The Fratricide of King Youzi Dominus
Political event
Prince Arkrite Dominus charges his loyalists with the assassination of his brother, King Youzi Dominus and his heir, whilst instructing his hired mercenaries to eradicate any of the household loyal to Youzi. One zealot succeeds, a warlock trusted by Arkrite, and the King is slain but the child escapes. Arkrite ascends to the throne and marries Queen Sheng De Xieye.
As the Nostraic Schism concludes, with the elves of Nostra seemingly withdrawing from the Western Dratoran Isles, the rebel other city states begin to discuss the matter of independence. Whilst King Youzi seems inclined to accept the dissolution of the Kingdom of Mulciber, Prince Arkrite is vehemently against yielding control. There are many in Mulciber who also crave the power that dominion over the Western Isles offers, and Prince Arkrite finds many flocking to his side to share in his radical views.
When King Youzi finally grants independence to Pacarem, Narmor, and Gnavis, Prince Arkrite uses the uproar to orchestrate a coup d'etat. He charges his loyalists with the assassination of not only his brother, King Youzi, but also of any children they find in the household. It was well known that King Youzi had an heir, but specific details of his child had been kept secret as a result of his affair with Queen Sheng and the questionable heritage of Shiqu, his son. Prince Arkrite also employed the mercenaries he had sourced to help topple the Magnar Clan to once again assist in a coup by slaughtering any members of the household, nobles or fighters, that remained loyal to Youzi.
King Youzi was eventually assassinated by a warlock loyal to Prince Arkrite. Another assassin encountered young Prince Shiqu, who tried feebly fending him off with basic swordsmanship skills. However, as a surprise to both Shiqu and the assassin, Shiqu managed to unleash a powerful blast of flames just as the assassin closed in. The resulting blast caused a great inferno in the estate, killing a number of children and the assassin, which led those who later came across the scene to believe the assassin had succeeded before being discovered and slain by a loyal pyromancer. Meanwhile, Prince Arkrite intercepted Queen Sheng and offered her an ultimatum: do as she once had with his brother and marry him in place of her late husband, or be "accidentally" killed in the chaos of the coup. Queen Sheng complied with the demands, but sent her own handmaidens to find and hide Shiqu from Arkrite.
Following this event, Arkrite ascended the throne and set in motion his plans for the oppression of the free cities.