Ralbas Cinderclaw
Dragon Overlord Ralbas Cinderclaw
Only two dragons have ever possessed the gift of pure fire; A flame that burns so hot that it turns white. Capable of melting practically any substance, the only force said to be able to fight against it is another white flame. The Cinderclaw family is responsible for both of those dragons. Ajax, the first Red Dragon Overlord, and Ralbas, the current Overlord.Of the ten Dragon Overlords, there is no other equal in terms of being feared, respected and hated as Ralbas. He has been hailed as a prodigy from a young age and expected to take the reins of his father Ralzak once he retired. As an overlord, Ralbas controls most of the power of the council. He has children in powerful positions across both continents, his concubines and mistresses are involved in the banks of Draconia and he himself is thought to be the most powerful member of the Council. To many, his position is practically untouchable, and most believe that he will find a way to completely eclipse the Council to take full control as the sole leader. As terrifying a thought it may be, the other Overlords and the Council have yet to acquiesce to Ralbas' growing demands.
Childhood
Ralbas was born in 2012 EoD and right from birth he was setting records. The day he was born was recorded as the hottest day in Draconia's history, a record that has still yet to be broken. His early childhood was standard for someone of such royal birth. He was pampered and catered to for every need he could have. When he wasn't being fed a silver spoon, his father had him training every aspect he'd need for a potential Overlord appointment. While most chromatic dragons could not shapeshift into a humanoid form until they were near the Old stage, Ralbas mastered the skill by the time he was fifty years of age. He also became quite proficient with fire magic, capable of shaping the most basic spells into advanced creations. Even his family hadn't expected such skill, and some began to suspect he was a child blessed by Tiamat. But there was no such blessing. Ralbas was just talented as a result of generations of powerful dragons breeding with one another. He received his education at the Skyward Institute for Superior Dragons. While his talent was undeniable, he was more of less looked at as a failure academically. Not because he was unintelligent, but because he never applied himself. He would insult teachers, assault other students, cause property damage. But all of it was glossed over on account of his family's name and money. Ralbas graduated after his 35 years of study was finished, somehow graduating as valedictorian despite having the worst marks amongst all of the student body. After his graduation he was thrust into the affairs of his father, serving as an assistant for paperwork. He spent the remaining years of his childhood, adolescence, and even a significant portion of his early adulthood in this role, observing the traditions and expectations of political power. His time as an assistant for his father also led to him making many influential relationships that he would take advantage of in the far future. Some of these relationships included Nedra, Zilvaroth and Korvog, the former two who would later become Overlords themselves, and Korvog, who would later become the Chromatic Aspect.Ascent to Power
As much as Ralbas loved his father, he loved the power that he held even more. He knew that his father still had a lengthy lifespan ahead of him, one that would stand in his way of acquiring the power he desired. And that just wouldn't do. Ralbas chose to utilize one of the favors he had earned from his time assisting his father. He convinced an influential kobold named Snilda to poison a banquet feast under the guise of it being used to assassinate an annoying character causing problems for the Cinderclaw family. What he didn't tell her, was that the problem was the Cinderclaw patriarch himself. The poison was potent and ended Ralzak's life within minutes. Ralbas then turned over proof that Snilda had killed his father, disgracing the noble kobold's family and forcing her into servitude of the Cinderclaw line for generations. This history was wiped from Snilda's memory at Ralbas' request, leaving her only with the knowledge that her family was to serve the Cinderclaw's until they could atone for some unknown event in the far past. Now in control of his father's affairs, Ralbas quickly began working on his plan to control Draconia. He knew certain races were still quite powerful, and so he made preparations to significantly reduce their powers. The noble Kobold and Lizardfolk families were dissolved, with only the wealthiest and most influential ones retaining their status. The ancient Elven houses of Ruxan, which had been respected as untouchable due to the nature of the world, were stripped of said status and forced into hiding for fear of execution. Other dragons attempted to stop his appeals, but the power-hungry Council of the past allowed such legislation due to their own greed. Next, he set his sights on the Council itself. He managed to convince many of the members to reduce the size of the Council, which is where the current limit of 100 members comes from. Puppets under his control were then installed in rigged elections to ensure that he would be able to pass any changes to laws that he desired. All that was left was to ascend to the position of Overlord.Roadblocks
Such a rapid ascent to power was quickly met with its own drawbacks and detours. A sizable portion of the ousted council members mounted a resistance against Ralbas, vying to make any grab at further power as difficult as possible. Their goal wasn't to completely stop him from passing laws, but rather to stall him as long as possible. They acknowledged that with his puppets in place, there was little they could do in order to blockade him permanently. But if they could stall long enough, that would allow more general elections to take place, with the hope that his puppets would be voted out. The even slimmer hope would be that once some of them were ousted, they could be barred from reelection. Of course, Ralbas could assume what their plans were and he had his own reprisal in mind. A lengthy political war began, spanning from 2316 EoD and lasting until 2785 EoD. The era was plagued with in-fighting, corruption and murder. The focus on power-grabbing politicians caused problems such as the rampant Kharne Clan that was wreaking havoc upon villages and towns to grow even more out of control. Ralbas considered it all collateral damage in his quest to reach the top. In his eyes, whatever happened to the rest of the continent was their own fault for not accepting him as their Supreme Leader. He would kill as many people as needed, destroy as many towns as needed and ruin as many lives as needed. He did not care who he stepped on, or how, so long as he got what he craved. But the politicians fighting against him were just as crafty and clever. They resorted to similar tactics as Ralbas, paying mercenaries and razing villages filled with his supporters. As the years continued to fly by, Ralbas found himself on the losing end of this little political war. As his puppets began to be voted out or "mysteriously die", he could see the writing on the wall. If his rigged Council was picked apart, he was finished... Unless he ascended to the Overlord position. He knew it was common practice to never kill or vote out an Overlord unless significant treason was involved; the kind involving selling Dragon secrets to other races. Through sheer luck, the spot became vacant, and Ralbas found himself occupying the position via a vote in his last rigged Council. His election ended the political war for the most part, as his cherry-picked Council was dissolved and reestablished without biased members.Overlord Duties
Ralbas' immediate agenda as an Overlord was to gather a positive public opinion again. He knew that if the negative spotlight he had cast upon himself the past centuries continued, that someone would find a way to frame him with treason and have him executed. So, he took it upon himself to have issues that he was the root cause of, fixed. One such problem was the Kharne clan. He established a kill-on-sight order for Ruxan and the surrounding regions that allowed anyone to attack them, regardless of affiliation. Another problem he fixed was the issue of the remaining loyal members from the previous Council. Even though they proudly boasted of their attachment to him, Ralbas had the majority of them disposed of as a way of "taking out the trash". He began to frame all of the political discourse from the past four hundred years as the doing of the politicians themselves, with no affiliation to him. The politically deficient masses bought the story, though those involved deep in politics were aware of what was going on. And they knew that given the chance, Ralbas would start his shit all over again. Restrictions were put in place to stop Ralbas from attempting a coup again. His business was limited, and a majority of his family were banned from high-standing locations. While he displayed a front of acceptance of these, posing it as "comeuppance for the unfair hand I was given," this turn of events made Ralbas seethe. His family was of no importance to him at this point, but his business being affected made it impossible for him to accrue any more underground favors. He would have to continue to appease the masses in order to have any hope of gaining sizable power again. Then, a golden opportunity fell into his lap. A minotaur politician by the name of Simeon Tinderhoof was beginning to gain notoriety for his radical opinions of the status quo. The minotaur was stirring trouble across the Council and the Overlords, as his speeches were causing the lower race masses to try and rebel against their masters. While Ruxan was currently under Overlord Aida's jurisdiction at this time, Ralbas set his sights on Nedra. Aida could easily use the excuse of having to deal with Ralbas' coup to justify her lack of action during the Kharne incursion, but Nedra would not have such an excuse. He was finally cashing in the favor that Nedra had owed him. He found out that Nedra was close with Simeon, so he used her to set up a meeting that Simeon would attend. The meeting was a front for an execution that would be carried out by the Kharne clan and a prodigy assassin by the name of Rey'viri Lightfeather. He would also arrange for some of his own personal bodyguards to accompany Simeon so that the final sliver of the Kharne line would be wiped out in the battle. With no other choice but to accept on the threat of her being executed, Nedra was forced to sell out her friend and cause his death. The operation was a resounding success. Nedra found herself off the hook, and Ralbas was looked at by the Council and his peers as the one that solved two of Draconia's biggest problems.Current Day
While his reputation may have been salvaged partially, a majority of the Council and the other Overlords still despise Ralbas to this day. For any good faith or favor he has procured, he has ruined it with the way he conducts himself. His most recent acts seem to be sleeping with the wives of the other male Chromatic Overlords and producing bastard children. His friendship with Zilvaroth has deteriorated due to this, as has his relationship with Xerreig. Spoiler if you click this buttonThough he has a happy family on the surface, he has killed many of his own children in the process. His hopes are that he can create a personal army of powerful children with the right genes and powers to aid him on his journey to power once again. Hence why despite his debaucherous ways at this point in his life, he only has the five children.
Relationships
Relationship Reasoning
Ralbas holds no ill will towards Nedra. He conducts business with her as usual, much like he does with the other Overlords. Nedra, however, cannot stand Ralbas and despises him. The animosity stems from Ralbas' involvement in the death of Simeon Tinderhoof
History
Ralbas and Rey'viri met when Rey'viri was quite young. Ralbas tasked the young assassin with the job of killing Simeon Tinderhoof with the help of the Kharne clan. Once the job was finished, Ralbas continued to employ the Kenku, utilizing his skills for murder.
Nicknames & Petnames
Ralbas tends to call Rey'viri his problem solver.
Alignment
Absolute Bastard
Current Location
Currently Held Titles
Date of Birth
09/13/2012 EoD
Year of Birth
2012 EoD
1034 Years old
Birthplace
Cinder Keep
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Cinder Keep
Pronouns
He/Him
Sex
Male
Eyes
Red/Orange
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Red scales
Height
9'10"
Weight
455 lbs.
Belief/Deity
Tiamat
Aligned Organization
Comments