Akka-Akko

Akka-Akko is a Sphere comprising of a patchwork of territories, from temples to Void Islands and Void Stations. It is primarily situated within the Tartarus Range of the Voidsea's Sky River Gyre, and the Hades Range within the Realmlands.

Founded by a religious order of ideologically pacifist warrior-monks known as the Order of Akka-Akko, the Sphere does not have a large, contiguous territory - Rather, it has small chunks of territory all across the Realmlands, Sky River and neighbouring Gyres, which are often designed to be entirely self-sufficient.

Akka-Akko is a very technologically advanced Sphere, capable of bringing weapons to bear to defend even the smallest of it's territory, which it protects with merciless ferocity, no matter the foe they are up against. The largest territory is known as the Pactspace, which is home to the Political Core, which is the centre of Akka-Akko's power.

By nearly all conventional definitions, Akka-Akko is a Minor Sphere - But in practice, it is a Major Sphere of immense importance. This is due to the Political Core, and the important role that it plays in diplomacy, espionage, and intrigue. The Sphere is a master of utilizing soft power to achieve it's goals.

Akka-Akko officially maintains total neutrality with the rest of the Sphere's, positioning itself as a peace-broker, and it's territories as regions where each side can co-exist and engage with one another diplomatically. In reality, there are certain political machinations that occur, and their territory is far from free of conflict, political activity, and battle, but it is the closest that can be found in the Valhallan Age. By utilizing it's highly advanced technology, and combat doctrine to defend itself, Akka-Akko has carved out a niche that sees nearly every Sphere in both the Voidsea and the Realmlands giving the Akka-Akko both a wide berth, and respect as an incredibly valuable resource. In doing so, it has secured itself, it's territory, and it's interests.

Akkan Faith

'We will be mocked. We will be ridiculed. We will be called hypocrites. We will struggle. This, I will not deceive you on, and this, I can assure you. Do not seek the peace you fight for with us, for we cannot offer it. Instead, seek the fire within, and use it to protect that peace.'

The Faith of Akkan is the central philosophy of the Akka-Akko, and appears to be something of an evolution of various pacifistic orders that emerged throughout the Voidsea - It centres around the preservation of peace, viewing it to be an ascension of the chaotic nature of reality. Chaos is the norm - Peace is the ability to overcome chaos. If a being can overcome chaos, then they are a being of exemplary resolve, strength, and morality, and the pinnacle of reality to the Akka-Akko.

A central tenant of the Akkan Faith is that it cannot be enforced - It can only be learned. This is a central reason why the Akka-Akko do not expand via military conquest.

A glaring contradiction to many who do not understand Akkan is that it is a pacifistic faith that preaches military tactics, understanding, and the need to fight. To the Akka-Akko, this is not a contradiction - Peace cannot survive those that would see peace shattered, and so, fighting is sometimes a necessity, but they do not do so lightly. The Warrior-monks of the Akkan faith are not seen as exemplars of the faith, but rather it's martyrs - Those who have chosen to give up the peace they seek to protect the peace of others. They are seen as tragic, often worthy of pity and respect, both in equal measure.

Territory

"We do not conquer - We are welcomed" - Akka-Akkoan Expansion Doctrine

There is no real distinction between the Akka-Akko as a Sphere, and the Akka-Akko as an Order. The day to day operations of the Sphere are run by the Order, making it less of a Sphere in the same sense as the Cosmic Union, or the Conquistadores, but rather territory held together by the Order of Akka-Akko.

With the exception of uninhabited systems, the Akka-Akko does not expand through any means other than peaceful integration - Even other Sphere's such as the Cosmic Union, despite their egalitarianism, are open to taking Void Islands by force if attacked first. Such responses are not taken by the Akka-Akko, even in the event they do invade a world. In such cases, they will simply render it unable to harm them, then retreat back into their territory.

Should a world wish to welcome the Akka-Akko as rulers, only then shall they arrive on a permanent basis. While this is somewhat rare, there have been a number of examples of this occurring.

Territory within the Akka-Akko Sphere is divided into three classifications - Each of which being important to understanding the role of the Sphere, and how it maintains it's power.

These Classifications are: the Pactspace, the Baza, and the Okku.

Pactspace

The Pactspace is the largest, contiguous territory that the Akka-Akko own - and even then, it is not large. It is a collection of a few dozen Void Archipelago, centring around the Political Core. It is inarguably the most important territory within the Akka-Akko, and the central key to their status as

Baza

Baza are Exclaves - Territory that is owned outside the Pactspace, but is under the direct control of the Akka-Akko. Akka-Akko has an abundance of exclavess. While this in and of itself is not unusual for many of the spheres throughout the Cosmic Tide, it is noteworthy that a majority of the territory that the Akka-Akko controls is in the forms of these Baza.

In total, there are more Void Archipelagos in exclaves spread out across the Voidsea than there are Archipelagos directly in the Pactspace. This makes the Akka-Akko one of the most widespread Spheres in the Voidsea. In the Realmlands, there are many temples and settlements that are part of the Akka-Akko. These are also considered to be Baza.

These Baza are entirely self sufficient, and capable of making decisions without the input of the rest of the Sphere if needed.

List of various Baza
Name	Realm	Location	Description
Baza Batam-Koto-Kai	Voidsea	Geld Null Zone	A collection of three Void Archipeligos, just on the border of the Null-Zone, and the Conquistadores' territory. It often finds itself mediating economic conflicts in the region.
Baza Kaio-Ah-Vori	Voidsea	Herecotsa Shoal	A Baza dedicated to monastic life, intended to be a territory where Warrior-Monks can go to attain a degree of the peace they sacrificed by becoming part of the Order.
Baza Etta-Ata-Oah	Realmlands	The Red River	A small town along the side of the Red River - The town acts as a rest stop for travellers of all factions and spheres. The monks here are said to be more aggressive, as they must handle all sorts of travellers and threats to do their duties.

Okku

Okku are considered somewhat different from Baza - But play a role of unparalleled importance. They are small territories, located within the territory of another Sphere. In the Voidsea, these can be Void Islands located within a Void Archipeligo controlled by another Sphere, or even just a Void Station that orbits a world. In the Realmlands, it can be a small district, or even just a single temple.

They act as diplomatic arms and even recruiting grounds for those who wish to join the Order. Okku are tolerated by other Spheres due to their political value - Okku are easy to contact, readily available, and are powerful diplomatic tools, for a variety of reasons. Akka-Akko often deploys diplomatic envoys to them, be they in the form of monks, or Void-Ships. Regardless, other Spheres rarely ever attempt to harm an envoy, for fear of upsetting their standing with the Akka-Akko, and losing access to the Political Core. This allows even the most isolated Spheres to interact with the Core, facilitating alliances and connections that would have otherwise been impossible.

Many Spheres attempt to use these to their advantage - to gather intelligence on territory that they would not be able to access otherwise, or interact with dignitaries that would be out of reach under normal circumstances, dispense messages, or otherwise engage with individuals and representatives that would be impossible to do so under other circumstances. Many secret deals, conspiracies and espionage missions arise within Okku. The Akka-Akko know this - And allow it to happen, seeing it both not as their duty to interfere, and as a way to maintain their soft power.

List of notable Okku
Name	Realm	Location	Description
Okku Natii-Sang	Voidsea	Texcanotli's Triad	A Void-Station located in the neighbouring Void-Archipelago to the capital of the Cosmic Union as part of a diplomatic agreement.