The Skull of Alpha Lysander

The very skull of Alpha Lysander sits atop the Itudean throne in the Vol'nische Palace, a reminder of the cruelty of werewolves. Any member of the royal court or family is reminded of the dark day and uses it to fuel their desire to see the Moonlight Expanse crumble. The skull is set into a silver-plated base with ruby gemstones to accent it. It has been bleached and where the hole in the top of the head rests, it is filled with silver to prevent any wolf from plucking it from the throne, and to harm any wolf who dares to touch the skull without protection.  

Alpha Lysander

No one would ever suspect that Alpha Lysander would turn upon the empire. He had been one of the few wolves loyal to Emperor Vlad, always sticking up for him, regardless of what the other Alphas or Wolf Council said. However, Alpha Lysander's fear for the safety of his mate, Novis, prompted him to act out and corral his fellow Alphas into a secret assassinate plot to slaughter Empress Sin-Yeona Cheonsa.   The plot on the empress' life didn't go unnoticed. Empror Vlad started pressuring his mate into hiding and keeping her behind closed doors, as she carrying his second-born child, Prince Kěith Cheonsa. Emperor Vlad carried his suspicions about the Moonlight Expanse for quite some time, the Itudean forts noticing the wolves retreating from sight, wondering if and when they would attack. So, Emperor Vlad responded in kind, keeping his wife hidden in secret palaces around the empire.   This caused the Alphas to determine Emperor Vlad as unstable and plotting something, such as killing their Lunas. Alpha Lysander was the first to step in. He revealed that he had an entire organized plan, ready to be set in motion. As the plan unfolded, Alpha Lysander and the other Alphas set their Betas up as placeholder Alphas until they returned. Together, the Alphas snuck into the Itude Empire and found the Vol'nische Palace, where the empress was holed up.   The empress convinced Emperor Vlad to help her get a proper meal with a deer instead of a person. They went out into the forest that surrounded the palace, where they were targeted by the Alphas. Attacked in a small clearing, Emperor Vlad called out for Empress Sin-yeona to run. As Emperor Vlad spoke to three of the Alphas, specifically Alpha Lsyander, about what they wanted. It was merely moments before the fourth Alpha dragged Empress Sin-yeona back to the clearing, a white onyx dagger with a vampire's bicep bone for the hilt at her neck.   After confessing the truth, Alpha Lysander spoke the first half of a prophecy deemed to unite a vampire and werewolf as soulmates. They saw that as a threat to their Lunas and while Emperor Vlad begged them not to kill his love, the Alphas mocked him. The Alpha holding Empress Sin-yeona quickly stabbed her through the jaw and up into her brain. She died instantaneously. As she laid dying in her lover's arms, Alpha Lysander mocked Emperor Vlad one more time.   Three months later, Emperor Vlad initiated a war against the Moonlight Expanse, bringing wrought and ruin wherever he went. It wasn't until Emperor Vlad sent a group of assassins to kill Alpha Lysander in his pack. It took all but a few attempts before Alpha Lysander was slain on Icogh 29th of 1493 EoL. His head was brought back to the empire, where it was cleaned of flesh and muscle, then bleached, and finally presented to Emperor Vlad as a trophy for the war. The skull was then mounted atop the throne, forever a reminder of the terrible war that loomed over all the denizens of the Itude Empire.