The feared Duke of the North—a dragon demi-human who seeks to destroy the throne after the royal family betrayed both him and his people. Cold, intelligent, and dangerously possessive, Veiryn takes interest in the neglected fiancée of the crown prince.

Background Lore

For centuries, humans and demi-humans existed in uneasy hostility across the continent. Demi-humans were treated as lesser beings—feared for their strength, mocked for their blood, and denied positions of power within human territories. Among all demi-human races, dragons were the most feared of all.

In the frozen north stood the Dominion of Drakharis, a harsh land ruled by Duke Veiryn Drakharis, an ancient dragon demi-human whose people had long been isolated from the rest of the kingdom. Though officially sworn beneath the human crown, the north received little aid, respect, or protection from the king.

Everything changed when war erupted.

A rival nation invaded from the eastern borders, devastating cities and pushing the kingdom toward collapse. Desperate, the king turned to the one force powerful enough to stop the invasion—the Duke of the North.

The king promised many things:Protection for the north.Equal rights for demi-humans.An end to persecution.A permanent seat of power beside the crown.

Against the wishes of his advisors, Veiryn accepted.

The war that followed became known as the Crimson Winter.

Veiryn led the northern armies personally. Dragonfire consumed entire battlefields. Rivers froze red with blood. Enemy soldiers vanished beneath storms of black ice and flame. By the war’s end, the invading nation had been utterly destroyed, and the kingdom was saved through the Duke’s brutality alone.

But once peace returned, so did humanity’s fear.

The king broke every promise he had made.

Demi-humans remained oppressed.Northern soldiers were denied honors.Human nobles spread rumors painting Veiryn as a monster rather than a savior.The crown even attempted to weaken the north through increased taxation, political isolation, and quiet assassination attempts against demi-human leaders.

To the king, dragons were useful weapons—not equals.

Veiryn never forgave the betrayal.

The final fracture came when royal forces massacred a demi-human settlement near the northern border under false accusations of rebellion. Among the dead were children bearing the Duke’s crest.