Origins[]

Arakko was a sister entity of Krakoa. Both were once part of Okkara, a sentient island that existed in the South Pacific. Okkara became home to a nation of mutants, ruled by Apocalypse and his wife Genesis. Several thousand years prior to the Modern Age, Okkara was attacked by the demons of Amenth. The demonic god Annihilation, wielding the Twilight Sword split Okkara into two halves; Krakoa and Arakko. In order to save Earth from being overwhelmed by the daemons unleashed by the sword, Genesis, her and Apocalypse's children, and the Okkaran society of mutants were sealed away together with Arakko to buy the world time. Apocalypse remained behind to prepare mutantkind for the demons' inevitable return.^[4]

Wars Against Amenth[]

Arakko and its mutant population were stranded in the dark dimension of Amenth, home to various Daemons. Once there, one tenth of the Arakkii mutants fled into the wasteland, overwhelmed by the demonic nature of Amenth. They were later captured by the forces of Annihilation and were forced to breed with demons to create a new warrior sub-race, the Summoners.^[3] The mutant alchemists and wizards combined their powers to create ten towers which would protect them from the demonic threat.

The new Arakkii nation was mostly stable, led by the Great Ring of Arakko, a collection of omega-level mutants. But for a time Arakko became crippled by a wave of civil disorder which threatened the besieged nation's unity. Uqesh the Bridge, then holder of the Seat of Law on the Great Ring of Arakko, invoked emergency powers of deferdom, granting him control of the island nation. He used his powers to summon a legion of gods to guide and council the Arakki, assigning control of their armies to the gods. This would prove disastrous however. Under the command of the gods, two Arakkii legions were lost. The gods were blamed, and dissatisfaction towards Uqesh's rule led to revolts. Uqesh was unseated by Ora Serrata the Witness and the deferdom of the Seat of Law ended.^[5]

As the years passed the mutants warred with the demons in a seemingly endless conflict. Eventually Genesis gathered an army and rode out to end the threat of Amenth for good, but she and what was left of the army were forced to return after a disastrous encounter with fellow mutant and former ally White Sword. Then Isca, former ally turned traitor returned, and informed Genesis that Annihilation, the dark god of Amenth and leader of the Daemons, offered her a duel with the fate of their peoples at stake. Genesis accepted the challenge and won, only to find that it was a trap. By winning, she was forced to either don the helmet of Annihilation and merge with the entity, or allow the Amenthi daemons to run rampant. For 100 years she refused, until the Amenthi horde finally cracked the walls of Arakko, prompting the desperate Arakkii to open a portal to Dryador in search of aid. Realizing that all was lost, Genesis donned the helm, merged with the entity, and the mutants of Arakko would thenceforth serve Annihilation.^[6]

The Fallow Years[]

After its fall, Arakko was forced into peace with Amenth and turned into a vassal state. Vile School omnipaths and stealth suppressors were imbedded in Arakko to uncover militant thought and defuse any attempted uprisings.^[6] The Abyssal Prisons were constructed and overseen by Tarn the Uncaring, where countless mutant lives were lost.^[7][2]

X of Swords[]

With Arakko secured, the path out of Amenth was finally open. Annihilation sent Summoner, son of the Horseman of War, to go find his grandfather, ostensibly in order for him and the mutants of Krakoa to help them defeat the demons,^[3] but in truth, to trick him into opening a gateway between Amenth and Krakoa, paving the way for the demons to invade Earth, while the united forces of Arakko and Amenth laid waste to Dryador.^[6]

The small piece of Arakko that Summoner was sent on, known as the Arak Coral, later appeared off the southern coast of Krakoa. Cyclops along with his children, Cable and Prestige explored the new landmass before the two islands merged into one.^[8] Summoner succeeded in his mission, tricking Apocalypse into opening a portal to Otherworld, and leading him to the waiting armies of Amenth, led by his children. With war between Krakoa and Arakko now all but a fact, Omniversal Majestrix Saturnyne intervened in the conflict, arranging for a tournament of champions between the peoples of the twin islands. Each side would rally their champions and participate in a series of contests, with the fate of Earth at stake. When the Summoner returned to assemble their Swordbearers, which included Redroot, Arakko's translator, the Summoner informed Arakko that one way or another, the contest would end with the two islands re-united.^[9]

The Krakoan mutants won the contest, and in the process Annihilation was defeated, its influence curtailed and its grip on Arakko severed. Saturnyne decreed that one Krakoan mutant and one Arakkii mutant would exchange places, to mark the end of the conflict. Genesis chose Apocalypse to join her and their children in Amenth, while Apocalypse chose Arakko itself, along with all the mutants living on it, to take his place on Earth.^[10]

After finally returning to Earth, Arakko tried to reunite with Krakoa, but time had changed both of them, the two even speaking two totally different languages. Coming to the conclusion that they didn't love each other anymore, they both decided to stay separate.^[11]

Realizing the difficulties in accommodating a massive population of warlike mutants on Earth, Magneto proposed a plan to terraform Mars and re-locate Arakko and its inhabitants there, so that they could claim the red planet as the capital of the solar system and the first mutant world. The Great Ring consented to the plan and lent their aid. After the planet was made hospitable for life during the Hellfire Gala, Exodus, with the aid of Jean Grey and Lactuca the Knower, uprooted the island and sent it to Mars.^[1]

Genesis War[]

Arrako Prime was devastated in an attack from Uranos, who wiped out 98% of all life in a 50-mile radius in an hour.^[12][13] Learning of this, the Great Ring's defeat, the Arakkii mutants growing soft during her absence, Genesis decided to return and found the once-living island to be a wasteland littered with the bones of the dead.^[14] Upon returning, the Arakkii, along with the Great Ring, were split, with one half desiring to be strong again siding with her, while the other half wanting peace sided with Storm and the Brotherhood of Arakko. This war proved to be devastating to both sides, mostly for the Brotherhood, as the political power the nation once held destabilized.^[15]

Arakkii Society[]

The nation of Arakko was a continuation of the mutant society of Okkara. Arakko proper was a walled city, protected from the encroaching Amenthi hordes by ten towers.^[6] While in Amenth, Arakko appears to have bordered a body of water, where Arakkii pirates roamed.^[16]

Arakko is governed by the Great Ring, a council of omega-level mutants. The Great Ring has governed the nation for thousands of years, with the exception of a time Isca the Unbeaten referred to as "the fallow years".^[11] The council rules by equal votes, but in times of crisis the council defers to certain seats, granting them supreme executive power. The seat deferred to depends on the nature of the crisis.^[5]

Like its sister-nation of Krakoa, Arakko is governed by three principal laws:^[6]

• Make more mutants.
• Destroy our enemies.
• Defend this broken land.

Hardened by their constant battle for survival, the Arakkii are a warlike people.^[11] They frown on weakness and eschew comfort, welcoming any challenge as a means of strengthening themselves.^[17] To suggest an Arakkii requires the help of another is an insult.^[18] Arakkii captured in battle are expected to free themselves to redeem themselves.^[19] The Arakkii refer to their mutant powers as "weapons". Those born without powers, or those with powers that have no utility in war, are considered "weaponless".^[5]

Duels and challenges are a key part of Arakkii society. Arakkii justice is settled by duels, often but not always involving combat. Any party may challenge another, with the loser either yielding or dying. Such formal duels are overseen by the head of the Seat of Law. Refusing a formal duel is the greatest sin in Arakkii society, and such sinners are hunted down and killed.^[5] Interfering with one-on-one combat, even in an informal setting, is considered a faux pas and an insult to the combatants.^[19]

Points of Interest[]

• Arak Coral
  • Arak Maw
    • External Gate^[1]
  • Arakkii Pillar
• Blind Island^[20]
• Circle Perilous^[1]
• Dryador / Fiefdom of Amenth^[21] (Formerly)
  • Del Di'Lorr (Formerly)
  • Dryador Gate (Formerly)
• Great Ring ^[1]
• The Tower of Broken Will^[22]

Residents[]

• Upon its return to Earth, Arakko had twenty times more mutants than Krakoa.^[11] Krakoa had ~100,000 at the time,^[40] so the number should be about 2,000,000. However, at the start of Judgment Day, Arakko's population was listed as 1,000,000 mutants.^[12]
  • According to Jordan D. White, Arakko's population was supposed to be 2,000,000 and the 1,000,000 figure at the start of A.X.E.: Judgment Day #1 was a mistake. While he acknowledged the fan theory that some of the population left to become mercenaries, he thought a million was too extreme. He also suggested that both in-universe numbers are just estimates.^[41]
    • The mistake was later worked into the story in X-Men: Red (Vol. 2) #12 by stating half of the Arakkii did in fact become mercenaries.

• "Arakko" is "Okkara" in reverse and an anagram of "Krakoa."
• According to Prestige, the Arakkii language^[42] is similar to singing.^[8]