Primer: Hollow Society

For millennia, Hollow culture was a bitter, fruitless thing stifled by mindless cannibalism. The potential for intelligence and society died in the mouths of hungry rivals as they consumed one another in an endless quest for power. Any individual who managed to rise to prominence only ever did so in order to further themselves and their status. This led to more pointless bloodshed. It also caused their eventual and inevitable downfall at the hands of dissidents.

This pattern also fueled continuous war. Without building a social infrastructure, there was little to keep the Hollow race contained and organized. Frequent assaults on the World of the Living and Soul Society were birthed from the mindless hunger, sparking countless clashes between Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei forces. These battles invariably ended in utter defeat. The Shinigami were too well organized.

The cycle of destruction continued until the rise of a peculiar Arrancar, one with a vision strong enough to cause a rift of change within a timeless race.

This man was Barracuda Marracruz.

Upon his ascension from one of the exceedingly rare Vasto Lorde into an Arrancar of unimaginable power, Barracuda found that even the strongest of Hollow were nothing more than glorified animals grasping at the tallest mound of sand. Their disorder made them blind to their potential. And it sickened him.

His Aspect of Death, legacy, drove him to consume those Hollow who failed to fit within his plans. Thousands of rebellious, monstrous creatures fell to his unstoppable power, including an entire regime under the Hollow 'Emperor' who came before him. Those who chose to continue their lives of pointless consumption—aimless indulgence—were hunted down without fear or remorse.

In time, the face of Hueco Mundo had changed. The weak-willed masses and purposeless lords were culled from the desert dunes. What they left behind was a world and a species that were ready to evolve.

They did just that.

Culture began to grow. A citadel named Las Noches was built on the ruins of ancient Arrancar castles as a testament to the new order. It quickly became the center of Hollow activity, and it multiplied in size every year until it became as large as the Seireitei of Soul Society. It was here that the Hollow race began their rise to organized power.

Cannibalism continued to be permitted against those too weak to defend themselves, as was the Hollow way. But it was no longer chaotic. The feeding was done within a defined set of rules, with class, power, and social weight all playing a part in the process. Those who were driven by blind instinct—without a semblance of destiny—were considered nothing more than food for those with vision. Hollow who refused to align themselves with the new society were treated the same.

Excursions to the World of the Living continued, although in fewer numbers. The raids became organized. Human souls were consumed in secret. Whenever a Shinigami interfered, open combat was isolated and never followed by acts of blind vengeance. This was all done in order to avoid an impossible war with Soul Society as the Hollow race entered its own cultural renaissance. 

Ten Arrancar who carved their way to the top of the new social order by amassing followers, personal power, and land were granted nobility. They eliminated rivals through politics as much as open combat, a stark change to the chaos of the past. These individuals became known as the Espada. Like lords or dukes of Medieval Europe, they became the ruling class of the entire species, owning individual territories of Hueco Mundo. Their word became law under the single banner of the Hollow race.

Each was given a number from 0 to 10 based on their personal influence over Hollow society. Raw strength was not the only factor in their status; one could simply have more followers than anyone else. Despite the differences in how they became so powerful, all of these positions were invariably given to those few Arrancar who could change the course of the race by their very whim.

Their holdings, which included everything from their territory to their Fracción (the strongest Arrancar followers), became known as their Privilege. Each Espada's title depended on how impressive theirs was, and within its borders, their word was law. Even the Cero Espada, Barracuda, had no overt power over any Hollow in another's Privilege.

Although the specific members of the Espada have changed over the century that Barracuda has been in power, the class system that he had made has remained intact. Lesser Hollow submit themselves to the Privileges, aligning with one of the ten lords of Hueco Mundo. Outsiders are hunted and consumed to increase the strength of the cultured.

It has created a newer, stronger Hollow race.