Szarhà Arha

The Princess of Hearts

Identity

  • Title(s) – Princess of Hearts, First Queen of Szar Lok
  • Influence
  • Appearance

Attributions

  • Symbol
  • Focus
  • Color(s)
  • Element
  • Animal

Cult

  • Center of Worship
  • Scriptures
  • Leader
  • Priesthood
  • Orders
  • Aspects
  • Touched
  • Holy Days
  • Friends
  • Enemies
  • Sayings

Introduction

The Princess of Hearts is a complicated persona in the Cults of the East. She is the surviving daughter of King Zirak and his First Queen, Erlànkha. Additionally, she was her father’s lover and mother of the Ice Witch, Odìmis. Furthermore, following her father’s imprisonment, she became her blind brother’s First Queen, and mother to Jorn and the rest of Szar Lok‘s primary children. Her influence on the men around her make her one of the more interesting characters of the pantheon.

Heart of Zirak

King Zirak was a barbarous, murderous monster that left swaths of blood and smoke across the whole of Lyrast. Innumerable soldiers fell beneath the onslaught of his army, shields and skulls cracked beneath the wheels of his war chariot. His soul was choked with death and destruction except for one lonely place, the love for his daughter, Szarha Arha. The princess meant more to him than his collection of crowns, his endless expanse of conquered lands, and the hellish war-steeds that he prized more than any other possession. It has been suggested that his love for Szarha Arha was unnatural, and that every man that beheld her would also fall under her spell. At a tender age, the King was seized with an irresistible passion for the Princess and took her as his mistress. The First Queen, and mother to the Princess, protested the union but there was little she could do. Erlankha’s abiding hatred for her husband grew unchecked from the day he took her as his Queen. Despite Erlankha’s rage, there is no mention that the Princess was unhappy with the union. The only point where it can be surmised that Szarha Arha became displeased, was when the King exiled their bastard daughter to the frozen north. It is believed that this event propelled the Princess into an alliance with her mother, to overthrow and imprison Zirak once and for all.

The Odìmōz Hardū believe that the Hoary King fathered many children by his daughter. Whether those were killed or banished to distant locations like Odìmis, may never be known.

Heart of Szar Lok

Blinded by a horrible wound by the blade of his father, Szar Lok would not be able to chose a proper wife to rule beside him. Instead he turned to his sister, mistress of the defeated King, and made her his First Queen. Long had the Prince suffered quietly, coveting his father’s incestuous affair. When they returned from bloody campaigns, the King would call Szarhà Arha to his chambers and she would not be seen again for a season. These periods tormented the Blood Prince to no end. With his father out of the way, the Prince claimed his sister as his wife. The reaction of Erlànkha, their mother, to this depraved union is unknown. It is possible that she planned the entire scenario beforehand, believing that no other woman would suffice to be the new First Queen.

As First Queen, Szarhà Arha became the eyes of the King. Using the great wealth accumulated by their father, Szarhà Arha began construction of a perfect kingdom in central Lyrast. She designed every aspect of its capital, Alk Kìtur, from the windows and doors, to the avenues and gardens. Every detail had to be perfect. The kingdom was populated by people hand-picked from a hundred lands, known to legend as the High Yrūn. Here, the King and Queen lived for centuries, enjoying the peace purchased by the blade of their monstrous father.

Hearts of Children

Szarhà Arha bore her brother the King many children, not the least of which was Jorn. The First Queen did not venture into public for fear of inciting the passions of men, who might try to overthrow her husband. Instead she kept her children close and raised them without the aid of nannies and nurses. The only assistance she accepted was from a court wizard, who was required at the appropriate times, to wean each child from her breast. Even with magical support, each child cried for years and long after they became adults would occasionally break into sobbing without remembering why. The great love felt toward the First Queen manifested in a fierce loyalty that transcended generations. Love for the Blind King however was strained at best, through no fault of his own. His oedipal children watched him carefully, always prepared to spring to their mother’s defense.

The princess is believed to have had many children:

The Cult

The Priesthood

Daily Activities

Holy Days and Rituals

Places of Worship

Nomenclature: Szarha Arha Dekàlic: Szarhà Arha (god), Szará Arhàri (pertaining to), Szará Arhàryn (follower), Szará Arhàryr (followers), Pryn Szarhà Arha (priest), Pryr Szarhà Arha (priests)