and occasionally kidnap wanted individuals.

### Half-Breeds

Half-Breeds are genetic experiments of the Ivory League. They are the result of crossbreeding men with animals by manipulating DNA on the molecular level and subjecting both embryos and fetuses at various stages of development to various environmental stressors to develop mutations.

The experiments began during the early days of the Hiterian Conquest and took many years to perfect. Less than one percent of Half-Breed embryos are unstable at the time of the Last War. They are organized into nine clans according to varying levels of sentience and how they are bred:

* **The Sphinx**: Exactly what it sounds like. Females crossed with lions and eagles, possessing viscious claws and wings. They are easily the most intelligent of the Half-Breed clans (comparable to sentient human intelligence) and maintain rulership authority over the other clans.
* **Serpent Lords**: Humans crossed with snakes. Intelligence rivaling that of the Sphinx, but ultra-loyal. Most often used as officers to command groups of the other Half-Breeds. Has a venom-producing organ that can transmit venom via oral assault. Only Half-Breeds capable of independent reproduction, they literally lay eggs.
* **Centaurs**: Bred specifically as an insult to Urantia for being located in the Alpha Centauri System of Old Earth identification. Men crossed with horses. Mid-range intelligence. Wildly violent and hyper-sexual but are unable to reproduce.
* **House Arachnae:** Intelligence rivaling that of the Sphinx and occasionally challenges them for dominion over the rest of the Half-Breeds. Four arms and four legs. Everything on the human being is doubled. They are very finely hairy. Possess a stinger and a venom producing organ.
* **Luperians**: Wolf-men. Extraordinarily long lived, but very hard to produce and very resource intensive. Hyperintelligent. Extremely sharp teeth. Born with a tail. Can run and walk both bipedally and on all fours. Possesses two thumbs on either side of the hand. Can run up to 100 km/hr on all fours, or about 42 km/hr on two feet). Exclusively carnivorous.
* **The Hunt**: People crossed with Mrawlors. Aggressive and capable fighters. Brutally strong. Short life span. Has trouble forming connections with members of other species, including their own other Half-Breeds. Exclusively carnivorous.
* **Anura Clan**: Amphibious beings possessing both gills and lungs. Mid-range sentience. Extremely long tongue. Does not like to speak. Prefers to communicate through a binary series of expansions of an interior organ. They know how to swim from birth and can freely breathe both water and air. Fingers, groin, and toes are webbed.
* **Avestic Clan**: People crossed with birds. Mid-range intelligence. Can fly. Used for dropping bombs and for many suicide attacks. High protein diet.
* **Swine Clan**: Humans crossed with pigs. Easily the least intelligent of all the Half-Breeds. Bred because of a beneficial series of mutations in both pigs and humans that allow members of this clan to consume enemy brain matter and gain their knowledge and experience. Will and can eat literally anything.