Queen of Sheba

Beautiful and Mysterious. Queen Makeda is a symbol of Sheba itself: beautiful, enigmatic, and deadly. Her primary concern is for the well-being of her people, and is ruthless in this pursuit. She regards all visitors to Sheba with suspicion, as there have been many attempts made against her life from the foreign powers of Rome and Parthia alike. Makeda is pragmatic to a fault, always making decisions swiftly with what information is available to her, and rarely allowing the theories of her advisors or even her own emotions to sway her sound judgment of a situation. She is always accompanied by her bodyguards: twin Arabian Tigers named Nebiri and Desta. These loyal companions travel everywhere with Makeda, and follow her commands without question. If Nebiri and Desta enter combat alongside Makeda, she has a challenge rating of 6 (2,300 XP).

"I do not believe until my own eyes have seen it."
The Queen of Sheba

Keeper of Promises. No one is sure of Makeda's lineage, how she came to be in power, or, in fact, how long she has reigned as queen. Visitors may rightly ask questions about her mysterious past, but native Sabeans do not question their queen or even think too long about these questions. Makeda is a fair and efficient ruler, and this is all that matters to the common folk of Sheba. Her only other living relative is Prince Menelik, who serves as the captain of the Zin'tori at the military barracks of Fort Tebaki. Makeda has also shown to have an age-old alliance with the people of Judea, although no one is sure why. Legend holds that this alliance goes back almost 1000 years to the reign of King Solomon, but the truth behind how this alliance was established and why Makeda maintains her alliance with Jerusalem to this day remains a mystery. For more information on Makeda's identity and how you might want to play her character in the game, see the sidebar on the right.

"Never again were seen precious stones of such value, or spices of such quality, as were brought by the Queen of Sheba."
1 Kings 10:10

Queen of Commerce. No monarch in the world has as much sway over the commerce in the Middle Kingdoms as Makeda. The Sabean navy controls all ocean access along the coast of Africa and Arabia, and the Zin'tori both protect and restrict access to travel along the Spice road. Whether they like it or not, Rome, China, and India must occasionally do business with Sheba when conducting trade. Sheba is also the world's leading producer of Myrrh and Frankincense.

Makeda in this story. The story of the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon (1 Kgs. 10) occurs around 900 years before the events of this adventure. There are two ways to justify this character showing up in the narrative of this module, and you may choose which suits your game and story the best. Both of these options are valid interpretations of her motivations, and have no other impact on the plot.

The first option assumes that this is indeed the original Makeda, Queen of Sheba, and that she is a Nephilim, and therefore immortal. Because of her affair with King Solomon (who is the true father of her son, Menelik), Makeda has chosen not to undergo the Diluvium of the Nephilim, and retains all of her memories from the past thousand years. Because of a promise made to Solomon when they were lovers, Makeda awaits the day when her oath to his memory can be fulfilled, even 1,000 years after his death.

The second option instead views Makeda as the descendant of the Queen of Sheba from the Bible. Although mortal, she has nevertheless been passed down the obligation to come to the aid of Jerusalem, should such a need arise. This version of Makeda assumes that her allegiance to the Jews comes from respect for the memory and promises of her ancestors, rather than from her personal connection to King Solomon.

Medium humanoid, lawful neutral

Armor Class 13

Hit Points 100

Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+1)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)

Saving Throws Str +3, Wis +5, Cha +5

Skills Arcana +4, History +4, Insight +5, Persuasion +5

Languages Common, Sabaic, Hebrew, Aramaic, Sanskrit

Senses Passive Perception 15

Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Features

Spellcasting. The Queen of Sheba is a 5th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit). She has the following spells prepared.

At will: Light, Fire Bolt (+5 to hit) (2d10 Fire)

1st level (4 slots): Cure Wounds (2d8 + 3 HP), Shield (18 AC)

2nd level (3 slots): Levitate, Shatter (Con 13) (3d8 Thunder)

3rd level (2 slots): Protection from Energy, Fireball (Dex 13) (8d6 Fire)

Actions

Command. The Queen of Sheba targets a friendly creature within 60 feet. If the target can hear her, the target may use its reaction to make one weapon attack.

Leadership (1/Day). The Queen of Sheba shouts a special command of warning, granting benefits to all non-hostile creatures within 30 feet that can hear her. For the next minute, all affected creatures may add 1d4 to attack rolls and saving throws.

Bible5e custom monster. Its specific traits supplement the current rules. See Using Bible5e Monsters.