The names

The pahlavans

The champions, and the women the poem gives just as much room to. Every face here is painted for the game.

• RostamرستمThe hero of the Shahnameh, and the side of the board you play.
• ZalزالRostam's father. Born white haired, raised by a bird.
• SohrabسهرابRostam's son, who went looking for his father and found him.
• EsfandiyarاسفندیارArmoured skin, a father who will not keep his word, and seven trials of his own.
• FaramarzفرامرزRostam's son, who carried his father's account east and settled it.
• BijanبیژنSeven years down a pit under a boulder, and the woman who kept him alive.
• GivگیوSeven years alone in enemy country, looking for a boy he had never seen.
• BahramبهرامHe went back for a whip with his name on it.
• GoudarzگودرزThe old man of the Nozari house, and the father of a great many sons.
• TousطوسBrave, royal, and wrong about nearly everything.
• RohamرهامHe climbed a mountain through weather that had been made on purpose.
• SamسامKilled a dragon, and could not look at his own son.
• GorginگرگینHe was jealous once, and spent the rest of the poem paying for it.
• HojirهجیرAsked to point out Rostam, and would not.
• FereborzفریبرزA king's son who was passed over, and took it well.
• GordafaridگردآفریدThe fortress had no champion left, so she put on the armour herself.
• Banu GoshaspبانوگشسپRostam's daughter, who rode and wrestled the way her father did.
• ManijehمنیژهShe was thrown out of a palace and went on feeding the man in the pit.
• TahminehتهمینهShe came to his room at night and told him exactly what she wanted.
• FranakفرانکShe got her son out of the country before they could reach him.
• KatayunکتایونChose a penniless stranger in front of her father's whole court.
• RudabehرودابهLet down her hair for him to climb, and told him to find another way.
• SiyavashسیاوشRode through a mountain of fire to prove he had done nothing.
• KavehکاوهA blacksmith who had lost enough sons, and said so in public.
• ForudفرودHis own side came up the mountain and would not listen.
• Kay KhosrowکیخسروThe one king in the poem who knew when to stop.
• GostahamگستهمWent after two princes alone, at night, and came back in pieces.
• GozhdahamگژدهمThe old man holding the White Fortress, and Gordafarid's father.
• Kay KavusکیکاووسThe king whose bad ideas the rest of the poem has to survive.

The host

The divs. Three or four of these are figures Ferdowsi names and tells a story about; the rest are the crowd he leaves unnamed, and the game has given them faces. Each page says which it is.

• AkvanاکوانPicked up a sleeping Rostam, ground and all, and asked him a question.
• Black Dragonاژدهای سیاهA dragon nobody else can see while it is looking at them.
• GandarowگندروThe water dragon from the oldest layer of the story.
• Kak Kuhzadکک کوهزادSo small they named him after a flea, and he taxed Zal for years.
• Sleep Demonخواب‌دیوThe dark that put a whole army to sleep with its eyes open.
• Wind DemonباددیوThe simoom itself, with horns put on it.
• Black Demonدیو سیاهWhat comes off him is not his shadow.
• Fire Eaterآتش‌خوارWalks into the burning ground and comes out fed.
• Blood Drinkerخون‌آشامHe is not fighting to win the field.
• Stone Eaterسنگ‌خوارHe chews the mountain for want of anything better.
• Tyrant DemonبیداددیوHis whole art is arranging that somebody else pays.
• Banner Demonدرفش‌دیوHe carries the standard the host forms up on.
• Weigherسنجه‌دیوThe one holding the scales.

The road itself

The book, the man who wrote it, the board, the horse, the bird, and the two places everything happens between.

• RakhshرخشRostam's horse. The only one that could take his weight.
• SimorghسیمرغThe bird that raised Zal. The feather is hers.
• ShahnamehشاهنامهThe Book of Kings. Fifty thousand couplets, and where all of this comes from.
• FerdowsiفردوسیThe man who spent thirty years writing it down.
• NardنردThe board itself, and where it comes from. Older than backgammon by a long way.
• MazandaranمازندرانWhere the road goes. Not the province on the map.
• ZabolزابلRostam's country, out at the eastern edge of everything.