Masego Chudem
Masego Chudem is the former royal advisor of King Avidja Mawenamoto of Adjuskimavo and is the current steward of the Adjusk throne as of EL 981. He has had a relatively neutral stewardship, generally only addressing issues as they arise and not making any unprovoked changes for either good or ill. However, in lieu of the attack on the royal palace of Kilidja, widespread unrest became apparent as citizens across the kingdom questioned the strength of the military. Masego attempted to address this with both words and action over the course of his stewardship, but most of these efforts were considered insufficient by the majority of the kingdom. His decision to immediately replace the court wizard who had served under King Avidja and his father, King Chuma, was also controversial, and his motives were widely questioned.
Throughout the 980s, a handful of conflicts broke out between cities and occasionally regions of Adjuskimavo, many of them stemming from mistrust in wizards following Udjarak's attack. Masego was often criticized either for failing to condemn the actions of the rebels, or for failing to more thoroughly support anti-magic safeguards. In 990, reports of gnoll attacks in Kituo and Savu suddenly spiked tremendously, and the primary source of aid Masego enlisted was an elite team of rangers from among the native wood elves of Kidjani Jungle. This was considered a strange and even unpatriotic move by many, leading once again to widespread questioning of whether Masego had faith in his own soldiers. Masego publicly addressed the people of Kilidja, asserting that this was not so, and explaining that, among other things, he had hoped to foster valuable relations with the wood elves of the kingdom, who had operated largely on their own for most of its existence.
As early as 993, when the young princes were twelve, some factions in several of the kingdom's largest cities were calling for Masego to step down and surrender the throne to one of them. However, given that there was no way to tell who was the true heir between them, and in any case Adjusk laws required that a steward serve until a prospective heir was eighteen, these demands were not granted.
Masego has attempted many times to reassure the people by diverting more money to funding the royal guard, relying on the Adjusk military whenever possible, and sending relief to those affected by the intra-kingdom conflicts. This has done some good, particularly when he successfully and promptly shut down an insurrection in Okobu in the summer of 995 and had the rebel leaders publicly executed. Masego is largely supported by both princes, each of whom has his own opinions on his actions and policies, but steadfastly asserts that he cares only for the good of the kingdom. Indeed, even most of Masego's critics do not accuse him of corruption, but of weakness.
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