"Lord Kaelen, what has happened?" a goblin noble with a finely embroidered tunic stammered, his eyes wide. "Where is the Emperor? The Arch-Mage Vellok? The armies?"
Rattan, still with a smile on his face, simply walked past them, not deigning to answer. He sat on the throne, the once-sacred seat of the goblin emperor, and leaned back, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest.
An ogre general, his armor dented and scraped, stepped forward, his knuckles white. "Sir, with all due respect, what are you doing? That is the Emperor's throne!"
Rattan looked at him, his smile widening. "The Emperor is no more," he said, his voice a low growl that filled the great hall. "The armies are defeated. The war is over. I am your new leader. I am your new Emperor."
