Zarkan Zen

Zarkan Zen was a Tripolian leader who was elevated to power after his brother Zade's death, and was responsible for leading the nation through the Fall of Voldrania and reestablishing the nation as Jados in New Voldrania.
Zarkan was born in 32 AE to Amelia and Alexander Zen, daughter and step-son of Heran ruler Kathleen Ghern. Zarkan grew up a member of the royal family until the nations conversion to democracy, where he became a member of the Presidential family. The transition did little to effect Zarkan but ultimately contributed to his brothers eventual quest for power.
When Zade left to travel the world on his own Zarkan also left, and eventually met an old seer who taught him the secrets of mysticism, making Zarkan one of the few non-Lirun to be able to use magic in Voldrania.
After years of training and travel Zarkan found himself in Tripoly, which had fallen under control of his brother a few years prior. Zarkan remained quiet during his time in Tripoly even as the Ghernian War began, but when Hera's Operation Vagrant left them in control of the Tripolian Capital he finally came forward as Zade's brother.
After days of negotiation Heran occupational forces appointed Zarkan as Tripoly's new leader, in an attempt to ensure peace while appealing to the peoples faith in the Zen name. Zarkan now suddenly found himself in control of an entire nation, and he used his newfound power to establish the Jaden, an organization of soldiers trained in the art of mysticism that would work exclusively for the Tripolian government.
In mid 59 AE Fallnavor and Scavoran came to the brink of war over a disagreement over fugitives from Mynyyd receiving sanctuary in the former. While most of the world, including Akarv, remained neutral in the conflict Zarkan took Scavoran's side, supporting their demands. Before the war could come to fruition though, Zarkan redacted his statements after encouragement from Akarv. The Fall of Voldrania occurred soon after, and it all ended up pointless.
Tripoly was one of the few nations to survive the move from Voldrania to New Voldrania, due in no small part to Zarkan's leadership. When they resettled Zarkan made the decision that the nation should be rebranded, to represent a new age in their history; and so, Tripoly became Jados. Early life in New Voldrania was difficult for all of the Voldranians, but by 63 AE Jados and the nation formerly known as Tedre had managed to reestablish their governments enough to form an alliance, along with nearby Scavoran and the newly formed nation Varrenholm. This alliance, the Western Accord, looked to control the reformed Council by syncing its votes, effectively creating a voting bloc. The alliance led to the formation of EVAIN, founded by Akarv and some of the regions preexisting nations, to combat the Western Accords plans.
Conflict between EVAIN and the Western Accord quickly developed to the point of yet another near war, with Zarkan fully committed to fighting back if necessary. Even with the lingering war he focused on rebuilding the nation for his people and expanding the Jaden, but discontent across Jados had been steadily growing since Jados had been formed. The Western Accord/EVAIN conflict did little to help, and plots to overthrow Zarkan became more and more frequent. The final straw for most Jadosians came when Zarkan moved to make the first strike against Akarv after being deceived by the Nether Spirit Nem, but was stopped by disgruntled political advisors.
Revolts spread across the nation as the people rejected Zarkan and his conflicts. These revolts continued until they reached their climax in 73 AE, when a group of anarchists managed to infiltrate the Jadosian court and assassinate Zarkan, his wife, and a majority of the Jaden. Zarkan's infant son Zyven was spared, and was eventually extracted by Akarvian forces to be raised by his distant relatives in Akarv. Zarkan's death did not mark a great positive change in the nation; it instead marked the nations collapse into anarchy, with several factions competing to rebuild the nation in their image. While Zarkan was by no means a great leader, he proved to be one of the few forces holding Jados together in its early years.
Category:New Voldranians Category:Voldranians Category:Characters Category:Jadosians Category:Leaders