Lord Chyziss the Magnificent

"'Behold, Spauria! Your King!' -Lord Chyziss, Emperor of Spauria"

Overview
Lord Chyziss the Magnificent is the all-powerful emperor of Spauria. He is a titanic blue dragon, and the only known ancient dragon ever to inhabit Glaun Encaru. He governs Spauria with unrivaled authority, intolerant of any who should question or challenge his power. With an army of loyal paladins to enforce his will from afar, Chyziss rules his empire from his palace of Arcstone, built deep within Mount Morinmont, taking pleasure in the limitless hordes of gold he has amassed from years of Spaurian taxation.

Chyziss's grip on Spauria and Glaun Encaru as a whole is suffocating. While most of humanity can live normal, peaceful lives in the shadow of the dragon king, there are many who have suffered his wrath, and continue to suffer to this day. Religious restraints, the Silence Act, ever increasing taxes, and the swift destruction of anyone who irritates the tyrant are just a few of the unpleasant realities of Chyziss's rule.

Origins
It is unknown how long Chyziss has been present in Glaun Encaru, but scholars estimate that the dragon king had been present in Nurn for nearly five centuries before the arrival of Calbournian settlers. During these times, Chyziss was known in Nurn as a powerful demigod of ruthless brutality, who demanded regular sacrifices of gold, riches, and livestock. He did, however, allow Nurn to be largely governed by a human king; an ancient tradition that continues even to this day.

Ragnarok
When the empire of Spauria arose, rumors and legends of a terrible blue beast drifted throughout Glaun Encaru, but it wasn't until FA 90, shortly after the conclusion of the Age of Illiteracy, that Chyziss revealed himself and declared his supreme authority over the empire. A short-lived rebellion began, but was quenched just as quickly as it had begun, when the ancient dragon used his lightning breath to incinerate a small army and most of the city of Moriguard in mere minutes. This display of power was enough to intimidate the young kingdom into submission, and from then on, Chyziss the Magnificent was the unrivaled overlord of Spauria.

Chyziss immediately ordered that a grand palace be constructed for him within the bowels of Mount Morinmont, and at the same time gathered to him a group of loyalists who were just as awed by the dragon king as they were terrified. From this group he separated the strongest, incinerating the others, and knighting the remaining loyalists as his personal knights. These primarily acted as messengers, but soon grew into a small army that spread out over the face of the empire, expanding as the nation grew.

In the coming years, Chyziss would erect statues of himself in all major cities, demanding regular worship and instituting heavy taxes, and outlawing any and all worship of the draconic deity Bahamut.

After it was made clear that acts of retaliation or treason against the Grand Emperor would not be tolerated, and would result in the immediate devastation of major cities, Spauria found itself helpless against the might of their draconic overlord. Since then, Spaurians have complied with Chyziss's demands, which have only gotten more ruthless and unbearable as the ages have passed. Though the empire dreams of a day that it will be free from the dragon's clutches, rebellion is hopeless, and as dragons only get stronger with the passage of time, it is doubtful that Glaun Encaru will ever be rid of Lord Chyziss the Magnificent.

Conflict with Fylarion
Over the centuries of his reign, Chyziss has attacked the forests of Fylarion three times, but has been successfully warded off on each occasion by the ancient magic of the sacred woodlands. Though the dragon king's fury boiled for many years, it would seem that Chyziss eventually forgot his wrath towards Fylarion, choosing instead to focus his attention on Spauria, and the peoples therein.

The Blue Knights
The Blue Knights of Chyziss are the dragon king's personal enforcers, donned with heavy weaponry, and armor made from Chyziss's own scales, which he has shed over the centuries. They are famously brutal, swift, and undyingly loyal to their emperor, never questioning his will, and never hesitating to obey it.

"Idols"
Still waters reflected the light of distant stars, as black night filled the spaces in between them. Dark clouds stifled the glow of the moon, which shone like a smothered, ghostly lantern in the midnight sky. Many o' surface dweller may have been blind here, but behind the featureless mask that reflected the moonlight, was no creature of the sun.

Footsteps approached, and stopped. Sven cleared his throat.

"My lord," the well-dressed half orc said with a bow. "Your scouts have returned from Spauria."

Qrow glanced down at his reflection in the water. "Bring them here."

"As you wish, sir."

Sven marched off gracefully, snapping his fingers and summoning a cacophany of new footfalls as his faded away. All at once the footsteps stopped, and six Talons stood at attention.

Qrow tilted his gaze to the shrouded moon. "Report."

The Talons remained silent, as one of their number stepped forward. "There's been a developement on the mainland, sir." they said. "Chyziss has ordered that mighty idols of himself be erected in every major city, even in the south. Many cities will have two or three to accomidate for the population."

Even under the mask, the dark lord's expression remained unchanged. "Does his vanity shock you?"

"Not at all, sir," the Talon replied respectfully. "But his ambitions may. He is preparing the empire for a day of worship, and every citizen must be present for the ceremony... even royalty. Blue Knights are patrolling the streets, even on the coasts, spreading the order to everyone."

Qrow considered this for a moment. Never had such a large-scale event occured during Chyziss's reign, and it was concerning, to say the least, that it was happening now. Had the pride of the dragon king become that swollen?

"Keep a watchful eye on the southern coasts. Stay in contact with the citizens and learn what you can."

"Yes sir."

And with that, the darkly-clad rangers disappeared, leaving the lord of the seas alone once more. One last time, his gaze shifted down to his reflection, barely visible in the dark seawater. There, for a fleeting moment, the mask he saw was not his own, reminding him that the fight was no longer in his hands.

"Ravenspeed, Cadence," he said. "Ravenspeed."