The strongest state in the Golden Archipelago, Besarif, is being pressured from all sides and faces imminent civil war.

TBA

Most of the provinces of Besarif are dominated by jungles though hills dominate northern Sahirde. These hills provide much of the ore in the Archipelago. The majority of the people spend their time in the sugar trade.

The largest city in the archipelago is Besarif itself. It is a beautiful city, with spires and towers ascending into the sky. One of the most beautiful landmarks is the Basilica of Tears, the largest structure in the city, and the heart of worship for Nasri's faithful in the archipelago. The temple was closed down under the previous Emir and used as a barracks, but was reopened following the burning of the Aqaba Temple. Another famous structure is the Ivory Palace, home of the famed Ivory Throne and the seat of power for the Emirs of Besarif. The palace sustained damage during the final battle of the rebellion, but a massive reconstruction effort is under way to repair the damage.

The people of Shiraz are mostly shipbuilders or sugar farmers. There are several ruins of the ancient Masetian people, but most of them have already been plundered for their concealed wealth.

Jask is much like Shiraz, and the people here are well off from the farming. Rumor has it that the Red Sun pirate clan has a base somewhere along the coast.

Madurai is primarily uninhabited due to it's proximity to the vengeful awnshegh to the southwest. There are a few Masetian ruins, but the main interest in this province is the danger from raiding humanoids from Inner Besarif who often cross Madurai and raid Jask.

Besides Besarif, Sahirde has the most diverse economy inside the realm. The hills to the north provide ore for the state. However the mining is becoming a dangerous business as the humanoid denizens sent by the Doppleganger are fond of attacking here.

Taurillin is the island off of the northern tip of the island. There are scattered ruins of abandoned pirate coves all over the island. Currently it is the haven for the forces of Adara el-Besarif, who plots and schemes to take the Ivory Throne.

Besarif has long been a realm on the decline. Once, it dominated several of the isles in the archipelago, but it has been steadily losing power for centuries. By the time the Anuirean Empire in Cerilia fell, Besarif only dominated the isle of Besarif itself. Further disaster befell the emirate about three hundred years ago when a new awnshegh named the Doppleganger seized the untamed provinces of Inner Besarif. Ever since, the awnshegh has been obsessed with destroying the city-state. Years of war, pirate attacks, and economic collapse have vastly depleted Besarif's power and wealth leading many provinces too split off from Besarif forming the new realms of Sardalas and Askarus. Now Besarif is mired in civil war and its rivals are moving in to take a piece of the once powerful realm.

Regent: Kassim el-Shiraz (MKh,W5,Ba,32,LG) came to power five years ago after overthrowing the previous Emir, a tyrant named Taurim el-Besarif. The Besarif family had ruled for over a thousand years when Taurim took power twelve years ago ensuring that none opposed his succession despite his clear instability. Taurim was a weak and ineffectual leader that allowed Besarif's traditional enemies Askarus and Sardalas to gain power within the realm. Taurim was also suffered from paranoid delusions and suspected everyone around him of plotting against him. In his delusions he turned on the people and initiated bloody purges of the population, thousands died. Finally, Kassim el-Shiraz, the provincial ruler of Shiraz, lead a rebellion against el-Besarif. The war lasted nearly two years until el-Besarif was slain at the Battle of the Ivory Palace by el-Shiraz, who then ascended to the throne.

Kassim el-Shiraz is the first of seven children of Malik el-Shiraz, a retired, well known priest of Nasri. Kassim's three brothers have all gone on to become priests of Nasri, and his sisters have all married into other noble houses in Besarif.

He is a large, bearded man who most commonly dresses in long, flowing robes and his characteristic blue turban. He has a love for magic, but has had little time to dedicate to his studies lately, for his love of Besarif is even greater.

Kassim seeks to turn Besarif back into the strong state it once was, but is constantly opposed by those who would wish to control the realm. He seems powerless to stop an oncoming civil war. Despite this, he has the popular support of most of the people for stopping the purges.

The Emir knows that many around him cannot be trusted, so he has appointed one of his brothers, Adan el-Shiraz (MKh, Priest 3, Nasri, Ba 28, LG) as his lieutenant. Adan most often leads the border defense against the Doppleganger so that his brother can concentrate on other problems. Adan has the respect and admiration of the people along the border with the Doppleganger.

Hassan min Sahirde (MKh, P3, Sarma,Ba, minor,9,NE) heads the Besarif Temple of Sarma. Under Taurim el-Besarif this temple and the scoundrel in charge prospered through trickery and deceit. It was Tuarim who put Hassan in power and he did so not for Hassan's piety - which is non-existent, but to keep a tight leash on the church. Hassan has no qualms about stepping on others in order to get ahead of the competition. When Taurim was deposed Hassan supported Adara el-Besarif, hoping for to retain his power if she ascended to the throne. However, the Southern Seas of Nasri supported Kassim el-Shiraz during the rebellion in hopes of ending the tyranny and Hassan's priests were unable to counter the miracles of Nasri's priests allowing Kassim to defeat Adara. Since that time, Hassan has fled to Taurillin with Adara.

The Besarif Temple of Sarma maintains 2 units of Khinasi Skirmishers on Taurellin.

Adara el-Besarif (FKh, W7, An, major, 35, LE) is the sister to the late Emir and has dangerous ambitions towards the Ivory Throne. When her brother was in power she plotted to take power herself and turn Besarif into a strong empire. She is militaristic and has designs on conquering the entire archipelago. Unfortunately for her, el-Shiraz took the throne before she could kill her brother and she was forced to flee to the island of Taurillin after a brief struggle against el-Shiraz for the throne. She now uses her magic to gain influence and she is slowly gaining support with in the noble houses of Besarif to take the throne. She hopes to one day lead an army into Besarif and take back the land she believes is hers by Birthright.

Adara el-Besarif also maintains her own navy: 2 Zebecs, 2 Dhouras.

Kalilah min Aqaba (FKh, P5, Nasri,Ba,minor,21,CG) leads the Southern Seas of Nasri, formerly the dominant temple in the Sahirde el-Mahare. She stands against tyranny and oppressive tactics and is often called the most beautiful woman in the islands. The Aqaba family line has traditionally ruled the Southern Seas of Nasri from its great temple in Djinara. However, with the rise of the pirates in Djinara, the Southern Seas was evicted. The temple's leadership fled Djinara to Besarif and helped oust Taurim el-Besarif. Kalilah now supports the current Emir in hopes of ridding the archipelago of tyranny and establishing the temple as the dominant temple in all Besarif.

Farid Yousef (MKh, T3, Vo, tainted, 11, LN) is the guildmaster of the Southern Seas Traders, one of the few legitimate guilds in the archipelago. He actively involves his guild in trading with Cerilia, and even Djapar on occasion. Recently, the long standing rivalry with the pirates of Djinara has turned ugly and a war is brewing.

The Southern Seas Traders maintains an army of 2 Skirmishers, 2 Zebecs, and 2 Dhouras in the capital.

Ibrahim the Scourge (MKh, T4, CE) is the infamous leader of the Red Sun pirate clan. Other than Djinara, the Red Sun are the most powerful pirates in the archipelago. Some believe that Ibrahim is actually a brother to the Emir and seeks his destruction for some past slight. Regardless of who Ibrahim truly is, the pirate is a ruthless cut throat that has been raiding both sides of the Besarif civil war. Lately the pirates of Djinara have been courting an alliance with Ibrahim in order to gain a foothold on the island and Adara el-Besarif may be seeking an alliance as well.

• Law: The Emir is constantly fighting over control of the nations sheriffs, tax collectors, mayors and the like with Adara el-Besarif, sister to the former Emir.
• Temples: Worship in Besarif is divided among the Askarus Temple of Avani, the ambitious temple from Askarus; the Southern Seas of Nasri, who doggedly support the Emir and the Besarif Temple of Sarma, the former state faith of Besarif.
• Guilds: Two rival guilds compete for control of trade in Besarif. The Sardalas Traders seek to control the underworld and are behind many underhanded dealings in Besarif, sometimes even resorting to piracy. The Southern Seas Traders are one of the few legitimate guilds in the Sahirde el-Mehare.
• Sources: As with the law, Kassim and Adara compete relentlessly for control of Besarif's mebhaighl.

Categories: Atlas | World:Aebrynis | Continent:Cerilia | Region:Islands of the East