Shams al-Din Samara

### Aliases

Padishah of Aglazdere, Sovereign of the House of Samara, King of Kings, Commander of the Faithful and Successor to the Prophet, and Custodian of the Cities of Ta-al Kayji, Al Basazar, and Varas, Mortal Sword of the Maker, Prince Samara

### Relatives

The Maker (ancestor), Izz ud-Din Samara (father)

## Physical description

### Eye color

Blue

*“But the world had its layers. To the simple it offered simplicity. To the wise it offered profundity. And the only measure of courage worth acknowledging was found in accepting where one stood in that scheme – in hard, unwavering honesty, no matter how humbling."*

-Shams al-Din Samara

## History

A descendant of the Prophet and a member of the highest order of Aglazderian nobility, Prince Samara (as he was known) possessed the angelic blood of his forefather. Raised in the worship of the Maker and trained by the Gear Knights, he became a paladin where he fought against the Deep Ones under the banner of the Bouldercloaks, and went on to adventure deep in the deserts of Aglazdere, where he uncovered many secrets. He became convinced that he needed to reclaim his homeland and re-start Project Revival.

## Personality

Though he was Padishah, there was no title Shams al-Din Samara loved more then Mortal Sword of the Maker. Cheerful and pious, he had a gift for winning allies and converting enemies to friends. He fought heroically alongside his men in battle, channeling a myth about Aglazdere's cherished past. Prince Samara, as his closest confidants still called him, was more ruthless then his sunny demeanor would suggest; some would even say he had more of a talent for intrigue then his own Grand Vizier. Self-righteous in the extreme, he believed he was carrying out god's plan for mankind.

Seen by some as a spoilt young lord, Samara would mature into a fearsome, quasi-angelic warrior who fought with a sword in one hand and a spear in the other.

## The Great Awakening

Prince Samara would ally with the Bouldercloaks and Ithiel Onesiphorus of Abu Hasan to overthrow Emperor Kuldeep's henchman, Grand Vizier Yoram Crescens. Seating himself on the throne, he was crowned by the priesthood of the Maker as Padishah of Aglazdere. As part of his deal with his allies, he made General Solomon of the Bouldercloaks his Commander of the Faithful, and appointed Onesiphorus his Minister of the Interior.

The newly independent Aglazdere faced an army led by its former Grand Vizier, Annakiya and the remainder of the Meadowguard. Her army tore through Aglazdere, sacking the city of Varas and going on to lay siege to Al Basazar and Ta-al Kayji the following night, but the Meadowguard and their commander suffered a crisis of conscience after witnessing the sun rise over the twin cities, choosing to abandon the cause of the Emperor of Shangare and turn on her own soldiers. Annakiya gave over the Philosopher's Stone to Ithiel Onesiphorus, who she knew and grudgingly trusted from her days as Grand Vizier, under the condition that he keep it safe and use it to advance Project Revival. She and the Meadowguard would depart to parts unknown, leaving the Bouldercloaks to mop up the surviving soldiers from Shangare.