Mairan Naubirk grew to manhood in Tûl Isra, capital of Isra, during Tartas Izain's rise to power. When the Taraskon supplanted Mûsavir, Mairan's father and the counselor closest to the Tarb's ear, the fortunes of the family Zamet steadily fell. Mairan's mother died of a sudden fever, and much of the family's lands were given by the Tarb (Ta. "Might-lord" or "King") to Tartas Izain. The young man avoided bitterness by cultivating a determination to retrieve the family's wealth and position. Persistent research revealed to him that the artifact once wielded by an ancester, the [[Gaibirausk[[, lay amongst the hoard accumulated by Shuftas Gabar. Mairan had obtained floorplans of the citadel once occupied by the evil Enchanter. Mairan's appearance is typical of a Sîranean city dweller. His skin