I have ideas for three different, but possibly intertwining plotlines.

Idea 1) (this replaces the idea of using House Abbanar as the lost heirs of Palastan) - When King Rhissathion died, his only child (a boy) was smuggled out of the capitol city and hidden away from Ghul's minions by polymorphing the boy into a lion-man cub.

This child was raised and lived out his life as a lion-man, and his descendants are still litorians today. However, they also retain a strain of human blood, and are the rightful heirs to the throne of Palastan. (Note that I'm ignoring the other claimants of the throne, right now). The current "heir" is a young woman lioness in her late teens, named Meerah. Her mother died just recently, although she has two younger siblings, who are "just cubs". Her father is still alive, and is not related to any of the PC lion-men. He lives out on the plains, and is a famous hunter, but according to Meerah's mother's wishes, is having his cubs raised "in the city of men".

Meerah has inherited a token from her mother, a bracelet, which has a charm on it that bears the ancient symbol of the Palastanian kings (a stylized phoenix). Meerah does NOT know what her family history is, but she knows they were once "rulers" of "a different people".

Meerah and her best friend (Granthar's younger sister) will take to watching him fight in the arena, and following him around and otherwise idolizing him (and Rastor, to a lesser degree). The problem is that they will get caught up in idea 2, when the thugs start pestering the PCs to work for XXX on the docks.