General Leesar

General Leesar /'liːsɑr/ (died 14th September, 1599 SR), was Molag Uusea's deputy during the uprising in Basistar. She mutinied against him during a march on Uuxea, but actually became known for her assassination of Durag Dareef, Prince of Basistar.

Nuy Bolfor describes her in his diary as extremely loyal to Molag, who considered her a close friend and was the only one to call her by the name "Koy". As a leader, however, Leesar was a complete opposite of Molag, full of energy and decision. Men who were under her command held her in high regard and some admitted to have been intimidated by her seriousness and deep belief in the cause.

It is this conviction to independence that eventually pushed her to disobey Molag, an action which she allegedly had great difficulty taking. From Bolfor's diaries:

"Once she made up her mind, there was no more doubt. When she and some others said they are turning back, it was clear to me that it was an ultimatum. Molag said 'No' and she left. I for one am still trying to process that. We suffered so much. I trust Molag. But I trust the General too. One of them has to be right. One of them must be wrong."

When turning back, however, Leesar seemed to have made a mistake - instead of going south, she led her troops further to the west. They set up camp, which was later found by the rest of the rebel army, when Molag decided to also turn back and followed Leesar's trail.

"We just reached the camp. Molag demanded to see Leesar. He shouted "Koy" as soon as we saw the tents. "Bring Koy to me" he kept saying. I have to say, the thought of a reunion filled me with uncontrollable joy! But we would have to wait for a bit longer. They said she is not here now."

Both Bolfor's diary and accounts of some of the survivors, noted in court proceedings in Mustief, agree that Leesar was said to have left the camp with a small team to search for a better path. It is not clear whether she intended to abandon the rebels or whether something happened, but she and her supporters never returned to the camp.

Instead, they made it to Basistar and were seen in and around the city in August, almost 3 months later. On September 14th, 1599 SR, during a speech that Prince Dareef was giving on the city square, Leesar managed to climb the pillar and then shoot the prince in the chest with an arrow. She was dragged down by the crowd and killed in the ensuing chaos. Her body, however, was removed from the mob by the royal guards, and some of the officials who took part in the protracted negotiations at Mustief recognized her as one of the leaders of the rebellion. This led to the speedy conviction and execution of more than a 100 men who managed to return safely from the disatrous march on Uurxea, including Nuy Bolfor.

Legacy

General Leesar was largely forgotten, until the revival in interest towards the early history of Darda in the 19th CSR, and then again recently in the 9th and 10th TR, through the successful play by the Dantala theater called "The Greatest Journey", which focuses on Leesar as the protagonist and ends with her sacrificing herself in the fight for independence, by shooting the prince in the chest amidst a crowd of his supporters. The play ends with her addressing the crowd with her final words, a passionate monologue about the beauty of freedom and the ugliness of the war to defend it.