The Sovereign
Oberon
"Our great ruler. Long may he reign."
Oberon would rather die than admit he’d been powerless once. As the seventh-born son of His Grace Virgil IV, Oberon lived a more privileged life than most; surrounded by servants to tend to his every whim and scholars to teach him in the arts of etiquette and diplomacy. However, a peasant was still a peasant even if dressed in fine silk, and Oberon was little more than one of the many interchangeable royal bastards.
An opportunity to change his lot in life would present itself when the Sovereign’s heir passed away from illness, and the Queen followed soon after in mad grief. With the position of main wife and heir both for the taking, the Ivory Court became a battlefield of deceit and betrayal, where the Sovereigns' many lovers vied for the man’s favor, pitting their children against each other to win influence at court.
Richard AdamsAll the World will be Your Enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies.
This event would mark a formative shift in the young Oberon; the siblings and aunties he’d been playing and sharing bread with were now enemies he had to both outshine and outmaneuver, lest he lose his own life. In less than a year, out of eight rivaling claimants, only one had survived, though to say he survived would be putting it nicely. And as Oberon was crowned heir-apparent by his father, he felt his victory spoiled by a bitter resentment.
The prince was not without allies though; many were drawn by his charisma and presence, but none more loyal than his faithful executioner, Talok. He only needed to say the word and the mercenary would get the work done, sowing fear and resentment among noble circles. Many believe not even his own father was spared of his wrath, but none would dare speak a word of it out loud.