Greetings all,
King Hedgethistle, I present to you...the priestess.
Zamara, High Priestess of Rhais, is currently the principle priestess of Pashtia, and as the earth mother is valued over the sky god, this makes her more powerful than the priests as well. However, she is quite young, only in her mid-twenties, and very striking, but her devotion to Rhais is very powerful. Like all Pashtians, she is dark, but her black hair, unusually, is slightly wavy, and is worn either loose and entwined with golden cords, or in a long plait reaching past her waist. One of the only women in Pashtia who can venture outside without the covering of a scarf or shawl, and not be thought less off, her skin is rich dark brown, darker than most well-born Pashtians, despite the long hours spent inside the temple; her wide, slightly slanted eyes are almost black, but seem to have a hint of blue in them, something which some attribute to the fact she spends much time in the ‘prescence’ of Rhais. She stands tall and straight at about 5 ft 10 and is quite slim, although her elegant, enviable figure is covered by the flowing, floor length silk robes she wears, white or plain rather than bright colours like the other Pashtians, and fastened at the waist by a gold cord. Zamara wears gold bands at her wrists and one around her neck (think Aztec-style gold), as well as a simple gold chain and medallion that falls to mid-chest, the centre piece of which is a golden tree growing out of a rich, dark red ruby – the symbol of Rhais, and Zamara’s medallion of status.
The priestess is deeply sensitive, and very strongly opinionated, but she tends to keep her opinions to herself, forgetting very little. She forms opinions fast, and rarely forgets a face or situation - a trait necessary when dealing with those who worship Rhais. Despite her striking beauty, Zamara is not vain, and her entire life is taken up with the upkeep of the temple and the worship of Rhais: the temple is a sheltered world that she loves deeply, but she is also required to venture out, more often of late, for the requirements of the king and court. She is not married, devoting her life to Rhais, but even a High Priestess is not perfect…
The King has been asked by several of his nobles to erect a new temple in the city to the honour of Rea. This party hopes that such a temple will help their cause to have the sky god worshipped above Rhais, the goddess of the earth.
Zamara quite strongly opposes the idea of a new temple being built in honour of Rea, as it would undoubtedly overshadow Rhais, who is held as the more superior deity at the moment. The tradition has always been that the priests take care of Rea and the priestesses take care of the worship of Rhais, and as High Priestess, Zamara would therefore be in a rather precarious position if Rea was to become the ‘superior’ deity – and with this, Tarkan would become the High Priest. Zamara and Tarkan have come to an arrangement over the years whereby they work with each other as little as often, as although she would never let it be publicly known, she has some distaste for the priest: his obsession with power, and the odd look that he gets in his eyes when blessing Gjeelea, is something that makes the Priestess uneasy. She is not a greedy woman, but would rather hold the reins rather than Tarkan: if he was to become High Priest and marry Gjeelea, as Zamara suspects his intentions to be, he would command both state and religion, and that is always a dangerous position to be in, especially for one such as Tarkan.
ii) For the last few years there have been calls for a law that would limit the term of service of any Avari in a royal posting to ninety-nine years. There are many amongst the nobility who feel that too many of the highest positions in the kingdom are closed to humans by the immortals who currently occupy them. Does the player?s character think that such a law would be just?
Her view on this matter is less certain. The Avari as a people support neither Rea nor Rhair particularly, and the immortals’ familiarity and indifference to the gods makes Zamara uneasy: but they hold the positions well, and it is well known that they are superior to men in their battle. Besides, the Avari pay her due respect, and the very worship of Rhais is centred in their myths; and after serving in a military post for years, how could they simply be cast aside? She is undecided either way: military matters are a mystery to her.
iii) The King has yet to declare his heir. Does the player?s character think that it should be the King?s son, who is the younger child, or should the King choose his daughter, in which case the noble she is promised to in marriage will rule?
As Priestess of the earth mother, and seeing the way in which the male dominated kingdom is veering, Zamara would support the daughter of the king as heir – in theory. Tarkan’s attitude towards Gjeelea of late have put things into a rather different perspective (and the fact that frankly, Zamara is rather suspicious of Gjeelea herself). Siamak, on the other hand, is a thoughtful individual, much quieter and gentler than his sister, or so it seems to Zamara: she has met the him only formally, and would very much like to have the chance to talk more with the young Prince, to determine his values of each of the gods. Despite her feminine position, and the expectation that many of the subordinate priests and priestesses may hold of her views, Zamara would feel safer, and more secure, if Siamak was named heir.
~*~
I hope you find her satisfactory.
- Aman.
ps. personally, I would refer back to Gladiator again, but only because it is on my mind - the eastern music in 'To Zucchabar' seems fitting.
