Main Characters

The Noble

Merikh Madiaran, Shahanshah of Shai’Khal: Born on the 16th of Amanith, 878 Unified Age, Merikh is the only son of Mansur (deceased) and Aliyah (deceased). Merikh is long limbed and lanky, accentuated by being underweight and quite tall — especially for a Yahidah. His hair is wavy, almost down to his shoulders and usually unkempt, and clean shaven. While he’s obsessively clean, his clothes well tailored, his appearance is rarely given much thought. His clothes are plain and modest. Merikh is famously prudish, but one only needs to see the pale scars encircling his wrists to understand why, and to give credence to the many rumors of Mansur’s volatile temper. More than any attire, it’s his presence and his golden eyes that mark Merikh royal. That same presence ages him beyond his twenty-four years. While not the first sorcerer Shah, Merikh is the first sorcerer born in generations with two magical affinities: ice and necromancy. The former is a well loved magic, particularly in the deserts of Shai’Khal. The latter, taboo. Merikh ascribes to ruling with an iron fist in a velvet glove, happy to use the duality of his magic to enforce it.

Loralee Neredi, Sayida of Abadan: Born on the 22nd of Amanith, 882 Unified Age, Loralee is the daughter of Alaziz and Jasira, Duq and Duqa of Abadan. Her long black hair is often plaited up out of the way, and her dark eyes are always encircled in kohl. As a young Yahidah woman, Loralee is always dressed for both the barn and court, wearing loose skirts of salwar bearing the pale blue and silver of House Neredi. Loralee is the Duq’s heir and as such carries herself with the grace and poise expected of a noblewoman, with a rider’s posture and no-nonsense attitude. As an only child, Loralee finds herself torn between her mother’s political ambitions and her father’s protection. Preferring a barn to court room, Loralee is still a young idealist. She’s seen the Shah’s reforms improve the lives of her family, friends, and merchants, therefore has a great deal more faith in the monarchy than her cynical father. Her cynicism is saved for the Akhenic faith, as Loralee finds that faith eludes her.

The Religious

Alcaeus Tawfeek, High Priest of Akhenios: Born on the 22nd of Ayurith, 868 Unified Age, Alcaeus is the bastard son of Merchant-Sayida Bahira Tawfeek and a stranded Aegalian fisherman. He has light brown hair and skin a few shades too pale, but his worst sins are his stunning blue eyes. Alcaeus isn’t an imposing man, standing no taller than the average Yahidah. His presence is quiet and unassuming. The Akhenic Priesthood wears black, grey, and white, and Alcaeus keeps his head covered by a ghutrah whenever not in the privacy of his room or alone in his office. A pious man, Alcaeus has no desire for war or bloodshed. He faithfully follows the Akhenic Scrolls, and any soul lost to damnation in Alhanem he views as a personal failure.

Ruya, High Priestess of Ikharon: An ancient Tsukarai woman over a thousand years old, Ruya doesn’t look a day over thirty. Upon arriving in Shai’Khal, Ruya became fastidious in her appearance. She dresses for her audience. With the common and poor, she wears the same rough cloth and practical clothes. With the nobility, she wears their same extravagant clothes and heady perfumes. Her black hair is usually down to her shoulders, although much like her attire it chameleon’s to whatever her audience prefers. In spite of these costume changes, Ruya has a bright and empathetic attitude that prevents her from coming off insincere. She looks for the best in everyone she meets, believing none are beyond conversion. Ruya has clung to her naivety with fervor, unwilling to become cynical in the face of gross injustice. As one might expect of the High Priestess to the God of Death, Ruya is a powerful necromancer.

Sarka, Champion of Livinja: The timeless Great General of the Flaming Legion, Sarka is an Aegalian soldier ill-suited to the nine-hundred year confinement with her goddess. She appears in her late thirties, early forties, with pale white skin and a freckled face. Her bright red hair is an oddity in Shai’Khal. She keeps it braided back out of the way. Sarka is always wearing some kind of armor and is never unarmed. Her treasured sword of Aegalian make is almost always strapped to her back. It’s long and ramrod straight, unlike the shamshirs of the Yahidah or even the katanas of the Tsukarai. Where her companion, Ruya, is empathetic towards the Akhenic Faithful, Sarka wants justice for the nine-hundred years of her life she’s wasted. Vengeance is the obvious chip on Sarka’s shoulder, one that colors every interaction she has. As the Great General of the Flaming Legion, her magic is fire. When her moods change for the worse, the air around her begins to heat. Unchecked, her temper can set fire to whatever is nearby.

Dalya Maki, Fari-Commander of the Onyx Swords: Born on the 25th of Belith, 855 Unified Age, Dalya came from a small village on the Ydeba/Kaitan border. A petite woman, short and curvy, Dalya’s straight black hair and fair skin lean towards both Tsukarai and Yahidah heritage — as both her parents are Tsukarai, she was presumed a bastard. While her father never proved it, he made sure that Dalya was uncomfortable within the village. After a bloody ‘mistake’, Dalya left for Tanga and joined the Onyx Swords. Her zeal brought many promotions, until her bloodthirsty tactics stalled her career. While Onyx Swords are nothing more than a ceremonial guard within Shai’Khal’s main cities, in the smaller towns they aid the priests in converting apostates back to Akhenios. Under Dalya’s guidance, her Swords came to believe the same as she did: the only good apostate, blasphemer, or heretic, was a dead one.

The Common

Adrian Charmichi, Ajir Steward: Born on the 13th of Nadith, 881 Unified Age, Adrian is the youngest Ajir Steward in recent memory. Born the bastard son of Haniaa (deceased), his father unknown, Adrian appears mostly Yahidah. His skin is a little more pale than is respectable, his hair a little straighter, leaving Adrian to assume his father was Tsukarai. Adrian is average height, which make him appear rather diminutive half a step behind his master, the Shah. Adrian grew up within the Madiar palace. As one of the few children to do so, proximity created friendship between Adrian and Merikh. Merikh ensured Adrian had a nobleman’s education. In return, Adrian became one of Merikh’s most loyal servants. Not many servants in the palace can read. It is a gift Adrian has always felt indebted for. Particularly once his fire magic made itself known to Adrian as a teenager. Weak as it is, it comes in quite handy on cold desert nights.

Nikias Soun, Grand Vizier: Born on the 30th of Amanith, 848 Unified Age, Nikias is the son of a Yahidah Merchant-Rabb. Wrinkles line his eyes and furrow his brow permanently. After his hair began to fall out, Nikias simply embraced getting old by shaving his head. Common born, Nikias still often wears a simple brown kaftan in spite of his venerated station. Unmarried and childless, Nikias has devoted his life to serving the Shahs of Shai’Khal. When Merikh was born, Shah Mansur’s inattention allowed for Nikias to accidentally turn into a surrogate father. Doing so solidified his position as Grand Vizier for both Mansur and Merikh. Nikias is a careful man, able to manage nobility and tactfully wrangle Madiaran Shahs. He’s learned when to offer advice and when to keep his mouth shut. Most importantly, he knows how to prod and gently maneuver proud men into positions that are best for Shai’Khal, even if they’re uncomfortable for the Shah.