Kharkouri is a nation of green flatlands, broad horizons, and a troubled past. Once ambitious and proud, its modern image is marred by corruption, decline, and a legacy of aggression that alienated much of the world. Despite this, Kharkouri remains a crucial part of Anarkand’s geopolitical landscape, mostly as a source of reminding others of both the power and peril of unchecked ambition.


Kharkouri’s earliest centuries were spent as a loose collection of clans and merchant cities spread across fertile plains. Its people, known for their resourcefulness, built a civilisation on agriculture, stonework, and land trade. Over time, the clans united under the House of Xaccanda (Sha-can-da), a family that promised prosperity through central rule.


At first, the Xaccanda dynasty brought order and structure. They developed the cities of Kwan and Nalizen, establishing a vast stonework infrastructure that linked the nation’s interior. Roads, aqueducts, and early spaceports were symbols of Kharkouri’s progress.


However, as the centuries passed, the Xaccanda line grew inward-looking and greedy. Their focus shifted from governance to consolidation of wealth and power, setting the stage for centuries of exploitation. Kharkouri sought to rival the regional powers, Samokov, Mizumo, and realm of Mara to the west. Lacking the resources and education of its neighbours, Kharkouri turned to conquest as its solution.


Under the leadership of Overlord kalim Xaccanda, Kharkouri armies began their campaign to seize neighbouring lands. The plan was to create a new empire stretching from the eastern rivers of Mizumo to the southern forests of Datuva.


This expansion soon turned dark. When Taborra and Datuva resisted, Kharkouri troops laid waste to entire communities. Their most horrific act, however, came when they turned on Sagozia, a protected and ecologically sacred region. The Massacre of Sagozia, where millions of native beings were slaughtered or displaced, became one of the darkest events in Anarkand’s history.


In response to these atrocities, the Temple of Anark, Anarkand’s highest spiritual and political authority, issued a global decree:


“Let Kharkouri’s march be halted, for they have turned from the way of unity to the path of ruin.”


The decree called for an international coalition to intervene. Forces from Samokov, Radamis, Mizumo, and even distant Kanesh mobilised under the banner of unification. The resulting conflict devastated Kharkouri’s armies and left its infrastructure crippled. By the war’s end, Kharkouri was forbidden from expanding its borders and was placed under economic sanctions.


As part of the decree, the Temple declared Sagozia a Protected Sanctuary, ensuring that no nation could exploit or harm it again. Thus, The Protected Lands of Sagozia were established.


Following defeat, Kharkouri fell into political chaos. The House of Xaccanda managed to retain control through manipulation and fear, establishing a system where elections were held every ten Earth years, yet somehow, the same family always emerged victorious.


Cities like Nalizen, now renamed Xaccanda Munsaakouri, became opulent centres of corruption, where wealth from illegal trade and diverted state funds lined the pockets of the ruling elite. Infrastructure fell into decay. Roads crumbled, ports rusted, and citizens fled to neighbouring nations in search of opportunity.


Education and healthcare collapsed, replaced by propaganda glorifying the Xaccanda name and its supposed divine right to rule. Meanwhile, those who spoke against the regime quietly disappeared. Today, Kharkouri is a nation of contradictions. Its cities, built of weathered stone, are relics of a once-grand past. Its spaceports, once bustling gateways of ambition, now stand half-operational.


Yet, there is life still. Movements have begun to emerge from within, small collectives of scholars, reformists, and activists who wish to see Kharkouri rise again through truth, transparency, and learning. The people are weary, yet quietly determined to reclaim their country’s dignity from the shadow of its ruling family.


Its population of 42 million lives under the watchful eyes of the Xaccanda dynasty, who continue to preach unity while exploiting division. The international community, though weary of interference, keeps a close watch on Kharkouri, mindful that history, if ignored, has a way of repeating itself.