Working Titles: One Night with Scheherazade, One Night with the Shah, Eranshahr Nights…
MAIN CAST
SCHEHERAZADE (sheh-hair-aw-zawd-ah)
Daughter of the current Wuzurg Framadar (vizier/royal advisor) Ja’far. She is the daughter of two Eranshahr-born Persians and a sister to five other siblings. At the time of this story she is an unmarried virgin, eligible to become the wife of the current Shahanshah, Shahryar. However, because of her position as the daughter of the Wuzurg Framadar, she has been protected by her father. Her cousin-by-marriage is Dunyazad.
SHAHRYAR II (shawr-yawr)
Current Shahanshah of Eranshahr. He is the son of Borandukht - one of only two women to rule the empire - and a Shardar (prince) of the House of Ispahbudhan. His mother had her husband (his father) executed in order to protect her position as ruler. At this point in time, a woman’s role in society was to be subservient to a man, but because Borandukht was the only remaining member of the royal bloodline who had the approval of other nobles, she became Shahanshah. But medical issues hindering her ability to rule forced Borandukht to hand her position to her most eligible son, Shahryar II. Shahryar has three living siblings; Nivandukht, Wahram, and Shahzaman. One of his primary beliefs is that every citizen of Eranshahr - be they man or woman, slave or Shah - should pursue literacy and education in order to cultivate a prosperous empire. His first wife, Febronia - daughter of the Persian Nike and the Roman Theodosios - had an affair which then led to Shahryar’s insane plan to marry every unmarried virgin in the kingdom and then execute her after one night so as to avoid another unfaithful wife (he’s a pleasant guy). He is heterosexual and, contrary to this point in history and culture, prefers a monogamous relationship.
SHAHZAMAN (shaw-zaw-mahn)
Son of Borandukht and brother of Shahryar II - Shahzaman is the current ruler of Samarkand (now a city in modern day Uzbekistan). While his brother rules the entire empire, Shahzaman ensures the safety and order of Samarkand. He is pansexual and has a shabestan (harem) that includes over one-hundred women, thirty men, and a little over a dozen eunuchs (he’s… an interesting man).
DUNYAZAD (doon-yaw-zawd)
Scheherazade’s cousin-by-marriage (her cousin married Scheherazade’s brother). She is also an unmarried virgin, and thus eligible to marry the Shahanshah. She has been protected from marrying the Shahanshah due to her absence from the empire. Up until the events of the story, Dunyazad has spent her time in Constantinopolis while her father is on a diplomatic mission in the Imperium Romanum. She is demisexual.
WANG NA (wong-nah) Although the family name is spelled ‘Wang’ it should not be pronounced like ‘twang’ - rather it is pronounced with a long ‘ah’ sound (similar to when a doctor asks you to go ‘ah’).
Wang Na is a Chinese noble from the Wang family of Taiyuan. Prized for her beauty, Wang Na also conceals a fiery ambition to gain power and influence. During the time of this story she has been sent to Eranshahr on a diplomatic mission, accompanied by her retainer, the eunuch; Meng Xie. She is an aromantic pansexual; while she has no desire to start a romantic relationship, Wang Na still enjoys the physical intimacy of a broad audience. She’s gonna be your love rival (in the Shahryar path).
SUPPORTING CAST
JA’FAR (jaw-fuhr)
Scheherazade’s father. He is the current Wuzurg Framadar. He currently has three sons and two daughters and is fiercely protective of all of them. He places high importance on family values.
BORANDUKHT (boh-rawn-dookht) Last syllable should be pronounced similar to ‘duct’ as in ‘duct tape’, but the ‘U’ is an elongated ‘oo’ sound.
Former Shahanshah, the mother of Shahryar and Shahzaman. Her life has been filled with turmoil and grief. From the assassination of her family, the betrayal by her brother, to the death of one of her dearest friends (murdered at the hand of her very own sister), Borandukht has been hardened to the world and its cruelty. While she has been a lackluster mother, her role as a ruler has solidified her in the annals of history as one of Eranshahr’s greatest Shahanshahs.
NIVANDUKHT (nih-vawn-dookht)
Borandukht’s daughter. To secure the alliance with the Imperium Romanum, Nivandukht married Emperor Heraclius’ son John Athalarichos. John later attempted a coup and was blinded and then exiled to the island of Prinkipos. Nivandukht returned home after his exile.
ROSTAM FARROKHZAD (rō-stæm fah-rōk-zawd)
A prince of the House of Ispahbudhan and a general, Rostam has been at the aid of Borandukht since the beginning of her struggles. Alongside his father, Farrukh, Rostam saw Eranshahr almost fall to ruin, but with Borandukht’s help it has returned from the brink to prosper once again.
MENG XIE (mong-shee) Similar to ‘Wang’ - although ‘Meng’ is spelled in English with an ‘E’ it is pronounced with similarly to ‘wrong’.
A eunuch retainer of Wang Na, he is highly educated and well trained in combat. He is accompanying her on a diplomatic mission to Eranshahr.
Genre: Historical Romance
Synopsis: A retelling of One Thousand and One Nights/Arabian Nights with a heavy focus on romance (although you do not have to romance anyone if that’s your thing).
To Do: [5/27] Finished research on Eranshahr/Iranshahr, now conducting research on the Roman-Byzantine Empire and the Tang Dynasty (both of which will play very minor roles in this story), flesh out characters, setting, then begin writing…
I am not of Persian descent, nor am I familiar with anything Persian related; however, I am fascinated by world cultures and mythology/folklore and especially with the story of One Thousand and One Nights. Which is why I wanted to write this, but in order to do that I want to faithfully research the Sasanian Empire (the setting of the story) in order to accurately and correctly portray the setting and people.
Of course, I will take certain liberties in this fantastical story, but I want to really let the Sasanian culture shine through.
UPDATES
May 17, 2018
Thumbnail Draft: The Derafsh Kaviani
The Derafsh Kaviani is the vexilloid (royal standard) of the Sasanian Empire. It consisted of a star (akhtar) on a purple field which was encrusted with jewels. On its lower edge it had trailing red, gold, and purple streamers. Gold represents the sun, wealth, and justice. Red represents courage, passion, and valour. Purple often represents royalty, magic, or the supernatural which is why you typically do not see modern flags using purple. In the top circle is a representation of the Simurgh; a benevolent, winged creature in Iranian mythology.
May 27
Recent History of Eranshahr's Shahanshahs
OneDrive
A PowerPoint created mainly for my use, although you may view it if you’d like. Much of its contents are actual history and some of it can be some crazy stuff (real life is stranger than fiction), but towards the end it picks up where I have edited some details for the sake of story.
In reality, Queen Borandukht was murdered while attempting create peace between the Parsig and Pahlav factions. Piruz Khosrow is her suspected killer. After Borandukht there were other Shahanshahs, but eventually the empire fell in 651 AD to invading Muslims. The last of the Shahanshahs was Yazdegerd III (Borandukht’s nephew).
Romance in the desert!!! 
