Celyria ir’Tain, the current matriarch of the Sharn branch of the family, is the queen of high society, and her monthly galas at Tain Manor define the social order within the city. In addition to the great families of Sharn, Lady ir’Tain always invites a handful of more exotic people to entertain her guests—artists, poets, adventurers, or oddities such as Flamewind. An adventurer known to be a friend of Lady ir’Tain finds that many closed doors suddenly open, and may receive invitations to other events or other forms of special consideration.

Celyria’s eldest son Hass (N male half-elf aristocrat 5) is the heir apparent to the ir’Tain fortune. Hass is a member of the Breland Parliament and spends most of his time in Wroat, but returns on occasion to visit his mother and siblings. Hass ir’Tain is an ardent supporter of Lord Duken ir’Clarn and his plan to abolish the Brelish monarchy after the death of King Boranel; while he believes that members of the aristocracy are inherently better equipped to lead than commoners, he firmly believes that the blood of King Jarot is weak and that the time has come to set the monarchy aside. While Duken is willing to wait for Boranel to die of natural causes, Hass is less patient. Working with other members of the conspiracy at court, Hass has been considering various ways to embarrass the monarchy or even to hasten the demise of King Boranel. Hass is not hungry for power, and he believes that Duken should be the prime minister after the fall of the monarchy; he is actually pleased that Duken does not stoop to such methods and feels that it shows his worthiness to rule. But he is prepared to perform these questionable acts in the service of the country—and he occasionally hires adventures to do his dirty work.

In descending order of age, the other members of the core family are Cyra ir’Tain (N female half-elf aristocrat 3), Cariana ir’Tain (LN female half-elf aristocrat 1), and Daral ir’Tain (N male half-elf aristocrat 1). Lord Dalian ir’Tain II is said to have perished in a shipwreck during the end of the Last War. The ship supposedly went down deep in the territory of the sahuagin, but Lord ir’Tain’s body was never recovered. Rumors abound that ir’Tain is still alive—that he is a pirate captain, a prisoner of the sahuagin, or the prince of a lost kingdom in the jungles of Xen’drik, depending on which tale you believe.

Despite their wealth and power, the ir’Tains have no connection to the Aurum. While the cabal has approached members of the family, the ir’Tains feel that an alliance with the Aurum would be an insult to the pride and integrity of the clan.

Who Owns Sharn? Portrait of the ir'Tains and the 60 families

from The Sharn Inquisitive

If you’ve read more than two issues of the Sharn Inquisitive, you’ve seen at least two stories about the ir’Tain family. King Boranel might rule Breland, and the Lord Mayor might be our highest appointed official, but the ir’Tains are the true royalty of our city. What citizen of Sharn doesn’t have an opinion about the fate of Lord Dalian ir’Tain, lost at sea a decade ago? Many are sure that he’s a prisoner of the sahuagin, which would explain why Lady Celyria has been funding expeditions into the sahuagin realms. Another camp maintains that Lord Dalian staged his death so he could embrace a swashbuckling life as a pirate king. If the truth ever comes out, you can be sure you’ll read about it here!

Matriarch Lady Celyria ir’Tain is the queen of high society in Sharn. Her activities and those of the ir’Tain children account for just as much newsprint as their father used to. Dalian’s eldest son, Dalas ir’Tain, shocked society last week when he publicly denounced the Brelish monarchy. The dalliances of younger siblings Cyra and Daral sell more issues of the Inquisitive whenever such are reported, and the wedding of middle sister Cariana ir’Tain and Mayne Jhaelian of Aerenal will surely be the biggest social event of 998 YK.

The ir’Tain fortune is tied to the City of Towers. Tain gold funded the construction of many of the towers of Sharn, and the family owns vast sections of the city. You’ve likely heard of the Sixty Families of Sharn, considered the guiding lights of the city. Most assume that these luminaries are ancient and established, their status tied to a royal decree. In fact, when the Tains built their mansion on Skyway, they ordered the architects to design a banquet hall that would seat sixty families and their servants. The original Sixty Families were those that received standing invitations to the first Tain Gala. Though the list has remained generally stable through the years, just last year Celyria expelled the ir’Moros family and gave their place to Saiden Boromar—a surprising advancement for a family that began as Cliffside hooligans.

Anyone who strives to rise in Sharn society must earn the favor of the Sixty. Similarly, those who seek to explore and adventure in the wake of the Last War can surely find patrons among these elite. And from our desks, we will be watching to see which families will be next to rise and fall.