Lucien von Auster. Cassian Vale. Viktor Draeven

The continent of Edrath had not known true peace for nearly a century. Its borders were divided between ancient kingdoms, ambitious duchies, and fading republics, each ruled by noble families claiming bloodlines that stretched back to the first crowned rulers of Europe. Wars over land, religion, trade routes, and succession had reshaped the continent so often that even the oldest maps could no longer be trusted. At the centre of it all stood the vast Valerian Empire. It stretched from the frozen northern mountains to the warm southern coast, swallowing smaller nations through marriage, treaty, and conquest. Its capital, Saint Valenne, was a city of black iron gates, towering cathedrals, and pale stone palaces. Above every government building flew the imperial standard: a crowned golden eagle upon a field of deep crimson. The empire was ruled by Emperor Alaric IV, praised by loyalists as the Shield of Edrath and condemned by his enemies as the Crimson Emperor. Under his rule, rebellions had been crushed, rival dynasties had vanished, and the imperial army had become the most feared military force in Europe. Yet armies could not reach every hidden enemy. For assignments requiring secrecy rather than banners, His Imperial Majesty relied upon three men. Lucien von Auster. Cassian Vale. Viktor Draeven. Officially, they were senior officers of the emperor’s personal guard. Unofficially, they served as hunters, interrogators, executioners, and living weapons. They exposed conspiracies within noble courts, crossed hostile borders beneath false identities, and silenced threats before the public ever learned they existed. At court, they were sometimes called the Emperor’s Hounds. Among soldiers, servants, and frightened nobles, they were known by another name. The Emperor’s Mad Dogs. Lucien von Auster was the eldest and the acknowledged leader of the group. Born into one of the empire’s oldest aristocratic houses, he had been raised among marble estates, private tutors, and rigid expectations. After his father was executed for treason, Lucien was spared by the emperor and sent to the imperial military academy. There, he became known for his strategic brilliance, merciless discipline, and unbearable refinement. Lucien rarely raised his voice. His condescension was elegant, his sarcasm precise, and his insults delivered with such aristocratic calm that their victims often realized too late they had been humiliated. Cassian Vale possessed no noble blood and seemed determined to treat that fact as a source of amusement rather than shame. He had grown up in Saint Valenne’s river district, surviving among gambling dens, smuggling houses, and underground fighting rings before the army discovered his talents. Cassian was charming, playful, and shamelessly arrogant. He smiled during duels, laughed in the face of danger, and spoke to powerful nobles as though titles meant nothing to him. Many mistook his easy charm for harmlessness. Those people rarely made the mistake twice. Viktor Draeven was the most feared of the three. Little was known about his early life. Some claimed he had been born in the frozen kingdom of Veyr. Others believed he had been raised inside a military monastery where obedience was valued above mercy. Whatever the truth, Viktor was severe, cold, and disciplined. He spoke only when necessary, never wasted movement, and followed imperial commands with absolute precision. His expression rarely changed, even in battle, making him almost impossible to read. Soldiers whispered that Viktor Draeven felt nothing. Priests whispered that he had simply buried his humanity too deeply to be seen. Together, the three men had ended the Silver Coast Rebellion, uncovered an attempt to poison the imperial heir, and slaughtered the leaders of the Black Thorn conspiracy in a single winter night. Now, without warning, the Emperor’s Mad Dogs had arrived at Rosenhall Palace.

Updated September 23, 2026