Artahkan Lands

The Artahkan Lands (or Sikalom Cluster to Imperial Charts) is the zone of space beyond Segmentum Tempestus under the dominance of strange bio-mechanical Xenos. Ruled by Artahka, this region has been strife ridden and isolated since the time of the Great Crusade.

Surviving only through it's insignificance and isolation, the cluster embroils itself in various conflicts as it staves off complete collapse. The inhabitants of this cluster tend to their own struggles, unaffected by the events of the galaxy at large.

History
The first inhabitants and creators of the many beings now inhabiting the Artahkan Lands are unknown, but it is known that they were not native to these lands, and at one point were in conflict with the original inhabitants. Perhaps these were their creators, or maybe an invading or contesting force. Regardless, the first of the two Artahkans were Ahtahka himself and his brother, Krom Vri'va. Artahka was responsible for the protection of his people, while Vri'va would create them.

Several organisations were formed at this time to assist Artahka in watching over his worlds. The Will of Artahka was created to maintain order and peace in the region, was a collective race of heroes, bearing their name with with pride. They had fought and won the worlds they were destined for. The Krom Brotherhood was created at roughly the same time, to assist Vri'va in creating and bettering Artahka's Lands. During this time, the first "races" of the cluster were born. Each race would hold their own world, to which they were "born from" and independently governed. All of this was directly overseen by Artahka, who physically created a number of these races.

At this point, the Lands were in relative peace. The Will of Artahka finally secured the bounds of their worlds, before returning to their position as internal peacekeepers. The Krom Brotherhood withdrew from the worlds they built, becoming practitioners of science and experimentation. At some point in this period, the secret society known as the Nynrah Ghosts were formed. A division of warriors known as the Arai would man the frost bitten world Stelt at the edge of their universe, drawn originally from the Will of Artahka. While they lay there forgotten, defending the worlds from external threats, strife began to emerge inside the Empire.

The First War
Five warlords from individual worlds had met in secret, forging an alliance in order to further their conquests. These warlords created the League of Five Kingdoms, eventually expanding that five to include the majority of the worlds in Artahka's dominion. The Will of Artahka were initially stunned, who would dare attempt to destroy their peace? They were few, but all distinguished heroes. However, heroic honour ultimately falls short to ruthlessness and power, and their own strength was gone after years of peace and victory. Despite their efforts, the Will of Artahka was scattered and defeated by the sheer numbers of the League. It was at the Battle of Valmai were the last of the Will were defeated, with only a handful of survivors from the bloody conflict. Unopposed, the warlords controlled over two thirds of the Cluster from their capital of Xia by the final years of their campaign.

The Krom Brotherhood, backed by their own creations, struck back against the League. Emerging from their secluded home of Ao-Krom, the insular beings became beacons of furious retribution. Each of the Warlords was quickly losing ground as they were routed from world after world. While the Will was burdened by their honour, the Brotherhood felt no such conviction. As such the methods of the Brotherhood were brutal and ruthless. The commander of this army, Krom Mutrad, utterly decimated Xia, razing it to the ground as punishment for the warlord's sins. So it was that the five warlords faced their execution by Mutrad, when a mysterious being named Tarakel teleported them away. When questioned by a furious Mutrad, Tarakel simply stated "He desires it" before vanishing. Mutrad would go on to ponder the event, becoming obsessed by what the Great Protector wanted.

In the aftermath of this First War, the Will of Artahka was disbanded. Their arrogance and glory seeking ways had failed their liege, and so their organisation was replaced with something more suited to this new age. Their new, darker replacements were the Servator. This new band of sentinels had not fully established themselves in their Lands, leaving the Krom Brotherhood as the only visible power while they waited. The Brotherhood themselves became heroes, heavily invested in the future of the Lands. Eventually however, their power began to turn them. Krom Mutrad, disillusioned with the state of Artahka's dominion, conspired to overthrow him. At this time a trusted lieutenant to Vri'va and largely considered the greatest of the Brotherhood, Mutrad's ways became progressively more insidious. This culminated with the response to a violent dispute on Ao-Matra, were Mutrad locked the two conflicting factions of workers in the Great Archives with a variety of deadly creatures. This event became known as the Archives Massacre, and greatly damaged the Brotherhood's reputation.

The Great Cataclysm:
To further spread discord in the Artahkan Lands, a furious Warp Storm came to affect the cluster. The various planets all suffered from these cruel tides, which were in fact to have been brought about by Mutrad. While this storm did not only damage the connectivity of the planets, it gave Mutrad the time he needed to seize control of the Krom Brotherhood.

The revolt was swift and absolute, with the vast majority of the organisation believing Vri'va was unfit to command them. Mutrad had poisoned their hearts with a lust for power and taste for fear. Vri'va was not dormant through this however, and struck back against the Usurper with all his remaining allies. The War of the Brotherhood lasted for 18 months, but despite every effort made by Artahka's loyal brother, Mutrad's forces had his outnumbered and outmatched. In a final desperate attempt to defeat his foe, Vri'va challenged him to single combat upon the Black Spire of Ao-Krom. But Mutrad was too strong, and Vri'va too weary from his long service. The first Krom was pierced through the heart by the Usurper's onyx spear, and tossed from the heights of the spire. The storm cleared soon afterwards, allowing Vri'va's supporters to escape. They would eventually find themselves in the ranks of the Nynrah Ghosts, safe from Mutrad's wrath.