Only Hierophant

The Only Hierophant, sometimes called the Black Hierophant or simply the Hierophant, is a menacing, possibly immortal figure from far beyond The Cluster. Both his origins and his motives are shrouded in mystery, but his influence in the machinations of numerous civilizations throughout history is undeniable. Through a religious organization known as the Infinity Guild, the Only Hierophant has been guiding the transformation of a select few individuals into what are known as Black Witnesses.

Background
Due to his extragalactic origins and immense age, information concerning the history of the Only Hierophant is fragmented and largely speculative. The only reliable source of this information seems to be the Only Hierophant himself, who is able to recall a great deal of information about his past despite his age. According to these recollections, millions of years ago, the Only Hierophant was the ruler of a powerful alien civilization in a galaxy far beyond The Cluster. During his reign, the Only Hierophant managed to catch a glimpse of Black Infinity when interacting with an advanced piece of derelict Vuokra technology. This encounter caused him to gradually lose his sanity, until he regressed into a violent, bestial state. Like most people that claim to have seen Black Infinity, the Only Hierophant gained suicidal tendencies, but he could not kill himself nor die to the hands of anything else, as he was clad in an invincible machine body. In a desperate effort to bring about his own destruction, the Only Hierophant threw himself at the combined military forces of the civilization he once ruled, laying waste to planet after planet. Even the technologically-advanced forces of this civilization proved to be insufficient, and at the end of his terrible campaign of destruction, the Only Hierophant had obliterated the very people he had once ruled benevolently. For untold millennia, the Only Hierophant wallowed on the surface of a dead planet, trudging through the ruins of his once great empire. Eventually, in a magnificent stroke of luck, the Only Hierophant was discovered by a small band of Silver Conservators, who succeeded in containing him and brought him aboard their mothership. The Silver Conservators believed that the Only Hierophant's encounter with Black Infinity would have imbued him with an understanding of Vuokra technology and behavior, which could be very helpful to them in their efforts to combat the Vuokra. However, they first had to find a way of curing his insanity. This band of Silver Conservators traveled all across the cosmos, picking through alien artifacts and lost technologies to see if they could restore the Hierophant's mind. Eventually, they came across Un, in the Milky Way Galaxy. Touching down on the star's only planet, Nexuta, they uncovered the ancient Nightmare Telescope and allowed the Only Hierophant to gaze through it. After many hours had passed, the Hierophant emerged from the alien temple that held the telescope, and spoke to the Silver Conservators, forming his first coherent sentence in more than a million years.

"The Black has shown itself to me. I will no longer fight it."

This marked the final stage of the Hierophant's transformation. With the help of the Silver Conservators, he put his consciousnesses into a featureless humanoid form, which soon began to seep with Ether Bile from every crevice. The Only Hierophant had become the first Black Witness in the history of The Cluster, and possibly, the first Black Witness in the universe.

Indebted to the Silver Conservators for his mental resuscitation, the Only Hierophant allowed them to peer into his mind and look for traces of knowledge concerning the Vuokra. They managed to recover small fragments of useful information, but more critical pieces, such as information pertaining to Vuokra technology and behavior, seemed to become harder and harder to uncover the deeper they peered into the Hierophant's mind. This was the work of the Hierophant himself, who was quickly learning to use the newfound powers available to him now that he had become a Black Witness, the most useful of which was his ability to subliminally manipulate the thoughts and actions of those around him. Slowly, silently, the Only Hierophant lured the Silver Conservators into his grasp with the promise of knowledge, eventually managing to completely subjugate them. This marked the beginning of the Only Hierophant's cult, which he called the Infinity Guild, after the entity that had brought him to the star of Un.

Believing that his transformation into Black Witness was the final step in the evolution of all sentient creatures, the Only Hierophant sought to spread his knowledge and influence across the stars. Using the Silver Conservators as his pawns, he explored the surrounding regions of space, pleased to discover numerous species of intelligent life that he could inevitably bend to his will. Unfortunately for the Hierophant, his emerging cult fell right in the middle of a preexisting alien civilization, known as the Qutixma Worlds. Led by the conservative Old Qutixma and mysterious New Qutixma, this organization had remained the sole sovereign political entity in this part of the Milky Way Galaxy for millions of years, and it was not about to relinquish control to an extragalactic invader and his army of zealots. The Only Hierophant was no fool, however. He was careful to ensure that the Infinity Guild remained hidden as it gained more followers and support from the various species under the control of the Qutixma Worlds. Only when the Qutixma Worlds finally discovered the Infinity Guild did the Hierophant decide to begin his vicious usurpation. All across the Qutixma Worlds, the minions of the Infinity Guild rose up and led armed insurrections against their rulers. The Only Hierophant, after commandeering a derelict Tuoctlo Hookship found in orbit around Un, led his forces personally and destroyed dozens of Qutixma colonies using the Hookship's antimatter railgun. This religious war was on a scale that hadn't been seen by the inhabitants of the Milky Way Galaxy in millions of years, and came to be known as the Black Crusade. The relentless forces of the Infinity Guild proved to be a sufficient match for the Qutixma Worlds, and it wasn't long before the Qutixma had been driven to the edges of the territory they once controlled. Both facing extinction, the Old Qutixma and New Qutixma conglomerated into the White Qutixma, and radically shifted their strategies towards the Infinity Guild, choosing to trap them inside of the Guild Expanse using their Null Obelisks as opposed to destroying them completely. The Infinity Guild's expansion was halted, but by that point, the Only Hierophant had become one of the most powerful individuals in the Milky Way Galaxy, and was satisfied with the accomplishments his organization had made thus far. After many millions of years, he had become a ruler yet again, this time being driven to complete what he believed to be a divinely-ordained mission.

For thousands of years since then, the Only Hierophant has silently operated in the shadows, twisting and stretching the threads of history to suit his interests. Almost every influential figure throughout the history of The Cluster has, in some way, been involved with the Only Hierophant, and the total extent of his influence is currently unknown. Inside his temple on Nexuta, he gathered his strength and augmented his abilities further, becoming the strongest Black Witness in existence. When the Second Vuokra Invasion concluded, the Only Hierophant mysteriously vanished, leaving behind a single inscription on the wall of his chamber in the Nexuta temple.

"Through the Anarchy Gate, beyond the reach of space, beyond the scope of time, an impossible truth of utter blackness lies. Only now is it in my grasp."

It is not known exactly what the Only Hierophant was referring to in this inscription, nor what prompted his disappearance. However, his absence caused tremendous strife within the Infinity Guild, eventually leading to its dissolution into numerous sects that each bear their own interpretation of his final message and previous teachings. The fate of the other Black Witnesses following the disappearance of their leader is unknown.

Appearance and Abilities
The Only Hierophant's appearance prior to his transformation at the hands of the Silver Conservators is unknown. Neither the Conservators, nor the Hierophant himself, are able to recall what he looked like before his consciousness was placed inside of the humanoid form he resides in now. Some speculate that he may have been some kind of insect, as is evident in the Infinity Guild's characteristic walker vehicles that the Only Hierophant takes great pride in. Time and time again, the Only Hierophant has insisted that the details of his appearance prior to his transformation are not important, so there is no way of knowing for sure. Following his transformation, the Only Hierophant assumed a humanoid form, towering more than 9 feet (2.7 meters) in the air, and with a very lanky, almost emaciated physique. Though this body was originally coated in a bright silver metal, as is common among the Silver Conservators, the Only Hierophant's body has since been covered in thick Ether Bile sludge, which perpetually seeps from every crevice in his form. As a result, his body is completely black in coloration and gooey in texture, save for a glowing white light on his head the functions as his singular, unblinking eye. The Only Hierophant is known for his eerily steady, slow gait, and due to the properties of his body, he leaves a trail of Ether Bile wherever he walks, serving as a permanent marker of his travels. The Only Hierophant cannot speak normally, but he is capable of communicating through telepathy in a similar fashion to the Nephilim or Vuokra.

The upper extent of the Only Hierophant's power is unknown. Though his transferal into his new body is believed to have removed the invincibility his old body afforded him, his ascension into a Black Witness has most certainly restored it, as well as offering him new strengths. He possesses most of the abilities common to Vuokra, including psychokinetic manipulation, the ability to phase through solid matter, teleportation, invisibility and, perhaps the most terrifying of all, mind control. The Only Hierophant's ability to manipulate the thoughts of others, both directly and subliminally, is uncontested, and is attributed as being the greatest advantage he had when forming the Infinity Guild and cementing his control in alien politics. The Only Hierophant's mind control is so advanced that most of the people under his influence aren't even aware they are being controlled. Other Black Witnesses are believed to have a certain degree of resistance to the Hierophant's mind control, but they are not completely immune, making it easier for him to maintain the loyalty of these individuals. The Only Hierophant has never been known to brandish weaponry in combat, relying solely on his natural abilities. Psychokinetics aside, the Only Hierophant is unnaturally strong and agile, allowing him to defeat even cybernetically augmented individuals in hand-to-hand combat.

Personality and Behavior
While none can say for certain what information the Only Hierophant gleaned from his experience on Nexuta, it has undeniably led to him becoming the enigmatic and malevolent entity he is widely recognized as. The exact motivations of the Only Hierophant have always remained a mystery, but his outward actions suggest a deeper connection between him, Black Infinity and the Vuokra that has yet to be fully explained. It is known that the Only Hierophant, through his teachings in the Infinity Guild and the influence he wields in numerous alien governments, seeks to create more Black Witnesses by bringing individuals that have seen Black Infinity to Un, where they can gaze into the Nightmare Telescope and undergo the transformation he experienced to become the first Black Witness. The Only Hierophant has claimed that becoming a Black Witness is the final step in the evolution of all sapient life, and that creating as many witnesses as possible is crucial for the perpetuation of alien cultures in the face of external threats. However, it is clear that the Only Hierophant creates Black Witnesses more so to further his own power than to ensure the safety of the races they represent. This is the reason most Black Witnesses, such as the infamous Avsula of Ritl or troublesome Puck, also happen to be powerful and influential figures within their respective civilizations, as they are then able to act as an extension of the Only Hierophant's power, gently guiding the actions of their societies to suit the interests of the Only Hierophant. This behavior serves as proof of the Hierophant's most disturbing quirk: his complete apathy towards everyone and everything else. Though he has formed close bonds with some of his Black Witnesses, the Only Hierophant is not known to have ever felt remorse for any of his actions, and never hesitates to kill or harm others himself if he deems it necessary. In most situations, the Only Hierophant sees other people as simply pawns that he can use to further his own agenda, disposing of them whenever their usefulness is exhausted. This kind of behavior is frighteningly common among other Black Witnesses, too, so it is assumed to be in some way connected to Un and the Nightmare Telescope. What kind of realization could lead to such unwavering apathy, however, has never been determined by those that are not Black Witnesses themselves.

Despite his comparatively young age, the Only Hierophant has gained a surprising amount of notoriety among even the most primordial entities and civilizations. All three Myrevi within The Cluster have been keenly aware of his existence ever since his transformation, even though he is not believed to have met any of these entities in person. The Myrevi call the Only Hierophant a "harbinger" and claim that his continued existence is sealing the very fate of the universe itself. The Vuokra are also aware of his existence, and appear to be extremely frightened by the Only Hierophant and his cohort of Black Witnesses. They claim that the Only Hierophant is "the one that fails," but the exact meaning of this cryptic message is unknown. The fact that it is always phrased in future tense creates interesting speculation as to how the Vuokra perceive time, if they are capable of foretelling future events. This message is suspected to be related to the disappearance of the Only Hierophant at the end of the Second Vuokra Invasion, suggesting that he may have left The Cluster entirely in search of something far beyond the scope of any known civilization.