Indira Ashtaar (IN-deer-ah ASH-tar)
Courtesan of the Gods (a.k.a. Bhajeera Khaal)
Born in 2691 to a lower class brickmaker, Indira Ashtaar was taken in by the priesthood of Sune after her mothers' death in 2699. Her predecessor as Courtesan, Lyric Iziris, died at age 61 just after Indira's 29th birthday. Even before her ascension to her full powers as Courtesan, Indira was massively popular with every class in Chandris-- she was an extraordinarily talented singer, as well as a dancer, composer, and literature enthusiast. It was her popularity as a prima donna in the Clay District's opera houses that revived the art form and garnered renewed interest in the nobility, who funded many of the stages as patrons. She was so beloved, in fact, that she gained the admiration of the young God-King, Ishaal Khan. His admiration for her quickly became an insatiable obsession.
In 2720, Ishaal and Indira were married after an artificially long courtship engineered by the Sune clergy (likely on Indira's request). Her position as the God-King's seer-wife meant that her children would not precede his first wife Kelis Khan Grishovna's in line for the throne, but many nobles were unsettled by Kelis's continued childlessness and the increasingly likely possibility of Ishaal's firstborn belonging to his second wife. There was much speculation at the time as to the relationship between Indira-- the city's shining star-- and Kelis, who preferred to sequester herself behind the Golden Palace's walls. Regardless of his wives' positions, Ishaal continued to lavish attention on Indira, and became known to be viciously jealous as he was generous.
Indira's firstborn, Ishani Ashtaar, was born in 2723. She remained crown prince for seven years until Kelis finally gave birth to Devaas Khan. During her pregnancy, Indira was introduced to Barak Jadzeran, who was well known in the city as Ishaal's closest friend and General of the Golden Army. The two become close friends while Ishaal became increasingly fixated on tensions between the city and Sarkhaan's southern lords, and then lovers. Their relationship continued in secret for years until 2731, when Indira became pregnant for a second time-- this time, unbeknownst to almost everyone, with Barak's child.
The resulting disaster of this scandal trapped Indira in a maelstrom of politics and a king's rage. The conflict came to a head the night of her second daughter, Chandra Ralik's birth in 2732. Barak's ancestral home was raided and the General was beheaded in his own bedroom. His head was staked outside of Indira's private balcony in the Golden Palace, where she was in labor surrounded by her Beloved guards and midwives. Ishaal's wrath extended to her household, and her quarters were stormed in the middle of the night by the Golden Guard, who slaughtered her handmaidens and clashed with the Beloved. However, at the end of the night, several key targets were never found: Ishani, the infant Chandra, Indira's mentor Peryani the Wise, and Indira herself. Unable to publicly admit that he had failed to punish his unfaithful wife, Ishaal announced that the Courtesan was dead and quietly continued his search. The citizenry and nobility, who had already long doubted Ishaal's reign, no had little faith in their ruler. All mention of Indira Ashtaar was banned in Chandris by the God'King's order, leaving the sordid tale to be repeated only in whispers.
Indira fled Chandris, leaving her children in Peryani's care and taking on the identity of one of her slain handmaidens, Bhajeera Khaal. She even went so far as to crop her tail to match Bhajeera's, who had often been a body double for her in the past. Her flight led her to Cirta, where she could disappear and still hear news of Chandris. There, she began working at the Amine Orphanage, where she eventually took over as matron. Looking after children that were not her own as penance for leaving hers behind-- even for their own safety-- was Indira's way of reckoning with what had happened to her.
In 2758, several of Amine Orphanage's children were kidnapped by slavers looking to sell to Duke Fane Gandred. Abiyr Arsolum, Bill Stoneheaver, Alden Blackwell, and Gneiss offered her their help in investigating the crime alongside Gar Ceccio, which she accepted. The party returned with all four children (Poppy Amine, Besson Amine, and siblings Mikhael & Serena Amine), much to her relief, and offered to fix her leaking roof. Indira and Bill hit it off quickly and later went out to Jessop's Beehive, followed somewhat "stealthily" by the rest of the party, and spent the night together after discussing their expectations.
After the party's return from their harrowing The Archipelago of Kos adventure, they found out that "Bhajeera" had vanished from Cirta. After an investigation, they found that she had left with two members of the Golden Guard, and followed her trail to Chandris. There, her current location is unknown, and she has not answered any of Bill's Sendings.
Physical Description
Identifying Characteristics
Indira is a gnoll with chestnut brown hair and brown eyes. Her fur is also brown, featuring darker stripes and a dark ridge down her back. Her cropped tail looks like a spotted gnoll's, but it used to be long and feathered like other striped gnolls. She is an older woman who has aged with supernatural grace, and has a full, strong figure. Indira prefers classically stylish clothing, although she has avoided wearing Chandran styles for quite some time. Loves accessorizing.
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