Cyrus Spyridon was a human slave of Dardani descent. He was owned by Luther Arimanes, who forced him to serve as his arena champion.
At some point, Cyrus fell in love with Luther's wife, Queen Philomena. Their affair was discovered by Luther, who sentenced Philomena to death. Consumed by hatred, he schemed with the magician Ardath Dastagir to kill Luther by sabotaging a ritual meant to grant him supernatural powers.