Younger brother of Ambrosius Aurelius AKA Emrys Pendragon and the infamous father of King Arthur. A man who is known for having nothing but cruelty in his heart behind a mask of a charming and handsome man. Uther Pendragon was a man born with a desire for power and prestige at any cost, and ultimately he would indeed attain both due to his decisions. And then he would lose it all to the frailty of being born human.

It all began back in Rome.

Uther, as the cherished younger son of his lordly father, had been betrothed towards a young lady of a noble Roman house of a slightly higher standing than his own due to their similar ages. However, Uther disdained the girl for her outspoken nature and worked to humiliate her utterly so he could end the betrothal. But doing such a thing did not come without consequences. Indeed it was only due to the renown his older brother Ambrosius had earned on the battlefield that spared Uther from a punishment worse than being sent to the fringes of the Empire in Britannia, with Ambrosius at his side to keep him in line. And for a brief time it worked. Uther toiled as a regular member of the legion at the tiny border fort, not even a proper castrum, that he and Ambrosius had been assigned to without complaint. 

And then, in a twist of fate that none could expect, Ambrosius betrayed the Empire and joined with Vortigern, taking up the name Emrys from then on. 

Naturally Uther followed his brother. But it was not peaceful as he resented Emrys for taking this path. And then resented him further when his deeds on the battlefield were recognized and rewarded by Vortigern. The resentment and jealousy grew worse when his brother, who lacked any interest in power or ruling or even having children of his own, was made king of a small vassal kingdom to Vortigern's own lands. This, Uther decided, could not stand. For he knew that it was unlikely Emrys would ever name him heir to the throne due to Emrys' perceptive nature and constant disapproval of Uther's behavior. But without a child of his own, the king would have to select someone else to rule if he were to skip over his closest living relative. 

But there was one weakness of Emrys' that Uther knew very well. 

Even if Emrys disapproved of Uther, the same would not be said of an innocent child thanks to his brother's immense love for his family and fondness of children. So Uther devised a plan that involved the wife of one of the vassals of Vortigern, Igraine. And to achieve his goal he forced Merlin to aid him in what actions he took. From there he had Igraine's husband, Goloris, killed but unfortunately that was what caught Vortigern's attention in full. In the chaos that followed Emrys was killed without a chosen heir.

So it fell that Uther was easily able to swoop in and claim the throne, and Igraine as his wife.

Of course, there was no love from Uther for Igraine. No, his marriage to her was purely so his son with her, a descendant of kings of old, would be a legitimate heir to the throne. No tears were shed when she died in childbirth, her body already weakened from having had previous children with her marriage to Goloris. Instead he found himself with a newborn son, whom he named Arthur, who immediately Uther disdained as well. So he put the boy, as he called his son, out of his mind and left him to the care of nursemaids. And then, eventually, shoved into Merlin's hands to be raised and prepared for his future far from Camelot. Camelot, which under Uther's rule, had turned from the shining kingdom of hope envisioned by Emrys to a land on the brink of disaster. 

Taxes were high for everyone, roads and bridges barely maintained. The lords that had once sworn themselves to Emrys withdrew to their lands while those opportunists whose coffers grew heavy with coin were happy to side with Uther. Any whispers of discontent were met with the iron fist of Uther and his army, while he allowed the Saxons to run wild beyond the lands agreed upon for them by Emrys. And under his inattentive rule, the Romans began to once more grow into a threat in the city of Londinium. Uther's paranoia at court, meanwhile, grew and he refused to look beyond the borders of the city of Camelot. Soon enough he even outlawed all mention of his brother, refusing to even be compared in whispers to the man. The people were unhappy. Famine, floods, and bandits were rampant. Those who travled in the eastern parts of the kingdom were at risk of disappearing. And to the north the tyranny of Vortigern continued growing in strength with none to oppose him. 

Only in the west, upon an open field of green grass under a blue sky, was there a beacon of hope. 

A sword driven hilt deep into a stone, inscribed with words that brought the people hope of a better future soon: "Only the rightful king of all Britain may wield this blade."

Of course, Uther despised all mention of the Sword in the Stone and forbade it in Camelot. But whispers still prevailed, along with whispers of the tyrant's long-lost son. Whispers that grew only stronger as Uther's health began to decline rapidly, while a youth from the lands of Lord Ector drew the sword of kings from the stone and began a journey of aiding others. 

Eventually the boy, Arthur, was brought to Camelot. And there in the view of all of import, did Uther reluctantly name Arthur as his lost son and the heir to the throne before passing away a scant few months later. 

A tyrant even to the end. A cruel man with the cold, dead eyes of a rabid beast. Uther Pendragon, the man who claimed the red dragon of legends for his standard, who did all he could to grasp power and renown...would soon be overshadowed by his own, hated son.