Arkhein — SL Combat’s Breath Of Fresh Air
by Alphaville Herald on 01/04/08 at 11:01 pm
Darakon Kayvon not fighting A.I and Iron “Axis of Emo” Symphony factions – yet
by Vegna Fouroux, war correspondent
Arkhein’s Xyekep Richez and Proteus Hand
For several months now combat in Second Life has been at a deadlock, with the militaries of the Iron Symphony slowly phasing out their fights with the militaries of Ascendant Initiative. Its been all very boring and sluggish with little fighting or as Christoph Naumova put it “leaders hiding behind their banlines.”
Recently a friend of mine, Proteus Hand decided he was going to start his own military, The Fabled of Arkhein. A Norse-themed group, Arkhein has been growing steadily over the past month. I decided to stop by their sim Prometheus and talk to the lads who started it all.
I first talked with Darakon Kayvon, the man who used to head up arkhein’s heavy support division; Biorn and now oversees Arkhein’s general operation when Proteus or Avil Creegan (the other leader in the group, a former top man in the Alliance Navy and known sandwich enthusiast) aren’t online.
Vegna Fouroux: So, firstly; why did you decide to join Arkhein?
Darakon Kayvon: Well, it was the time when i had joined forces with the Sky Raider’s with Trazen Vendetta, and was crucified by Aduro Nightfire AKA Jasyn Shepherd. Proteus came into the Sky Raider’s as a personnel as well as a big assistant. He told me of his Plans for the Arkhein, which matched my ideals very much. Proteus made me an Arkhein member since near enough the beginning of the re-creation of the Sky Raiders, now known as Hyperius Tactical Forces.
Vegna Fouroux: Ah yes, Trazen is banned now i believe, after hacking SLSN leader Steve319 Cao’s account. I believe you’ve chosen to ally yourself with Vanguard Armed Forces. Now many would regard Vanguard with distaste to say the least. Can I ask you why you have done this?
Darakon Kayvon: Proteus presented the alliance to Christoph first. But what we do know is that Christoph has lived up to the Alliance as well as the rest of Vanguard. We find them as skilled fighters, led by a nutter of a leader thus they make good ally’s rather than enemies. Vanguard have one of the best obstacle course’s i’ve ever seen.
Vegna Fouroux: I see, so you don’t have any concerns about their use of trackers and until recently guns that didnt need to be reloaded?
Darakon Kayvon: Nearly every army has gone through that “noobish” stage….i consider the Ordo Imperialis to be far worse griefers since overviewing a document that’s handed out to each one of a personnel……Vanguard’s “Griefing” is…in my opinion…miniscule. AN use tracker bullets…especially Nanao 
Vegna Fouroux: So i assume like Vanguard, you will fight everyone and not freeze anyone out like the current situation between the AN and the iron Symphony?
Darakon Kayvon: Current circumstances refrain us from proceeding to engage in combat with A.I and Iron “Axis of Emo” Symphony factions. But we tend to not let any other faction remove themselves from our sights.
Vegna Fouroux: You have a lot of land for a relatively new group, 2 sims. Have you got many in your army?
Darakon Kayvon: Currently we have around 20-30 members approximately, but we like space to expand. Also, Land = Attention = Recruits.
Vegna Fouroux: what a wonderful analogy 
. I believe you head up Biorn the heavy support division, what duties does this involve?
Darakon Kayvon: I wish to correct you, I used to head Biorn but since my Promotion to Eorl (Lieutenant/Colonel) i overview ALL divisions, i’m like…Avil & Proteus’s Assistant in a way. Current Duties involve: Equipment Manufacturing, Recruitment, Training, Diplomacy, Internal Politics, Internal Security etc.
Vegna Fouroux: Okay Dara, thanks for chatting to me, all the best.
Darakon Kayvon: no probs.
Next I chatted to the man who created it all. Proteus hand
Vegna Fouroux: Hey Proteus
Proteus Hand: Hey.
Vegna Fouroux: so tell me, how exactly is The Fabled of Arkhein run?
Proteus Hand: We work in a democratic fashion, never before tried in military. Ranks *are* awarded for combat experience, but they don’t take place until a combat situation is declared. When that takes place, people start dishing out orders, but until then, it’s all run by votes.
Proteus Hand: Officers, called “Arbiters”, serve as judges in disputes and exact punishment if a rule is broken.
Proteus Hand: the High Command, which we call the “Heerth Ulthing”, takes care of disputes between Arbiters, and the enlisted, which we call “Dreng”, generally serve as a jury.
Vegna Fouroux: ah I see, so usual formalities like “sir” and “ma’am” used in other militaries wouldnt be used?
Proteus Hand: Very right. Many people may argue that it’s necessary for “discipline” of the troops, but that’s a crock of crap, just like slinging of abstract concepts like “morale” which are somehow expertly measured by the High Command of other militaries.
Proteus Hand: In actuality, it’s just a way to degrade one’s self, and waste someone’s bandwidth by playing an animation at them.
Proteus Hand: We find better uses of our time in raiding, sparring, dogfighting, and planning the growth of our group collectively.
Proteus Hand: and building… heh.
Proteus Hand: which has been our primary concern for the last few weeks.
Proteus Hand: (Props to xyekep for that)
Vegna Fouroux: So I assume you follow STABLE?
Proteus Hand: no.
Vegna Fouroux: what do you follow in terms of a code of conduct in combat?
Proteus Hand: a golden rule. “Try to make it as fun for your enemy as it is for you.” of course, that always doesn’t work.
Vegna Fouroux: a wise philosphy never the less
Proteus Hand: yeah, we’ve got some basic rules put in. I guess, it sort of shifts depending on who we fight, so we’re working on a broad arsenal to change on whether or not we screw with IS or AI.
Vegna Fouroux: Heh. I also understand that like many militaries you have a certain theme; Viking. I was wondering were that came from?
Proteus Hand: A long while back, a great friend of mine, Aleksandr Laryukov, and I decided to put into planning a military that was basically a huge ball of “epic”. At some point in my time with the Merczateers, I got the ideas for the Arkhein in the midst of an argument with Christoph, Alice Mirabeau, and Lurdan consecutively. The concept was so clean, and beautiful, that I resigned that night.
Proteus Hand: I owe the inspiration to Aleksandr, as he and I spent a few days looking for a good theme.
Proteus Hand: Ironically, lots of people out there argue that democracy originated on Viking ships.
Proteus Hand: I always thought it came from the Greeks, then again, Arkhein is a Greek name.
Proteus Hand: I do a lot of coincidental things like that by accident.
Proteus Hand: Particularly ramble during interviews…
Vegna Fouroux: Haha. Well thanks Proteus for talking to me, and best of luck in the future with Arkhein.
Proteus Hand: Thanks to you good sir for having me.
Proteus also would like to say hello to Ethan Schuman, Harlequn Salome and and the other people in the comment box who are arguing below him.
Finally, I decided to get the reactions of what are generally considered the monster militaries of SL combat: The Alliance navy and The Merczateers and their thoughts on The Fabled Of Arkhein.
First I talked to Jim Herbst, an admiral in the AN.
Vegna Fouroux: Hey Jim, can I talk to you for a sec, I’m doing an article for the Second Life Herald.
Jim Herbst: Sure
Vegna Fouroux: Well have you heard of the group The Fabled of arkhein? I just want to get other militaries impression of it.
Jim Herbst: Well, Yes. I know about them.
Jim Herbst: I know their leadership quite well
Jim Herbst: My General impression of them as a group is I can’t make heads or tails of where they stand.
Vegna Fouroux: In terms of Allies? Who they will fight? or…
Jim Herbst: All of the political stuff
Jim Herbst: No clue on where they are on any of it.
Jim Herbst: They fight us when we fight the Mercz and Ordo, and then say we’re not enemies.
Vegna Fouroux: Ah yes, I see how that could be confusing alright. Anyway thanks for talking to me Jim. 
Next I talked to one of the two Merczateer Marshals; Lurdan Huszar – this was over voice chat and Lurdan basically said the “group is okay,I guess and they had some good ideas” many of the enlisted mercz around him thought Arkhein had actually died some months back
Honestly my impression of Arkhein is a good one. With two sims; Sullen Plummet and Promtheus, a steady pool of members, professional weapons and armor, some really great concepts and people they are a group that could really make SL combat the fun, interesting and diverse world we have not seen much of lately. Other militaries, take note.
anon
Apr 2nd, 2008
The Herald tradition of not understanding “aspect ratio” continues. Spoiler: if you need to fit a certain part of an image into a layout, you can “crop it”.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Apr 2nd, 2008
Didn’t read the article because it looked boring, but “Axis of Emo” atleast made me smile.
Trazen Vendetta
Apr 2nd, 2008
Wow… my name in print.. AT LAST
Imphazar Gears
Apr 2nd, 2008
A good article, Vegna.. though sadly Arkhein disbanded the day before this was published.
Incidentally, Hyperius are no longer on the SL Grid, but on the New World Grid.
To join them, IM me.
Anyway, I’m glad that someone hasn’t forgotten about SL Military, I think I may have killed myself if there was another article about LL ToS.
-Imphazar Gears, Hyperius High Kommand
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 2nd, 2008
how embarrassing…they disbanded DX.
Trazen are by any chance, the new trazen who appeared after your account got banned
I WONDER
whisper2u
Apr 2nd, 2008
I think we need to hear more about this new revelation over on the secondlife.reuters.com site where it was reveled before Congress yesterday that Linden Labs has been working with the FBI to somehow go after Griefers in Second Life?? Are they zeroing in on the Patriotic Nigras? Following them, shadowing them, watching them, collecting information on their PN practices and technigues, taking movies of the PN launching PN bombs that take down whole sims and cause what LL and the FBI are now refering to as “In World Denial Of Service Attacks”??? Hearlding minds want to know. This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Are overly zealous Land Barons somehow involved in this Federal prosecution too? Calling in Federal Air Strikes against those rowdy neighbors that might disturb the bliss of their land rentors? BAM! Knock It Up A Notch baby! This is getting werid now… weeeiiiirrrrdddd… I wonder if the lines between Combat Groups like which this thread is about can be kept distinct from Griefers as a whole if there is a lot of collateral damage when battles erupt out in SL as a whole and poor avatars get shot with errant bullets and go on a one-way orbit ride to the moon? hahaa. Are there some kind of weird new virtual gun laws about to come down in SL now where you can get a RL felony for going to Tandino’s place in SL and buying a shiny new Breach Spazz and going out and blowing off the Prim Head of the first Furry that you come across just for the fun of it? Or for launching one of those Spam Rain things that will rain down a zillion monkey pictures and shut down a whole sim in about 5 minutes? There are going to be dissolving alliances, and new ones forming a plenty over the next months I bet. AAAAAAAAAaaaaahhhhhh I can’t take this anymore.
Izaea Qinan
Apr 2nd, 2008
… they disbanded quite a while before you posted this. A week or so ago.
Trazen Vendetta
Apr 2nd, 2008
Trazen Castaignede?
Close, but no cookie. Sorry Veg.
Trazen Castaignede is none other than BigPimpin Allen, who made the avatar as a joke.
As is wideley known by people who *ACTUALLY RESEARCH WHAT THEY ARE ON ABOUT* (Heaven forbid), The avatar that I now use is ”Fox Mulgrave”.
-Trazen/Fox
Mikael Khalamov
Apr 2nd, 2008
Darakon Kayvon: “[...]AN use tracker bullets…especially Nanao
”
I lol’d.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 2nd, 2008
nah they didnt disband till sunday, they had just but they’re base access only ask dara he knows
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 2nd, 2008
and also trazen it was a question and i didn’t put it in the article its quite reasonable to guess it was you since a) you were the only trazen and another appears after you get banned ( BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW) and b) he joined your now defunct fan club, exactly the sort of egotistical behavior one would expect from you. Though the lulz i get out of your banning would have to be that you accused me of griefing right up until you yourself got b&….for greifing, but you know good luck in the future, Royal Marine. Lul
Yeah Mikael I agree its a pretty inflammatory remark to say that Nanao goes out of his way to use them but in fairness the Alliance Navy have a history with them and that sort of sticks like tar with your reputation.
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 2nd, 2008
nah they didnt disband till sunday, they had just but they’re base access only ask dara he knows
Proteus Hand
Apr 2nd, 2008
The Arkhein may be dead, but ideas are relatively immortal. When the cashflow returns, the Arkhein will likewise.
Don’t expect that anytime soon though.
Mikael Khalamov
Apr 2nd, 2008
“Yeah Mikael I agree its a pretty inflammatory remark to say that Nanao goes out of his way to use them but in fairness the Alliance Navy have a history with them and that sort of sticks like tar with your reputation.”
It’s easy to demonize a group you never face and never beat.
anon
Apr 2nd, 2008
>Linden Labs has been working with the FBI to somehow go after Griefers in Second Life
lol that’s what they said a year ago about W-HAT idort, FBI doesn’t give a shit
Oneacron
Apr 3rd, 2008
Indeed, Arkhein was a good start of a military but still they should clarify their alliance status. For example trough the SLMN (Second Life Military News) group…
Lurdan Huszar
Apr 3rd, 2008
Hahha we have Proteus back now.
Bruno Ziskey
Apr 3rd, 2008
Hm……well I kinda hoped this wouldnt happen, this falling of Arkhein, it seemed like a good idea. Guess this proves that democracy in the military won’t work, something I already knew. Only a strong, guiding hand can possibly make a working, efficient military machine.
Spartan King
Bruno Ziskey
Trazen Vendetta
Apr 3rd, 2008
Oh Vegna…
Please learn to be civil.
You are turning into something of an Ordo man.. ranting at your enemies in Herald Chatboxes but without the courage to track them down Inworld.
As I said, do some f*king RESEARCH.
You have proved you have the journalistic talent of a snail on crack cocaine; Journalists do this thing called research. It involves looking into something before ranting about how right you are.. a hint. You aren’t.
Of course, I would expect nothing better from someone like you.. being ex PN and all..
Seriously, what is the Herald coming to?
We have 2 supposed ex PN writers in our midst, articles are about Ballet groups refusing to stay on SL..
Editor:
”GET A LIFE”
-T.V
Trazen Vendetta
Apr 3rd, 2008
Also.. I was not banned for ”griefing”…
I was banned, as you say for hacking steve39 Cao.
Anti-Griefer enforcement.
I guarantee if LL hacked every member of SLSN, Griefing would go down miracilously.
Eye Korobase
Apr 3rd, 2008
Bruno, I really think you need to get over the fact that they USED to be PNs and now are not. Why do you have to bring up the bad past that someone lived?
Anyway, Arkhein would have been great and a good army to be apart, but sadly that Proteus was the only person to actually put L in the sim for the army to have a base, it was somewhat doomed to fail. Even though the army died, Proteus will live on! haha
-Eye Korobase
Trazen Vendetta
Apr 3rd, 2008
Uh.. eye.. It was me who said they were Ex PNs, not Bruno.
Bruno Ziskey
Apr 3rd, 2008
“Bruno, I really think you need to get over the fact that they USED to be PNs and now are not. Why do you have to bring up the bad past that someone lived?
Anyway, Arkhein would have been great and a good army to be apart, but sadly that Proteus was the only person to actually put L in the sim for the army to have a base, it was somewhat doomed to fail. Even though the army died, Proteus will live on! haha
-Eye Korobase”
”
Uh.. eye.. It was me who said they were Ex PNs, not Bruno.
Posted by: Trazen Vendetta”
*Dies laughing* Eye Korobase…..what an paradoxical of a name you have….
Zenrat Nedattev
Apr 4th, 2008
Without a doubt one of the worst Articles that the Herald has created so far… still, I’m sure Vegna could do far worse if he put more effort in.
Eye Korobase
Apr 4th, 2008
all I got to say to that is . . .
XyekeP Richez
Apr 4th, 2008
Right, I was left in charge of Arkhein after Proteus gave up on it, I officially ended it. It was a noble group as Proteus said, but what less do we expect out of Action Proteus.
Lurdan, you made him resign hoping to get Tangent back….sigh.
Also, I guess when money returns, so will Arkhein.
-Xye.
Veg (ZOMG EX PN!111!)
Apr 4th, 2008
!razen your grasp of English is worse than steve319. Dear Christ! Bruno make a translator!
Also why would I want to track you down inworld? You claim to be civil then you turn around and start insulting people. I’m sorry you feel that we have “internetz drama to be had!11″ but please Trazen you’re starting to be a lulcow and people are starting to stare. Please take the husk that is the remainder of your dignity and leave.
Izaea Qinan
Apr 5th, 2008
“Yeah Mikael I agree its a pretty inflammatory remark to say that Nanao goes out of his way to use them but in fairness the Alliance Navy have a history with them and that sort of sticks like tar with your reputation.”
Vegna. You’ve been our ally, as a Spartan. You’ve seen us fight. You know damn well what gear we use – and you should know better than that. The only technology we use with tracking tech is a missile, designed so that it can only track people in aircraft, and it’s dodgeable for fuck’s sake.
Our “long history” with them is two deployment platforms – the Talon, and the MARs, the latter of which hardly ever hit, and the former has to lock on, at high speeds, in aerial combat.
Learn2research, mang.
menjo
Apr 5th, 2008
a pitty arkhein disbanded
FoxY
Apr 5th, 2008
Oh Vegna…
Please learn to be civil.
You are turning into something of an Ordo man.. ranting at your enemies in Herald Chatboxes but without the courage to track them down Inworld.
As I said, do some f*king RESEARCH.
i haven’t seen any ordo commenting/ranting in any herald chatbox so far. So do some f*king Research?
On on top of that i have a lot of friends in the ordo and i can say that they do have the balls to track you down. However i never hear from you outside these chatboxes
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 5th, 2008
Izaea I never said “long history” I said history. You just said you used albeit in a minor way but once a whiff of that gets out you know what ppl are like “ZOMG THEY BE USING TRACKERZ” the rumour amplifies and the AN get tarred with a brush. This is wrong. I never meant it in that you guys break rules and stuff.
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 5th, 2008
Trazen civility is earned and you’ve never been a champion of it ever. Much as I hate the guy you harassed Jasyn back in the tatakoto days far worse than I ever could have (and don’t baww on about “butz he was in sky raiderz!). You hacked someone elses account Trazen and you want no, demand civility? I took you for a smart guy,s:.
. “Inside the Herald chatbox” its the only place you actually are on as Trazen why wouldn’t I respond to your remarks here?
Research, research, research “do some f*****g research.” on er…wut? Your various alts hanging round on the grid? Why? I don’t waste time
Right you accuse me of being a PN griefer still and you want people to track me down? If you think I’m a griefer what do you think will happen? But no I hang out in Dismal these days so I think i’d just shoot them.
And I don’t think your in any position to slag ordo considering your military record.
And thats my last comment to this drama session, bai.
Pwned Chris
Apr 5th, 2008
VANGUARD = Violated Anally Nooby Griefers Under A Rectal Dictator
Trazen Vendetta
Apr 5th, 2008
”FoxY” – I have no doubts your Ordo friends would DELIGHT in tracking me down in RL.
After all.. it wouldn’t be the first time, would it?
Say hi to Aryte from me.
Someone is always watching, and some of us remember how he actually gained the Ordo.
Very interesting story that.
Before you begin slinging your usual thuggish threats under a false name, I suggest you get a life, and stop playing at the ”Internet Gangsters”, because, seriously.. the stuff that’s got into RL so far isn’t tht nice is it?
Just a small veiled threat/ warning.
Some of us know the truth behind the rumours.
- T.V
steve319 Cao
Apr 5th, 2008
Aer you taeking the mickey out of my speling sonny?
I cna spell very well, and I hvae o dout that you are underage if you kepe syaing i cnat spel then i wil teport you kk than ksbye
STEVE319 cAO fORMER SLSN Commander
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 6th, 2008
Bruno that was soooo you….:D
Proteus Hand
Apr 6th, 2008
I love how an ex-PN argument comes out of this.
The blatant hostility I’m picking up here makes me wonder if some of you know the joys of
people skills, socializing, and the arts of friendship.
Quite seriously, I doubt it – continue living in your basements eating funyuns.
Nidol Slazar
Apr 7th, 2008
I doubt Trazen knows the first thing about hacking. He most likely just guessed steve’s password. lawl
Bruno Ziskey
Apr 7th, 2008
No, steve just told Trazen his password, like the typical dumbass steve is. No big deal, no big OMFG HACK deal, just simple stupidity via steve319 Cao, which admittedly is quite typical of steve.
Vegna Fouroux
Apr 7th, 2008
well in fairness it was threw an SLSN alt fox had so..
Bruno Ziskey
Apr 7th, 2008
In all fairness, it was entirely due to steves stupidity.
Izaea Qinan
Apr 7th, 2008
Nidol – do you have any idea how hard that would be?
Not only would you have to figure out what it was that was important enough to him to use as a password… then you would have to figure out how STEVE spelled it.
Ten bucks says it was “pssawrod”
Imphazar Gears
Apr 9th, 2008
Izaea- you made me lol.
-Imphazar Gears, Alliance Navy Recruit
P.S:
Just to clear up these rumours…
Trazen is my Brother in RL, and I know the whole SLSN story.
Here goes…
Trazen found someone who steve had told his password to, that someone was pissed of with steve and Trazen took advantage of that.
He paid the person (who will remain anonymous) 11k for it, and then proceeded to use it to leak all of SLSN’s gear, return their base, sell the land, and invite everyone into the group as an owner.
Needless to say, Trazen got his ballsack strung up for it and got the banhammer.
Incidentally, I believe the password was ‘alpha321′ Though I may have got the numbers slightly wong. Alpha something, anyway.
Imphazar Gears
Apr 9th, 2008
I just checked- it was alpha123 according to Trazen.
Izaea, you owe me 10 bucks or a promotion.
Eye Korobase
Apr 15th, 2008
I swear, Bruno just comments on almost all the articles because he wants to feel closer the Second Life military community and gets about no where because he is blinded by his own idioticity.
Enough Said.
Darakon Kayvon
Apr 16th, 2008
I R IS BACK LOL, I HAVE EYES WOO!. Damn i cant believe people are still commenting on this article, sheesh this was done ages ago. Arkhein disbanded, Proteus went to Mercz and i dont know what he’s doing now. Me and Xyekep solely disbanded the groups of the Arkhein since no one else was going to do it really. It’s true that i went on to do work with the Remnant Imperium (Whom i’ve yet to hear some news or see an article about), and now im practically cut off from SL due to my new RL Location. Comments about PN and Ex-PN Members are boring, moar porn, nuff said. Your Beloved Dara XD
ProteusPater
Aug 6th, 2009
Proteus Hand, RL Andrew M. has a sever Second Life addiction.He lied about his age to get access to the website. His addiction has cost him his home and his family. If you cannot put down Second life for two weeks without having any contact with it at all, you may have the same problem.
Here is a good support group:
http://www.olganon.org
ProteusPater