The Starkmanir Rebellion
Arzad and the Starkmanir
While Ezzara Hamri, one of the most influential Holders on Starkman Prime, was not much different from the average Amarr Holder, his son, Arzad Hamri, came to be loved by the Starkmanir. His first act as Holder was to grant a day of celebration to all his slaves, calling that day holy by the Amarr religion. Though this act would come back to haunt him, it won him the respect of the Starkmanir, who referred to this day as Khu-Arzad. By his tenth year as a Holder Arzad had finished the educational infrastructure on his continent. These education centers were focused on assimilating the Starkmanir into Amarr society and eventually resulted in a two-way flow of learning, with many members of the Hamri family learning Starkmanir woodworking and martial arts as well as gaining an appreciation for Starkmanir spiritualism.
On Arzad's holdings, regular rest periods were common, as were days of parlay including high holy days and other Amarr religious festivals. On one of these days of rest granted by Arzad, known as the 'Hand of Arzad,' 'Hand of Solace, or Khu-Arzad, Arzad himself would act as Pastor of religious services which most Starkmanir would attend. His sermons were collected and distributed among the tribe by the elders who would use them to educate the young on the importance of benevolence and good grace to people of all stations.
Under Arzad, the Starkmanir were treated with respect and dignity. Arzad had even fashioned a version of an Amarr symbol of authority to bestow on his slaves. The three-foot rod with a spiked solar-disk on top that represented Imperial and Divine authority was copied and set with a blood obsidian orb native to Starkman Prime, and given by Arzad to his slaves as a symbol of enlightenment and salvation.
This was the final straw for the Theology Council. Uncomfortable with Arzad's growing popularity among the slaves as a quasi-religious figure, the Theology Council had been asking Arkon Ardishapur to intervene and curb Arzad's activities for some time. A long-time friend of the Hamri family, he had done what he could, but Arzad seemed to answer only to a higher power.
His usurping of this symbol of the Emperor's power resulted in Arkon Ardishapur being forced to preside over Arzad's execution for treason and blasphemy by order of the Theology Council. All copies of this symbol known as wildfire scepters were also ordered rounded up and destroyed. The Starkmanir were furious at his execution, and even with his death, Arzad's influence on the Starkmanir people was far from over.
Uprising and Destruction
His book of sermons became even more popular among the tribe, who began calling him St. Arzad. Three days after his death, Arzad appeared in a dream to a Starkmanir youth named Drupar Maak and told him "The fire in our hearts burns for salvation, redemption, and grace. May the Word of God grant you the courage to save yourself and your people." Years later, on the day of Khu-Arzad, Drupar Maak avenged the death of his beloved Holder by killing Arkon Ardishapur with his own scepter, lighting the fuse for the Minmatar Rebellion. Arkon's son, Idonis, in his first act as Holder, responded by ordering the orbital bombardment of Starkman Prime.
With the majority of the Starkmanir on Starkman Prime, the few remaining had been integrated into the general slave populations and the tribe was thought lost. Though unknown to anyone else at the time, the leadership of the Nefantar tribe had made a decision to protect the remnants of the Starkmanir. Outwardly they were collaborators with the Amarr, and the front soon became truth for most of the tribe. However, when granted a solar system of their own, their leadership proceeded to secretly acquire any remaining Starkmanir people and move them to their own holdings where they could be protected.
Survival and Rebirth
The Sisters of EVE announcement of the discovery surviving members of the Starkmanir may have been the prime motivating factor that saw the Elder Fleet spring into action. Rescued from Halturzhan along with other slaves, the surviving Starkmanir were returned to the Minmatar Republic. A large group of the Nefantar tribe also returned to the Republic after their ancestors' true motives for defecting became known. The return of these people to the Republic along with the normal war zone refugees, at a time that also saw the Thukkers returning to the fold, put significant strain on the Republic. Refugee camps sprouted up all over The Great Wildlands and 'intake' systems such as Rens as members of the three tribes awaited entry.
For generations the Starkmanir had known only a life of slavery in the Ammatar Mandate, living a relatively backward existence on vast agricultural colonies and for the greatest part unaware of their heritage. Though the Starkmanir survive genetically, in every other way the tribe was truly lost on Starkman Prime. With no prior experience in the modern age, nor with tribal structure, nor even with their own heritage, the Starkmanir do not figure to regain their former influence among the Minmatar Tribes for some time to come.
Currently in the Republic, they are viewed by some as simply a symbol of hope, while others just view them as backward or deluded by the Amarr faith. They struggle to come to terms with a foreign identity that they feel has suddenly been thrust upon them, while they try to make the transition from slaves to free citizens. The fact that many of the Starkmanir hold on to their Amarr faith has not made their integration into the Republic any smoother.