Arghun

The eldest son built his whole life on knowing things before anyone else. The throne went to the brother who was off flying while he schemed.

Arghun is the firstborn of the khagan Urus and the spymaster of the Southern Continent, in Tower of Dawn — the Prince of Spies, 'the oily one,' who traded in information and lost the only game he actually cared about.

At a glance

KIND: Human prince of the khaganate — no magic
ROLE: Spymaster; oversees the khagan's thirty-six viziers
CALLED: Prince of Spies — 'the oily one,' per Chaol
TRADES IN: Information, never coin or steel
WANTED: The throne, above everything
GOT: Passed over — the khagan named Sartaq heir
MISSED: The Valg in his own sister, Duva
FATE: Survives — no death is ever recorded for him

His people

The ones who mattered.

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Chaol Westfall Captain of the Royal GuardChaol Westfallhis enemyEnter Chaol Westfall →

Erawan Valg King · The Thing Under MorathErawanan allyEnter Erawan →

The one they faced.

The one they faced

The enemy whose war finally reached the khaganate's proud skies.

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Erawan Valg king of MorathErawanHis ilken crossed the sea and hunted their skies — the war that pulled the southern continent in.Enter Erawan →

What he loves

A cold appetite, honest about it.

The eldest heir loves the empire the way a hand loves a blade — for what it can do in his grip.

Power
Not the show of it. The having of it. The quiet certainty the room bends his way.
The empire, his way
Strong, ordered, unsentimental. He would call that love — and he is not entirely wrong.
Being proven right
He plays the long game. He would rather be vindicated in ten years than thanked today.
Control
Every piece placed before the game is called. Surprises are other people's mistakes.

His heart

The empire, held tight

It would be easy to call him cold and stop there. But he does love the khaganate — his version of it: disciplined, unbending, built to outlast every soft thing that might weaken it. He wants to be the one who keeps it standing, and he wants to be right about how. Whether that is devotion or hunger is a line he has never needed to find.

The long versionRead his whole storyEverything, in one place.Enter the full story

We're Caffeine and Curses. The Library started as my design research — I can't put Manon on a shirt without knowing which way the iron teeth snap — so we keep the notes here where everyone can use them. The pages are fan-made, not official; the licensed designs are in the shop.

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