Dread Emperor Traitorous

Dread Emperor Traitorous
General information
Name	Dread Emperor
Faction	Praes, Villains
Species	Human
Status	Deceased

“[Traitorous] managed to betray a villain called 
‘the Betrayer’, Squire,” Ratface grinned. 
“You have to hand it to him: he might have 
had only one trick but he was great at it.” 
-Book 2 Chapter 1; Supply

Overview

Traitorous was a former Dread Emperor of Praes. He was a contemporary of the Shining Prince Harry Alban, emerging victorious after Dread Emperor Vile the First triggered the War of Thirteen Tyrants and One, sometime between 120 and 493 AD. He is considered to be one of the exalted Tyrants of Praes.

Reign

He ruled after the War of Thirteen Tyrants and One, triggered by Dread Emperor Vile who tried to unleash a magical plague. The civil war was devastating and is considered by many to be one of the worst cases of self harm the Empire committed.

In total his reign lasted for less than a decade and he accomplished little. Nowadays he’s often compared to Bards in that a large part of his appeal comes from his hilarious ineffectiveness. Nonetheless, he’s arguably one of the most accomplished Tyrants to rule the Tower, albeit having little long-term impact on the Empire itself.

He personally has numerous accomplishments. Among them, he:

• Betrayed a villain called "The Betrayer"
• Passed for his own Chancellor through a cunning use of a wig and a pair of cantaloupes
• Started several secret Cabals whose main goal was to overthrow himself. At least one of these attempts was successful, when he posed as a Grandmaster of the Order of the Unholy Obsidian
• Established a narrative law in the Axiom Appendix
• Successfully harmed an angelic Choir, slaying an Angel of Contrition. Its corpse laid in the Hengest Lake, near Liesse. The only other Tyrant who shares such accomplishment was Dread Empress Triumphant
• Tricked a devil into offering him infernal enlightenment for a soul of a single gnat

His reign ended when he poisoned himself and pinned it on a hundred different people.

Legacy

He must've had a large cultural impact on the Empire. Dread Empress Malicia wrote a historical commentary on the war when she was still a concubine in Nefarious’ seraglio. Stated by Akua Sahelian to be one of the exalted Tyrants of Praes, equivalent to Triumphant, the First and Second Maleficent as well as the First and Second Terribilis. He was also the main subject of a play The Many Deaths of Traitorous.

Aspects

It is speculation, but it seems reasonable to assume that Dread Emperor Traitorous had an aspect that gave him a significant advantage in disguising himself. Some may have claimed that he remains diguised to this day after faking his own death.

[Proposal for Future research project: reread the entire PGTE specifically looking for all examples of characters, major or minor, who may actually be Traitorous in disguise. This could shed a great deal of light on the facts of the matter. Be aware that if this is the case, Dread Emperor Traitorous himself will almost certainly inject false narratives, conspiracy theories, and red herrings into any such research.]

Epigraphs

“A ruler should always join regicide plots: is the finest possible teacher for a locksmith not a thief?”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous

“I’m not saying all your closest friends are shapeshifting devils I sent to spy on you after having the originals murdered, but I’m certainly implying it very heavily.”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous, making small talk

“My dear Betrayer, I resent this accusation of selling you out to the heroes. No coin changed hands, it was really more of a bartering.”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous

“I’ve yet to encounter a situation that couldn’t be improved by a copious amount of lies and body doubles.”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous

“There’s nothing better in life than the look on your enemy’s face when they realize you’ve played them every step of the way. Why do you think I keep starting secret cabals trying to overthrow me?”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous

“At which point Lord Bujune and Lady Rania both accused the other of being the Emperor in disguise, and the meeting devolved into protracted argument until the final quarter hour had passed.”
– Extract from the minutes of the fourth meeting of the Red Fox Conspiracy, as taken by the stenographer Shamna Mehere (later revealed to have been Dread Emperor Traitorous all along

“Gentlemen, there is no need to worry: our plan is flawless. The Emperor will never see it coming.”
– Grandmaster Ouroboros of the Order of Unholy Obsidian, later revealed to have been Dread Emperor Traitorous all along

“My dear friends, I have a confession to make. Some creative reframing of the truth may have taken place during the planning of this coup.”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous, addressing the Order of the Unholy Obsidian upon successfully usurping the throne from himself

“You bargained for my soul, dear devil, and that is what you received. Is it my fault you did not stipulate it was to be my original one?”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous, trading the soul of a single gnat for infernal enlightenment

“Treason is more art than act.”
- Dread Emperor Traitorous

“Ha! And I bet you didn’t even see it coming!”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous the First

“I’ve been told one can only be betrayed by a friend, which is why I constantly surround myself with enemies.”
– Dread Emperor Traitorous

“My dear prince, why would I settle for merely being on the right side of history when I could be on all sides of it instead?”
– Extract from the minutes of the Conference of the Blessed Isle, between the Shining Prince Harry Alban and Dread Emperor Traitorous

“Just as planned.”
- Inscription on the front gates of the mausoleum of Dread Emperor Traitorous

“Traitorous’s Law: while redemption is the greatest victory one can achieve over a villain, to function it does require the villain to have at least a single redeemable quality.
Addendum: Yes, even if a Choir is involved.”
– Extract from ‘The Axiom Appendix’, multiple contributors

“The finest summation of Traitorous’s reign I ever heard came from an illiterate peasant from the outskirts of Ater, who described it as follows: ‘Like watching a snake eat its own tail, only the tail was fake the snake was an angry badger and also you are poisoned.'”
– Introduction to ‘More Art Than Act’ by Hakim of Kahtan, the Haunted Scholar

“… such wanton deviousness had been unseen since the days of Dread Emperor Traitorous, who famously passed for his own Chancellor through cunning use of a wig and a pair of cantaloupes…”
– Extract from “The Most Illustrious Histories of the Inimitable Dread Empire of Praes”, volume IV

“Great Ones, the evidence is clear: we have been betrayed by the Cruxis Cabal. They mean to sell us out to the Emperor, and so we have no choice but to silence them before they can destroy us.”

– Archlector Analphagor of the Temple of Crespusculum, addressing the inner circle (later revealed to have been Supreme General Mendacius of the Cruxis Cabal all along, and also Dread Emperor Traitorous).[27]

Trivia

• The Wandering Bard said she’s not seen anything as brazen as Kairos Theodosian since Traitorous

References

27.https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2021/08/31/chapter-35-catch/