Hanar Ara

Hanar Ara, the 'City of the Fallen', was the name of the ancient and previously abandoned city where the Sha'ik Reborn held court. The city abutted a cliff-face and had been buried in sand.The Bonehunters, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.503-506 The ghosts of its former residents still haunted the ruins of its homes and streets.The Bonehunters, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.590 Somewhere in the hills nearby was Denet'inar Spring.The Bonehunters, Chapter 21, US SFBC p.807-808
==Notable residents==
*Carrier
*Felisin Younger
*Kulat
==In The Bonehunters==
The Crippled God sent Kulat to Hanar Ara to begin preparing it for Felisin Younger as the new Sha'ik Reborn, Chosen as the Hand of the Apocalypse. When enough of her temple was cleared, the god sent his servants, the Unbound, to kidnap her and bring her there. Kulat explained that she had been chosen to lead the greatest cult in Seven Cities and named himself her seneschal. He said the Whispers would soon bring hundreds of followers, the maimed survivors of Poliel's plague.
In time, Kulat's predictions came true. Survivors came in the hundreds, guided by the hand of the Crippled God, and they began excavating the city to make their homes among the buried ruins. Herders brought huge flocks of sheep and goats, and herds of long thought extinct Eraga were discovered in the surrounding hills. Artisans fashioned images of the God in Chains on walls and pottery. Fabrics were woven using large knots of wool to represent plague nodules, and depicting fever scenes and images of Felisin. The city's ghosts looked on in dismay and horror.The Bonehunters,Chapter 14, US SFBC p.590-592
Sects developed among the faithful that were defined by the damage the plague had delivered each survivor. These included the Broken, the Scarred, and the Unmanned. The most precious and rarest were the Carriers — those infected by the plague who did not show outwardly symptoms. These were recruited as pilgrims to travel about the world spreading the disease and gaining adherents among the survivors. The new faith taught that self-sacrifice and abject servitude would be rewarded with paradise after death. Felisin herself grew fat and indolent.
Mathok was the last surviving commander of the Army of the Apocalypse. His shamans told him to seek out Sha'ik Reborn in Hanar Ara, after they were beset with visions of the city.The Bonehunters, Chapter 21, UK MMPB p.984 He brought the Book of Dryjhna and pledged his warriors' service to Felisin Paran's successor. But the new Sha'ik Reborn said she had no need for either and told him his warriors were welcome to stay if they disarmed. She instructed Kulat to prepare a new Book of Salvation in which he would record her own words. Mathok threw down the Holy Book and left. He later attempted to convince Ganoes Paran to order Onearm's Host to slaughter the cult, citing their dangerous beliefs, but Paran could not bring himself to do it.The Bonehunters, Chapter 21, US SFBC p.807-810
==Speculations==
Hanar Ara may have been the same ruined city as E'napatha N'apur. When Felisin Younger was brought to the city by the Unbound, she recognised it as one she had already seen during her journey with Cutter and Heboric. She also noted the signs of an old road and tilled fields that were features noted of E'napatha N'apur.The Bonehunters, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.504The Bonehunters, Chapter 9, US SFBC p.403-404 Kulat mentioned the city was once buried, much as Heboric described E'napatha N'apur as having once been buried.The Bonehunters, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.504The Bonehunters, Chapter 9, US SFBC p.403 The first time Felisin Younger referred to the city by name she referred to it as "this place they call Hanar Ara, the City of the Fallen."The Bonehunters, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.591 This meaning seems more likely to be from a name chosen by the new cult than one used in antiquity.
==Notes and references==
Category:Cities
Category:Seven Cities