Amar

Amar was a poor shepherd who played a large role in influencing modern history in the eastern region of Volodaria. In the early 4th century IF, Amar established himself as a prophet of Daisha, and gathered a large following among the citizens of Viala. Amar preached violence against the Empire of Nara Tok, and their servants in Astria, and his sermons led to a series of riots and revolts that spread across the east. Amar can be blamed for many of the troubles that plague the region, as it was his cult who began the revolution in Viala (now Amara), which remains the only city to escape re-annexation into the Empire of Nara Tok following the success of the Vengeance Campaign.
Amar was born in the town of Viala in 233 IF, one of the first of a new generation of imperialised Volodarin, born after the signing of Volodar's Pact. Amar's mother died during childbirth, leaving him to be brought up by his father, a Fysian druid-priest. His father was a sickly man, however, and when Amar was just thirty-three years old, he succumbed to a wasting sickness, leaving Amar to inherit his gambling debts. Amar spent several years begging, before being taken in by a sheep-farmer, and employed as a shepherd.
The defining moment of Amar's life occurred in 314 IF, when he brought his herd to grazing grounds overlooking the Qanician Sea, an hour's travel from the town itself. A wandering lamb led Amar into a cliff-side cave, where a rockfall buried him beneath the earth. He spent a week trapped, with no natural light for guidance, and only the lamb for sustenance. When Amar was finally rescued, he was found raving about strange, violent visions from Daisha herself.
Convinced that what he had seen was real, Amar abandoned his job soon afterwards, devoting himself fully to spreading Daisha's word to the people of Viala. Amar claimed that Daisha had seen the indulgences of the Volodarin, after their failure to uphold her pact, and she had been filled with rage. He taught that there would be a reckoning, and only those truly loyal would be safe from her wrath. To prove their loyalty, the children of Daisha must purge the impure from her ancient homeland, and drive the Empire of Nara Tok out of the south. Amar's mad ravings found a large audience among his townsmen, and over the next four years, Amar would draw in crowds from across the region, gaining many loyal followers. Over time, his sermons grew more and more violent, and fights between his cultists and local authorities became commonplace.
By 318 IF, Amar's following had grown large enough to threaten the local Vialan government, who requested aid from the Astrian Qai'din. A force of five hundred Redcloaks was dispatched from the capital, to reinforce the Vialan constabulary. With military aid, the Vialan authorities sent soldiers to arrest Amar, along with some of his most zealous disciples. They charged him with treason, and inciting violence. His trial was brief, and on the first day of spring, Amar was hanged along with his disciples. Only a few of his closest followers escaped this fate, supposedly witnesses to Amar's last words: Ilar-i Vad. Rebirth through blood.
Ilar-i Vad became a battle cry among Amar's followers, who went to arms against the Vialans after Amar's execution. Even with the aid of the Astrian reinforcements, Vialan authorities were unable to quash the rioting cultists. Skirmishes were fought throughout the town, and blood ran through the streets. A month of rebellion finally ended when a larger force arrived from the west, and set to dealing with the remaining insurgents. Many of Amar's followers were killed in the conflicts, but some were able to escape retribution, hiding in neighbouring villages. Over the following years, Amar's followers trickled back into the town, and began to rebuild their following among the Vialans. Cultists travelled to many of the surrounding towns and villages, and began to indoctrinate others into their bloodthirsty religion, spreading Amar's influence across the east.
By the beginning of Thaerseimai, Amar's cult had swelled manifold. In 393 IF, Amaran insurgents began a campaign to destabilise Viala's government, and organised assaults on its garrison. In 396 IF, this campaign culminated in the massacre of the Vialan government. Following several weeks of battle with the Vialan garrison, the cult was able to take control of the town and its environs, forming the Free City of Amara . With the Astrian government cut off from the wider Empire, the cult was given free reign to begin its campaign of terror across the east, conducting raids on surrounding towns and forcibly converting the Volodarin inhabitants, and enslaving the non-Volodarin.
Amar's followers continue his crusade, seeking to eradicate the presence of outsiders from their ancestral homeland, and ultimately return the ancient forest to its former glory. They claim that Ilar-Thai has begun - the time of rebirth, when the Empire will be destroyed, and the Daishan Pact reforged. Yet, their beliefs have evolved beyond their creator. Aelluin, the Summoner is granted the title Naishidor - Herald of the Goddess - and is considered the spiritual successor to Amar. Even after the success of the Vengeance Campaign, with Aelluin's aid, the Amarans have been able to resist all attempts at quashing them, including the Siege of Amara. Amar's followers have taken on his legacy, and become a menace to the inhabitants of Volodaria, and the Empire at large.