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Vizier Jalal Abdul-Shahid al Din Jalouf (“Vizer Jalouf”): Vizier Jalal is one of the senior advisors to court of the Amir, and the Royal Architect (Jann Vizier, Exp6; additionally the Vizier is functionally a self-made Tasked Genii Architect, with all the spell powers thereof in addition to those normal to a Jann Vizier). He is principally responsible for seeing to the cities defenses, a job which he takes with the utmost seriousness. Regarding military architecture, the construction of siege engines, the engineering of lethal traps, and the employment of magical weapons, there is very little Vizier Jalouf does not know. Single minded to a fault, Vizier Jalouf cares only about improving the cities defenses against any possible assault, and although he will listen attentively and politely to other conversation, it tends to go in an ear and out the other if it doesn’t touch on the cities defenses. Objections will be meet with an apologetic shrug that while it may be true that what the speaker says is important, whatever task that the Vizier is currently bending his mind toward is of equal importance. Vizier Jalouf is always in a hurry, but is never overtly rude or snippy – merely vaguely annoyed and condescending when interrupted. Only a direct and self-evident attack on the city as a whole or proof of a looming invasion will cause him to alter his timetables, but only because of changes in priority regarding the cities defenses. Despite these faults, Vizier Jalouf has a habit of having foreseen and already prepared for whatever emergency arises, having already installed the lethal death trap in the very tunnel that the threat now uses, or having prepared lethal spells that have lain concealed for decades that are triggered by the very actions the enemy now undertakes, or having prepared an undetected secret passageway from this very room in the event of this exact emergency. Vizier Al Jalouf is an aged, dignified, tall but thin and seemingly frail Jann with long silver-grey hair and a short well trimmed beard of the same color. He is fastidious about his appearance, and dresses in robes of blue and bronze. He wears a silver chain of office bearing the seal of the royal architect, and has with him at all times, a cane which serves as a measuring rod and prop, a plumb bob, a square, and a divider – which he produces from within his voluminous sleeves. He is often accompanied by a secretary who carries a roll of papers with designs and architectural drawings, as well as whatever other tools the Vizier has laden him with. Although he would never admit it in these terms, even to himself, Vizier Jalouf considers himself the most important person in the city, and that the office of the Emir exists only to supply the Royal Architect with the materials that he so obviously needs as well as to attend to minor affairs like the receiving of ambassadors that would otherwise take up too much of his time.
Walif Razin Haddad (“Mad Haddad”): Walif Haddad, or “Mad Haddad” both to friends and enemies, is one of the six young Jann who jointly lead an irregular militia called The Fire Bugs. In addition to the six Jann, the Fire Bugs number about two dozen disaffected burly young fire genasi, a rebellious ogre or two, and outcast human sorcerers with a penchant for fire magic. They are a mixed bunch, diverse in purpose and background, but united by the common feeling that those with fire elemental backgrounds are unfairly oppressed and disrespected in the culture of Qaybar. They vary from the loosely disgruntled that want great appreciation of their value, to outright fire partisans that point to the splendors of the City of Brass and believe the city would be greater were it under the rule of Sultan of the Efreet. The later make the former very nervous, and discussions over principles and purpose often start as impassioned oratory and end up to escalating to brawls where it is very fortunate that every in the room is resistant to fire damage to one degree or the other. For his part, Mad Haddad (Jann, Brb2) does not care much about politics – he just enjoys knocking heads. Mad Haddad is a broad shouldered and burly Jann of greater than average strength, with flame red curly hair that refuses to cover and dark bronze skin. He dresses in simple robes of red and brown that mark his relatively low station. He rarely works but when he becomes short of cash he works as a fire stoker in one of the larger factories for a time. He is a surprisingly hard worker when he cares to be, and has surprising craftsmanship of a sort in a diverse set of trades. Although not particularly bright, he is a good drinking buddy, holds no grudges, and has a knack of simplifying things down to their essentials - he serves a very important function in the leadership of the fire bugs of reminding the other members that it’s more fun to bash other people’s heads instead of each other. The Fire Bugs prefer to fight with their fists, but have an assortment of clubs, daggers, and chains about their person if it comes to more serious blows. They are fond of swaggering down the street and intimidating whomever seems likely – particularly non-genie kind- into giving them the right of way, bowing to them, forcing them to call the members by ludicrously grand titles, and generally humiliating themselves for the gang’s pleasure. The also enjoy brawling with rival youth gangs – at least when the numbers are in their favor – and occasionally carrying out defiant cts of petty arson from burning effigies in front of the homes of enemies, to collecting trash for bonfires in public spaces, to burning smoky signs on walls. The Firebugs gather in the basement of an innocuous public house in one of the more run down parts of the city, whose proprietor tolerates their presence and uses them to remove any unwanted trouble makers. Their symbol is a firefly, often drawn with a literal flame around it. They keep a giant fire beetle as a pet and mascot. Although they occasionally scuffle with the city watch, and there are at any time half again as many members of the Fire Bugs serving out criminal sentences of various sorts as are in the gang, no concerted effort is generally made by the Emir or his supporters to suppress the gang as a whole for fear such a confrontation would escalate to a conflict in the wider community. Various members of The Fire Bugs do however have connections to much more threatening fire partisan groups, and in the event of any serious disturbance known members will certainly be rounded up for questioning. Occasionally these more serious groups will call on The Fire Bugs to do petty dirty work, accounting them as disposable.
Vizier Kadar Abdul-Saad al Din Attia (“Vizier Attia”): Vizier Attia (Jann Vizier, Wiz7) is the royal soothsayer, astronomer, and magician, tasked with providing the Emir with the proper interpretation of dreams, omen, portents, and signs and reading the stars to determine the proper times to begin or refrain from beginning endeavors, and to foresee whether the coming year brings prosperity or ruin. Vizier Attia is a tall elderly Jann with walnut colored skin whose shiny silver turban covers his balding head. What hair his has remaining is long and white, and a long white beard extends to below his knees. His brow is wrinkled, and his eyes are deep set, blue, and very keen and penetrating. He dresses in light blue robes decorated with stars worked in silver thread, and wears a gold chain as a symbol of his office. He wields a staff of abjuration that also strikes as a +1 frost weapon. In private, he smokes a long thin pipe when he wants to sit and think. Although wise in lore, Vizier Attia is not a charming man, and dislikes being interrupted in his work especially by those he believes beneath him. He believes his duty is to the Emir alone, and prefers to keep his council otherwise and to avoid the politics and intrigue of the court. Such politics as he does have are of the solidly conservative sort. He hates Efreet and trusts Djinn. Vizier Attia’s most important duty is predicting the time and nature of transitions between the planes, so that the transition can be accomplished with the minimum disruption. About all other matters not touching his work, Vizier Attia is known to be quite forgetful and scatterbrained, so that it is of no use to invite him to banquets or celebrations, since even if he can be persuaded to agree to come, he will forget at the last minute. He is generally unable to take care of his personal affairs, and is even known on occasion to forget that something has not yet happened, and refer to things he has foreseen in the future as if they have already transpired. He is not hard of hearing, but he is very inattentive, and if a speaker waxes long his mind will wander. He sleeps at irregular hours and may fall asleep in a chair if he finds the talkl especially boring – which he generally will if it is about anything other than the most obscure and arcane matters. Vizier Attia has private and magically secured apartments within the palace, adjacent to the tallest and narrowest of the palace’s many towers, the Tower of Stars, from the top of which he conducts his nightly observations. Although Vizier Attia has been a life long bachelor in public, rumor among the servants is that he entertains a secret lover from the elemental plane of air whom he conjures as a companion.
Muhafiz Naim Raghid Abdul-Shahid Bey Tuma (“Muhafiz Tuma”, “Naim Bey Tuma”, or simply “Muhafiz”): Muhafiz Naim Bey Tuma is the hereditary Mayor or Governor of the Palace, and office that makes him one of the most senior servants of the Emir, and in charge over all of the servants and slaves that staff the Emir’s palace. Only the Commander of the Emir’s army and the Grand Vizier is of equal rank, and only they may approach the throne of the Emir without invitation – lesser Jann address the Bey Tuma as simply “Muhafiz”. The Muhafiz and his family have a small separate palace adjacent to that of the Emir. The current Muhafiz is a slightly plump Jann of average height, with almond colored skin, who covers his head in a turban of purple and blue, and wears ornate robes of many colors and cloth of gold. The Tuma are entirely devoted to the service of the Shahid family and to the Emir, and though they feigned and pledged loyalty to the usurper they set about to subtly undermine his regime. The Naim Bey Tuma is meticulous about all his duties and demanding – frequently interrupting the labor of an inferior to show him how to better perform it and scolding over the small flaw. Although he dresses and behaves ostentatiously, it is not out of pride in himself, but respect for the office and desire that the Emir of Qaybar be ranked and accorded with the other rulers of Genie kind of the first rank for the good of his people. Naim dotes on his wife Minah (described below), and is served by a Tasked Genii Messenger named Sadad Al Rih, which is continually flitting back and forth on errands with a ‘pop’ and a gust of wind. There is a strong grudge between the Malik and the Mahufiz, as the Muhafiz believes military service is for the stupid and the Malik is unimaginative simpleton unfit for his office – much less to be ruling in the place of the Emir. The Malik for his part believes the Muhafiz acted dishonorably during the reign of the usurper and believes him a Jann without fixed loyalty. The Muhafiz is desperate to discover the whereabouts of the Emir, but is in a fit of pique doing nothing to cooperate with the Malik, and the feud between the two threatens to bring the government to a stand still. Ironically, although the Muhafiz is exceptionally competent in his work, it is the Muhafiz who is a generally unimaginative man whose intellectual horizons seldom extend beyond the daily needs of the palace, and the extent of his action so far to recover the Emir is to have the palace thoroughly explored (in all the most obvious places) and to begin interrogate all the servants. The Bey Tuma is no great fighter (Jann Vizier; additionally, his devotion to duty has effectively made him a Tasked Genii Administrator, and he has all the spell powers of such in addition to those of a Jann Vizier), but he is acquainted with the many secret passages of the palace and is capable of disappearing almost instantly – and returning quickly with reinforcements. In the event that the young Emir is found dead, the Muhafiz will believe he has failed utterly in his duties, and in a fit of grief and rage transform into a Tasked Genii Slayer, killing everyone at hand and then single mindedly seek out all he believes to be responsible for the death.
Minah Al-Sahil Abdula-Shahid Beyg Tuma (“Beyg Tuma”): Minah Al-Sahil is a tasked Genie administrator of the Al-Sahil house, who was rescued from service to the Efreet (by way of the death of her master) and accepted service with the royal house of Qaybar, where she was appointed the chief royal tax assessor and collector. She overseas a staff of 20 clerks and tax collectors, including 5 Jann, and has 8 especially large and fearsome looking ogrima enforcers permanently assigned to her office to ensure her minions are given no trouble in her duties. She is meticulous in keeping records of all the cities finances, and takes care to see that every gate toll, property tax, sword tax, business license, slave tax, and import tariff is properly assessed and paid. She is normally accompanied by at least two of these enforcers as bodyguards in case someone holds a grudge. She may also draw upon the city guard in the event of serious trouble. Perhaps fortunately for Minah, taxes in Qaybar are comparatively light, owing to the great influence of the trading guilds and mercantile houses, and so deter much smuggling and tax evasion that would otherwise occur – though some engage in it seemingly out of principle and for the sport of it above even the desire for profit. Minah is comely fair skinned genii of above average height, whose faintly blue skin and towering mass of white hair that seems to move on breezes of its own betrays are ancestry as a djinn. While efficient and professional, polite, and as far as her duties allow, considerate and kind toward the needs of her inferiors, on all matters not touching the bureaucracy, she is – to use the modern term – functionally autistic and quite clueless regarding social matters and everything that might be termed “common sense”. Minah prefers to wear thin gowns and veils of diaphanous white and light blue silk more appropriate for a seraglio than the public portions of palace, and has no regard to modesty. Fortunately, her duties keep her largely out of sight, and her devoted husband, the Muhafiz, takes care that she dresses more appropriately for public functions. Naim and Mina Tuma make for a strangely appropriate pair. He is clearly devoted to her, even though her understanding of affection seems largely theoretical at times. She only married the Muhafiz because the young Emir told her it would allow the Muhafiz to perform his duties more efficiently, and she generally carries out the duties of being a wife and mother with the same care and attention – but detached emotion – that she carries out the performing of sums and the keeping of records. To make up for this, the pair employs a respectable older Jann woman as a wet nurse. Together, the two have six children of varying ages and variously displaying different traits of their mixed heritage to different degrees.
Include Jasper by all means!
