Post by Gaz on Dec 20, 2023 22:41:16 GMT
The Hollow
Souls exist in one of two states when they are not bound to a mortal form, the first has been discussed as they make their way to the Soul Society and either exist or become a Shinigami. The other is when a soul for one reason or another cannot make it to the Soul Society, be it by hanging on to regrets or being hunted down by a Hollow. Those that stay bound too long lose all hope and eventually their heart, the reported source of a being’s humanity, breaks. Their body then disperses and reforms in a monstrous state as a mask forms over their face. Studies conducted show that this mask is made from the shattered remains of the heart. Souls that are hunted down by a Hollow have their heart broken and the hollow feeds on the shards, this process transforms the soul into another Hollow.
Most Hollows regress into an animal like state, prowling the world of the living looking to sate a hunger that can never he sated. The only way they can get any sort of relief is by consuming the hearts of strong souls. An alternative relief comes from Hueco Mundo, a plan of endless white sands that teems with Reishi dense enough to allow Hollows to not grow any hungrier than they were.
Some hollows quickly find that feasting on pluses is not enough and aim for other Hollows, these Hollows quickly abandon hunting in the Land of the Living and squirrel themselves away in Hueco Mundo in what has been called the Forrest of Menos. It is during this time that Hollows enter the “Menos Stage” A state of being that is accomplished when Hundreds of Hollows mass together in a feeding frenzy and merge into one colossal being cloaked in darkness with a comically large mask. These beings are called Menos Grande, and they lose all sense of self and only keep raw instinct.
Over time some of the souls that make up the Menos Grande eventually gain control and continue the feeding. As the Menos Grande gains more strength a sense of individuality returns using the personality of one of the hollows that made it up, however from interviews and first hand experience every sentient Menos above the Grande stage has no memories from before becoming a Menos Grande.
Once a Menos Grande has evolved it becomes a Menos Adjuchas, compressing its size and power into a smaller more efficient form. It can take the size of anything roughly human to large animals. The hunger that haunted them is still fiercely ravaging them, pushing them to hunt other Menos stage hollows. If they do not consume a portion of another Menos stage hollow it will regress and lose its sense of self, effectively dying until another personality breaks free. Curiously once a Menos Stage Hollow has had a portion of its flesh consumed it cannot regress, nor can it grow stronger to potentially evolve again.
Very few Adjuchas manage to evolve into the last known stage of a Menos Hollow. The Vasto Lorde, a human sized being of immense power. It is reported that once this level is attained there is no need to feed to stave off regression. This is the pinnacle of Hollow power. This is so rare that the recorded number to exist at any one time could be counted on two hands.
This leads us to Hollows that have killed a Shinigami to steal their Zanpakuto, these beings have ascended to become something new. These Hollows instinctively smash their mask with the pommel of the Zanpakuto, the shards of their mask are absorbed into the weapon and in a burst of power their body transforms. They become and Arrancar. The first minutes after an Arrancar’s transformation are the most dangerous. The Spiritual energy they once had cannot be stored in this new form and rapidly depletes over this time frame, but as it depletes the Arrancar can still make use of what it can. Once this period is over the Arrancar is as strong as a newly assigned Shinigami.
Arrancar typically toss aside their natural regeneration abilities upon their transformation, but it is an ability that can be regained through effort and training. Arrancar call fighting with a weapon, or their fists Lucha and it is a widely varied art with many specialised schools within it. When Lucha is combined with an Arrancar Hierro, their ability to harden their skin against physical and spiritual attacks it makes combat especially tricky. The final notable skill Arrancar have is their Cero, an ability all Menos Stage Hollow get. A Cero is negative energy, raw and destructive, most just compress it and fire it in a beam at a target. However, Arrancar versed in the Cero-Arts can do far more. It is akin to Human Magic and the Shinigami Kido for its versatility, but it specialises in destructive power and is more unwieldy to use.
There are oddities to these Arrancar. They all have remnants of what was their mask on their face or head, and they maintain their hole. Depending on the ruling personality and how they died that hole can be placed anywhere on the body. These beings also have a greater sense of their Aspect of Death, training it to be of use in the future. The biggest oddities come from Menos Grande who acquire a Zanpakuto, be it a dimness of wit, a monstrous size, or a misshapen shape to their new form.
There have been sparsely recorded cases of Vasto Lorde creating their own Zanpakuto, in place of using their heart they shatter their mask and use those shards to manifest a blade. This has not been confirmed, but it is a legend among the denizens of Hueco Mundo.
For nearly as long as there has been Zanpakuto there has been Arrancar, they all have that underlying hunger, but those who had lost their sentience regain it. Those who had power lose it, but in return they now have a limitless potential. This promise of limitless potential and a more humanoid form pushes a lot of Hollows to hunt Shinigami for their Zanpakuto.
As eons have passed Hollows and Arrancar had gathered in Hueco Mundo and formed many different societies and for one reason or another they have crumbled. This leaves the endless sands littered with ruins half buried and occupied by those looking for some shelter from the permanent night.
That is not to say that a civilisation has not been born, one has in fact been created by the great efforts of one Arrancar calling himself the Harlequin King. Dantemus Aligran. Over the last few millenia he has through conflict and hard work created a society that operates on a caste-based hierarchy. This is as follows:
The King, Dantemus Aligran.
The Espada, the ten Arrancar either picked by Dantemus or won their position by conquest.
Arrancar who created their own Zanpakuto.
Arrancar born from other Arrancar.
Vasto Lorde level Menos.
Adjuchas level Menos.
Sentient base level Hollows.
Menos Grande and other nonintelligent Hollows.
Arrancar who killed another Arrancar for their Zanpakuto.
The capitol of this Hollow society is Fortress Delarosa, the seat of Dantemus’ power. Built of a Sturdy Cloudy Crystal the buildings in Fortress Delarosa are tightly packed on residential streets but the commerce and factory districts are left with space to breath in case the business needs to spill out onto the streets. Every window is stained in a variety of colours to help each building be set a part. No structures are allowed to be taller than the central Castle of which the city gets its name. That is no worry as it is quite large, spanning high into the sky. Those in the land of the living would call it a skyscraper.
Each of the Espada have their own territory, each surrounding a town that they control as a mayor. In this territory they can do what they wish, as long as it is approved by the Hollow King. It is theorised that Dantemus has set up this system to keep his Espada in check as they will fight each other and ware away each other’s resources instead of turning on him. His rule facilitates their power, and it is by his grace they are allowed the freedoms they have, so why bite the hand that feeds?