Banpour the Hero, the first free man, is the founder of the Nation the shares the name. Born as a slave in
Aleuzlatu, he formed a pact with
The Lord of the Sun to allow himself to inspire an uprising and free his people. This came about when he realized that the Human slaves of the Empire could overwhelm them after
the Tragedy of Mamlakaat Hadaan.
Early Life
Banpour was not born special, he was the 7th son of a 7th son. His father Ashur was a tailor, and his mother Dreeva was a breeding slave. Not gifted in any particular aspect, Banpour was a simple laborer under a
Draego master named Jarrakhez, performing custodial tasks in his palatial estate. It is known that Banpour could not read or write, and struggled to do so even in the later years of his life. By his mid 30's most of Banpour's family was dead due to the rough conditions of the slaves, and in a fateful moment he was traveling to Aaard Ghazanaan with his master when they got the news of it sinking to the depths.
Ascent to Power
While the devastated Draego were reeling, the young Banpour was stricken with divine inspiration.
The Lord of the Sun descended to him and blessed him with
The First Sword Spear, which held the power of the sun within it, and two divine steeds named Roshan and Ragar. He used this power to kill the masters of the great desert city of his birth,
Muruna, and claimed it as the first bastion of humanity in Solace. The new nation of
Banpour fought the Draego overlords for years, whittling them down as the other members of the First Council of Kings closed in on their former leaders. Banpour's forces were able to push the remaining Draego out of the western reaches, and they moved on to deal with attacks from the armies of other races that wanted to conquer the hoard of the fallen dragons.
In many ways Banpour used the tools of the masters to build this new empire, and to this day the High King draws comparisons to the Empress of the Draego. To ease conflict with the former council members, Banpour redirected their ire at the
Goblins,
Orcs, and
Beastmen, convincing the other races that their
Dark Magic with the power to sink cities was more of a present danger than the newly freed peoples of Banpour. King Banpour led crusades against these races and gained even more power by absorbing their lands and artifacts, eventually leaving them with only the
Wildwood Boneyard.
Death
In 237 AD, Banpour was sitting at the head of a powerful new nation. Human slaves across the old Empire had been liberated, and gladly joined the cause to break the chains of more. With the Draego banished from the realm, the only true threat to the Humans was the former Council of Kings, who still coveted the treasures of Aleuzlatu. One night in the city of Nozima, Banpour and his eldest son were visiting and demanded to stay in the highest tower of the Dusk Cathedral without explaining why.
At noon the next morning, the sun fractured in the sky over Nozima and the tower was immolated as all of the sun's light and fire poured into it. Banpour and his son were never found, and the ashes of the tower have been preserved ever since. To this day there is no sunlight in Nozima.
There are many theories surrounding the death of Banpour, with many scholars believing that he attempted an ascent to godhood and was stricken down. Church historians argue that a piece of the pact was kept secret from the people, and Banpour was simply fated to die at a certain place and time.
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