Arkhan, the Third of the Primarchs of the Sun, was fashioned from an opposite rib of The Great Serpent, a counterpart to his sibling Naziith. Fused with Malekith's essence into the Primarch’s creation, a harbinger of decay and death was brought into the world under a radiant mask. Where Naziith manipulated lift in conjunction with death as its inevitable counterpart, Arkhan only brought the entropic end of those who questioned his creators divinity.
Dark Deeds of the Dead
Unlike Naziith, who hid his monstrous nature behind a veneer of beauty, Arkhan embraced his grotesque and horrifying appearance. Standing tall and skeletal, his taut, withered skin seemed to cling desperately to his bones. His face bore a perpetually agape, croaking mouth, a haunting visage that struck fear into all who beheld him.
Arkhan was adorned in golden-scaled Serrakhan ceremonial armor, encrusted with gilded skulls that symbolized his dominion over death. A traditional Serrakhan golden headdress crowned his head, its design an ironic mockery of the radiant attire of ancient Solir. His presence exuded a chilling aura, a palpable reminder of the life he drained and the death he commanded.
The Necronomicon of Malekith
As a favored servant of Malekith, Arkhan was gifted a powerful and cursed Necronomicon, a tome containing forbidden knowledge of necromancy and the dark arts. With this artifact, he delved deep into the mysteries of death, learning to summon the undead, drain the life essence of the living, and spread blight across the lands.
Arkhan’s mastery over necromancy was unparalleled among the Primarchs. He wielded his powers not just to destroy but to corrupt, reshaping the forces of life and death into tools for Malekith’s grand designs. His undead thralls marched under his command, and entire regions withered into desolation in his wake.
Despite his otherworldly aura, he was widely respected across the Serrakhan Sultanate as he would be charged with performing funeral "rites" on nobles who passed on. Many left offerings to him when their loved ones passed on, in the hopes that he would help shepherd them into the Sun Gods radiant afterlife... In reality, however, he had no problem defiling their corpses with necromantic rituals to serve any end the primarchs saw fit.
Enslaving Gharazh'uul
One of Arkhan’s most ambitious and sinister schemes was his attempt to entrap and corrupt Gharazh'uul, a colossal creature of immense power. Performing a necromantic ritual, Arkhan sought to transform the Drakkhid into an undead monstrosity, a thrall bound to his will and a weapon of unparalleled destruction. To enact this plan, he enlisted the aid of the Order of the Flaming Sun to entrap the creature.
He was able to convince them of this plan by misleading the order of chivalric monster hunters into thinking that they would release the beast upon Shariz and stage a heroic spectacle in slaying it before pinning all the blame on the Emris Adventuring Guild. These plans conveniently coincided with the greater calamity being caused by the releaded Primarchs, known as the Scourge of the Seven Suns.
However, this plan was thwarted by The Sunsations, who confronted Arkhan within the depths of his lair. In a climactic battle, the adventurers faced waves of undead minions and the full brunt of Arkhan’s necromantic might. Despite his formidable power, Arkhan was ultimately defeated. The Sunsations destroyed his Necronomicon, severing his connection to his dark magic, and captured his essence in the Dawn Device, thwarting his plan to enslave the Grand Zirthakha.
Legacy
Though defeated, Arkhan’s dark influence lingers like a shadow over The Sands of Serrakhan. His undead minions continue to roam the desert’s forgotten crypts, and remnants of his corrupted magic still plague the land. His cursed Necronomicon, though shattered, is rumored to have left fragments scattered across Osira, tempting ambitious necromancers to seek its forbidden knowledge.