Akhara

An ancient imperial power. Hyper patriarchal and militaristic, the Akharan empire once ruled over the majority of the known world (with the exceptions of Ossiah and the heartlands of Coralia), enslaving any cultures it encountered and establishing colonies on several continents. Through several internal conflicts and a series of disasters known as *the Great Blight*, Akhara crumbled virtually overnight into non-existence at the seeming height of its power. Akharan influence is still felt today however, and the ruins of it's once mighty capital are shunned as a cursed and haunted place, home now only to wild beasts and the savage clans that descended from Akhara's vast slave populace, who returned back to their ancestral ways of living following the collapse of the empire which had enslaved them.

**Rulership**

The government of Akhara was an absolute monarchy, with an emperor-like figure at its summit, known as the *Pentarch*. Succession was patrilineal; the eldest son succeeded the father after his death.

The Pentarch was seen as the undisputed head of Akharan culture and an embodiment of it's virtues and strengths. As such, the Pentarch was always male. The Pentarch was attended upon by a court of advisors, *the Council of Twelve* headed by a *Premus*, elected by his peers.

Various officials also existed to assist the Pentarch in his rulership, with the Akharan Council dealing with the day to day administration and various duties. Regional rulers known as *Locutors* governed cities, colonies and settlements outside the capital.

Amongst Akharan families, the father was seen as the pentarch of the family, the supreme head of the household in the same way the Pentarch was the supreme head of the empire. Sons took seniority over their mothers in terms of authority. The army was under authority of the Pentarch and all able-bodied males served a term in its ranks.

**Religion**

Religion within Akhara was virtually non-existent. Rather, a personality cult of the Pentarch pervaded, and he was viewed as semi-divine and the physical embodiment of Akharan power. A general recognition of Akharan destiny as decreed by the heavens was recognised and the heavenly bodies were regarded as influential upon human life. "Might is right" was the established morality within Akhara.

The nobility of Akhara was composed of various noble families who wielded power via their wealth and connections. These families sought to gain the favour of the Pentarch and his royal court.

Intrigue was rife amongst the noble families of the Pentarch's court. The Pentarch thus had to maintain absolute authority over his subjects and this was accomplished through the power afforded him via an initiation rite which every new Pentarch would undergo, involving a journey to the Ash Mountains north of Akhara, where he would slay and drink the blood of a dragon. Dragon's blood imparts extraordinary abilities upon the drinker, including heightened senses, superhuman strength and a sharpening of reflexes. It also greatly extends one's lifespan. Though the Pentarch's retainers could assist him in hunting and subduing a dragon, the Pentarch alone must slay and drink its blood.

With his newly acquired powers, the Pentarch would return, unmatched in his newfound abilities and was declared Pentarch in a grand ceremony in the Akharan capital. *The Festival of Ascension* as it was known, lasted 7 days, during which lavish feasts and tournaments were thrown, and 100 slaves were sacrificed both along the processional way which the Pentarch would travel on his entry into the city, and in the city arena as an offering and gesture to the Pentarch's power.

According to Akharan legend, the first Pentarch was Tyanor “the Exalted”. During a conflict that arose due to issues of rulership among the colony that would become the Akharan empire, Tyanor and several others were expelled and fled into the Ash Mountains. One by one they fell to hunger and the predations of the sulphur-beasts that lived there. After several weeks, Tyanor alone remained, on the verge of death. It was during this moment that he was visited by a mysterious woman who gave him water and guided him to a dying dragon. She instructed him to drink it's blood. Tyanor became suffused with power and returned, slaughtering his rivals and establishing himself as the first Pentarch of the Akharan empire.

The slave population of Akhara greatly outnumbered the free peoples of Akhara and thus there was always the possibility of revolt- especially considering the Akharan's often harsh treatment of their slave underclass. With slaves outnumbering them 3 to 1, the Akharans held a clandestine rite once every 4 years known as the *Night of Daggers*, when the bright yellow scorpion star was highest in the sky. During this night, young men would don masks and go out in small gangs armed with swords or daggers and slay those slaves who had proven themselves to be troublemakers or rabble-rousers. In this way the slave population of Akhara was kept in check.

**The Fall of Akhara**

The Akharan empire eventually declined due to several notable factors. Rebellions in Valnar and other occupied regions had become more frequent, with the Akharan practise of blood-tithes (by which all those under Akharan rule who were not outright enslaved had to surrender a certain number of young boys for the Darian Guard within the Akharan army) leading to the growing hatred and triggering several insurrections.

Another factor was the inevitable extinction of the dragons, and with them, their precious blood. Over time, due to the declining numbers of dragons, the Akharan Pentarchs began to rely on the dwindling stores of dragon blood which had been preserved, with each subsequent Pentarch receiving less and consequently possessing less of the awesome power and charisma of previous Pentarchs. This loss of power saw several ambitious noble families begin to machinate for control within Akhara and plot to win the throne for themselves. This led to growing instability and eventually outright civil conflict. As well as this, the disastrous experiments with dragon's blood in agriculture (such as attempting to use it to fertilise Akharan crops) led to a series of famines as crops became choked with thick weeds that sprung up, in an event that came to be known as *the* *Great Blight*. This fatal combination of rebellion, internal instability and food shortages led to a swift and definite collapse of Akhara.

**The Blood-Tithe**

Darian Iskander (the first of four Pentarchs to bear the name Darian) created the Darian Guard to provide for himself an elite fighting force who were loyal only to him. The guard was made up entirely of slaves raised from birth in the military academies of Akhara, known as the war temples. Darian founded a war temple for the sole purpose of training his elite unit.

The creation of the Darian Guard was in response to a revolt led by several generals over issues of wages- antagonised and financed in secret by rival dynastic houses who sought power for themselves. These generals gathered many followers from the high ranks of the Akharan army, and whilst the revolt was eventually subdued and violent clashes largely avoided, hostilities remained simmering under the surface between the Pentarch and his generals. Following the creation of the Darian Guard and their exceptional skills in battle being quickly proven, these hostilities eventually subsided. With no familial loyalties to bring them into conflict with the Pentarch, the Darian Guard were renowned for their fanatic devotion to their leader. Though the tithes for the Darian Guard were generally opposed, some noble families of colonised regions would offer their sons up for the Darian Guard in exchange for compensation or prestige.

Among the Darian Guard, the lieutenants were particularly feared. They formed an elite cadre known as the *Hekamancy* and were permitted to ritually smear their skin with dragon's blood. This would make their skin impervious to all but the deadliest of blows. The Hekamancy were thoroughly powerful warriors, capable of besting a dozen men in single combat.

**Prominent Akharan dynasties**

**Azmentar**

6 Pentarchs (Temokhan, Deumon I-III, Arkhemon, Eramon) dynasty reigned for 249 years

Motto: *"The Blood Endures"*

**Aritarchus**

4 Pentarchs, dynasty reigned for 310 years

Motto: *"Conquering Strength"*

**Leitera**

3 Pentarchs, dynasty reigned for 150 years

Motto: *"On The Backs Of The Weak"*

**Iskander**

5 Pentarchs (Darian), dynasty reigned for 402 years

Motto: *"Eternal Walls"*

Akharan historians came to refer to each dynastic period as an *age*; The Azmentarine dynastic period, characterised by the rise of Akhara as a serious power and the discovery of the dragon's blood elixir came to be known as the *Age of Discovery*.

The Aritarchine dynastic period, which saw the expansion of Akhara through conquest came to be known as the *Age of Conquest.*

The Leiteran dynastic period (arguably the height of Akharan culture), came to be known as the *Age of Opulence*, as a steady stream of goods from the conquered territories flowed in and enriched Akharan society. The slave population grew exponentially during this period and so the Night of Daggers was introduced to control the more unruly slaves.

**How did the successful Leiteran dynasty end?**

The Iskanderian dynastic period, cut short by the Blight and fall of Akhara, was referred to in its time as the *Age of Excellence*. Akhara was at the height of its power and controlled vast swathes of territory. It was during this time that Akhara conquered Valnar in the East. All this however masked the crisis brewing at the center of Akharan high society: the extinction of the dragons and the consequent dwindling supply of their blood.

**Magic In Akhara**

Though magic was largely neglected within Akharan society, the Pentarch employed the use of sanctioned diviners known as *Ementors* who used their powers to maintain communication across the far flung corners of the empire. They were permitted to utilise small amounts of dragon's blood from the Pentarch's stores to enhance their abilities, communicating across vast distances via the use of slave-receivers. The rise of the astrala mutation in Ossiah eventually led to a psychic fog which dampened the ementor abilities- this breakdown of communication would be one of the causes of Akhara's overseas power collapsing.

The Ementor order wielded considerable influence via their status though they were cloistered within the Silent Tower in the Pentarch's palace grounds. They lived comfortable lives and were furnished with every luxury they could ask for. They were, however, prisoners in all but name.

Amidst the chaos of the collapse of Akhara, several of the Hekamancy broke into the Temple of The Pentarch Ascendant and stole some of the dragon's blood stored within, eagerly devouring it. Unbeknownst to them however, the vials had been poisoned by the ementor Cathaden (who had left one hidden vial unpoisoned and planned to seize it for himself, having waited for the Hekamancy to break into the temple for him, but he was killed in the chaos before doing so. This vial would be discovered by Ayla in the events of Book I).

The Hekamancy were transformed into savage man-beasts after ingesting the tainted blood, unable to die of old age and doomed to a savage existence. They are said to still haunt the Ash Mountains of Akhara. The Nakhari tribes refer to them as the "*Ul-Deagr*".

**The Akharan Military**

Soldiers were Akharan men whom all were required to take military service for at least five years. Those who distinguished themselves during this time were gifted a plot of land and 2 slaves. Those who chose further service beyond the compulsory three years were given a high quality set of "centes" armour. "Earning your scales" was a term used to describe those serving beyond the three years with a view toward a life in the military. Those with previous experience were preferred as were the nobles who had likely attended the war temples,  (military academies) as youths and thus came equipped with fighting skills and military knowledge.

**Ranks Of The Akharan Army**

Conscripts were known as *footmen.* These auxiliary troops were made up of military servicemen who often had to provide their own weapons and armour (though a discount was awarded along with the call to service).

Those who served beyond the conscript period of three years were better armed and armoured, and were known as *centes*. These made up the heavy infantry units.

*Dractanari*, specialist units such as assassins

*The Darian Guard*, elite warriors only sent abroad on duties to the Pentarch or dispatched as shock troops to turn the tide of a battle or deal with a particularly quarrelsome territory

*Optex*, standard bearer

*Heptarex*, military officer, one per 70 soldiers

*Descentor*, relays orders given by the Heptarex

*Sulphur knights,* heavy cavalry mounted on sulphur beasts (horse- sized saurian steeds native to Akhara)

*Locutor*, regional governor

**The Dragons of Akhara**

The dragons of Akhara are hermaphroditic creatures; they can spawn young without the need to mate. When they do choose to spawn, it is usually a single egg that is laid.

The mother dragon feeds its offspring with its own blood, cutting open its breast for the young dragon to drink from to aid its growth. This is the reason for dragon's blood containing extraordinary powers of regeneration and seemingly magical properties.

The unique properties of dragon's blood and the hermaphroditic nature of dragons means that a woman or any other female creature who ingests their blood will fall pregnant with a foul spawn that will grow and erupt from her womb, killing her in the process.