Divide And Conquer

Chapter 4

Prince Voraz sat upon his blackened throne, his expression cold and cruel as he regarded the whimpering Imp peasant dragged before him. Voraz's throne room reeked of blood and fear, the obsidian walls carved with arcane symbols that seemed to writhe in the flickering torchlight.

The Imp prisoner was forced to his knees by two Bornian guards, their fiery rune markings pulsing with power. Voraz leaned forward, his deep voice resonating through the chamber.

"Well, well...what a pitiful specimen we have here. An Imp peasant who thought he could get away with stealing a loaf of bread from his Bornian masters."

Voraz tsked softly, shaking his head. "Such audacity must be punished."

With an abrupt gesture, Voraz activated the runes carved into the Imp's skin - the slave markings that allowed the Prince to inflict agonizing pain upon his subjects with but a thought. The Imp immediately began screaming and convulsing, blood weeping from his eyes as he experienced untold torment.

Voraz watched impassively before releasing his mystical grip on the creature, who collapsed gasping to the obsidian floor.

"Please, my lord!" the Imp whimpered. "Mercy, I beg of you!"

Voraz threw back his head and laughed - a cruel, booming sound that echoed ominously throughout the hall. "Mercy? In Xiuri', mercy is reserved only for the strong. You forfeited your right to mercy when you decided to steal from your betters."

With another wave of his clawed hand, Voraz again activated the slave runes. The Imp's renewed screams were music to his ears. After a few moments, he ended the spell, leaving the Imp a sobbing wreck on the floor.

"Take this filth to the pits," Voraz commanded his Bornian guards. "Let him serve as fodder for the next round of games.crowd always enjoys seeing a thief get his comeuppance."

As the guards dragged away the pleading prisoner, Voraz rose from his throne and strode toward the balcony overlooking the dreary capital city of Xanthus. His maniacal laughter echoed through the streets below as citizens scurried out of sight like roaches. None dared make eye contact with the malevolent Prince who ruled over Xiuri' with an iron fist.

At the snap of Voraz's fingers, a wretched Imp servant came scuttling into the throne room. "Y-yes, your Highness?" the Imp stammered, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Bring me wine," Voraz ordered. "The strongest vintage. My thirst for amusement today is...powerful."

The Imp servant trembled. "Right away, my lord!" He turned and fled from the chamber.

As he waited, Voraz watched a Bornian execution detail in the square below conducting a public beheading. The prisoner's head rolled to the cheers of the gathered crowd - servants and slaves hoping their enthusiasm might spare them from becoming the next victims.

Voraz's lips peeled back, exposing pointed fangs in a satisfied grin. The pathetic beings who populated Xiuri' existed only for his entertainment and whims. He took grim joy in keeping them huddled in fear through ceaseless cruelty and subjugation.

The Imp servant returned, bearing a silver chalice filled with thick, blood-red wine. With a snap of his fingers, Voraz froze the Imp in place, then slowly approached to take the offering. He swirled the wine under his nose, inhaling its heady aroma, before draining the chalice in a few swallows. The warmth spread through his body, stoking the ever-present flames of rage and spite.

Releasing his magical grip on the servant, Voraz carelessly dropped the empty chalice to the obsidian floor where it clattered loudly. "Bring me another, slave."

The Imp snatched up the cup. "Yes, your Highness!"

While the servant scurried away, Voraz strode to his scrying pool, an inky portal that allowed him to spy upon his subjects throughout Xiuri'. With a pass of his clawed hand, the dark waters shimmered to reveal a vision of the Fifth Ring.

Voraz peered closer. The image showed a Bornian Enforcer whipping a line of Red Tew slaves. Their misery was evident as they struggled to pull a massive iron cart piled high with stone blocks - the materials for constructing yet another monument to Voraz's glory.

Voraz chuckled softly. Just the sight of the Red Tews' suffering and subjugation filled him with satisfaction. The wretched lower races existed to serve at the pleasure of their betters - meaning him, of course.

The Imp servant returned with another overflowing chalice of wine. Voraz could smell the creatures fear, and it pleased him. He took the offering and brought it to his lips, savoring the fruity aroma mingled with the Imp's terror.

After draining his second cup, Voraz conjured up images in his scrying pool of Imps toiling in the mines, Owlkin on the hunt, and Boar-tis fighting to the death in gladiatorial pits. The scenes of anguish, brutality and hardship soothed his blackened soul.

Xiuri' belonged to Voraz, and its pathetic inhabitants' sole purpose was to entertain and serve him. He would continue to rule with an iron fist, crushing all insolence under his boot. Voraz gazed out once more upon Xanthus, his domain. On his lips he tasted wine mixed with the satisfying tang of blood and fear.