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.
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 in the Group: Typically, an Arkus is the party member who leads from the rear, as their abilities are not directly aggressive. Compared to the Glaive or Delve, the Arkus isn’t nearly as robust. However, an Arkus is never too far away to verbally intercede on the party’s behalf. Many of their abilities require that they be able to talk to other creatures. This is especially true when an Arkus is operating within an allied community or horde. When the party needs to negotiate with enemies, calm a community, or take charge, the Arkus is the one they want.
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.
ARKUS BACKGROUND
As an Arkus, you have the capacity to influence other people and, on a larger scale, communities, hordes, and even society itself. Something in your background explains these unique talents, whether it is genetics, enhancements, training, or something else. Choose one of those three options described below as the source of your skills, knowledge, and abilities, or create your own background. This choice will provide the foundation of your character and give you an idea of how you can improve. The game master (GM) can use this information to develop adventures and quests that are specific to your character and play a role in your advancement.
INBORN TRAITSYou were born this way. Everyone always took to you. You always seemed to know the right thing to say. It all came naturally. Your voice was pleasant, your eyes shining and honest, and your face attractive. These qualities have always been strong enough that you could rely on them. While others studied a craft, learned to fight or steal, or tinkered with the numenera, you found that you could usually get what you needed and wanted by talking to people.
Now, all this might come from a heritage of quality forebears, or it could come from something more. A silver-tongued Arkus like yourself might have inherited these qualities from your family, or you might benefit from subtle mutations that alter your voice and mannerisms to be perfect for influencing others. You don’t really know. You just know that you’ve always been this way and that, while you look just like everyone else, you’re different. Of course, no one ever need know that but you.
Advancement: Just as you don’t know the ultimate source behind your talents, you don’t know their limits either. You have to continually test them and push yourself into trying new things. You might need to share your secrets with someone knowledgeable one day so that they can help you. Perhaps you’ll even discover the source of your abilities. Regardless, when your stats improve and you gain new abilities, it’s because you’ve taken the gifts you were born with and pushed them to the next level.
ENHANCEMENTSYou might be a leader, but you don’t fit the mold. Although you gained your share of practical experience in learning how to influence others, you have the numenera on your side as well. Some of your knowledge of rhetoric and ability to speak at an enhanced volume is due to biomechanical bits implanted in your brain and spine, wired into your nerves and muscles. Your vocal cords are woven with subtle resonant threads. Subdermal plating makes your appearance more symmetrical and pleasing. Your facial muscles are interlaced with small elements that give you complete control over your micro expressions.
Alternatively, your genetic code could have been rewritten by engineered viruses, or the tissues in your body could have been reworked by nanotech, turning you into a paragon that others are drawn to. Or maybe you’ve been altered by strange science—radioactive treatments of bizarre energies, chemical compounds and drugs, or extradimensional enhancements—that makes you smarter and more able to see the implications of long-term planning than anyone around you.
Whatever the case, you’re the result of ancient knowledge made manifest in the present, and now you’re shaping the future. Perhaps your modifications are obvious and visible; perhaps they’re not. Regardless, you know that you’re more than merely human.
Advancement: Your leadership abilities are in some ways predicated on keeping the enhancements in your body working well and, when possible, improving them. You’re always on the lookout for new parts and systems that can be incorporated into your body or new doses of drugs and supplements to maintain your abilities. You might need to seek out surgeons, mechanics, or bioenhancement specialists to take you to the next level. Perhaps the Aeon Priests can help. At some point, you might find yourself in need of very specific, very rare parts to complete your enhancements. Such components might be found only in particular ruins of the prior worlds, or perhaps they’re available elsewhere for a high price. Either way, getting them won’t be easy.
When you improve your skills and abilities, it’s because you’ve altered your enhancements in some way. Some of them may even produce a more overt effect, modulating your voice and further honing your appearance.
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCEYou are eloquent, good-looking, or both, but what really separates you from the crowd is your training. Perhaps you worked as an intern with the Aeon Priests in Qi that work behind the scenes to lead the Order of Truth, where they taught you how to speak eloquently, debate convincingly, and synthesize the best plans from all those put forth.
You know a thousand different ways to argue and influence. You learned how to read people to ascertain their moods, distinguish their truths from their lies, and determine what they want and what they need to hear. You got a lot of practice using your skills in public, starting small at first but working your way up to leading community movements and taking charge of short-term community projects.
Advancement: When it comes to leadership, meeting with small convocations of your peers is always useful; however, there is no teacher like actual experience. You will develop some of your greatest skills and abilities on your own. Perhaps when the time comes, you will consider taking on an intern of your own, not only to pay back what’s been given to you but because through teaching comes discovery.
ARKUS PLAYER INTRUSIONS
When playing a Arkus, you can spend 1 XP to use one of the following player intrusions, provided the situation is appropriate and the GM agrees.
Friendly NPC: An NPC you don’t know, someone you don’t know that well, or someone you know but who hasn’t been particularly friendly in the past chooses to help you, though doesn’t necessarily explain why. Maybe they’ll ask you for a favor in return afterward, depending on how much trouble they go to.
Perfect Suggestion: A follower or other already-friendly NPC suggests a course of action with regard to an urgent question, problem, or obstacle you’re facing.
Unexpected Gift: An NPC hands you a physical gift you were not expecting, one that helps put the situation at ease if things seem strained, or provides you with a new insight for understanding the context of the situation if there’s something you’re failing to understand or grasp.