The Hironem, native to the Decados-ruled planet of Cadiz, revere their ancient culture-bringer gods, who are now believed to have been renegades from the advanced Vau Hegemony. These gods gave the Hironem their caste system and set a secession of God-Kings to rule them. Some humans wonder: Did these Vau “gods” also leave another, hidden legacy in the genetics and culture of the Hironem that is yet to be revealed?
These reptilian sentients are remarkable in that their culture seems to have descended almost directly from Vau culture.
Caste System
The Hironem have a very developed caste system, which they believe had been granted to them by the Four Gods: The Unspeakable, Akkad, and the twins Tanam and Eresh. The casts are:
- God-King: One and only, the God-King is the ruler and the center of the religion in the Hironem culture. It's said that he is who mantains the universe; holding it together, and that he manipulates a subtile energy called S'su.
- Sibanzi: The siban are the ruler caste of the hironem culture, as they organize, mantain and administrate the society and the land. They act also as the clergy, and they have a discipline called Kanasu, very similar to the feng'shui of the ancient chinese.
- Kigazi: Soldiers and police under the Sibanzi authority. These hironem are violent and disciplined at the same time. They thrive through violence, and are very skilled in the combat arts. They have a martial art called 'Anzu', that is empowered by the S'su energy.
- Kimmu: Constructors and artisans, they are the lower cast in the Hironem society. They mantain the society, keep things working, and are the main workforce of Turaz, but they have no privileges, much like serfs in the Known Worlds. But, alas, they are no slaves, and are an active part of the society.
Outcasted
The Hironem society had another step, lower than the Kimmu, and it is called the illu. They are those who had dirty jobs (skinners, buriers, etc) or don't produce anything worthy of note or significance (merchants or prestamists), and those who had been outcasted for another reason through the ritual of 'mahazu'.
S'su
The S'su is a subtile energy that every hironem can feel, but not necesarily see. The hironem use this energy
A Hironem using S'su to protect himself
almost like theurgy or psi (althought they can't develop psionics). The S'su is similar to the ancient concept of the Feng'shui: an universal energy that belongs to everywhere, and it can be manipulated through rituals and kanasu. They believe that S'su is the core energy of the universe, and it can be wronged or righted in some places and persons.
Planets
The Hironem are native to Cadiz, the planet in which they have a large reserve called Turaz, the God-king territory. They also have a large colony on the lost world of Iver.
Sources
- Fading Suns Player's Guide
- Orphaned Races: Ascorbites & Hironem