Prologue

A blue-scaled lizardman stepped into a lavish room. Gold and silver colors sparkled around him in a dazzling array, softly illuminated by [Continual Light] spells. The floor was padded with soft, velvet carpeting, and smelled of exotic flora. On the other side of the room was an open balcony that allowed him an unparalleled view of the City of Xil. If one were to peek out of there now, they would see nothing but pitch black, with dots of light evenly spaced out in the distance. However, during the morning, it was a magnificent view to wake up to. Already used to sights like this since birth, this blue lizardman walked directly to his bed, with a long and weary sigh. Emperor Handir'Il Za-Abhur had a long day of ruling and administering his vast kingdom, and needed a rest. However tired he felt, he still enjoyed the perks of ruling, and right now, there was never a better time to be an Emperor. He wielded practically unlimited power, was held in the highest regard amongst his peers in the House of Law, and all of Zudvrii bowed before him. Externally, there was a tense truce between his neighboring countries, but the peace has held out so far. Negotiations between his House and their nobles were going smoothly, and he expected Zudvrii trade to the Minotaurs, the Beastmen Confederacy, and even the Trolls to flourish once again. As such, it was imperative that he continued to win the Rel, which was a tournament of heroes that was held every decade to select the next Emperor of Zudvrii.

The ancient laws made by the Bright Dragon decreed that the champion of the Rel may rule the entire empire, no matter how low their caste is, with the reasoning that only the mightiest individuals may command the respect of all their peers in the land. Of course, the laws have been interpreted and molded over the years to allow one to select a Champion to fight in their stead, that one may use either might, magic, or both to win, and that the House of War lost their right to participate in the Rel after a bloody decade which threatened to fracture the Empire during a time when it was very weak.

The Rel tournament has always attracted crowds of lizardmen from all walks of life, both wanting to watch the spectacle, or try their luck in the tournament. There was an unspoken rule of honor, that everyone will not sabotage each other, to allow everyone to fight at their best, and to not kill their opponent in the arena. Some choose to fight for themselves, and some choose to employ a highly trained slave, selected through years of breeding and vigorously trained for combat, and others choose fellow family members to be their champions. Incidentally speaking, the no-kill honor rule didn't apply to slaves, but slaves were generally still spared, as to emulate the magnanimous mercy of the fourth Emperor. Handir'Il chose his brother, Sanbe'Za Fan-Abhur, wisest of the House of Law and one of the mightiest magic casters of the Empire, to be his champion. They were close friends, bitter rivals, and would die for each other. Sanbe'Za had no interest in ruling either. His motivations lay more in the advancement of magical technology. As such, Handir'Il is favored to win this decade's Rel again, as he had for the past two decades. Life was good, and will continue to be good.

As Handir'Il approached his bed, however, he thought he could smell the faint scent of blood. His face scrunched up in confusion when, as he got closer, the smell was getting stronger. He stood by the side of the opulently large bed, and tentatively threw the sheets away. He then reeled in horror and disgust, as the bloodied head of his own brother stared back at him.

"Wha- Guards!"

There was no response from the outside. Where were the guards that had just greeted him at the door? He glanced back at the door, before looking at the severed head of his brother again. How was this even possible? Scant few lizardmen can even hope to match Sanbe'Za in strength, let alone magic.

"Guards! Guards! Where are you-"

The door to his room finally opened, but he didn't see any red scales. Instead, he saw the alluring shape, as well as the pure white scales, of his sole remaining consort, Iluminse Il'Abhur, and an unknown black lizardman behind her. Beyond them, he could see two slumped bodies with pools of blood gushing from their throats. Has the House of Shadows betrayed him? Have they held his Iluminse hostage? Why? He has treated them with nothing but respect, and given them all the resources they wanted.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"Kill him."

Blood drained from his head, and out of pure reflex, incanted a defensive spell.

"[Wind Wall]!"

The Shadow threw a dagger at him, but a gust of wind blew the dagger harmlessly away, which returned to the Shadow's hand after flying a small distance. Anger blossomed from his chest. No, they were not holding her hostage. She was the one instigating this coup. He should have listened to his brother about this female, but it was too late.

"Do not underestimate me, Iluminse. This treachery will not go unpunished! [Charm]! Obey me!"

Handir'Il aimed his spell at the Shadow, but the lizardman had already disappeared into the shadows. His head swiveled around, trying to find the enemy, but he knew it was useless. The Shadows were untrackable if they didn't want to be seen. His fate was already sealed the moment he became their target. Now he understood how his beloved brother died. In the next split second, he aimed his finger at Iluminse, intending to kill or permanently maim her before he died.

"[Ici-ugh]!"

The cold blade of a dagger plunged into his heart from the back, completely ignoring the hardiness of his scales and leathered skin. He could feel the blade sink deeper into his flesh, tearing away at his heart, and the uncontrollable bleeding that followed sapped away at his strength. His breath quickened, and he could feel searing pain spread throughout his body. He coughed out blood, which splattered across the room, some of which got onto Iluminse's dress. He stared at her.

"Why…?"

Iluminse shrugged.

"I grow tired of you. I want to rule. And with you and your brother eliminated, I've already won the Rel."

Tears streamed from Handir'Il's eyes. Iluminse was a cold-hearted female, who couldn't understand the intricacies of ruling, even with him as a guide. She would ruin all of his progress on building an empire that would have had no rival. All she saw was the clink of gold in the Imperial Treasury, the results of his political maneuvering rather than the painstaking planning that came with it, and respect that he commanded, but never the work he had put in to earn said respect. She was spoiled, vain, and now he realized, downright evil and cruel. She was not fit to rule his empire. And he wept for the pain Zudvrii will have to endure in the coming decade. Iluminse mistook the tears as the emperor weeping for his life, which annoyed her. She unsheathed her own hidden dagger, and stabbed at the Emperor's chest, although her own pathetic attempts to strike him couldn't even penetrate his scales.

"Die, damn you, die!"

"I… I curse you… Curse you to suffer a death worse than mine… May this… mark… prove my vengeful wrath…"

He lifted an index finger, and with a nearly inaudible incantation, blasted Iluminse backwards with an ice spell. She cried out in pain. The cry must have attracted some attention, because voices outside shouted in alarm about the dead guards outside of the Emperor's abode. Giant red lizardmen streamed into the room, and instantly flanked the consort while pointing their spears at the black lizardman, who was taken aback by this new development. When Iluminse made no motion to call them back, he dragged the emperor's expired body with him, and leaped over the balcony. The guards followed him to the balcony, but it was already too late. The culprit was gone.