Ilar-Thai

Ilar-Thai, a Volodarin term meaning Time of Renewal, refers both to a theological concept found within the cult of Amar, and to a series of events more commonly referred to as the Amaran Rebellion. The Amaran religion, centred in the Free City of Amara, holds that the time of Ilar-Thai is upon the world, in which the Aeldrin of the ancient Aelder Wood will be reborn, and purge the Empire of Nara Tok from their lands, reforging their pact with Daisha and restoring her sacred forest.
The concept of Ilar-Thai was first born with the rise of Amar in the early 4th century IF. Amar claimed to a prophet of Daisha, and believed that he had been granted a message from her, to spread to the people of Viala (modern-day Amara). Amar preached that Daisha's people had disappointed her. Their failures during the Aeldrin-Imperial Frontier Battles, and earlier during the reign of Maknor Wildfyr and the encroachment of the Halfling Crews, had angered the goddess. He claimed that a reckoning would come soon, in which the blood of the unfaithful and the heretics would be spilled - the only way to escape her wrath was to join him in a crusade of bloodshed, against the forest's enemies. While Amar died before his vision could come to pass, his followers held on to his beliefs. Ilar-i Vad, were Amar's final words. Rebirth through blood. And the cult of Amar took these words to heart. They taught their followers that their day would come - the time of reckoning and rebirth. Ilar-Thai.
That time came sooner than might have been expected. With the beginning of Thaerseimai, the southern Exarchies were left isolated from the northern courts. Growing hostility between the Yethisian Exarch and the Exarchs of Selucia and Lucria left the Astrian government (the Qai'din) without significant allies. Amar's followers used this opportunity to begin their work in Viala. A series of riots, protests and assaults left the town in chaos, and in 396 IF, these operations culminated in Amaran cultists storming the Vialan parliament, and massacring its town council. The cultists, who had grown greatly in number since Amar's death, fought a series of battles with the town's garrison, which ended with their victory, allowing them to take control of the town, and purge the unbelievers among the Vialan population. The Free City of Amara was born, and Ilar-Thai begun.
The Amarans set forth on a mission to spread the 'good news' to surrounding villages and towns, raiding them for supplies and forcibly converting the able-bodied to their cause. Those Volodarin who refused their conversions were slaughtered, while the non-Volodarin were enslaved, and employed to fuel the Amaran war machine. The Amarans received weapons and military training from the Sundemari, which allowed them to advance their crusade. They sent parties of raiders to ambush caravans travelling between Astria and the Halfling Crews, and assault Redcloak garrisons in the region. They also began a campaign of sabotage within the larger towns and cities of the region, especially Astria and Luria, with the aim of destabilising the Astrian government, and ultimately freeing the area from the rule of the Qai'din. Their operations were successful in sowing terror among the general populace, leading many to flee west, hoping to escape the troubles in Volodaria.
Meanwhile, the Amarans continued to exchange diplomatic overtures with the Maea Sundemari, especially the conjuration wizard, Aelluin, the Summoner. In 399 IF, Aelluin granted the Amarans a great gift, as a sign of friendship - a precious Daqi seed, stolen from a fae queen. The seed proved of immense theological importance to the Amaran movement. The last of the Daqi trees had been destroyed during the reign of Maknor Wildfyr, over a millennium ago, when Daisha's sacred grove was burned by the Yngarians. The existence of another seed became a symbol of the righteousness of their quest. The holy tree was planted in the centre of Amara, where the Vialan parliament had once stood, and was tended to by a cadre of druid-priests. The Amarans were invigorated with renewed conviction - the first seed of the New Aelder Woods had been planted, and soon the entire forest would be reborn. The truth of Amar's last words had been shown: rebirth had come, through the shedding of imperial blood.
Three years later, the Vengeance Campaign proved successful, and Sundemar disappeared, the Sundemari government collapsing after the Liberation of Nara Tok. Aelluin was one of the last survivors of the Maea Sundemari; and, fearing for his life, he sent a simple message to the high-priests of Amar. 'Prepare for my arrival'. The dawn following this message's arrival saw Aelluin emerge in the heart of the city, stepping forth from among the roots of the city's burgeoning Daqi tree. The Amarans marvelled at this feat of magic, and so few challenged Aelluin when he made moves to take direct control of the city and its priesthood. The Summoner used the Vadali, the Amaran high-priests, as the executors of his will, and through them controlled the cult itself. Aelluin has since been enshrined within the Amaran religion, as Naishidor, the Herald of Daisha, and champion of Ilar-Thai. He is widely considered the successor of Amar himself, despite his Aoleirian heritage. Aelluin commands the priests of Amar, and through them holds an iron grip on the city itself, as well as their operations throughout Volodaria, coordinating their crusade against the Empire of Nara Tok.
Following General Vraidan Ffandor's campaign in Kanik in 403 IF, the Karosi general marched east into Volodaria, intending to put down the Amaran Rebellion once and for all, and bring about the end of Ilar-Thai. He brought a force of 40,000 imperial soldiers, supported by 50 powerful Circle mages, and set siege to the rebel capital. Only the presence of Aelluin allowed the city to withstand Ffandor's forces. The Summoner grew desperate after nearly falling to attacks by the Circle mages, and opened a bridge to his Realm, unleashing its fae denizens on Ffandor's gathered army. This gambit resulted in the general's army being routed, and the general himself dying. The siege is considered the greatest victory of Ilar-Thai so far, and has further cemented Aelluin's place within the Amaran religion.
In 408 IF, Amara remains a free city, and its citizens believe that Ilar-Thai will continue until the Empire is entirely purged from the south. Their operations throughout the eastern region of Volodaria continue to disrupt local government and trade, and have created a major refugee crisis, as many Volodarin flee west, rather than die or be enslaved by Amaran raiders. All the while, Aelluin continues to rule from Amara, employing the followers of Amar in his mission to establish elvish supremacy across the continent.