Living being in The Oz Series
Chief Steward of the Nome King
Also known as a rudely shaped Nome.
A rudely shaped Nome who serves as the Chief Steward of the Nome King, wearing a heavy gold chain of office and carrying himself with an air of importance, including scolding the King himself.
Appears in 3 chapters, first in chapter 61, last in chapter 66.
This encyclopedia covers chapters 1 to 100 of the story and shows the world as it stands at chapter 100, so it contains spoilers up to that point. To read it spoiler free, one chapter at a time, open the interactive codex.
What the story establishes
| Affiliation | Serves the Nome King as Chief Steward of his palace. (as of ch. 61) |
| Appearance | A rudely shaped Nome wearing a heavy gold chain around his neck as a mark of his office. (as of ch. 61) |
| Being nature | A Nome, one of the earth-dwelling magical beings of the Nome King's underground kingdom. |
| Conflict | Openly disagrees with and criticizes the Nome King's careless handling of the captives, boasting he could rule better himself, which nearly provokes the King into threatening to demote him to the furnaces. (as of ch. 62) |
| Current goal | To carry out the King's commands, such as serving refreshments and settling the guests into sleeping rooms, while managing the King's habits. (as of ch. 61) |
| Dialogue style | Blunt and scolding, speaking to the King with familiar bluntness rather than deference, e.g. warning him not to overeat and criticizing his late hours. (as of ch. 61) |
| Equipment | A heavy gold chain worn around his neck as a badge of office. (as of ch. 61) |
| Gender identity | man (as of ch. 61) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 61) |
| Motive | To keep the Nome King from carelessly losing his ornament collection and his kingdom's advantage by being too lax with the captives, and to needle the King about it. (as of ch. 62) |
| Personality | Self-important and presumptuous, comfortable overstepping to lecture his King, and gruff in manner. (as of ch. 61) |
| Quirks | Presumes to lecture the Nome King about his eating and sleeping habits, despite being his servant. (as of ch. 61) |
| Referential profile | masculine (as of ch. 61) |
| Sex profile | male (as of ch. 62) |
| Social status | Chief Steward of the Nome King's palace, a position of household authority marked by a gold chain of office. (as of ch. 61) |
| Status | Arguing with the King in the throne room over his handling of the guessing game and the transformations, then ordered to follow the King to his chamber for the night. (as of ch. 62) |
Relationships
- subordinate to → the Nome King ch. 61The Chief Steward, wearing a heavy gold chain of office, serves the Nome King by bringing refreshments and, when commanded, leading the guests to sleeping apartments, though he freely scolds the King for staying up too late.
- provides service → Dorothy ch. 61The Chief Steward leads Dorothy through a doorway into a long hall of sleeping apartments and gives her the first room to sleep in.
- confronts → the Nome King (ended) ch. 62The Steward challenges the King's judgment, warning that some prisoners might guess correctly and that transforming the Oz visitors into green ornaments was foolish, and boasts he would make a better King.
- threatens ← the Nome King (ended) ch. 62Angered by the Steward's impudence, the Nome King warns that if the Steward keeps talking back he will be sent to labor in the furnaces and replaced by another Nome.
- insults → the Nome King (ended) ch. 62The Chief Steward openly calls the Nome King a fool for wasting time letting the prisoners guess one by one instead of enchanting them all at once, provoking the King's outrage.
- commands ← the Nome King (ended) ch. 61The Nome King claps his hands to summon the Chief Steward and orders him to show the guests to sleeping apartments quickly, since he himself is dreadfully sleepy.
- confronts → the Nome King (ended) ch. 61The Chief Steward openly scolds the Nome King for staying up too late eating cake and warns he will be cross as a griffin in the morning.
From the text
You've no business to sit up so late. You'll be as cross as a griffin tomorrow morning.Chapter 61
"You've no business to sit up so late," replied the Steward, gruffly. "You'll be as cross as a griffin tomorrow morning."Chapter 61
"If I wore the magic belt which enables you to work all your transformations, and gives you so much other power, I am sure I would make a much wiser and better King than you are."Chapter 62
"Why, you are not wearing your magic belt," replied the Chief Steward, after looking the King over carefully. "Where is it? What have you done with it?"Chapter 66
See Chief Steward of the Nome King chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →