Rex' "Dog"

"A war is not lost until the vanquished considers himself so."

— Tanith on the "dog". 

Ciello is plagued by monsters, bandits and pirates. It has been the site of noble feuds, underdark raids, and every manner of natural disaster. Yet for all that there is one thing, one creature that Ciellans fear more than anything else: Rex's "dog".

Summary

Centuries ago Ciello was occupied by elves led by Amellianus Fabii "Rex". This brutal king ruled the island for seven decades, aided by a cadre of elven followers, and human collaborators. Yet in the end his regime was overthrown. The king and most of his retinue were killed in battle, or executed in the aftermath. But not all...
It is said that one of the Rex' most fanatical followers survived. Some say this "dog" was the king's headsman, carrying an axe stained with the blood of a thousand brave Ciellan rebels. Others say he was Amellianus' lover, or his son, or both! More sober historians think the "dog" was more likely just a lowly Equestrian, a knight, in the service of the king, who for whatever reason refused to surrender or flee once Amellianus' cause was lost.
In the years that followed the victory rumors began to surface of a long elf wandering the island, attacking travelers. At first such tales were dismissed. Yet people kept going missing out in the remote areas of the island. A party of knights sent out to investigate dissapeared themselves. Then in 518 the Countess of Aldershall was killed while travelling through the pass Metza Mountains. Several of her bodyguards survived the attack, and reported that they had been attacked by a lone elf wielding sword and spell.
Since then the "dog" has been spotted many times, and is suspected to have perpetrated a great number of crimes. His deeds have become legend on Ciello. He has been seen in the streets of Cunaris, Aldershall and Reddingfield; is suspected to have killed at least one duke of Ciello, along with two Countes and a Countess of Aldershall, as well as many barons and knights. As for how many peasant households have fallen victims to him nobody knows. Whenever an unexplained murder occurs, or a farmhold is found abandoned or attacked it is inevitably that someone will bring up the "dog" as a likely culprit.
Over time the "dog" has become something of a bogeyman on Ciello. Parents scare their children to obedience with tales of the "dog". They say that on foggy nights when the gaze of Sol is turned away, then the "dog" cloaked in his cape of shadows, emerges from the mists to eat the hearts of human children.