Biha Babir

Scheming Marid Ruler

The calculating Biha Babir rules the pelagic city of Maran Saya in Calimshan. Though her physical form is as fluid as the ocean itself, she typically presents as a marid crowned in coral, with her lower half lengthening into a sinewy, eel-like tail.

History. Before becoming ruler of Maran Saya, Biha Babir worked as a spy. She has traveled across Calimshan, infiltrating rival genie courts and eliminating remnants of the Twisted Rune. Some accounts even tell of her fighting alongside Sultana Songal during the Night of Fleeing Shadows.
Biha Babir took up leadership of Maran Saya after the previous ruler, her father, retired. People know her as a shrewd ruler, preferring battles of wit over clashes of swords. Of the genie leaders in Calimshan, Biha Babir maintains the strongest spy network, and she is rumored to have informants in every major city of the region.
For years, Biha Babir has searched tirelessly for the Calimemnon Crystal, the legendary prison of the powerful genies Calim and Memnon. She believes obtaining that crystal would allow her to wipe Calimshan off the map and seize control of whatever genie empire rises from the wreckage.
Personality. Biha Babir's demeanor is like the ocean: seemingly placid on the surface, but dangerous and fierce deep below. Her amiable attitude hides a cunning mind. Biha Babir is politically savvy and prefers to outsmart her opponents rather than battle them, though she doesn't shy from combat if necessary.
Biha Babir covets opulence, but she also values information and learning just as much as material wealth. Offering valuable information is a surefire way to gain an audience with her, but those caught lying to her are severely punished.
Using Biha Babir. As the leader of Maran Saya, Biha Babir is a well-known public figure. The characters might encounter her in an official capacity where she is stern but pleasant, particularly around others she wants to impress.
Biha Babir's more significant campaign role, however, is as a spymaster. Her agents scheme to bring Maran Saya more influence and Biha Babir more personal power. Biha Babir can be pulling the strings behind efforts to free the genies Calim and Memnon from the Calimemnon Crystal or to otherwise sweep modern Calimshan away and install genie rulers.
The characters might meet Biha Babir more than once without even realizing it, as she takes on different forms to suit her whims. The characters might meet Biha Babir in her marid form in the courts of Maran Saya and again in the guise of a well-intentioned courtier.