Walking through the palace I did not even notice the finely polished marble tiles that lined the floor.  My head held high by the stiff necked authority of the nobility to which I had been born, I could not even have seen them.  I did not pay any attention to the columns that were similarly done, and had not thought for one moment about the enormous amount of effort that the emperor or his descendents had forced out of the slaves that had built this place for them.  None of it mattered.  Even walking through the great stone doors that led to the oversized audience hall of the emperor, I only noticed the exquisitely wrought stone so much to push it open.  I think of it now and wonder at how I could have been so blind.
    That was fourty years ago now, when I could walk through the grandest palace in the magnificent city of Torin without a soul ever even noticing me, other than to get out of my way.  As the Master of the Emperor, one of his closest advisors, no one dared gain my attention.
    It was well known, the fact that I started out in the Noble House Storm.  Since I was a member of that house, it was always known that I would rise to great heights in the Empire; it was a ruling house in the Empire.  Even though it was not known how far I would rise, most of my house rose to work in some way with the Emperor.  His great audience chamber even now, with my disgrace, still held many of my brothers and sisters in some great function.
    Walking up to the throne that day was just like any other.  There was little notice that anyone took of me.  Though some were curious as to why I had come into the audience chamber armed, I had done so before.  I was well known as one of the Emperor's interrogators.  As a known interrogator for the Emperor, one had to stave off assassination attempts at least daily, if not more often.  The only thing that anyone took note of was by the time that I had drawn my sword.  By that time, no one could even stop me as by the time the first shout rang out the emperor and both of his guards stood standing, without any of their heads.
    Waking up the next morning, the world was foggier than I remembered, it seemed as if nothing would focus at all, at least that which was visible.  As I sat up the pain in my head immediately returned and the world of darkness claimed me again.  It was several days before I learned what had happened.  After I killed the emperor, three of the guardians of the court attempted to restrain me so that the Arbiter could be brought, but none of them even got close.  Two fell before they had come within ten feet of me, blood gushing from their noses and ears, the third fell clutching his throat as he stepped within the reach of my sword.  After all was said and done, the entire floor of the chamber was bloodied, and well over a hundred of the Emperor's guards lie on the ground.  It ended up that four of my own interrogators and six more guards were needed before I could be restrained, and even then, only when the Arbiter came were they able to fully restrain me.
    The Arbiter's words stung me, and I could feel him trying to restrain my mind.  I knew how powerful he was, having trained him myself, though I did not know that the badge of his office amplified his power to match my own.  As his power surged through my mind, meeting mine, and only through sheer strength of will and experience did I maintain even a piece of my own mind.  It was all I had not to fall to my knees and accept his judgement.  Even with what I had done, I still maintained a great deal of pride.