Misty dirge, so that life emerge. From the hollow come drear death to swallow. The mires shall rise, and in their place vigor dies. From the dark, from the cold. Come hither, come hell. Weak in flesh, strong in death. Come hither, come hell. From depths shall he swell. Father of the Monsters you cannot repel. Slither on in your fate- we are ever in your wait. Come hither, come hell. Now sleep beneath the silent citadel. Shearkhan E’Malus! Aʐfvyhàh Keinörʐ! Aravontae Shearkhan!
Situated beneath the Congraven and neighbors Malia and Talsmajir, and just above Southern
Conferus. The climate of Arkhan is cold, freezing even. A near constant cover of clouds
ushered in from the boreal reaches of Conferus refrigerate the environment. The biospheres
within are diverse but retain one common factor, the quiet. From the tundra to the mountain.
From the marsh to the forest. Animals rarely sing and insects chirp not. Sound in the silence
marks you as surprised, as clueless, as prey. Perhaps it is a scar left over from the Arkhan of
old, the Holy Land infested by divinity. Worsened by the disease of The Rike.
Trustworthy is not a word used to describe the people of the region. Whilst everything looks
alright at a glance, Arkhan is a surveillance state. Infils are everywhere and
relentless. While it is known that not every individual is an agent of the totalitarian state,
there are enough to warrant grave concern. Enough people being replaced and enough held in
blacksites to still the tongue and make the mind race. Outside the region, Arkhianians are
treated as equal and suspicion is greatly dulled given how easier it is to thwart infiltrator
networks. Whilst within Arkhan however, the networks are a terrifying threat. So consolidated
and organized the state has no use for petty camera. No technology watches, only those agents
and those replaced. Should one stay in their lane however, should one seek a happy life with
their own niche carved out. They should not fear. The Highbinder has no use for cartoonish
violence neither, and scathing criticism and loathing draws no ire. No, only if one disobeys
order, takes down parts of the network, or discovers new and useful knowledge will they find
themselves being watched or with a bag over their head. Breeding a quiet life in Arkhan devoid
of much troublemaking. But those who do make trouble are either snuffed out quickly, or
good at it.
The region was known for its brilliant minds and esteemed academia, known for its founder.
Arkhan, The Father of Monsters. Out of thirteen original regions, and eight survivors.
Out of thirteen founders, he alone was a Father.
A member of the Hegemony; The Region Pact.
And like all eight remaining members it has its
own unique political sphere.
Arkhan is best realized as a Totalitarianism
dictatorship. Despite her court, the Highbinder
is an autarch through and through. While it
cannot be proven it is thought that Verschwörer
kills promising adversaries before they have the
chance to challenge her.
Arkhan curiously is the only known region
whose The Founders Priestess operates as
intended. Whether this is related to the fact
the region had the only Father as the others
were born to mothers is unknown.
And while Arkhan retains the government
structure of the Regions, its operation is one of
the most altered. Outside pressures like the
current Opernregisseur's words weigh more
than that of the Arch Salvian or Mesmorioc.
Out of every 7 people two are state informants and one is an infiltrator
Hated by the masses outside her misty region. Distrusted by those inside.
Mother of infiltrators, the weaving spider at the center of a web of lies.
A Conniving threat to all. Her rise to the throne was uneventful, yet the
toppling of Past Region Queen Vikar drew attention far and wide for the sheer brutality in which
Verschwörer won the ritualistic duel. Ripping into the past queen, yet without any hint of distress
nor anger. Quiet and reserved, she makes not trouble under her name. Subverting blame to scapegoat
perverse.
Her reign has seen the defeated threat of Arkhan infiltrators rise in terrifying numbers. Posing
more of a threat than ever before- all whilst she appears to do nothing. Her motives unknown, the
region and nations in and around on edge, something wicked this way comes. Something that cannot
be undone. Infils wear the skin of your son. They speak in the voice of those undone. Covert
violence has begun. This is not something you can outrun.
Her rule is secured, and infiltrators are back. A seemingly defeated threat from the past,
disassembled in the times of The Black Crusade, and decommissioned by the death of a great
Opernregisseur in the drowning of a district. And just like that, the Mother of Infiltrators
brought them back. Arkhan has eyes neigh almost everywhere. Directed by the Highbinder herself.
Her goal is still unknown but they all know it not benevolent. Curses are cropping up left
and right in those quiet lands. Gods are dying and fleeing, something wicked this way comes.
Something that cannot be undone
The culture of Arkhan is quiet yet competitive. The brightest minds and most aspiring
scholars fill the region. With up to a astonishing 78% of city inhabitants working as
some kind of scholar or academic. The vast majority of breakthroughs on Sertha originate
from Region Arkhan, and thus as Arkhan leads the way in science. The other regions step
in and trade heavily with Arkhan, even gifting them resources as Arkhan does not have
enough contractors to keep itself afloat by its own. Being catered too, and being ahead
of the world hath bred a different kind of ego in its people. Not a sneering mocking
thing, but not as supportive and kind as one would wish. Harsher blunt words and
observations are used in place of typical pleasantries. Honesty is prided here,
despite the vast amounts of unspoken secrets.
Being competitive, many learn a vast variety of skills. The more accomplished someone is,
the closer they are to gaining a grander estate rather than the typical government provided
housing. And the more one rises in the ranks, the closer they become to The Highbinder.
The ‘safer’ they are from being replaced or sent to a blacksite. And they are gifted and
allowed the best picks of imported and gathered resources. Another incentive for these
academic minds. Despite this, paranoia floods through the kindred of Arkhan. Infiltrators are everywhere,
a tight net of control and surveillance. This resurgence of infils frightens the people,
the need to appear honest paramount. Thus comes that blunt competitive attitude for another
reason. Though it is to note that The Highbinder has no true interest in the people. It's
the fear that's important, the fear that accelerates and hones skills and research.
Paranoia is not aided by the covert civil war Arkhan is fighting. Not everyone is content with the rule of
The Highbinder. Especially not those she had disposed of. This civil war acts more as rumor than concrete
fact. But what is known is fighting is happening. Raids on buildings and supposed resistance cells occur.
Just as sabotage and ‘accident’ befall the assets of government. Just as people go missing and assassinations
happen, as datacenters fall to well timed attacks. The average person however, ignores this civil war.
Finding comfort in study and, despite the attitude of the region, in wild raves. For as unknown soldiers
live and in for control of the region, the people pushed to the brink of insanity are getting down in
abandoned facilities. Often unknowingly acting as cover for the civil war. Giving shelter and a slight
chance to slip by should one be chased into crowded rooms filled with smoke, sex, drugs, light, and fast
paced music.
The world does, despite its contributions, have a strained relationship with Arkhan’s culture.
The entertainment industry being the worst offender, the average dragomii has to always
take a double take. Snuff films, red rooms, necrophilia, and all sorts of other debauchery.
Though it is not the acts themselves that off put others, but the attitude and frequency of
those acts. Arkhanian internet is seen as a different beast as a result. A land of taboo that
others very quietly love to indulge in, often trekking into pits of the darkest desire.
This is to not say its people are evil, no, they have been pushed and tested beyond belief. In
response these traditions and rituals have been born of old mythology and habit. Mutated one could say.
The average person is displeased with The Highbinder, and their vices are not evil. Corpse marriage has a
legitimate background grounded in love of preservation. And Arkhan hath merely streamlined the art of death.
The others having their brawls, their arenas and coliseums, their bloodhalls and rabid sport. One is wild
and untamed, the other sterile and filmed. Unlike the other regions, they care about the result. Not
the fight that leads up to it.
-Reign of Monsters
-The Order of Whittlegrave
-The Black Crusade
-The Fall of Blackhold
-Darkreapers Frosthold
-The Rike Resurge
-Hellmarch
-The Great Bloodpriest War
Rebellion. The Highbinder hates the sexual bravado her citizens act with. Hates the way their region rebels and posts such degeneracy online. All crackdowns upon it so far have failed. And only increased the allure of the taboo. So Verschwörer is left brooding and unpleased with such a culture she cannot squash. The first frontier of where her control failed. Many welcome this degeneracy, they sign their bodies away after death or agree to go out in one last big show. This degeneracy is for the most part, completely consensual. Serving as a way to vent frustrations, enact final wills, and taunt the Highbinder in a way she cannot retaliate. For if you chose to insult and degrade her before a consensual death, there is nothing to fear. And the streamers who may showcase the kill are loved dearly for their service, making their deaths in turn catalysts for riots and grave anger.
The average city life in Arkhan is nothing too special. Just as standardized within The Regions, housing and food is a
given right. The government will provide those unsheltered with opportunities, will make sure kindred are fed. One can
typically live without incident, only being questioned about their fellow dragomii on occasion. But as long as one keeps
their head down and doesn’t cause problems for the Highbinder they can live long and prosperous lives. One Can
refuse to work for the Highbinder and not fear retaliation, it is fine as long as you do not impede her. Many civilians
spend their days researching and innovating, reading and existing without incident. The schooling initiative of Arkhan
is one of the best. You have just about every topic you could want at any university you could visit. Many are by
application only, but the ones that have no barriers to entry are solid still. One will typically go through an open
university in their youth and then with letters of recommendation, be allowed into the more gated universities to study
and learn at their leisure. Education in Arkhan is Not competitive and being competitive/sabotaging others is
grounds for being excused from schooling. They must work together to pool knowledge so that knowledge can be advanced
fast.
Recreation is where it gets fun. Arkhans internet is especially deranged. With everyone feeling the gaze of the
Highbinder on their back, they act insane when the pressure is gone. Despite her lobbying, the internet stays an
anonymous place. Forums and chatrooms will rarely be tied back to you if you use a few precautions. As rebellion
against a puritan leader, sex goes wild on the Arkhan internet. Many spectators from around the world will wyrm
their way into it to spectate. Witnessing degeneracy like no other, and degeneracy with willing partners. As its
seen as a great honor and pretty hard to be accepted to streams with someone like Reitter. And very respectable
for your funeral rites to be reduced to someones dead lover, of which many streams and videos are made of such content.
Besides the internet and all its fun, there exists spacial oddities such as the Bookkeepers Guilds titular library. An
non-Euclidian space that is seemingly endless on the inside. A library where any and every book or diary is accepted and
stored. A true treasure trove of knowledge is the Guilds library, one could get lost in there for years. The origin of
the library is hotly debated, some attribute it as a gift from Duke Agares, others attribute it to mahken engineering of
old. If the internet and the library do not seem intriguing enough, there are plenty of reserves to go hunting. The Arch
Gardens of Tundri and Dyrul are inhabited by many fauna in engineered habitats. Hunting is as enrichment and is as a
means to keep food incoming.
As for attire, in the capital city of Tundri, clothes that cover the full body are seen as provocative. Whilst going
naked is seen as modest. The opposite is true for Arkhan’s second city, Dyrul. Tundri is not as cold as Dyrul, making
it not as needed to go around in full attire. In fact you are seen as hiding something if you do, leading to many a
gaze being spared for you. But Dyrul is far far colder, the damage from the time of Darkreapers Frosthold
still going strong. It is normal and expected to wear heavy gowns and warm furs to ward off the frequent snow and
mist storms.
Overall, for all its current tyrannical shenanigans, City Life Expectancy is the second highest in the world.
Often producing some of the oldest Dragomii just because life is so very lax. This is another reason many chose
to willingly go out in the hands of a streamer or filmmaker. They simply live too long.
Life in the Arkhan frontier has the ability to be brutal, but more oft is calmer than life in the frontier of other
regions. For many, one must stay quiet as to not draw Bloodpriest near. As they remain a very present threat. Smaller
settlements and factions must contend with much of Arkhan’s fauna. Wolves, Hounds, Dukes, Bloodpriest, Geyr, and
Klall are common threats one encounters. The mist can become so thick in areas that it will drown you, and
the cold may strike at any moment. Especially in the lower reaches of Arkhan, as Darkreapers Frosthold has
still done untold damage to the weather. Leaving blizzards, snow storms, dagger rain, cold snaps, and cyclones to
bombard the area. Which is why most prefer the upper reaches of Arkhan. Which are far calmer, one however must be
far quieter.
In an established settlement such as Dim-Karcosa or Lurnscazel, one can live a life that is fairly average.
Much like their city counterparts. But live somewhere smaller? Somewhere younger? Somewhere rougher? Well, the game
changes. Food becomes a dire need, hunting becomes a must. Weather inclemency becomes as dangerous as it can be, and
shh be quiet, the Crowned Bloodpriest nears. This is where life in the frontier becomes hard, but not as brutal as it
could be. The highest life expectancy for the frontier is within Arkhan, as following simple rules can keep you for
the most part safe. Smaller establishments, villages, and settlements often avoid clashing with the larger entities
all around. Many days are spent weaving, hunting, and engineering.
One of the most important institutions is the Bookkeepers Guild. Headed by Thsdwundar,
guided by Günther they seek to stop the current government from censoring knowledge
and art in the modern era.
With Arkhan being mostly comprised of scientists and researchers, someone has to guard and
hoard that treasure trove of knowledge. This is a duty bestowed upon the Bookkeepers Guild.
No matter what tome, what book, no matter how well written or poorly cobbled together, they
keep it. They duplicate it, they make it readily available to the masses. Bookburners are
hunted by the guild and tensions between them and Arkhan’s government run high. As the Highbinder
seeks to restrict knowledge, the Guild seeks to release it.
Corpse Marriage:
No doubt the sole thing everyone is so interested in. The marriages that high ranking Guild
members participate in; Corpse Marriage. Where one Guild member is entrusted with a body of some
fallen kindred. After consummation, said member will be let in on the working order of things.
These marriages are not hedonistic things- but ritual and deeply sacred. Lives are but long stories,
and just because you can no longer read a story doesn’t mean it lost its value.
Arkhan exports quite a lot of entertainment media alongside technology. Literature is the second largest export,
rare books are often imported once, given to the Bookkeepers guild, and copies of those books are exported en masse.
Making the rare book no longer rare. The Guild will do this for basically anything that has a few pages and
scribbles. Outside of conservation for rare literature, they will ship out any other book the citizens write or find.
Music, streams, and videos are as well a massive export. Whilst these exports work in a stranger way, take two
regions internets collaborating to share information and media. They export all the same. Music exports are often
done via sending out ones music artists to other regions in exchange for whatever they might need. An agreement
many artists take as one: it gets them away from The Highbinder. And two: They get the rare opportunity to be
flown out to explore other regions.
As for technology, Arkhan exports quite a lot of technology in exchange for the resources to build such technology.
Practical and industrial technology is almost always a need. With old systems breaking down they must be replaced
with something new. Entire swaths of bio-engineering labs have been dedicated to export new technology. Unusual
for a region to do.
Modern Arkhan is generally disliked due to the tyrant in charge. This is a recent change, Vikar was typically liked
and seen as a good person. Verschwörer? No. While disliked, it is tolerated. The world needs its exports and needs
its support. Its relationship with Malia however..? Oh what a royal mess.
Kyunda, as it was called. Was an old city left abandoned after an outbreak of a mutated strain of blacksprike
killed 87% of the inhabitants. This was long ago during the beginning of Vikar's rule. Seeing the city left on
its lonesome, Malia decided to move in. Syrus being hardier than Dobers and all. Vikar saw only a lost opportunity,
her successor, Verschwörer, saw a traitorous action. And thus did she commence the contested lands. Trying to wrestle
back the city now called Mqalo from Malia and Region Queen Ngenzokwami.
Since then, it has been a struggle of holding onto the contested lands. Arkhan builds slum like border colonies
in an attempt to legitimize their claim. Malia antagonizes and holds the city near and dear. Fights and skirmishes
have broken out with each side oppressing each other's people. Malia is technically occupying the land, but the land
was left on its lonesome for so long.
It is a whole mess. A mess that threatens to spark a world war that is bound to be so bloody and so violent as to give
Utter-Fucking-Chaos a run. This is the catalyst yet to implode- the whole world waits on baited breath for when an
actual fight breaks out. They know that the moment the Highbinder loses her temper and orders an invasion, Kajir
will march upon Kelgorea and drag Liderea into the war. Malia will fight Arkhan and likely peacekeepers from Talsmajir.
Casaderea will either march upon Arkhan or Kelgorea, and if they do so. They may encur the wrath of Malia, which will
encur the wrath of Talsmajir. Which will drag Conferous into the war. It is a shitshow waiting for a throwdown. It is
not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
Given the Regions sheer size. The Highbinder and her court cannot control all of it.
Lurnscazel, both feared and hated within Arkhan. A diacratic kleptocracy focused on betterment of all dragomiian kind. Yet these visions for the betterment of all are not so easily welcomed in. For they require sacrifice. Sacrifice few are willing to make lest their hands be forced. And Lurnscazel does not fear forcing hands
Blackhold, oh the ruins and crater of Blackhold.
xxx
