Khagan
| NPC | Enemy | Trivia |
Kharanduu Khan the "Great Khagan" is a background NPC in Arknights who is mentioned in various stories such as Episode 08 and Near Light. He formally appears in Expeditioner's Joklumarkar and is the main focus of Tales Within the Sand.
Background
Born Dalad, this Nightzmoran started with a humble beginning who would unexpectedly become the legendary Khagan in Terran history, a title bestowed to him by his followers. He was a young warrior who vowed to accomplish his "Khaganquest," a coming-of-age tradition among some Nightzmoras, inspired by the stories he heard from the elders of his tribe. In the Terran year 11 of the common era after making an oath to his tribesmen, he embarked his journey starting from the steppes in eastern Ursus and formulated into a grand conquest across Terra in hope of seeking a worthy challenger who could fight against him until the edge of the world.[1][2]
As the starting point of his conquest, he first target was the Empire of Hippogryph by taking advantage of the disarrayed defense lines caused by the nobles' arrogant despotism towards the Ursi. The "indestructible" walls of Deity Grypherburg were toppled, and the Hippogryphs, in an act of desperation, forced the young Ursi to defend the nobles at the frontline and implemented a scorched earth policy that burnt down Ursus settlements at the outskirts of the citadels. Taking the advantage, the Khangan and his Nightzmoran warriors manipulated the Ursi to defect on their side by constantly mocking the Hippogryphs' despotism. After the Ursi turned against the Hippogryphs' order and let their enemies enter their fortress, the Nightzmoras mercilessly plundered their fortresses and the capital of Deity Grypherburg which eventually forced the Hippogryphs to surrender to their vassalage. As the dust settled, the Hippogryphs' oppression further increased to punish their defect through their costly reconstruction of the Deity Grypherburg which in turned led to their violent revolution led by Igor the Great 16 years later.[2][3]
A year after, the Khagan reached Kazimierz ruled by the Pegasus dynasty where he challenged a Pegasus "with golden blood," only for him to be easily defeated. But as he matured, he was able to overpower the Pegasian royals, forcing them to surrender to him.[4][5] Although the Kuranta campaign knights, who have never faced an enemy that could not tear apart, charged first, they were quickly overwhelmed by the Nightzmoras' Illusory Originium Arts. The Pegasian nobles' defeat and attempted peace treaty caused an outrage between the campaign knights who would overthrow them the following year.[2]
After toppling the two Elder regimes, the Khagan continued his seemingly unstoppable conquest as his wrath swept across the entire Terra. He forced the Gaulish Emperor to surrender the fertile soils of Basse-Gaule before his imperial guards could defend their homeland, destroyed Leithanien's thousand spires, and defeated the Dracos of Victoria that forced them retreat to Londinium in desperation which eventually forced the latter to "arrange" an annexation with the neighboring Tara. All of these events left an unforgettable memory in Terran history.[1][6][7]
However, the Khagan's ambition did not stop at mere mortal kingdoms; he laid his eyes onto the untouched borders of the known world of Terra. In the 15th year, the Khagan eventually stopped in front of the Sargonian rainforest after countless skirmished against the border Padishahs and their assassins. He was approached by a Messenger dispatched from Lugalszargus, the greatest Shahanshah in Sargon' history who already heard about his exploits. Rather than making enemies, Lugalszargus invited him to form a military alliance and take part in a military campaign that could satisfy his hunger for conquests in which he describe the Khagan could literally "discard all of his spoils of war" in exchange for the battle. That campaign revealed to be the conquests of the Foehn Hotlands as Collapsals slowly corroded their southernmost borders. Forming a tough alliance, the Khagan and the Shah led their armies into a monumental battle into the Hotlands, drove away the Collapsals, and finally slew the "Poltergeist King" encroaching from the Door. But amidst the battle, a sudden explosion wiped out almost more than half the Sargon-Nightzmoran alliance, and both the Khagan and Lugalszargus disappeared amidst the explosion which many perceived they were unfortunately killed in action. The Khagan's disappearance in the south forced the surviving Kheshigs to disband and disperse across the continent.[6][8][9][10]
Although the Khagan's nomadic empire was short-lived after his disappearance, he was immortalized in Terran history. To this day, he is both portrayed as a tyrannical slaughterer and praised as a hero accomplishing an impossible task. Because of his conquest of the Foehn Hotlands, the southernmost corner of the Terran continent is free from the Collapsals for the next few centuries.
References
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