Legacy of Nassarus

On the subject of influences, names with the suffix -us have appeared with noteworthy regularity. Unlike names that adhere to common convention, names with that suffix are found among Etayen, Aemar of various cultures, and even races such as the Elivas and Daorhu. Names of that variety originate among the Etayen, with figures such as the explorer Zorius the Newcomer and Ácolitus, the Light Bringer and creator, being the most famous. The convention seems to have diffused to the wider world over the course of centuries, but curiously it did not come until after the fall of Étunas in the year zero. The conclusion to be drawn is that the convention did not spread like other cultural adoptions, with contact over time leading to inevitable mixing. Scholars in Gledgast and Karnast alike have mulled over question for years in their search for a suitable answer. It was in 2415, during the reign of Tressonar Traebor, that a student in Pyrgoros named Hesta Jondos wrote a monograph on the subject based on her findings. She took preServed writings from the remains of Karnast, graciously maintained by order of the tressonar, and closely scrutinized those from the period of Étunas's fall. She discovered that there was a story and greater meaning behind that simple naming convention, more so than might be expected.
The origins date back to the days of Corgastor and the liberation of Everos from Étunas. In those violent years, Corgastor and his allies were waging a lightning war of attrition against the Etayen, sweeping to one settlement along the frontier to another, scattering troops and destroying supplies. These tactics earned the Aemar forces honor and renown, but it failed to put them cloSer to total victory. The Etayen were wealthy, powerful, and numerous in those days. The Etayen troops killed or material destroyed on the field could be replaced within weeks. The battle lines did not shift. All the while, the Etayen took brutal vengeance on rebellious towns within striking distances, making the war dangerously unpopular with common Everosi people. A change of strategy or fortunate windfall was necessary to secure victory. Corgastor looked toward Nathrovas, the Voletal region of eastern Everos, ruled by Nassarus Nathroghal- the grandson of Iolas the Elder. Nassarus had reason to be enraged, certainly. Atûn had stood idle while Balith’nir and the Council of Amikiras hounded his grandfather to rebellion, then slew him. Corgastor exploited the divide by traveling to Etumrassus and speaking with Nassarus, telling him that an alliance between them would offer the chance to avenge his grandfather. Moreover, victory would mean independence for the Voletal from the elitist and overbearing Etûletal, and the deity that so unjustly favored them.
The writings of Hesta Jondos delve deep into this episode of history, but suffice to say that Nassarus agreed to ally with Corgastor. United, the Voletal of Nathrovas, of whom Nassarus ruled the majority, and the Aemar under Corgastor were able to achieve a stunning victory. They pushed the Etûletal regime back to the coasts of the Semyr, then back to Etal in a bloody swathe. The pair celebrated victory together, but the consequences of their efforts was not yet understood. Across the sea in Etal, the condition of Atûn had been degrading with the deaths of so many of his children. A mere six days after the final Etayen defeat at Silverport, he was dead. The cause is best compared to a heart attack or complete internal shutdown, caused by the sudden fluctuation in his power. Nassarus had not expected that outcome, nor had any among the Etayen or men, and he was devastated his intention was not to undo their deity, only the injustices. In Etal, the name Nassarus was forever after held in dishonor and revile. Among the Aemar, however, as Hesta Jondos discovered, the suffix of the name Nassarus spiked in popularity following their united victory. Historical figures such as Ghetunbast Haradus, Ghet Rodus of Loryne, Marcarius Vex of the Amaderin ast Nelsor, and Vestus of Eurobia all took on the influence. The Aemar of Everos held him in high particularly high regard, none more than Corgastor himself, who viewed Nassarus as ‘the light that dispelled the evils of his race’. Interesting, Nassarus himself declined any such honors of association with the act, and spent the rest of his reign in repentance for his betrayal. He had, in the eyes of Etayen, handed their enemy a tremendous victory.