Sharleyan Tayt Ahrmahk

Sharleyan Alahnah Zhenyfyr Ahlyssa Tayt Ahrmahk, Duchess of Cherayth, Lady Protector of Chisholm, Queen of Chisholm and Empress of Charis, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Chisholm and co-ruler of the Empire of Charis in the late 9th Century of God.

Physical appearance
Sharleyan was relatively small and slender. She had a handsome face with dark brown eyes and a strong nose, framed by long, totally black hair. 

Biography
She was born Sharleyan Tayt in Chisholm in the Year of God 868 as the daughter of King Sailys and his wife, Queen Alahnah. After her father's death by the hands of Corisandian-supported pirates in the Year of God 880, she succeeded him on the throne, against the will of many of her subjects. Mahrak Sahndyrs, Baron Green Mountain, encouraged her to rule with a strong will in order to prove her critics wrong. When the Duke of Three Hills opposed her rule and started a rebellion which was crushed by the Chisholmian military, Sharleyan made the hard decision to order the Duke's execution. 

In the Year of God 891, Queen Sharleayn was aproached by the Knights of the Temple Lands with a request (which, in fact, came more in the form of an order) to send her fleet to Charis to support the Emeraldian and Corisandian Navy's invasion of the Kingdom of Charis. She grudgingly obeyed, but only few of her small navy's vessels arrived in time to fight in the Battle of Darcos Sound. These ships were taken by the Royal Charisian Navy, but King Cayleb II chose to return them to Sharleayn unharmed. 

Some time later, in June, Year of God 892, Cayleb sent his First Councilor, the Earl of Gray Harbor, to Chisholm to propose marriage to the queen in his name. At first, Sharleyan was shocked, but after thinking about it for two and a half days, she decided to accept. She made her way to the Charisian capital of Tellesberg for the September wedding, and, to her own greatest surprise, fell in love with her future husband almost at first sight. 

From the outset, Sharleyan and Cayleb ruled the Empire of Charis jointly. Cayleb made a point of impressing upon Chisholmians the trust he placed in Sharleyan, and her ability to act for the Empire in his absence. In November, a few short months after their wedding, he embarked with the Imperial Navy for Chisholm, and then Corisande, leaving Sharleyan to rule the Empire from Charis. In the seven months before she saw Cayleb again, she made many independent decisions, organized the new Imperial Parliament, and ruled the Empire with as much wisdom and integrity as Cayleb could have.

In June, Year of God 893, Sharleyan's uncle, Lord Byrtrym Waistyn, Duke of Halbrook Hollow, conspired with Temple loyalists in Charis in an abduction attempt, while she was on retreat at the secluded Convent of Saint Agtha. Despite her safety being a high priority for Merlin, he missed any warning signs until the very last minute. He sped across the globe in his recon skimmer to save her, thus revealing to her that he had "abilites" that were not of her known world. Having just fought off armed assassins, firing a musket through the narrow window to fend them off, Sharleyan was exhausted, and grieving the deaths of those whose lives were lost defending her. However, she rallied, and agreed to hear Merlin's explanations the following day.

As promised, Merlin transported Cayleb to Tellesburg, and revealed to her, and her loyal bodyguard Edwyrd Seahamper, the truth about humanity's history, and her/his role in events on Safehold. Sharleyan and Cayleb were the first to receive ear pieces and special contact lenses that tied into the information feed from the many technological "spies" distributed over Safehold. Merlin's Inner Circle, formed about a year previous when Archbishop Maikel Staynair and Merlin brought Cayleb into the fold, finally included the other ruling imperial monarch. Cayleb could be completely honest with Sharleyan, the two humans could now help Merlin monitor the ever increasing load of incoming data, and the communication devices also allowed Cayleb and Sharleyan to communicate instantaneously, although separated by thousands of miles.

In the Year of God 895 Empress Sharleyan, with infant Crown Princess Alahnah and Merlin, sailed on the HMS Dawn Star to Zebediah Island, where she dispensed justice to the renegade Grand Duke. She went on to Corisande, where she sentenced the remaining members of the Northern Conspiracy, demonstrating clemency to commoners who had been caught up in events, and demonstrating bravery in the face of point-blank gunshot, as Paitryk Hainree unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate her. Merlin created the illusion that the shot had gone wide, while the high tech flexible body armor he had constructed for Sharleyan saved her life, deflecting the bullet that hit her rib cage.