~ Viva la Vida ~ (⚠️)

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⚠️Blood! And a shirtless elf, but this warning is more about the blood⚠️

I was listening to Viva la Vida by Coldplay and all I could think about was two of my ex-villains.

Long-standing readers of this artbook have already frequently met the French/English multi-millionaire Daniel Spencer a.k.a. Karma; but my more formidable ex-big-bad was a Dark Elf Warlord with a strong Russian accent named Belthazsar, the Ebony Lord.

 Karma; but my more formidable ex-big-bad was a Dark Elf Warlord with a strong Russian accent named Belthazsar, the Ebony Lord

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Daniel Spencer was generationally in the business of shadow governments and militia takeovers. A privileged child by birth, stunned and bitter over the loss of his father by execution for treason.
Belthazsar was quite different.
He was a nobody from the start, but he had a strong arm and a sharp mind, that paired with a natural charisma often had people flocking to his side. He flew a banner of reform and made a name for himself, but his reform came at any cost, and he without realizing grew all too fond of battle and bloodshed.

Eventually, what lead Daniel Spencer to give the life of espionage and usurpation up was an epiphany after being betrayed and imprisoned by his mercenary militia captain, Axel Reynold. Karma became his alias and he started secretly sending A.T.H.E.N.A. information on Empire Underground, its contacts, and whatever else he could gather to bring it down.

Unlike Spencer, it wasn't a fall from grace that brought Belthazsar to his knees, it was a teary-eyed child, standing alone in a street, watching houses and shops burn away in the aftermath of a battle. A battleground that was not Belthazsar's doing, but there in that shambled, burning village saw the same ruin he often left in train. Never before had he really stood in silence and watched the aftermath of his progress unfold. He had never taken a moment to see and reflect on what his campaigns against High Elf King Anderthalion often led to in the end, for the average person, for the people reform was meant to aid.
He surrendered himself to the Hyacinthian Royal Guard the next day, doing nothing to struggle or prevent his capture, he was led away to a dungeon without incident.

He surrendered himself to the Hyacinthian Royal Guard the next day, doing nothing to struggle or prevent his capture, he was led away to a dungeon without incident

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