| “ | Rising early. Of course. The second greatest virtue. It comes just behind ruthlessness. | ” |
— Sult to Glokta
| ||
Arch Lector Sult is the overall head of the King's Inquisition, and a member of the Closed Council. He and High Justice Marovia have a bitter rivalry.
Appearance and Personality[]
Arch Lector Sult is a tall man in his sixties, but is far from frail, moving with elegance and confidence. He's clean-shaven, with a shock of white hair. He always wears immaculate long white robes with a high collar, white gloves, and a ring with a huge purple stone.
The Arch Lector is highly intelligent, greedy, and manipulative, ready to do whatever it takes for his own personal advancement. His primary management technique seems to be threatening his subordinates.
Political Views[]
The Arch Lector despises commoners, and wants to keep them in their place. Fanatically devoted to maintaining what he sees as the natural order with the nobility on top, he is furious that common peasants have the cheek to demand any sort of rights. He loathes the merchant class in particular, like the Guild of Mercers, seeing commoners getting rich and challenging the nobles. This leads to a bitter rivalry with his colleague on the Closed Council the High Justice Marovia, a champion of the common man. Ironically, Sult's views are very similar to Bayaz with whom he also develops a rivalry.
History[]
Arch Lector Sult and High Justice Marovia are bitter rivals, leading competing factions on the Closed Council that viciously fight over every subject, no matter how small.
The Blade Itself[]
Inquisitor Glokta comes to the attention of Arch Lector Sult after he arrests Salem Rews for tax evasions. Superior Kalyne is furious since Rews is a merchant of the Guild of Mercers, who have paid him bribes to avoid prosecution, and he demands the Arch Lector remove the "mad cripple" from his department.
However, with Lord Chancellor Feekt's seat on the Closed Council vacant, Sult sees an opportunity to remove Sepp dan Teufel, the Master of the Mints, as a candidate; Teufel is supported by High Justice Marovia. The Arch Lector orders Glokta to force Rews to incriminate Teufel in his confession. With Teufel branded a traitor, Sult can now promote his own preferred candidate, Halleck, the former Surveyor General.
Now Sult wants Glokta destroy the Mercers, so he can take their resources as his own, and weaken the nobles. However, Glokta’s investigation leads only to a slew of dead bodies; the Mercers are ruthlessly cleaning house. An operation is concocted to use Salem Rews to trap the assassin. The assassin named Carpi leads Glokta to a high ranking Mercer called Hornlach, and finally the high treason of the Guild is laid bare. The Mercers are disbanded with their trade licences handed over to the Inquisition.
Soon, the Magus Bayaz arrives in Adua, and demands the traditional seat on the Closed Council reserved for the First of the Magi. The Arch Lector and Glokta plot to discredit the supposed Magus. At Jezal dan Luthar’s victory banquet, Sult challenges Bayaz to prove his identity by magic or with a key to the House of the Maker. Bayaz casually removes the key from his robe; tomorrow he will open the ever closed House. Then, without disturbing anyone’s food, he makes Sult’s chair collapse beneath him with his Art.
Meanwhile, Superior Davoust of Dagoska mysteriously disappears. With Dagoska under increasing threat from the Gurkish, Sult appoints Glokta the new Superior of Dagoska. Sult attaches six more Practicals to his staff, including Vitari, to protect him and to spy.
Before They Are Hanged[]
Arch Lector Sult corresponds frequently with Glokta while he's in Dagoska, tasked to investigate the disappearance of his predecessor, root out traitors in the city council, and defend the city at all cost from the Gurkish who are preparing for the Battle of Dagoska. However, he refuses him any additional resources and orders him to be resourceful. Sult eventually instructs Glokta to return home, leaving General Vissbruck in charge of the cities defence with orders to fight to the last man.
To Glokta's surprise, Sult is very pleased with his work in Dagoska. Of course Dagoska was going to fall, but in delaying the inevitable for months, Sult was able to erode the Closed Council’s confidence in High Justice Marovia and increase the same in himself. Not to mention, Carlot dan Eider’s traitorous activities have given Sult leave to dissolve the Guild of Spicers, and add their trade rights to the Inquisition’s holdings, along with those of the Mercers. In thanks, Glokta is appointed Superior of Adua, a role shared with Superior Goyle. Glokta surmises that Sult is pitting them against one another to find his favourite and the other dead.
One night, Arch Lector Sult is called to the palace, where he learns that Crown Prince Raynault has been murdered. This is a big problem for Sult. With both heirs to the throne dead, the next High King must be elected in the Open Council, an assembly that does not hold the Inquisition in good standing. The Arch Lector summons Glokta and orders him to find the Prince’s murderer immediately so the Inquisition can look effective.
Glokta quickly finds evidence that implicates Gurkish Ambassador Tulkis with the crime. However, during the interrogation, Glokta becomes convinced that the man is guilty of nothing. When Glokta retires to speak with Sult, the Arch Lector laughs off his reservations and demands he attain a confession anyway. Someone must pay for the murder and swiftly.
There have been many hints that Sult and Goyle are up to something in the University. And also that Sult knows more than most about the occult and the Gurkish Eaters.
Last Argument of Kings[]
All the competing factions, including Sult and Marovia, begin bribing and threatening the lesser nobles for their votes for the next High King. Sult gathers a solid block of support thanks to Superiors Glokta and Goyle. However, he lacks sufficient votes to prevent powerful Lord Brock from ascending to the throne. Glokta makes the controversial suggestion to ally with his rival Marovia. On the subject of the vote their aims are the same; to secure a weak compromise candidate and maintain the power with the Closed Council. Reluctantly, Sult agrees.
In Open Council for the election of the new High King, Bayaz interupts the polling to reveal the existence of a supposedly illegitimate son of King Guslav, none other than Colonel Jezal dan Luthar. To the Arch Lector, the spineless young fool seems perfect, and despite Glokta's warnings, Sult nods to Marovia, and they vote Jezal the new High King of the Union.
However, Jezal soon proves to be less malleable than expected, and the Arch Lector orders Glokta to investigate Bayaz and the new King. However, unknown to Sult, Glokta has sold himself to the bank Valint & Balk, who force him to stop his investigation. The Arch Lector soon comes to distrust Glokta, because of his spy Practical Frost. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Glokta makes a deal with Marovia to bring down the Arch Lector.
With Adua under siege from the Gurkish in the Battle of Adua, Sult has had enough of Glokta, and sends six Practicals to kill him. Meanwhile, he goes to the University where he and Adeptus Silber have been conducting experiments to contact Demons on The Other Side, seeing it as his only hope. He intends to use their diabolical arts against his enemies; King Jezal, Bayaz and Marovia. However, in the middle of the demonic incantation, Glokta and his motley bunch of mercenaries bursts into the room, having found out the truth. To Sult's despair, the mercenary leader Nicomo Cosca kills Silber with a throwing knife, and Glokta orders the Arch Lector and all the others arrested, for high treason against his Majesty the King.
In the end, Sult is imprisoned below the House of Questions, and Glokta is appointed the new Arch Lector of the Inquisition. Despite Sult's demands for a trial, Glokta has no intention of bringing him to trial. Instead, he orders Practical Pike to open his tools, so he can set to work.