User blog:Ethans3000/PE Proposal: Akish (Tennis Shoes Adventure Series)

Merry Christmas, everyone. Today I have another Pure Evil proposal, for yet another character from the obscure Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. This character is the Jaredite sorceror and king Akish.

Who Is He?/What Has He Done?
As with many characters in the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series, Akish is a fictionalized version of an actual historical figure. True to his depiction in the Book of Mormon, this version of Akish was a member of the ancient people known as the Jaredites. He was employed by the king Jared to usurp the throne of his father, Omer. When Omer heard of Akish and Jared's plan, he and his followers made an escape. Akish took the chance to murder Jared, marry his daughter Asherah, and take the throne for himself.

Of course, Akish was later betrayed by his wife, especially after he killed his sons when it seemed that they would be hindrances to his quest for power. But he still continued to perform evil acts. The previous paragraph was about what happened before the events of the Tennis Shoes books, and in the books...Akish was still pretty evil. In his introductory book, Warriors of Cumorah, Akish is still working on forging his mystical sword. As part of his plan to complete his sword, he intends to kill the protagonist Rebecca Plimpton (a ten-year-old girl) and bathe the sword in her blood. As it turns out, Akish ends up killing Todd Finlay and using his blood, instead. However, Rebecca, her brother Joshua, and their friend Mary Symeon steal Akish's sword from him. While looking for his sword, Akish goes to modern times to ask Rebecca and Joshua's uncle Jim Hawkins if he has the sword. When it turns out Jim doesn't have the sword, Akish burns his house down.

Eventually, Akish manages to track down Joshua and steal his sword back. He takes Joshua to his home century to punish for stealing his sword. Akish imprisons, starves, and tortures Joshua along with Akish's sons that failed him. After a while, Asherah releases Joshua and sends him to another time and place with Akish's sword.

It's about this time that Akish begins waging war on the Jaredites led by King Omer. Akish believes his son Nimrah is the one who should be the king of the Jaredites, so he seeks to annihilate King Omer, his family, and all those who stand in the way of Nimrah's potential rulership. Akish's estranged wife Asherah plots against Omer to pave the way for Nimrah, though it's unlikely that she's still in league with Akish.

In the midst of all this, Akish comes after Joshua again. He steals the precious Golden Plates that Joshua was tasked with delivering to a secret treasure vault and tells Joshua that he will turn them over if he brings him his sword back. Well, Joshua does bring Akish's sword, but Akish goes back on his promise. He hangs Joshua by a noose on the shores of Ablom. Joshua is rescued by a group of Jaredite warriors loyal to King Omer, who later attack Akish. Akish is killed by King Omer himself.

Heinous Standard
Akish is portrayed as a cruel, sadistic man who seeks only power. He employs many Satanic practices in his sorcery, and he does not take failure very well. It is said that, after his sword was stolen, Akish was searching for it for years before finally deciding to go after the Plimptons' family. And when that doesn't work, he goes after the family members that are lost in time. He tries to capture Harry and Steffanie Hawkins so they can guide him to their cousins that have stolen his sword, but to no avail. As mentioned above, Akish persists to get back his sword even after it is stolen from his again. He views his mystical sword as instrumental in his quest for power.

I've previously mentioned that one of Akish's goals is to bring his son to the throne of the Jaredites. This could indicate that Akish cares about his son, but I don't really think so. Throughout the books, Akish is shown to be willing to kill his relatives-children or otherwise-if they get in the way of his plans, or if they fail him. I wouldn't be surprised if Akish kills Nimrah in the event that he lets his father down.

Moral Even Horizon
Akish crosses this several times.
 * First, when he goes to the Hawkinses' house, discovers that they don't have his sword, and burns it down out of spite.
 * Second, when he tortures and kills his sons for no apparent reason.
 * Third, when he teams up with some of his surviving sons and their armies to annihilate King Omer and his family so Nimrah can become the new Jaredite king. Akish even kills one of his sons, Elam, because he thinks there's a chance Elam will betray him.

Individual Capability
He was able to disguise himself as an Islamic monk as part of his plan, and also best his nemesis Joshua Plimpton in many fights. Not to mention that he was able to forge a mystical sword that displayed some sentience of its own.

Redeeming Qualities
There...really aren't any. Though he and his former wife Asherah harbor similar goals to bring their son Nimrah to the throne, it's ambiguous whether they truly still harbor feelings for each other. For all the reader knows, Akish will kill Asherah if he encounters her again.

Conclusion
Overall, Akish is an evil, warmongering sorceror who not only seeks power for himself and his son, but also goes to extreme lengths to exact revenge on those who hinder his progress.