Aadan Hazar

Captain Aadan Hazar was a noble knight from Malagra who was a mighty warrior, poet, philosopher, and peacekeeper. Born in 373 to a noble family of ranchers in the countryside in the northcentral part of the region, he would grow to become a charismatic and popular leader who spoke several languages and counted many of the people of Bayt Alma and Vencerrado as friends. He worked hard to keep the peace during heated border disputes and was renowned for his arbitration skills even between the bitterest of foes.
During the troubled years between Malagra and Bayt Alma, Hazar died in a skirmish in 423 from an archer's arrow. The arrow penetrated his armor at his chest, drove through a pendant he wore, and pierced his heart. After the battle, holy men removed the shattered pendant and kept it safely stored away as a reminder of the great man.

Early Life

Though the Hazar estate was a rural ranch in a narrow strip of land in Malagra between the mountains and the sea, it was not far from the main high road and his influential family hosted travelers frequently, both those of aristocratic stature as well as merchants and laborers of more humble means. This steady stream of visitors from foreign parts piqued young Aadan's curiosity about the ways and customs of other peoples and he showed an aptitude for acquiring foreign languages. Though as an adolescent, he vowed to be a poet, his skill with language and with people led him to a life in the political sphere. While not outwardly religious, Hazar grew particularly fond of the sayings of Aimar and began wearing a simple pendant of the god's symbol as a young man.

Political Career

Hazar served in nearly every rural political position, beginning with his inheritance of the lordship of the family estate at the age of 28 due to the death of his father in a riding accident. He built on his family's well-respected name and began to develop a reputation for being an expert at making fair and equitable judgments to resolve petty disputes between settlers. As he gain recognition, he was called into service to mediate between ranchers and the expanding Al Kuliyan population that would often attempt to encroach on Malagran land.
When the troubles began between Bayt Alma and Malagra, many argue that it was the calm and soothing leadership of Hazar that prevented the conflict from boiling over into all-out war. Hardliners feel that a more aggressive leader would have struck earlier and harder against their Al Kuliyan neighbors to send a message about Malagran strength, but the prevailing attitude is that Bayt Alma would have had no choice but to respond with greater force.

Death

Skirmishes and small scale battles began flaring up on both sides of the Bayt Alma-Malagra border with leaders from both cultures struggling to keep their people in line. Most of the violence was committed by small forces of 25 to 50 soldiers attacking smaller groups of 10-15 enemy combatants who were either scouting or had strayed too far from larger numbers of allies. Some of the larger battles featured as many as 200 soldiers between the two sides, but these were rare as they threatened to ignite a declared war between the kingdoms.
In 423, after years of losses on both sides, Hazar traveled to meet with leaders in Bayt Alma to negotiate a peace. Though the two sides failed to reach an agreement, Hazar left on amicable terms and laid the groundwork for future, more substantive peace talks. A fierce and sudden spring storm swept down from the mountainside as the Kadites returned to Malagra, causing the 100-strong force to be divided into three smaller units. Before they could coordinate and reassemble, a rogue band of Bayt Alma warriors launched a surprise attack from the top of a ravine, slaughtering Hazar's unit and felling him with an arrow to the chest. Though the other two units banded together and drove off the rogues, the damage had been done.

Legacy

Aadan Hazar is remembered differently by groups all around Tel Rialis. In Al Kuliyan schools, he is usually portrayed as a wise and gentle peacekeeper who experienced some tragic bad luck. In Malagra, he is overwhelmingly remembered as a brave and noble hero, and is often referred to as Aadan the Brokenhearted due to his sorrow at the shattered peace with his neighbors and also due to the nature of the fatal blow.