Who Rules The Predator Species?
116The Council of Ancients are the prime ruling authority of the Yautja. As their name implies, they were a council of Ancient Predators, spiritual leaders of the species. Within clans, there are typically only one ancient, meaning that the council might've been composed of several ancients from several different clans.
If the Clan Trials have commenced and been successful, the Council would actually be composed of two clans: The Ancients themselves and their eventual successors.
Not much information can be discerned about the Council of Ancients, as it's source mentions it rather sparingly. What is known is that they hold superiority over all other Clans, which look to it for guidance and structure via the laws it creates. Clans must also petition the Council to have exclusive access, called "Exclusive Hunting Rights", to a planet for hunting purposes.
The Council is responsible for keeping sacred Yautja rituals and traditions alive. It is also responsible for metting out punishment when particularly egregious slights against Predator kind arise from non-Predator races, such as humans. The Council is shown to, in a way, be responsible for the honour and integrity of the species as a whole and will ruthlessly destroy anything that sullies that honour, be it Hunter, Human, or Xenomorph.
If the Ancients have selected successors following the completion of the proper trials. Once done, the to-be Council acts as a subordinate Clan to the current Council and directly carries out their edicts. It is unknown if the failure to do this disqualifies the otherwise selected Clan to maintain their mantle as Ancients.
Ancient Clans do not rule forever. After a point in time, they begin to look at the strongest and most distinguished of lesser clans to be Successors. These clans, once chosen, are not notified of their nomination, but pitted against each other in a violent clash, whilst viewing the others as "poachers" on the planet they rightfully had exclusive access to. They use imported Alien Eggs to test a Clan's hunting prowess in an arena. When distance becomes an issue, the Ancients order their chosen to participate in Clan Trials: A pair of "formal hunts" designed to showcase a Clan's skill. These are the trials of Bravery and Stealth.
Succeeding in the first trial distinguishes a clan. Winning the second trial, one of bravery requiring the infiltration of a mature Hive and the slaying and trophy-making of a Queen Alien, secures a selected clan's position as successors to the Council.
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