The Rat King
The man on the throne of the Kingdom looks like he belongs in a coffin rather than a palace. Pale skin stretched over a near-skeletal frame, dark hair, the appearance of a man in his fifties who has been sick for most of those years. His subjects see a sickly Pure Blood ruler. What they do not see is the truth: the Rat King is not Pure Blood at all. He is one of the Full Dead, masquerading as royalty for roughly a generation, feeding on the living flesh that his closest allies deliver in secret.
His real name is Walter North, though that name has been lost to the general public. Only the title persists, and only the shadows of Murder Inc.'s Inner Circle, where Walter holds a seat, still use the name behind closed doors. He first appeared in the Kingdom about a generation ago, building his empire on the backs of scavenger labor and the flesh of slaves. He has accumulated enough political power that no one of lesser station questions him, and the few who might have the standing to question are either allies or too afraid to try.
The Darling Raiders serve his court, dressed and groomed like living dolls for Pure Blood entertainment. The slaves are bred and sold by the Flesh Farmers to sustain the economy he built. And the Rat King sits at the center of it all, a dead man ruling the living, his true nature hidden behind pale skin and accumulated power. Few realize how dangerous he truly is. Those who do, like the Pure Blood Royal Orville Worthington, understand that sharing that knowledge is itself a form of suicide.
His real name is Walter North, though that name has been lost to the general public. Only the title persists, and only the shadows of Murder Inc.'s Inner Circle, where Walter holds a seat, still use the name behind closed doors. He first appeared in the Kingdom about a generation ago, building his empire on the backs of scavenger labor and the flesh of slaves. He has accumulated enough political power that no one of lesser station questions him, and the few who might have the standing to question are either allies or too afraid to try.
The Darling Raiders serve his court, dressed and groomed like living dolls for Pure Blood entertainment. The slaves are bred and sold by the Flesh Farmers to sustain the economy he built. And the Rat King sits at the center of it all, a dead man ruling the living, his true nature hidden behind pale skin and accumulated power. Few realize how dangerous he truly is. Those who do, like the Pure Blood Royal Orville Worthington, understand that sharing that knowledge is itself a form of suicide.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Walter North appeared in the Kingdom roughly a generation ago, presenting himself as a Pure Blood and beginning the slow accumulation of wealth and political influence that would place him on the throne. He manufactured his fortune on the backs of scavenger labor and the flesh of slaves, building an empire through exploitation while concealing his true nature as one of the Full Dead.
Over the decades he gained enough political clout that questioning him became impossible for anyone of lesser station. His connection to Murder Inc.'s Inner Circle, unknown to even his closest attendants, provided additional protection and resources. The Rat King title attached itself to him early and outlasted the memory of his real name. His allies know he requires living flesh to survive and are responsible for delivering victims who will not be missed. The arrangement has sustained him for a generation, and the Kingdom shows no signs of discovering the dead man on its throne.
Over the decades he gained enough political clout that questioning him became impossible for anyone of lesser station. His connection to Murder Inc.'s Inner Circle, unknown to even his closest attendants, provided additional protection and resources. The Rat King title attached itself to him early and outlasted the memory of his real name. His allies know he requires living flesh to survive and are responsible for delivering victims who will not be missed. The arrangement has sustained him for a generation, and the Kingdom shows no signs of discovering the dead man on its throne.
Children
