Emhirism

Emhirism is a deeply unpopular and declining counter-culture movement in the Pāll-tanír. Revolving around a philosophy of Arventiri superiority, emhirism has historically been the direct cause of the most blood-soaked conflicts that have transpired in the Pāll-tanír during the reign of the Dominion, namely the First Great Desert Revolt, and the Second Great Desert Revolt.

Background & History

Prior to the arrival of the Dominion, control of most of the south of the Pāll-tanír was held by the great Emhirani Empire, which spanned from modern-day Kasta to the lands now held by the Republic of Sibor. The core philosophy that defined the Emhirani Empire was that of Arventiri exceptionalism. Despite history showing otherwise, the emhura (monarchs) of the Emhirani Empire claimed that the fall of ancient Mulrakh was owed largely to humanity, with the other races playing more of a supporting role in the war. This belief was used to justify the seizure of vast tracts of land and territory that should have otherwise belonged to the other races of the Pāll-tanír, notably denying the alossi centhiri a place to call home.
Despite the Emhirani Empire's outward hostility to the other races that resided in the Pāll-tanír, it did not bar them from residing within the empire. In fact, bringing the other races under the empire's wings formed part of the foundational philosophy of the Emhirani Empire. The founders and emhura of the Emhirani Empire claimed that the empire had a moral obligation to protect and shelter members of the other races of the Krosha in memory of their contributions in the war against Mulrakh.
The motives of the emhura were far from pure, however. Ostensibly, members of other races were able to reside in the Emhirani Empire and enjoy the same rights and privileges as their human counterparts but, due to government-sanctioned systemic discrimination, they were only ever treated as second-class citizens. Though there were no laws explicitly saying such, other races were effectively barred from holding public office, owning real estate, or even running businesses.
History shows that this was by design, as members of other races were invariably pushed into doing manual labor jobs or other such undesirable work. Surviving texts from members of Emhirani high society suggest that the Emhirani believed that the other races owed humanity for the fall of Mulrakh and that there was a cultural expectation that the other races should simply accept the hand that they were dealt and, indeed, be grateful that the humans were not leaving them in the desert to die.

Remnants of the Revolution

The First Great Desert Revolt was orchestrated by descendants of the Emhirani royal family and other nobles that were displaced by the Dominion's arrival and subsequent conquest of the Pāll-tanír. The Second Great Desert Revolt was sparked by resentment stemming from the defeat of the first, and a desire to see the Arventiri restored to what many believed, at the time, was their rightful place in the Pāll-tanír.
Though both revolts were easily dealt with by the Dominion, and perhaps because they were so easily defeated, those old resentments still linger in the Pāll-tanír. To modern emhirists, it is bad enough that their homeland is being ruled over by a different race, but there is no greater insult to them than that race espousing unity and equality. Despite the culture of openness and acceptance that has been fostered by the Dominion over the past millennia, there are still those who believe wholeheartedly in the philosophy of the Emhirani in the far-flung regions of the Pāll-tanír.
Even though the movement is dying, it clings on for dear life in the most remote villages and towns of the Pāll-tanír, where humans believe that their rightful place is on top. In particular, emhirism has found a precarious foothold in the regions that border the Shar, where conditions mean that lawlessness is rampant and the Dominion's influence is reduced.

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