Rebel Prince Zelumir

***“**Power is what this war is about. Not Emperors, not Beastmen, not honour or loyalty or treason. Power.**”***
— Rebel Prince Zelumir

**Rebel Prince Zelumir**, also known as **Prince Zelumir of Toscov** or **Zelumir the Cruel**, was a Toscovish prince who joined the Rebel Princes during the War of the Fifteen Princes. Incredibly infamous for his general cruelty, disloyalty to his country and his own allies, and his general disregard for Human life, he is not fondly remembered.

Zelumir controlled both the cities of Katovsk and Iazran during the civil war, giving him a strong rebel stronghold near the capital city of the Empire. His capture, rape, and execution of his sister, Imperial Princess Zviglena, made him notorious to the point where Durkrin distanced himself from Zelumir. Near the end of his life, Zelumir lost most of his allies and troops, who defected to other Rebel or Free Princes. He died at the Siege of Iazran, swallowing poison to avoid capture.

## Biography

### Early Life

Prince Zelumir was born in Toscov in 130 AW to the then-crown prince Budimiv. He was the fourteenth child and eighth son of Budimiv and his wife Galya. His father was crowned emperor in 136 AW, shortly before the outbreak of the Sixth Plague of Ihyll. While the Plague raged across the Empire, Zelumir was undergoing his education, specialising in the art of intrigue, cunning, and diplomacy. The hope was that one day, he would become either an ambassador or a spymaster.

Zelumir did not get along with his siblings as a child, with scribes noting that he was content with being alone and cared little for the company of others. He disliked many of his older siblings such as Crown Prince Ludimik and Princes Zhincis and Deslov and felt that he matched if not exceeded them despite being much younger.

in 145 AW, Emperor Budimiv was killed by Prince Woldar, who had previously contracted the Plague and became a Krighal Vitna alongside Princess Zivura. The pair was brought back to the capital where they were arrested and sentenced to death, only to be pardoned at the last moment at the behest of Princess Zviglena, who convinced her father to stay his hand. Instead of death, the pair was exiled and fled to the Blue Forest. While Zivura chose a more peaceful route, Woldar went on a warpath against his father, which led to Budimiv's eventual death.

Succeeding Budimiv I was his eldest son, Ludimik II. Zelumir and Ludimik were anything but friends, and the younger prince was quick to leave the capital and moved to the city of Katovsk further northwest. Soon after, Budimiv's second and third sons, Princes Durkrin and Zhincis, launched a failed coup which spiralled into the War of the Fifteen Princes. Zelumir, young and ambitious, saw a chance to further his own power. He took control of Katovsk, ousting the local Prince and joining the Rebel Princes, soon after, he raised his Warband and marched on Iazran, another important city in the area. Once he arrived at the city, he paid several corrupt officials to open gates and defect, allowing him to take the city without a siege. With control of two major cities and many smaller settlements, Zelumir entered the War of the Fifteen Princes as a major contender for power.

### War of the Fifteen Princes

With control of both Katovsk and Iazran, Zelumir cemented himself as one of the mightiest princes of the Rebel forces. He recruited two of his siblings, Princess Jaleka and Prince Sacek, to join the Rebellion. All this combined made him one of the most powerful of the Rebel Princes, rivalled only by Prince Durkrin himself. Despite this, he sat rather idly, mostly partaking in minor skirmishes. One notable exception was the Battle of Norinov, where he defeated and captured Princess Zviglena, who had previously chosen to remain loyal to Ludimik II, bringing her back to Katovsk. While Zviglena was at Zelumir's mercy, her younger brother had none to spare. As a prisoner, Zviglena was repeatedly raped by Zelumir and eventually became pregnant with his son, giving birth to Prince Zharakin in 147 AW. Soon after, Zelumir had her executed on her birthday.

It should come as no surprise that Zelumir's actions against Zviglena caused widespread outrage. He was condemned by just about every other of the Fifteen Princes, including his own allies, and soon found himself politically isolated as the Rebel and Free Princes began distancing themselves from him. Zelumir, for one, was unbothered by this development and chose to pursue a more independent identity. However, it didn't take long for others to come after him. Krighal Prince Woldar abandoned all reason when he heard of Zviglena's cruel imprisonment and death and set out on a warpath against Zelumir. The Rebel Prince dealt with Woldar by springing an ambush at the town of Sevhansk, trapping him and his Warband inside and lighting the town ablaze with the use of pyromancers. The badly burnt prince stumbled out of Sevhansk before being felled by archers, giving Zelumir a victory to boast about.

In the long term, as the War of the Fifteen Princes began deteriorating for the Rebel Princes, Zelumir's northern position became increasingly isolated from other Rebels in the south and east of the Empire. Soon after, he became the target of a new Imperial offensive aimed at taking Iazran and Katovsk. Zelumir's forces had been weakened by Golden Prince Gradimr when the former failed to take Machayya in 147 AW. As a result, Zelumir was unable to match Imperial forces on the field and was forced to take a defensive stance, with his troops being driven back to strongholds and major cities only. Given the chance to surrender by the charismatic Prince Deslov, many of Zelumir's rebels took him up on his offer. A large spree of castles and forts fell without bloodshed as their garrisons laid down their arms and returned home, with Zelumir spewing out insults condemning their cowardice and orders to deaf ears. In mid-148 AW, Zelumir was trapped at Iazran as Deslov began laying siege to the city. Low on supplies, demoralised and with three months of siege behind them, Zelumir's own officers betrayed him, opening the gates for Deslov's Warband. Zelumir and what loyalists he still had retreated to the castle at the heart of Iazran, where the prince drank poison to avoid being captured as the castle fell around him.

Very few mourned Zelumir's death, as many of his own allies had come to despise him. Many tried to quickly forget about the cruel prince and his misdeeds, chalking it up as a dark chapter in Toscovish history.

## Military Career

* War of the Fifteen Princes
	+ Battle of Norinov - Victory
	+ Second Battle of Machayya - Defeat
	+ Battle of Sevhansk - Victory
	+ Siege of Iazran - Defeat (KIA)

## Personality

Prince Zelumir was driven entirely by a lust for power. A highly cunning and ambitious prince, Zelumir let his aspirations influence his decisions during the War of the Fifteen Princes. He did not value mortal life, viewing people as tools to be used to further his own goals, and was a highly vindictive person, taking joy in punishing anyone who dared cross him. His cruel treatment of Princess Zviglena and effective yet honourless victory over Prince Woldar made him feared and hated by both friend and foe. His cruelty and power-mongering ultimately led to his political isolation and rapid downfall, as none of his allies or subordinates were willing to stick out their necks for the prince.

## Relationships

* **Family**
	+ Budimiv I of Toscov - Father
	+ Queen Consort Galya of Toscov - Mother
	+ Ludimik II of Toscov - Brother
	+ Rebel Prince Durkrin - Brother
	+ Rebel Prince Zhincis - Brother
	+ Imperial Prince Deslov - Brother
	+ Free Prince Borklaw - Brother
	+ Golden Princess Radchava - Sister
	+ Krighal Prince Woldar - Brother
	+ Rebel Princess Lubomia - Sister
	+ Free Princess Sobieryna - Sister
	+ Imperial Princess Zviglena - Sister
	+ Krighal Princess Zivura - Sister
	+ Golden Prince Gradimr - Brother
	+ Rebel Princess Jaleka - Sister
	+ Rebel Prince Sacek - Brother
	+ Prince Zharakin of Toscov - Bastard Son
* **Enemies**
	+ Ludimik II of Toscov
	+ Imperial Prince Deslov
	+ Krighal Prince Woldar
	+ Imperial Princess Zviglena
	+ Golden Prince Gradimr