Ithal Jonnes and The Sultan's Scimitar

Sultan's Scimitar

The year after the Time of Troubles- 1359 DR (Year of the Serpent) Rashid el Djenispool, the Syl-Pasha of all of Calimshan, was murdered one night by one of his favored jhasina. Caught covered in blood and with the murder weapon, the jhasina was publicly accused of her crimes, found guilty and beheaded for her betrayal before dawn. 

The grieving was short for the late Djenispool, and celebrations soon began in Calimport to welcome the return of his heir- Punjor el Djenispool, the new syl-pasha, soon to return from a diplomatic mission. 

Unfortunately, treachery struck House Djenispool again as all the food and drink at the welcoming party held on the Sultan's Scimitar, the enchanted flagship of the young Djenispool heir, was poisoned as it sailed back to Calimport, killing Punjor, his family, harem, and his entire royal court. The entire Djenispool royal line was killed off in a matter of days. 

At a highly publicized trial, two conspiring pashas were tried and found guilty of more than 30 murders. The Sultan's Scimitar meanwhile was stolen during the Darkstalker Wars and was never seen again. 

*Jhasin and jhasina are the words in Alzhedo for what are often merely called harem slaves. The words also loosely translate to handsome and beauty. The jhasinnar and jhassinni have a higher station than other slaves and arguably sit higher socially than many among the labor class. The education of a harem slave makes the best of them equal in social value to those the skilled labor class, for they are literate and versed in song, music, dance, art, the recitation of great literature, the art of massage, and other duties.

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Ithal Jonnes

Ithal Jonnes is a tall charismatic half-elf with brown hair that has paled over the years, a rugged and confident exterior, with blue eyes like the color of the sea. 

Jonnes was raised in the affluence of Waterdeep nobility but as a half-blood he was hindered and would never formally see his full potential. Because of this Jonnes owes his early unorthodox experience to the dangerous cobbles and dark alleys of Waterdeep's Dock Ward. 

Building a reputation at a young age Jonnes soon attracted the attention of the Rundeen and the Shadow Thieves and other cartels who maneuvered against Jonnes when he interfered with their profits and the balance of underworld power. 

The ship's device

Jonnes openly opposes slavery and the trafficking of sentient beings. 

Over the next twenty years Jonnes earned the respect of many fellow Waterdeep Houses like House Moonstar and benevolent organizations like the Harpers. He has also built a long list of clandestine contacts including allied clients and underlings in most every major city along the Sword Coast, and has likewise also made many enemies in the underworld from Waterdeep to Calimport. 

His first mate is a capable half sea-elf mage from Calimport named Anskela whom he took on as first mate and his navigator is Bantu, a Calishite ex-pirate captain. 

Anskela

Jonnes venerates Valkur 'Captain of the Waves', god of sailors, naval warfare and tactics and donates to every shrine in every port and observes every high holy day. 

Bantu

On one such day Valkur visited upon Jonnes an omen- and a call to adventure. This vision lead him to a clockwork device that, among other things, would assist him in locating a lost enchanted Calishite ship. 

That winter Jonnes began to put together a crew of capable rogues (the player characters) to find the  lost Sultan's Scimitar- a ship for him to Captain.