Character presentation. The Court of the Sultanate is structured hierarchically in distinct groups
Male Characters: the Sultan’s entourage in the Court
The Sultan’s court is now only comprised of his sons and close officials. They’ve all suffered from the ruler’s declining health, they all know that Morta Siyah’s domain, as the rest of the Empire, is in decline. The death of the eldest son and heir has accelerated the decadence of the domain, since the mourning of the Prince is yet unfinished, and all issues regarding the future are left undecided.
Murat Hallil, Sultan: leader of Morta Siyah (English-speaking role)
Sultan Murat Hallil, after the Balkan war, is set to step down from power once he has put his own house, troubled family and complicated politics in order.
Themes: end of reign, conflicted feelings, melancholy
Alemdar Pasha, Grand Vizier: right-hand man and longtime friend to the Sultan (Bilingual role)
Second in power only to the Sultan, he will accompany him through this difficult time of transition. Themes: duty vs freedom, loyalty, conflicted feelings, regrets
Kemal, prince of the Sultanate: Son of the Sultan and possible heir (Bilingual role)
Kemal is self-confident, proud of himself, convinced of his own grand destiny. Can these certainties hold in a time of crisis?
Themes: pride, ambition, ambiguous feelings, coming of age
Buhran, prince of the Sultanate: Son of the Sultan and possible heir (English-speaking role)
Buhran is a dutiful son, with a reliable personality, who tends to be overlooked by his own relatives. Eager to prove himself, still wounded by his experience of the war, he may yet play a significant role through the crisis.
Themes: loyalty, tradition vs modernity, steadfastness, trauma
Colonel Erkan, commander of the Guard : protector to the Sultanate (English-speaking role)
The Colonel is a veteran, an old protector of the Sultanate. He has sacrificed much for duty. He now has to hold true to his principles and keep guarding the Sultanate to the end.
Themes: regrets, atonement, lost love, tragedy
Male characters: the foreign visitors
A few choice foreign visitors have exceptionally been admitted at the Sultan’s Court, trying to negotiate financial support or rights of passage on his lands. Of course, the negotiations failed and they will all get, not what they wanted, but more than what they would have asked for. Following the local traditions, their wives and daughters have been locked up in the Harem, a forced separation that is not to everyone’s taste.
Charles Wetherley, British Ambassador (French-speaking role)
The British Ambassador is conservative and convinced of his superiority and the validity of his mission. His certainties may crash in the face of tragedy and culture shock.
Themes: failing moral values, breaking apart, family secrets, friendship
Sebastian Von Lenzig, German Ambassador (French-speaking role)
The German Ambassador was a long-time soldier but had to quit the front lines because of an injury. Recently married, he still has difficulties committing to civilian life, but tries to do his duty the best he can.
Themes: idealism vs politics, tragic love, trauma, finding oneself
Philippe de Villeneuve, French military attaché in Istanbul. (French-speaking role)
An old friend of Charles Wetherley, Philippe is here to support his efforts, but is also carried by his own memories. Can he overcome his troubled past or will he drown in sorrow?
Themes: tragedy, lost love, guilt, obsessions, atonement
Marwan Miralay, spokesman for the nationalist government (English-speaking role)
Marwan was raised in Morta Siyah, but joined the Young Turks movement in Istanbul. Now a diplomat for the new Turkish government, he is very critical of the Sultanate and here to supervise the change of power.
Themes: ambition, hot-bloodedness, trauma, revenge
Daniel de Villeneuve, son of the French ambassador (French-speaking role)
An ethnologist and journalist, he wants to discover more about the Sultanate’s culture, and might very well lose all of his illusions.
Themes: torment, bitterness, coming of age, finding solace, friendship
Aleksei Radin, a mountain guide (Bilingual role)
A peasant who works as a translator and guide in the Balkan mountain area, currently in the employ of the French.
Themes: mourning, trauma, lost love, friendship, revenge
Female characters: the Harem
As a last tribute to the lost glory of the Ottoman Empire, the Harem ofMorta Siyah clings to the ancient past. It is ruled by the Valide Sultane, mother to the Sultan, who enforces the hierarchy. It is strict and punishment can be severe. Since the death of the Heir, no official first wife has been named, which is a cause of tension. While there are foreign visitors in the domain, the Harem also hosts their wives and daughters, which brings more change and dissension.
Hatice, Valide Sultane : mother of the Sultan and highest figure of authority in the Harem (Bilingual role)
She is a force of nature and her authority is feared by all, but she now has to witness the end of the reign of her only son. How terrible can this ending be?
Themes: tragedy, motherhood, end of reign, lost love, atonement
Aysel, Bas Haseki Sultane : mother of the late Prince Heir Elemdar and of Princess Samara (English-speaking role)
She has spent the past two months in mourning. Can she stop grieving to face the beginning of a new era?
Themes: mourning, motherhood, duty vs freedom, responsibility
Nuriye, Haseki Sultane: mother to Princes Buhran and Kemal (English-speaking role)
Ambitious and assertive, she wants her sons to succeed, and stands to lose the most with the end of the Sultanate. Can she protect her own interests while not losing herself?
Themes: ambition, conflicted feelings, motherhood, identity, regrets
Jihane, the Favorite (Bilingual role)
The brilliant Favorite has the trust of the Sultan and a high rank in the Court. The end of the Sultan’s reign will hit her hard, but she is a resourceful woman who will be able to reinvent a new life for herself.
Themes: ambition, identity, friendship, loyalty, new era
Emily Wetherley: wife of Charles Wetherley (French-speaking role)
The perfect British lady, who might find herself somewhat stifled by tradition. She feels the tension between the role she has to assume in society and her own hopes for the future.
Themes: conflicted feelings, motherhood, remorse, responsibility
Grace Wetherley: daughter of Charles and Emily Wetherley (French-speaking role)
The willful daughter of the French Ambassador has eloped to the Harem. She wants to have her own way in the world. She might face the end of her illusions.
Themes : coming of age, rebellion, passion, suffering
Edwige Von Lenzig: wife of Sebastian Von Lenzing (French-speaking role)
The German Ambassador’s wife is quiet and mysterious, it is hard to know her thoughts and feelings. She seems to be quietly suffering, but from what?
Themes: confusion, identity quest, conflicted feelings, trauma
Samara, Princess of the Sultanate: daughter of Sultan Murat and Aysel Sultane (English-speaking role)
Well-bred and energetic, is she ready to handle the end of her familiar homeland?
Themes: coming of age, duty vs freedom, responsibility, new era
Derya Kalfa, treasurer of the Harem (Bilingual role)
A trusted servant of the Sultanate who has to endure the jealousy of many of the other women for her privileged position. Is she ready to move on after the end of Sultan Murat’s reign?
Themes: troubled past, trauma, revenge, mourning
Eunuchs and Servants
Fully committed servants and officials of the Palace, eunuchs are the bridge between the Harem and politics. They function as confidantes, administrators, healers, politicians, and excel in a variety of tasks. Considered as “neutrals” and as a population on the margin, they are in theory the bottom of the ladder, but their importance is such that they actually wield a lot of power.
Kizlar Agha Sinan, head of the Harem eunuchs (English-speaking role)
He was already in charge under the former Sultan, and has kept his place through authority and skill for a long time.
Themes: old age, tradition, regrets, atonement
Sumbul Agha Sabry, second-in-command of the Harem (Bilingual role)
Sumbul Agha is the leading force of the Harem, often taking charge in the stead of the oldest Kizlar Agha. He is in charge of supply and finances, and entertains ambitions of his own.
Themes: ambition, conflicted feelings, bitterness
Izmir Agha, Harem eunuch in charge of security (Bilingual role)
Izmir has served as personal servant to the twin Princes. He served in the war with Prince Buhran, and remains shocked by the experience.
Themes: friendship, brotherhood, trauma, loyalty
Eleazar Agha, Harem eunuch, Court Physician (Bilingual role)
The competent and devoted Court Physician. He won’t have issues finding another employ, but will he regret the comfortable life of Morta Siyah?
Themes: duty vs freedom, identity, friendship, sacrifice
Rahman Hazrat, Islam mystic (Bilingual role)
A spiritual mystic and leader in the troubled province of Nova Siyah. He hopes to promote and defend peace, but can his voice still be heard?
Themes: loyalty, principles, family, regrets
Inayat, Islam mystic in training and follower to the former (Bilingual role)
A young mystic-in-training with a dark view of the world. Can he find peace in himself to be a good leader of men?
Themes: troubled past, trauma, contradiction, bitterness, new era
Other servants: some characters may also have personal servants in the domain. These servants will be played by NPC.