Arkus

Introduction

Arkai are natural leaders of the Ninth World, using wit, rhetoric, and the strength of working together to overcome problems. Heralds, nobles, and pioneers could be Arkai. Sometimes warlords, generals, and even guardians are Arkai. “Arkus” is common vernacular used by humans in the Steadfast and the Beyond for any person skilled in governing others, but in truth, the word applies only to those who are specially gifted in leadership. Arkai have the potential to spearhead armies, cities, or even entire regions, because their abilities surpass those who are merely good at running a long confidence game.

Arkai are usually quite intelligent, but being able to survive physical challenges is important for anyone exploring or establishing new communities in the Ninth World. As a result, many Arkai have a high Intellect and either Might or Speed as a high secondary statistic, depending on whether they like to come in strong or to get out of the way of threats. When forced to fight, Arkai prefer ranged weapons, though they’d rather get someone else to fight on their behalf if they can’t defuse the situation another way.

Arkai in Society:

People who don’t have a talent for leadership or who haven’t trained long and hard to lead sometimes discount an Arkus’s abilities. Without personal experience in being an effective leader, it’s easy to assume that anyone can do it. In terms of public perception, Arkai are at the opposite end of the continuum from Nanos. Nanos are viewed with suspicion and fear because what they do is unknown, but anyone can tell someone else what to do. Of course, the secret is that it’s incredibly hard to convince people to listen, let alone tell someone else the best thing to do and not inadvertently lead followers into some kind of disaster.

Tales of both mighty and disastrous leaders are common in the Ninth World, with anecdotes of the disastrous (or at least the mediocre and bad) ones outnumbering the positive by ten to one. That’s because true Arkai are relatively rare. Anyone can say they’re a leader, and many people do have experience in ordering others around. But that experience doesn’t necessarily equate to quality. Arkai are almost always found with others—peers, at least, if not followers. An Arkus is at their best when surrounded by those who can help them develop their ideas, turn their goals into reality, and improve society in a way that the Arkus most values.

Arkai in the Group:

Some Arkai claim power by showing their competence and winning over others. Other Arkai rely on their legacy of a noble birth, an inheritance, or even claims that they are representatives of a god, some ancient and dead species, or one that no longer exists in the world. These latter claims are appeals to authority and can be effective in the short term, but only if an Arkus can back up those claims with the actual ability to make good decisions on behalf of a larger community.

Arkai and the Numenera

When it comes to the numenera, most Arkai are interested in items that allow communication across large distances or to many people at once, in objects that will extend their influence with others, and even in items that allow them to know what others think and believe. With such knowledge, an Arkus can better lead them or at least figure out how to gain their allegiance. Arkai understand that changing a creature’s mind against its will or otherwise compromising consent is not the way to build a following over time, because reputations are hard to shed once tainted by bad behavior.

Advanced Arkai

An Arkus might begin as a wide-eyed idealist interested in leading people to a better tomorrow, but as they advance, they might use their skills to become one of the leaders in an allied or newly founded community. Their presence helps a community be more robust and better able to survive hard times. They can rule effectively, because they know how other creatures think.