House Sharyar

The Leader house of the Caliphate of Astrasan 

Leader: Scheherastra Astra-Sharyar is the current Sultana of the Caliphate, who started her life as a worthless slave but saved her life and won the heart of the Caliph through her storytelling skills inspired by the stars. After the Caliph's death, Scheherastra discovered that he had been killed by the evil cult of Martius and assisted adventurers in defeating them. Known for her beauty and elegance, Scheherastra has a harem of men and women as advisors, and rumors circulate about her infertility or use of strange magics to avoid bearing an heir. She was forced to dock her elven ears during her travels in Saxony but vowed to never be ashamed of her race and now wears golden ear caps. Scheherastra is a respected and beloved leader of the Starborn people, and her magical abilities are feared by the greedy Caliphs.
Champion: Sinbad Astra-Bihaar, male tiefling, A powerfully built pirate who was sentenced to death upon finally being captured, requiring nearly three Caliphate fleets to hunt him down, saved by Scheherastra’s grace and placed as a slave in her Harem. His life is hers, and he champions her in battle and is her shield at all times.
Economy: Ali Ibn-Baba, male human, was the son of a rich merchant who decided to settle down as a poor woodcutter when his brother took over their father’s trade. Occasionally a business partner of his brother’s would ask for assistance with some small order or another and he would help. Little did he know that his brother’s business partner was the leader of a band of thieves, and when his brother was murdered, the blame was laid at his feet. When he told them he knew nothing of his brother’s business, the small orders that the business partner asked his help on came to the surface and he realized he had been tricked into being a shadowy assistant who was squandered out of his portion. Thankfully, one of Scheherastra’s attendants was the judge and they recommended to her that she bring in Ail Ibn-Baba as her economic advisor, which she did.
Magic: Ja’far Ibn-Yahya, male fire genasi, Ja’far is the elderly vizier of the Caliphate, and when his master took sick of the mind and began murdering his brides on the morning after their marriage, came up with an idea to purchase cheap slaves in the marketplace and dress them up as fancified princesses. Little did he know that it would lead to the saving of his master, but he supported the marriage once he realized just how much it had helped his master.
Military: Ahmed Ibn-Samar, male aasimar, A former prince turned bandit when rival Caliphs attacked and destroyed his family. He used his knowledge of the lands surrounding his home to hide massive forces of bandits and terrorize the Caliphs that had destroyed his family. Eventually he came into contact with Scheherastra who discovered his location via her magic, and she proposed to him a deal. Work for her, and she would allow him to hound his enemies with her military might. With her help, he was able to take his revenge and gift to her the lands that were once his family’s.
Diplomatic: Zumurrud Ibn-Smaragdine, female dwarf, a slave with a long history of being kidnapped and escaping, often talking her way out. At the slave market she convinced the market to sell her to a man she chose while being sold. Later, one of the men who wished to buy her drugged her chosen master and kidnapped her. She escaped but was unable to enter her chosen master’s estate and was captured again. This time she escaped, disguising herself as a man and walked right out the front door. Upon entering a city, she was able to convince the guards that she was some noble Caliph prince and sent the guard on the man who desired her and got him caught and executed. It was at this time that Scheherastra came to investigate the strange young nobleman who had swayed the guard to carry out his own personal vendetta and exposed the woman, demanding she join her harem and advise her on how to manipulate people for her own gain.
Religious: Duban Astra-Yunan, male gnome, A strange fellow who was once a member of the Inquisition, and only survived his falling out with his former work through his connection to Scheherastra. While in the inquisition he would assist in interrogation via strange concoctions used to break and heal their targets of their questioning. Through these interrogations he learned to speak a multitude of languages and learned many religious tenets and secrets. After a while, he became jaded, and found his true faith in the stars. However, he couldn’t simply leave, even with the heroes having taken care of a good deal of racism in the upper echelons of power. So, he used his connections to get a message to Scheherastra where she secured his escape and his life. He then devoted his life to the cloth of the Starborn. He now advises many of the Sharyar Caliphate on the doctrine of the church and preaches passivity, peace, and tolerance regarding other faiths yet always encourages his listeners to spread the will of the stars with their neighbors.