Hasan at-Zahir

**Hasan at-Zahir**, also known as **Hasan at-Feyza**, was a Redguard prince, explorer and naval commander from the Kingdom of Hamitas.

As head of the Feyzids, the descendants of Princess Feyza, Hasan was referred to as ***the* Feyzid**.

## **Character**

Hasan was as tempestuous as the seas he sailed. His mood flailed between mirth and melancholy, with mercurial fits of fury. Though fearless and fiery, Hasan was also secretive and stubborn. The restless prince chafed at the decadence of his palace, longing for the sea no sooner than he set foot on home sands.

Whereas his father coveted the throne, no such seat could ever still the fidgety Hasan. The prince was governed by passion before duty, lusting after adventure, gold, and handsome men instead of influence at court. His male lovers were reckoned in the thousands; his marriage remained childless.

Some considered Hasan eccentric, though others deemed him mad.

## **Biography**

Hasan was born on 16th Evening Star 3E 266, under the sign of the Lover. His father was Prince Zahir at-Malik, head of the Feyzid branch of the royal family. His early years were spent in the magnificent Feyzid Palace, famed for its exquisite tiles, where the boy was pampered by servants and tutored by sages.

The treacherous intrigues of his father resulted in the family's exile from Hamitas in 3E 279, when Hasan was thirteen. They sought asylum with the kin of Hasan's mother, Princess Arwa, in the western peninsula. In 3E 283, aged seventeen, Hasan commanded a fleet of {number} ships loaned by his uncle Umar, Emir of Marsa, and scattered the imperial blockade of Hamitas. The young exile was acclaimed as a hero by the populace. When offered a reward of his choosing by King Temur II, Hasan exhorted his cousin to pardon Prince Zahir and recall him from banishment. The king had little choice but to grant this boon.

Though the Feyzids once again occupied the Feyzid Palace, a restless Hasan was struck by wanderlust. In 3E 285, not yet twenty years old, he embarked on a quest to circumnavigate Tamriel. This voyage, aboard his ship *Scimitar*, lasted five years. Hasan returned to Hamitas in 3E 290 with as many riches as tales of exploits.

Within weeks, he longed for the sea once more. In 3E 291, despite his father's failing health, Hasan sailed westwards to the uncharted Sea of Pearls. Almost two years later, *Scimitar* returned to Hamitas ladened with treasures and curiosities from the submerged ruins of Yokuda. Hasan was informed of Prince Zahir's death eight months earlier; he now received his father's title and wealth (the latter paling against his own newfound riches).

Ever restive, Hasan wasted little time in organising a second expedition to the Sea of Pearls. He refused to divulge any details of his route. In 3E 295, six ships under his command sailed westwards. The expedition lasted three years, during which time a partially-submerged Yokudan summer palace was discovered and looted. Such was the quantity of these riches that four new ships had to be built to stow them. Hasan had the foresight (and optimism) to employee shipwrights on his expedition. These new vessels – built with *Yokudan* timber – became the pride of Hasan. He claimed one, {Ship}, as his new flagship.

In 3E 298, eight ships (two having been lost) returned to Hamitas encumbered with gold and jewels from a lost world. From his treasures Hasan presented King Temur II with an ornate Yokudan dagger, expressing his hope that *'your faith may pull a sword from this'*. The king awarded his seafaring cousin with the title of Prince-Admiral, conferring command of the Hamitasi navy upon the Feyzid.

The king and his advisers remained wary of the volatile Hasan. The Grand Vizier sent a handsome young man, Samir, to infiltrate Feyzid Palace and spy on the prince. As expected, Samir became the prince's bedmate within days. Yet when Hasan suspected his lover's true nature, he had no hesitation in gouging the spy's eyes out. A blind and helpless Samir was left outside the vizier's palace holding a note which read: *'Send a homely boy next time, I will not look twice at him'*.

## **Marriage**

In 3E 283, aged seventeen, Hasan was married to his first cousin Sakina. Their betrothal had been arranged four years between Hasan's father Prince Zahir and Sakina's father Umar (Hasan's maternal uncle). Though Hasan at first resented this espousal – and indeed never consummated the marriage *'as a matter of taste'* – he eventually cherished his demure and kind-hearted wife. He ensured that Sakina received all honours due to a princess, entrusting Feyzid Palace to her stewardship.

The prince, a notorious libertine, permitted his wife to take lovers (and promised to claim any offspring as his own). Sakina remained chaste and faithful to her husband, even during his long absences at sea.

## **Notes**

1. ↑ The Feyzids were descended from Princess Feyza, the daughter of King Murad. Hasan was the great-great-great grandson of the king.
2. ↑ Umar mockingly awarded the title of *admiral* to the teenaged Hasan. Years later, Hasan would receive the title of Prince-Admiral from King Temur II.
3. ↑ This alluded to the warrior god Onsi, who taught mankind how to pull their knives into swords.