Arkhess

Geography

Arkhess forms the northernmost Province in the Eastern Baronies, jutting out into the Pearl Sea as it bends towards the Caddoch Sea.  Formed primarily of eskers that formed long ago when the area was perpetually frozen and covered in ice, red pines ride the saddles and elevated slopes as these gravely eskers reach towards the West and the Freemantle Range.  Low and marshy fens sit between sprawling taiga forests, resulting in the vast majority of the cities of Arkhess being settled upon the eskers themselves. The majority of concentrated population lies in the southern-most areas of this territory, closer to the border shared with Volgen, with Arkhess supporting millions of souls in various Municipalities spanning this fertile area of forested land. Farther north, Arkhess hardly represents a true Eastern territory, as hospitable land gives way to more frigid conditions and population thins. It is in these northern-most areas that tales of peculiar paganistic practices have always flourished, lending Arkhess to maintaining the title of being one of the most mysterious territories within the otherwise civilized and tamed lands of the Republic. While such tales and rumors have been widely shown to be utter none-sense by centuries of Inquisitional inquiries and investigations, the inhospitable northern reaches of the territory by their sheer nature lend Arkhess to maintaining a reputation of mystery and danger.

History

Historically speaking, Arkhess, or known among its early peoples as Arkkuharjut (meaning “coffin eskers”) is a land of sturdy folk who have adapted well to their environment.  Their abilities to read the land and understand the importance of surviving in some of the most austere conditions have made them both practical and utilitarian in their approach to a hard world.  Their diet consisted primarily of wild berries, meats and fish, with milks and cheeses farmed from domesticated reindeer. Their homes were forged from pine and other conifer trees that are abundant in the region. Of note are the Akrhess’ iconic sauna shacks; structures designed for both a social experience among members of a tight knit community, but also to provide much needed warmth in an area that can freeze a man in his sleep.

The Arknonen people had followed a code known as Sisu, one that means determination, will and perseverance.  An Arkonen who is confronted to not possess Sisu in regards to one’s familial bonds, support in their community or even one’s self survival, may be banished as an outcast and exile; though these exiles typically succumb to the environment if they truly lack Sisu, those who show determination at the will to survive, are brought back into the fold.  This cultural concept and pillar that upheld their society had also played into their relationship with the invading forces of the Venerated Republic.

With the arrival of the Decusians to Vitaveus, many scouting parties and explorers were sent out to map the surrounding lands that would eventually become the seat of their dominion; Arkhess was one such region.  Upon their arrival to these far northern reaches, Decusian explorers met with locals who warned them of the path they looked to tread through the region, speaking of the Arkkuharjut that have claimed many foolish and unprepared lives.  Not understanding their dialect or what they spoke of, they assumed they were calling the land Arkkuharjut, and opted to label the province Arkhess in a matter of linguistic ignorance.

Arkhess was home to a system of feudal lords who in turn swore fealty to the High Magnate, a position in which has been shared by a single common bloodline since recorded Arknonen history.  During the time of the Reckoning, the High Magnate, Antti Jarvinen, passed without an heir. During his final years, his negotiations and diplomatic engagements with the Decusians built enough of a amicable relationship.  His fears of a Volgen invasion or the shrewd Yults sowing discord among his people and dividing them brought Antti to a crossroads; to either let his only daughter fend off her lands and people without allies, or bond her in marriage to the swelling Empire to the south that spoke of hope and ascension through God.  Antti choose the latter, cementing a long relationship between the Decusians and the Arkonen of Arkhess. As a budding religion carving its way slowly through what is now known as the Eastern Baronies, forming bonds through marriage unions oft times saw the avoidance of bloodshed, while still finding a way of subjugating a group of people into the Republic. And thus did the Arkonen become one of the first civilizations to become assimilated into the sprawling Republic of Decus.

Torment

When the city of Tor fell, many of those trying to escape by sea had two options at hand; join the mass exodus south to the lands of Redholme, an already overcrowded region of survivors, or travel North to the less hospitable yet lesser populated lands of Arkhess. This is not to mention of the particularly difficult escape through the seemingly impenetrable mountains of which surrounded the First Province. Choosing the seaborne option, hundreds of vessels made their way from the Torian docks north to Arkhess when the city had fell. However, as with any calamitous run-in with the Torment, many aboard these vessels were infected. Before these vessels could find safety in one of the many Arkhess port towns, many of these ships lost all aboard to the Torment, inevitably crashing into the shores and spilling out the infected and the mad onto the beach heads of the frozen coast.  Previously untouched by the Torment, the Arknonen coastline is now a hotbed for the scourge, placing a major setback on both the importation and exportation of goods from the province along with pushing many of its people into the eskers along the Freemantle Range, resulting in overcrowding in the larger cities now forced to accommodate for the safety of the coastal villages seeking refuge from the Torment. Numerous Legion cohorts work to clean these coastal areas to this day.

Points of Interest

Kalastaa

One of the largest port towns in Arkhess, Kalastaa supported a major fishing industry that Arkhess benefited from along the Pearl Sea to the Bay of Good Men.  Today, it is only home to the walking damned, the Torment having spread like wildfire in this once vital port due to the calamities involved with fleeing Torians. Those who escaped speak of the disease spreading from the fish becoming infected themselves, no doubt feeding on the bloated and floating dead that lingered off its frozen coasts during the exodus of Tor.

The Arkkuharjut

Translating to the “coffin eskers”, this region of Arkhess is said to have the buried ills long forgotten beneath its eskers, placed inside caves dotting along the ridge lines that form the area.  Local superstitions speak of dead creatures walking the hills and visiting terror upon those who wander too close to the icy caves and saddles. The First Decusians confused this term with the name of the region when they came to explore the regions North of their newfound home, believing the locals spoke of all of the Province, as its know today, as Arkkuharjut, which was translated to Arkhess.

Jyri’s Last Stand

Atop one of the summits of the Freemantle Range is a large granite effigy erected in tribute to a single soul that helped alert the Arkhonen people of a Volgen counter offensive at the early points of the Reckoning.  Jyri and his brother Jere were conducting a patrol around the mountain passes that led from Volgen into Arkhess. Running into a Volgen raiding party, Jyri was severely wounded; in order to alert the nearby troops garrisoned within the region, Jyri sent his brother Jere to warn them of the invaders while he stayed behind to buy them time.  Jyri fought with great Sisu, but was inevitably feasted upon by a large pack of Volgen Retrievers. His efforts stopped the military counter attack as his brother warned the nearby conscripts of the situation. This monument was built in his honor, atop his very bones that lie interred there today.

Inspirations and Influences

Greenland, Alaska. Traditional example names such as Hans, Jakob, Kristine and Mette are common for those hailing from Arkhess.