CYGNETIAN race(Red sect/sub-species)
CYGNETIAN race
(Red sect/sub-species)
Classification: Humanoid extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations: Cygnet VII, presumably the 7th planet in the Cygnet solar system, unspecified galaxy (see comments);
notable locations include the Cathedral-Ship, the Pit, the Temple of Judgment, and the cathedral.
Known Members: Faceless Ones (all unidentified), Holy Hierarchy (cardinals/rulers; three members, all unidentified), Holy Huntsmen / Prophet Priests (numerous, all unidentified; see comments), cavalry
Affiliations: Draggoths (used as slaughtering beasts; I doubt the Draggoths would consider them allies...), cavalry steeds
Enemies: Greens (Cygnetian Green sect; aka the Proselytes; notably K'rel), the Hulk (Bruce Banner)
Aliases: Reds;
formerly the Proselytes
Language:
Unidentified; the Reds and Greens appeared to speak the same language,
and they used their computers to swiftly teach their language to others.
Religion: Their religion was largely undefined, but they considered any non-members as blasphemous and deserving of punishment, torture, and death.
Their religious symbol was a circle with five prongs, one straight up from the top, two straight prongs on either side of the central one, and two from the side that bent upward a short distance from the start (see image below, and throughout the profile).
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (1983)
Powers/Abilities: The Reds did not demonstrate any superhuman abilities.
Their world had advanced interstellar craft (such as the Cathedral-ship) equipped with hyperspace drives and tractor beams, and advanced computers, such as the Educator (which could impart massive amounts of information to a being within hours, including language and history).
The Holy Hierarchy and Holy Huntsmen/Prophet-Priests wielded staffs/scepters with their religious symbols at the top; they could fire destructive bursts of energy from the tip.
The Huntsmen also used hand-held weapons that fired anesthetic ("knock-out") gas and/or energy blasts.
The Reds/Proselytes utilized the Pit, including its prisons, arena, and torture chamber.
On land, they traveled via car-like vehicles.
While under domination by the Greens, they are kept bereft of any sort of technology.
Traits: The Red are fanatically religious.
When they were in power, they oppressed, slaughtered, and tortured the
Greens whose religion differed from theirs, and denouncing any
non-believers as blasphemous. They considered the Greens to be inferior
to them.
They have subsequently been oppressed in the same fashion by the Greens.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric humanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; red irides seen)
Fingers: Three (plus opposing thumb; see comments)
Toes: Four
Skin color: Red
Hair: Varying colors (brown, red, and strawberry blonde (or pink?) observed); some were either bald or shaved their heads
Average height: 5'6"
Average weight: 150 lbs.
History:
(Incredible
Hulk II Annual#12 (fb) - BTS / World War Hulk: Gamma Files: Proselytes entry) - The Planet Cygnet VII is populated by two sects/sub-species,
the Reds and the Greens, differentiated primarily by skin color and by religious beliefs.
(World War Hulk: Gamma Files: Proselytes entry) - The two sects vied for supremacy, with the Reds eventually winning the holy war and becoming the dominating race., dubbing themselves the Proselytes (see comments).
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb) - BTS / World War Hulk: Gamma Files: Proselytes entry) - Over time, the Proselytes' religious fanatacism led to the persecution of the Greens as lesser beings, subjugating them to imprisonment or worse.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb) - BTS) - A triumvirate of cardinals came to rule the Reds/Proselytes, dubbing themselves the Holy Hierarchy. Their will was enforced by Prophet-Priests, also apparently known as Holy Huntsmen.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb)) - BTS) - The Greens priestess, K'rel, prophesied that a champion would come to liberate them from the Reds' oppression. The prophecy allowed the Greens to hope, and it angered (and/or threatened) the Reds, who tried to silence K'rel.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb) - BTS / World War Hulk: Gamma Files: Proselytes entry) - Seeking to locate the Greens' champion, K'rel fled Cygnet VII by riding gamma rays through space to Earth.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - In their Cathedral-Ship, a number of Holy Huntsmen tracked K'rel to Earth and located her with a crimson beam seconds after her arrival in upstate New York, nearly Northwind Observatory.
The Huntsmen then beamed down to Earth, and when K'rel grabbed a stick to defend herself, a Huntsman apparently incinerated her stick with a blast from his staff, after which a number of Huntsmen engaged her. With one holding her arms, she kicked at another, but a third leveled a hand blaster at her.
Having observed the arrivals and confrontation from his observatory, the Hulk (then having recently gained Bruce Banner's mind and emotions) intervened, battling the Huntsmen. Distracting the Huntsmen so K'rel could get free, the Hulk tolerated their energy blasts and knocked them about repeatedly while K'rel joined the fight as well until one of the Huntsman provided an order to capture both K'rel and the Hulk with their tractor beam device.
As soon as the captives were within the ship, the Huntsmen were beamed up as well, after which the ship took off.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb)) - BTS) - The Hulk and K'rel were restrained and/or pacified upon their entry into the ship.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 - BTS) - Patrolling forest rangers Lew and Sal spotted the ship as it took off.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb)) - BTS) - Lew and Sal reported the UFO siting, but no one believed them.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb)) - BTS) - Traveling via hyperspace, the Cathedral Ship returned to Cyget VII in less than a day. During that time, the ship's Educator imparted to the Hulk a comprehensive portrait of Cygnet VII.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - The return of the ship and its holy crew were cheered by the Proselytes, as was their display of the captured blasphemers, after which the Red population streamed in to worship in the Cathedral-Ship. The Green prisoners were denounced.
The
Prophet-Priests led the Hulk and K'rel through a taunting, jeering
crowd; the Hulk feared endangering K'rel if he broke free, and she told
him that his power was what kept the Reds from killing her. 
The Priests silenced the prisoners as they approached the Temple of Judgment. When they were brought before the Holy Hierachy, the Hulk broke his bonds in preparation to confront and speak with them. The Hulk fought his way past and apparently subdued the entire group of Prophet-Priests, but when he confronted the Hierarchy, they refused to speak to him. The triad noted instead that they had long been aware of the unrest amongst the Greens, and that the priestess' finding of a champion that might fulfil her prophecy created a dangerous situation they needed to diffuse as quickly as possible by displaying the utter inadequacy of the priestess and her champion for all their world to see; with that, the cardinals unleashed a trio of blasts from their powerful staffs that felled the Hulk.
K'rel and the Hulk were judged and sent to imprisonment in the Pit, where the masked guards (aka Faceless Ones) relished the chance to educate a Green that didn't yet know his place, although the Priests warned of the Hulk's power and that their threats against the priestess were all that held him in check. Seeing K'rel, imprisoned Greens asked her if she had found a champion to end their persecution, but the Priests told them that their persecution would end once they sampled the pleasures of the pit. K'rel remarked that not even the Reds could be so callous and cruel, explaining the Pit to be a brutal arena for slaughter and sacrifice. Hearing this and angered by the Priests taunts about their beasts being hungry, the Hulk tore the bars off the cages and swatted back the Priests, but was caught off-guard and incapacitated by a Priest's anesthetic gas weapon. .
Noting that their religion taught them to be peaceful and passive, a fact the Reds had capitalized on, K'rel praised the Hulk's treasuring peace and fighting for survival. She tackled one of the Priests from behind, though she was swiftly captured, and chained up alongside the Hulk.
The next day, Proselytes herded the Greens alongside the Hulk into the Pit's arena. An armed Proselyte cavalry attacked first, but the Hulk swiftly subdued them. A trio of Proselytes (likely the Hierarchy, but possibly a group of supervising Prophet-Priests; see comments) then ordered the sending in a trio of Draggoths, but the Hulk took them out as well.
Not wishing to allow the Hulk's example to incite a greater
insurrection, the supervising Proselytes (as above)
ordered a halt to the games, at which point
the Priests again threated K'rel to force the Hulk out of the
arena and
into a torture chamber. The Hierarchy told him he would submit to
torture on the laser-rack and then confess his plans to foment a
revolution and to overthrow the Holy Hierarchy; when they threatened to
put K'rel on the rack in his place, the Hulk complied. However,
after the lasers began blasting his head, the Hulk realized that if he
died, the Greens would be even worse off for having their hopes dashed.
Breaking free, he then smashed the rack as he denounced the Proselytes
carrying out their persecutions in secrecy and darkness.
One of the Priests argued that they had made the world their via
their faith and fortitude, and that they would never submit to
domination by the Greens. Overcoming the Priests, the Hulk broke into
and shattered the Greens' prisons, leading them in a revolt. 
The Prophet-Priests announced the revolt they had feared and urged the Holy Huntsmen forward (see comments); to prevent future revolt, the Priests ordered the death of all Greens.
The Hulk drove back large groups of Reds, inspiring the Greens rushed a stationary Cathedral (the Reds' sacred sanctuary), with K'rel calling for the Hierarchy's deaths. The Hulk shattered the cathedral's doors, and as the Reds used their weapons to slay the in-rushing Greens, the Hulk tore down immense curtain, threw it over the Prophet-Priests, and the used it to scoop a number of them up and to club the remaining Prophet-Priests with them.
The Hulk then led K'rel and the Greens to confront the Holy Hierarchy.
Though the cardinals cursed the Greens as defilers and blasphemers,
K'rel told
them that those they had persecuted had risen up to destroy them; the
Hulk countered that the Hierarchy need not be harmed, but that their
oppression of the Greens must stop now and forever. One of the
Hierarchy argued that they did not believe the Greens would spare them
any more than they would have done in the same situation, as in holy
war quarter was neither asked nor given. Denouncing the belief that
might-made-right in the eyes of God, the Hulk took down the Hierarchy,
and K'rel
announced that the rule of the Proselytes had ended.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb)) - BTS) - The Green rose up all over Cygnet VII and ended their oppression.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - Declining K'rel's offer to stay, the Hulk departed in a ship powered for a one-way trip back to Earth.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 - BTS) - Alongside a pair of male Greens, K'rel formed a new Holy Hierarchy.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - As another of the Holy Hierarchy announced that the Proselytes were rounded up in the town square, K'rel told him that they should be called Proselytes no more; they had fallen from power, and the Greens were now the Proselytes, and it was their religion that would be proclaimed on Cygnet VII...and let those without faith perish!
On the streets, another of her priests struck one of the Reds, warning the dog to avert his eyes from the priestess so that his vile gaze would not pollute the persons of the Holy Hierarchy.
One of the Greens
pelted one of the "dirty Reds" with a stone, asking where was their
faith to protect them now?, leading the crowd of Greens to stone their
former oppressors.
Another of the Holy Hierarchy told K'rel how some of the people were murmuring about the last words of their savior to be merciful, but she reminded him that their savior had departed and that only she could rightly interpret his words; she insisted that the punishment of the Reds persist.
The Reds served as slaves, prisoners, and sport to the Greens. A cry rose up from the Reds for a savior, but no savior came, only death.
And the Greens came to adopt revenge as their religion and repression as their god; and those that did not participate in the Greens' faith were wiped out.
Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo and Herb Trimpe.
We don't know where Cygnet VII is located, only that it is "untold light years" from Earth. For reference, Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to Earth's sun is 4.3 light years from Earth...and the Milky Way galaxy is 80,000 to 100,000 light years across (according to the 'ol interweb). Obviously K'rel could have used some sort of wormhole and traveled an intergalactic to reach Earth, but I would think putting Cygnet VII in the Milky Way galaxy would be the logical ASSumption.
Proselytes is an interesting word, and an interesting choice of name(s)
for the Greens and the Reds. The word generally means a new convert to
any particular religion or doctrine. It has some more specific terms in
Biblical references, and it refers to God-fearers, and specifically to
those converting to Judaism.
I would guess that
on Cygnet VII, as no one speaks English and the Hulk/Banner was
specifically mentally trained in their language and history, it was
simply the closest English equivalent, and there is no English word
that matches it exactly.
I'd also guess that
based on the red's facial veils and the origins of the word Proselytes
that the conflict was perhaps inspired in some fashion by the conflict
between Muslims and Hebrews. Or not.
Perhaps equally interesting in terms of choice of terms is "Cygnet," which means a young swan. Various places, vehicles, groups, etc. use the name, but that's the original source.
The Holy Hierarchy is first shown as unmasked, but when they were overthrown, they were visors and headdresses identical to the Prophet-Priests / Holy Huntsmen. As the group supervising and giving orders in the Pit's arena was a trio (as shown in the 2nd from top image labeled "Holy Huntsman"), with at least one of them having an unmarked bald head like the Hierarchy, I'd think it was likely that this was the Hierarchy as well... but maybe not.
Some of the Prophet-Priests had the Cyclops-eque visor/headdress and some had the black sunglasses instead of the Cyclops-visor; no explanation was given in terms of rank or other reason for this. Perhaps those with the black sunglasses were the Holy Huntsmen, while those with the Cyclops-visors were the Prophet-Priests? It wasn't clearly spelled out, and they seemed to be mixed in most groupings.
There are at least a couple images that show the Reds with four fingers and a thumb, but the vast majority of images show them with three fingers. Perhaps having four fingers is a common mutation (like polydactyly in cats, such as the Hemingway cats); in the OHotMU entry seen to the above right, the original image showed three fingers holding the staff/sceptre, while the outstretched hand was off panel; the refurbished image added the extra digits.
The overall message of the story was good, but the story itself left me with a few questions:
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Reds of Cygnet VII ("Red Cygnetians"), known as the
Reds (and formerly as the Proselytes), should be distinguished
from:
The arena was the sun-scorched sandy field in which the Reds had Greens publicly slaughtered and humiliated.
I believe the arena itself was the Pit, although the term also seemed to describe the entire facility, which is what I'm going with to clarity.
A trio of Proselytes (likely the Holy Hierarchy, but possibly a group of supervising Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen; see comments) supervised the games from a balcony.
Amongst the trials seen for the "participants" were:
The cavalry
The Draggoths
Wagers were often made on how long the Greens would serve the trials.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - The Proselytes herded the Greens alongside the Hulk into the Pit's arena.
An armed Proselyte cavalry attacked first, but the Hulk swiftly subdued them.
A trio of Proselytes (as discussed above) then ordered the sending in a trio of Draggoths, but the Hulk took them out as well.
Not wishing to allow the Hulk's example to incite a greater insurrection, the supervising Proselytes ordered a halt to the games, at which point the Priests again threated K'rel to force the Hulk out of the arena and into a torture chamber.--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: Also visible just in front of the supervising Proselytes is the head of at least one of the cavalry's steeds.
After the Hulk freed the Greens imprisoned in the Pit, he led them to overpower the local Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen, and seek out the Holy Hierarchy in the cathedral (the Reds' sacred sanctuary).
Though the Prophet-Priests / Holy Huntsmen (different names for the same group, or different groups?; see note) within the cathedral used their blasters against the unarmed Greens, the Hulk took out the Priests and/or Huntsmen, after which he led the defeat of the Holy Hierarchy, as well.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: It is unclear whether the cathedral was part of the Cathedral-ship.
It is similar unrevealed whether it was connected to the Temple of Judgment.
I think the different buildings were used for different purposes, and the Holy Hierarchy moved around to the different buildings for whatever function they wished to cover.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb)) - BTS) - The immense Cathedral-Ship transported a large number of Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen (different names for the same group, or different groups?; see comments) across "countless light years" in less than a day via traveling through hyperspace.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 - BTS) - The Priests tracked the Greens Priestess, K'rel, to Earth and followed her there.
A number of Prophet-Priests and/or Huntsmen were transported down to deal with her, but when the Hulk intervened and overpowered those on the planet's surface, one of the Huntsmen ordered both the Hulk and K'rel to be captured via tractor beam.
After they were beamed up, the Huntsmen and/or Priests beamed back up to the ship as well.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 - BTS) - Patrolling forest rangers Lew and Sal spotted the ship as it took off.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb)) - BTS) - Lew and Sal reported the UFO siting, but no one believed them.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - The return of the ship and its holy crew were cheered by the Proselytes.
A number of Priests and/or Huntsmen descended from the ship via a shuttle apparenlty on a cable, proudly displaying and announcing/denouncing the captured blasphemers.
After the Cathedral-ship landed, the Red population streamed in to worship in the Cathedral-Ship. The Green prisoners were denounced.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: It is unrevealed whether the Cathedral-ship was physically connected to the cathedral in which the Holy Hierarchy were ultimately overthrown.
With the Pit's arena, Reds/Proselytes (apparently Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen; see comments) rode steeds and carried their energy-powered staffs as they charged unarmed/defenseless Greens.
Largely horse-like in body conformation (including the digitigrade stance), the steeds had horns and two sharp toes (or possibly cloven hooves) on each foot.
As the supervising Proselytes (likely the Holy Hierarchy, but possibly a group of supervising Prophet-Priests; see comments) announced that the infidels were assembled and to let the festivities begin, the cavalry charged the Greens.
Telling the Greens to get behind him, the Hulk easily shattered his chains and then singlehandedly flattened the
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: As seen at the bottom of the arena image, just in front of the supervising Proselytes, is the head of at least one of the cavalry's steeds, which shows that they appear to have horns that are situated medial to their ears (between/toward the middle). You can make out the shadow of the head of at least one of the steeds in the image to the left, but it's not as obvious; it's similarly not clear in the steed profile shown on the right, due to the Huntsman's boot and the air swipe from the Hulk's swing...
The Faceless Ones supervised the dungeon at the Pit.
They were Reds/Proselytes apparently wearing masks (see comments) that showed only their eyes, masking their faces.
Carrying spikes maces, they enjoyed beating their prisoners into submission.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - When the Greens' priestess, K'rel, and the Hulk were sent the Pit, the Faceless Ones relished the chance to educate a Green that didn't yet know his place, although the Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen warned of the Hulk's power and that their threats against the priestess were all that held him in check.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: I was sure I recalled an image that clearly showed masks (as opposed to some sort of sealant spray).
If the masking material was sealed to their skin, they must have been semi-permeable to allow breathing; if they could not be removed, they would have had to have some alternate means of obtaining hydration and nutrition.
The Holy Hierarchy and the Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen (different names for the same group, or different groups?; see note) wielded a number of hand-blasters.
The hand-held weapons were seen to fire energy-blasts (as shown in the main profile when a number of Priests / Huntsmen are firing them on revolting Greens invading their cathedral).
The weapons were also shown to fire anesthetic ("knock-out") gas, sufficient to drop the Hulk, assuming he inhaled a sufficient amount of it.
It is unclear whether weapons could be set to fire gas or release energy blasts, or whether these were completely different weapons used in different situations (or by different beings).
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Prophet-Priests / Holy Huntsmen
The Holy Huntsmen and/or Prophet-Priests (different names for the same group, or different groups?; see note) served as enforcers for the Reds/Proselytes' Holy Hierarchy.
They wielded staffs topped with their religious symbol, and which could fire energy blasts.
They also carried hand-held blasters and hand-held gas guns.
They operated the Cathedral-ship that tracked K'rel to Earth.
A large group beamed down to Earth to capture K'rel, but when the Hulk arrived and fought them off, one of their number activated a tractor beam to bring the Hulk and K'rel aboard the Cathedral-Ship, after which they returned to Cygnet VII.
They led the captured Hulk and K'rel to the Holy Hierarchy and then delivered them to the Faceless Ones in the dungeons of the Pit as per their leaders' decree; when the Hulk rebelled against the planned gladiatorial combat, one of them subdued him with a gas-gun.
Supervising the gladiatorial combat, they re-directed the Hulk and K'rel to the torture chamber after he overcame the cavalry and Draggoths. When the Hulk broke out of the laser-rack, they were helpless to stop him from freeing the imprisoned Greens and leading a revolt across the town and ultimately taking down the Holy Hierarchy.
Almost certainly stripped of their uniforms and weapons, the Prophet-Priests and Holy Huntsmen were presumably either executed or mixed into the general population of captured Reds and submitted to various forms of torture.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: Some of the Prophet-Priests had the Cyclops-eque visor/headdress and some had the black sunglasses instead of the Cyclops-visor; no explanation was given in terms of rank or other reason for this.
Perhaps those with the black sunglasses were the Holy Huntsmen, while those with the Cyclops-visors were the Prophet-Priests? Or vice-versa? Or verse-vice-a? It wasn't clearly spelled out, and they seemed to be mixed in most groupings.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb) - BTS) - A triumvirate of cardinals came to rule the Reds/Proselytes, dubbing themselves the Holy Hierarchy.
Their will was enforced by Prophet-Priests, also apparently known as Holy Huntsmen (see comments).
The Holy Hierarchy wielded energy-blast projecting staffs and hand-held blasters.
It was presumably the Hierarchy who provided the order to silence the Greens' priestess, K'rel, when she prophesized about a champion that would liberate the Greens; and to pursue K'rel when she left the planet in search of said champion.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - The Holy Hierarchy was within the Temple of Judgment when the Prophet Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen brought in K'rel and the Hulk (the champion she had encountered on Earth).
Upon learning the Hierarchy was in charge, the Hulk broke his bonds and
confronted them; however, they refused to speak to him. The triad noted
instead that they had long been aware of the unrest amongst the Greens,
and that the priestess' finding of a champion that might fulfil her
prophecy created a dangerous situation they needed to diffuse as
quickly as possible by displaying the utter inadequacy of the priestess
and her champion for all their world to see; with that, the cardinals
unleashed a trio of blasts from their powerful staffs that felled the
Hulk.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (fb) - BTS) - The Hierarchy sentenced the Hulk and K'rel to the Pit.
(Incredible
Hulk II Annual#12) - When the Hulk overcame the Proselyte cavalry and the Draggoths sent against him, a trio of Proselytes (likely the Hierarchy, but possibly a group of supervising Prophet-Priests; see comments) ordered a halt to the games, at which point
the Priests again threated K'rel to force the Hulk out of the arena and
into a torture chamber.
Ultimately, the Hulk broke out of the torture chamber, liberated the imprisoned Greens, and led them to storm the cathedral in which the Holy Hierarchy were stationed.
Though the cardinals cursed the Greens as defilers and blasphemers, K'rel told them that those they had persecuted had risen up to destroy them; the Hulk countered that the Hierarchy need not be harmed, but that their oppression of the Greens must stop now and forever. One of the Hierarchy argued that they did not believe the Greens would spare them any more than they would have done in the same situation, as in holy war quarter was neither asked nor given. Denouncing the belief that might-made-right in the eyes of God, the Hulk took down the Hierarchy, and K'rel announced that the rule of the Proselytes had ended.
Almost certainly stripped of their uniforms and weapons, the Prophet-Priests and Holy Huntsmen were presumably either executed or mixed into the general population of captured Reds and submitted to various forms of torture.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: The second image down on the right simply shows their boots and the pattern on one of their capes.
The Pit was a location to which the Reds/Proselytes sentences the Greens they considered most deserving of pain, humiliation, and death; and/or if they wanted a "confession."
The Pit contained:
Dungeons able to hold large numbers of detainees.
Manacles and chains from which prisoners could be suspended on the wall in chains.
The large gladiatorial arena (that may have been the actual "Pit," rather than the entire facility).
The torture chamber.
The jailors were masked Reds known only as the Faceless Ones.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
This shuttle apparently was lowered down along a pole or cable underneath the Cathedral-ship.
It transported the bound Hulk and K'rel, along with a number of Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen, publicly displaying them before the Reds / Proselytes.
Upon reaching the ground, the prisoners and guards traveled to a tractor/truck-like vehicle to travel to the Temple of Judgment.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: The shuttle is seen lowering from the Cathedral-ship in the main profile image showing the Cathedral-ship and the Reds/Proselytes on the streets.
Note: The image of the vehicles shows them coming through the Pit's entrance gate.
The Holy Hierarchy and the Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen (different names for the same group, or different groups?; see note) wielded staffs topped with their religious symbol, and which could fire energy blasts.
The Hulk shrugged off blasts from the Huntsmen/Priests' staffs, but a trio of simultaneously blasts from the Holy Hierarchy's staffs took him out.
Presumably the Hierarchy's staff's blasts were significantly more powerful than the Priests>
But it also could be that they had a cumulative effect on top of the Priests' blasts the Hulk had weathered before confronting the Hierarchy
And/or that he was still somewhat subdued from whatever they had used to keep him in stasis on the trip back in the Cathedral-ship (the more sleepy Hulk gets, the weaker Hulk gets).
Some of these energy-wielding staffs were long, approximating the height of the user, which others were much shorter, like a sceptre (see the arena image).
The blasts were seen to apparently incinerate solid matter (such as a wooden stick) at some times, and other times to incapacitate (or possibly slay) victims without causing significant tissue damage.
Presumably they had more of a stun (neurologic disruption) effect on their targets.
Perhaps this could also be set by the wielders.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
The Reds' religious symbol was a circle with five prongs, one straight up from the top, two straight prongs on either side of the central one, and two from the side that bent upward a short distance from the start.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: The image to left shows the symbol behind the Holy Hierarchy within the Temple of Judgment.
The symbol is also shown on the various staffs held by the Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen throughout the profile.
After bringing the Hulk and K'rel to Cygnet VII, the Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen led them to the Temple of Judgment.
Within the Temple, the Holy Hierarchy refused to discuss matters with the Hulk, instead blasting both him and K'rel unconscious.
The Holy Hierarchy then judged the Hulk and K'rel, sentencing them to the Pit, to which they were subsequently transported.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: The internal appearance of the Temple of Judgment is shown in the symbol sub-profile.
It is unrevealed whether the Temple of Judgment is (or was) connected to the cathedral in which the Hulk and K'rel led the Greens to a confrontation with the Holy Hierarchy.
Apparently within the Pit's facility, the torture chamber was used to force "confessions" from Greens.
There were chains hanging from the ceiling and some sort of spike-device also attached to something on the ceiling of the room.
Most notable, however, was the laser-rack.
Victims had their hands and feet chained (and their shoulders and mid-section were somehow bound), while lasers were fired into the victim's head.
(Incredible Hulk II Annual#12) - The Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen told the Hulk he would submit to torture on the laser-rack and then confess his plans to foment a revolution and to overthrow the Holy Hierarchy; when they threatened to put K'rel on the rack in his place, the Hulk complied.
However, after the lasers began blasting his head, the Hulk realized that if he died, the Greens would be even worse off for having their hopes dashed. Breaking free, he then smashed the rack as he denounced the Proselytes carrying out their persecutions in secrecy and darkness.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
The Prophet-Priests and/or Holy Huntsmen used these car-like transports to take the Hulk and K'rel from the Temple of Judgment to the Pit.
It is not clear whether these vehicles had wheels or whether they were hovercrafts of some sort.
The interiors of the vehicles were not shown, and we really don't know much else about them.
--Incredible Hulk II Annual#12
Note: The image for this sub-profile shows the vehicle entering the Pit's gates.
The image for the Pit shows the vehicles climbing the road toward the Pit.
Only two Huntsmen / Prophet-Priests were seen to accompany the Hulk and K'rel into the Pit, and it seems likely that one vehicle each contained one of the prisoners.
images: (without ads)
Incredible Hulk II Annual#12, pg. 5 (Cathedral Ship flying);
pg. 6, panel 2 (Huntsman blasting K'rel's stick);
pg. 7, panel 2 (Huntsman with handweapon);
pg. 11 (Cathedral ship landing, with smaller shuttle being lowered);
pg. 12, panel 1 (shuttle);
panel 3 (Cathedral ship landed);
pg. 13, panel 1 (Red crowd);
panel 4 (Temple of Judgment - exterior);
pg. 14, panel 1 (Temple of Judgment - interior);
pg. 15, panel 1 (Holy Hierarchy - lower legs and cape decorations);
panel 2 (Holy Hierarchy face) -
image from World War Hulk: Gamma Files: Proselytes entry used
pg. 16, panel 1 (Pit exterior; vehicle from behind);
panel 2 (vehicles entering the Pit);
panel 4-5 (Faceless One from rear and front);
pg. 17, panel 4 (gas gun);
pg. 18, panel 3 (Huntsmen, headdress decoration);
pg. 19 (Reds' Arena);
pg. 20, panel 1 (Reds cavalry);
panel 2 (cavalry flattened; steed in profile);
pg. 21, panel 1 (Huntsmen -- or Heirarchy? -- in balcony);
pg. 22, panel 5 (torture chamber);
pg. 24, panel 1 (lasers torturing Hulk);
pg. 26, panel 2 (Red Huntsmen vs. Greens in crowd);
pg. 28, panel 1 (Greens rushing Cathedral);
panel 3 (Red Huntsmen blasting Greens in Cathedral);
pg. 29, panel 4 (Hulk and Greens confronting Holy Hierarchy);
pg. 30, panel 1 (Holy Hierarchy with handblaster and staff);
panel 4 (Holy Hierarchy defeated);
pg. 35, panel 1 (Greens Holy Hierarchy standing above Reds lined up);
panel 2 (Reds in crowd);
panel 3 (Green Priest poking Red);
panel 5 (K'rel and other Green Holy Hierarchy male);
pg. 36, panel 1 (Green Holy Hierarchy in car/vehicle supervising Red slaves);
panel 2 (Reds in slave transport vehicles);
panel 3 (Reds suspended on walls);
pg. 37, panel 1 (Greens-controlled Arena);
panel 2 (Green Holy Hierarchy - front);
panel 4 (Greens' beasts released, from above);
panel 5 (Greens' beasts, from front);
pg. 38, panel 1 (Greens' beasts slaughtering Reds);
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk II Annual#12 (1983) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Herb Trimpe (artist), Al Milgrom (editor)
World
War Hulk: Gamma Files: Proselytes entry (2007) - Madison Carter, Jeff
Christiansen (writers), Michael Short & Cory Levine (assistant
editor), Mark D. Beazley (associate editor), Jeff Youngquist &
Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
First posted: 7/03/2018
Last updated: 7/04/2018
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
Holy 
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