Complete Monster: Emperor Mezzenbone is a red wyrm and the first chromatic emperor of the Dragon Empire after five millennia of good-aligned metallic rulers. Like most of his kind he's cruel and regards non-dragons as cattle at best, but even among his Always Chaotic Evil kin he stands out for his catastrophic plans for the galaxy. During the Dragon War between chromatic and metallic dragons that left many worlds devastated in its wake, he was first an important wyrm in the chromatic Asamet Kingdom and then its leader after its first king mysteriously died, and while most abhorred the tragedy of the War, Mezzenbone reveled in the slaughter, planning to annihilate friend and foe alike and rule the remains of a lifeless universe as a god. He only changed his mind when he realized the War would claim his life too if it escalated further, and agreed to the truce that would form the Empire only because he knew he needed the 5,000 years until his guaranteed ascension to the throne in order to ensure his scheme would unfold flawlessly. In the present day of the setting, forty years after his coronation, he has introduced a number of controversial acts including forming a drow Secret Police, supporting worship of his patron deity, the Destroyer, and brutally assimilating new worlds into the Empire. When he believes the time is right, Mezzenbone will unleash everything at his disposal, including systems-destroying superweapons and magical artifacts of untold power, and completely shatter all possible opposition to his scheduled omnicide.
Tropes applying to the book series:
Designated Hero: Pol within this series. He was already a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, but he takes several levels in jerkass throughout this second series that make him increasingly unlikable and difficult to root for, including him cheating on his wife repeatedly (who is insecure, but nothing but faithful and kind to him) while she is separated from him and repeatedly antagonizing Lord Andry, his relative, who is his best prepared ally in dealing with the invading barbarians. While Andry is no saint, he is given both more reasons for his behaviour and much less sympathy by the narrative. Pol is never called out for a great deal of his behaviour and is even encouraged to cheat, as his entourage find his lover a "better match" for him, while Andry is often villified. The only way Pol maintains any sympathy is because he is fighting against genocidal invaders, which can also be said of Andry.
