Ginza Zuju

Ginza Zuju - His Most Enlightened and Resplendent Majesty, Servant of the Caliph, Blood of the Conquerors, Sultan of Naiche, Father of the Multitudes, Wise and Sage Master of His Own Destiny - is a certifiable loon. Some say it is the blood of the ruling class running thin after 500 years. Others say that Zuju was born with a sound mind, but he encountered some great horror in the mountain realm as a youth. His father (perhaps lacking in faculties himself), failed to recognize the extent of the damage, and named Zuju his heir.
Whatever the cause, Sultan of Naiche is known for his eccentricities and whims. He has appointed peasants and wandering adventurers to be his ambassadors to far-off lands, simply because he liked his beneficiaries' looks. He has thrown long standing and loyal courtiers into exile (or worse, to a posting in Safrodaska) as punishment for a remark that he overheard by chance (and perhaps even misunderstood). The Sultan has ordered buildings destroyed only to order them rebuilt within a week. He has approved expeditions to the Sabo Jungles and for the establishment of settlements deep in the canyons, then forgotten to approve any moneys for these actions. And when the holders of such grants asked for the gold, the Sultan had them thrown into prison for their troubles.
Despite these flaws, the Sultan of Naiche is a sweet, endearing, and friendly man, particularly with his own people. When he rides through Izmauna in a procession, they cheer. Their ardour may not be for him personally, however. He rides in an open motorcar (which are exceedingly rare in this part of the world), complete with an electrical device which shoots forth streams of silver and copper coins.
One of the Sultan's many titles is "Father of the Multitudes." He lives up to the reputation. The Sultan has no wife (much to the chagrin of the Caliph), having divorced or failed to marry every woman to whom he was attracted. But he maintains a large harim and has a huge brood of children from age 22 on down. He has recognized all of these children as his own - a practice which will inevitably lead to bloody conflicts in the event of his death.
The Mad Sultan has a relatively stable, contented court and bureaucracy. (Otherwise, the petty nobles and merchants would have turned him out long ago, "heir to 500 years" or no.) Many of these personages pass through phases like the waning moon, sometimes being in the Sultan's favor, and sometimes not. Members of the court have a saying: "If you do not like the Sultan's ruling, wait five minutes and ask again. By that time he may have forgotten." The most important people in the court are the Sultan's trusted chief vizier Kuddiva Jem and Tilana Vurs, the representative of the merchant houses. Also important in the Sultan's everyday life is his aunt (his father's sister), the Empress Navichi Rayvas.
The Sultan's first-born son, Kakamak Nuri Zuju, disappeared on an expedition north into the Sabo Jungles four years ago. No word has come from (or about) him since. Given the tendencies of his father, this may be for the best. The Sultan is very interested in restoring the crown prince to the court, ere he dies and various factions pull the city apart. He is not alone, for both the speaker of the merchant houses and the crown princess wish to see his return.
Category:Inhabitants
Category:Inhabitants of Izmauna
Category:Inhabitants of Naiche
Category:Inhabitants of the Kaspari Empire
Category:Sultans
Category:Men
Category:Born in 1518
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