D BOHICA's Blog - Posts Tagged "greedy"

Here's the thing about Breach of Balance that might surprise you: the dragons attacking the orc clans? They're not the real enemy.

Crimson Ruby—the dragon tyrant terrorizing the realm—is himself enslaved. Yes, you read that right. The name is a deliberate nod to D&D's evil red dragons. Ruby should be the ultimate villain—arrogant, greedy, destructive. Ancient chromatic dragons are nightmare fuel. But here's the twist: he's a puppet. And the irony is delicious.

The Poetic Justice — A creature that spent centuries dominating others through fear and power? Now he's the one being dominated. His legendary pride crushed under mind control. His infamous will bent to serve something he can't even comprehend. Ruby isn't tragic because he was innocent. He's tragic because even tyrants don't deserve to have their minds stolen.

Enter: The Puppet Master — Ruby and his dragon horde are enslaved through binding magic—crystal shards embedded in their essence. They're aware of what they're being forced to do. They remember their autonomy. Some even fight back (at horrific cost). Imagine being Crimson Ruby—apex predator, lord of the skies, fear incarnate—reduced to a weapon in someone else's hand. Unable to stop yourself from committing genocide. That's a special kind of hell.

Why this matters for the story — • Moral complexity: Roar'Z has to fight enemies who are also prisoners (he relates HARD to this as a former gladiator slave) • Real stakes: The dragons are symptoms, not the disease—someone is pulling the strings • Uncomfortable questions: Does being enslaved absolve Ruby of the atrocities he commits? (Spoiler: No. But it complicates things.) • Series setup: Who is powerful enough to enslave dragons? That mystery drives the larger arc

Swift-River's perspective — The copper dragon druid who escaped Ruby's citadel has seen what the Puppet Master does. She knows Ruby is both monster and victim—and she hates that those things can be true simultaneously. Her trauma fuels her desperation to stop the convergence before more beings lose their free will.

Reader question: Do you prefer dragon antagonists who are purely evil, or ones with layers of complexity? What's your favorite "enslaved villain" story in fantasy?

Dragon tropes in this book — 🐉 Enslaved Dragons • 🔥 Mind Control/Corruption • ⚔️ Villain as Victim (but still a villain) • 💔 Poetic Justice • 🌪️ Dragon Warfare (epic battles) • 🦎 Druid Shapeshifter (Swift-River) • 👁️ Mysterious Puppet Master

Genre: Epic Romantasy | Orc Romance | Dragon Fantasy