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The dread inspired by the Akkyshans is carved into the mind of
every living being: the fear of the silent shadow, the terror of a
deadly, unpredictable and inexplicable threat. To a warrior of
Akkyshan, every living being is not only an enemy, but also prey.
Th e defeated enemy is a food source the children of the web of
Ashinân will feed on. Th is way they will grow stronger, become
even more dangerous and defeat even more prey.

== Chronology ==

*666 Curse of Scaëlin.
*699 Flight of Scaëlin.
*701 Emergence of Akkyshan society.
*983 First raid on Cadwallon.
*1 003 - 1 005 Th e web of Ashinân is reinforced by Acheron on the shore of the Ynkarô.

== History == 

Th e history of the Akkyshan
began in the forest of Quithayran.
Th e sole heiress to the
throne was Scaëlin, a woman so
beautiful that a god noticed her and
came to woo her. Th e god’s wife, furious,
cursed Scaëlin and stole her beauty.
To obtain utter revenge, she appeared before her victim in the shape of a spider. She presented
herself as Lilith, the Widow, and off ered to restore the young
elven lady’s beauty one day, in exchange for unfailing adoration.
Scaëlin accepted and became a priestess as powerful as
she was monstrous. She was soon hunted down by her people
for the gruesome crimes she had committed to serve her goddess.
However, protected by her powers, Scaëlin evaded her pursuers
and found refuge in the forest of Ashinân. Th ere, like
spiders, she and her female servants gave birth to extraordinarily
numerous off spring. Soon, a new society was born. A
matriarchal society submitted to the almighty power of Lilith
and her fi rst servant, Scaëlin.
Ever since, the Akkyshan have been patiently waiting to
ring the hour of revenge. With the Rag’narok the long awaited
opportunity has come. Th eir forces have gathered in massive
numbers on the shores of the Ynkarô with growing warbands
of marauders testing the walls of Cadwallon, which would
be the ideal beachhead to bring fi re and poison to Laroq, the
capital of the Cynwäll.

== Ragn'arok ==

Th e Akkyshans have known for a long time that Creation
is coming to an end. Th is does not worry the people of the
Spider, who believe this end serves a greater design. Th e Akkyshans
consider that Light has destroyed the grace of Creation
by binding it in shackles of morality and kindness. Th e time
has come to start over again, to create a world that will suit
the wish of Lilith: a land where the strong shall survive and
where the weak will be used to feed them. Considering this
point of view, the Akkyshans are the future of Aarklash. Only
the strongest will survive the battles, and the servants of Lilith
shall be part of the chosen few.
Yet, few Akkyshans think about the Rag’narok. Most of
them fi ght because their superiors order them to. With the
of the web of Ashinân, absolute
unquestioned obedience is an unyielding
Scaëlin can sense that the time
revenge is close; her dutiful soldiers
already on the move. Th ey are
aware that a fate worse than death
awaits them if they fail their mistress.
For them it is not that much
of a constraint, quite the contrary
actually: war also helps
satisfy the most voracious of
appetites, after all.

== Army == 
Th e army of the Spider is organized in concentric circles of
power. Th e members of each cast are loyally protected by the
warriors of the rank below. Th e inferior shield their superiors,
such is the law of Ashinân. Th e Akkyshans have a taste for
sacrifi ces: members of the lower casts are thoroughly conditioned;
they will gladly sacrifi ce their lives and souls whenever
they are given the order.
Th e heart of the army is constituted by the most powerful
matriarchs: the sorceresses of the Widow. Th ese accomplished
witches and priestesses are formidable assassins. Th ey
casually sacrifi ce masses of lower class soldiers to feed their
blood fuelled magic, in order to please the cannibal goddess
or to conceal themselves and deal the fi nal strike that will seal
their victory.
Around them, the other high ranking Akkyshans form the
elite units. Th e terrifying orb-weavers, whose body is half that
of an elf and half that of a spider, or the venom-warrioresses
form a close guard. Th is strike force defeats the enemy using
iron, terror and poison. To feed their frenzy, these units will
make no distinction when killing allies and enemies alike.At the bottom of the hierarchy
the main body of
the army is found. Semiferal
creatures, such as
the barghest and various
giant insects, line up in
monstrous ranks. Soldiers – those too young to have yet shown
their worth in combat and the declining elders – are lined up
with slaves whose minds have been darkened by the curses of
the sorceresses of the Widow. Th ey are disposable, they ought
to be the fi rst to volunteer for sacrifi ce in gruesome rituals of
black magic practiced by the higher ranking Akkyshans.