Edmond Perrian(The General of Water)
Edmond was born to House Perrian, the 1st Crest house in Tyr'Mallor. His mother was head of the Tyr'Mallorean Council and her power was only second to that of the Central Bank itself. As such, Edmond never wanted for anything as a child. He received the best education, the finest foods and the most luxurious living accommodations that a near endless supply of money could provide. Edmond's mother adored him, and lavished her affection onto him. Edmond's father was a worthless wretch of a man who had long ago been broken by his wife and spent most of his time drinking and playing cards. His resentment of Edmond was plain, though he did not act on these feelings out of fear of retaliation from the boy's mother.
Their home was located on Peralta, the largest island of their archipelago nation, and their estate stood on a massive bluff that marked the highest point in the entire nation. So profound was Edmond's family's wealth that not only did they own the entire island of Peralta, but the three closest neighboring islands as well. Their servants numbered in the thousands and no one knew exactly how many businesses they owned either directly, or indirectly.
As he grew older and began to interact with his peers, Edmond's true nature began to show through. By age 12, he had already ordered the discreet deaths of two playmates for childish disputes. So great was the influence of House Perrian that no investigations were launched, though the parents of one of the missing children themselves turned up missing several months later after they proved too persistent in their inquiries.
Despite these behaviors, his mother continued to coddle him and treat him as her perfect little boy. Soon, Edmond had begun courting young women and his incredible talent at emotional and mental manipulation served him well. A seemingly endless stream of starry eyed girls found themselves trapped by Edmond's whispered nothings and then were left cold and heartbroken as he grew bored. When things became too difficult or a female suitor too persistent, Edmond resorted to his old ways. The broken bodies of more than one poor young girl were found at the base of House Perrian's bluff after reported accidents involving too much drink. Edmond's mother quickly stifled any attempts at further investigation with several cleverly applied bribes. Money, after all, could solve any problem in Tyr'Mallor, provided you had enough of it.
As he neared adulthood, Edmond's mother became gravely ill and soon thereafter passed away, leaving his father in charge of the house. With his mother gone, Edmond had no buffer from his father's animosity. No longer did he have an unlimited supply of money to pull from and his father threatened to turn him into the authorities for his past murders. Aside from these threats, his father also physically assaulted him several times. Edmond was in complete shock at this treatment, having never experienced hardship of any type during his 18 years of life.
After his tantrums and indignant screaming only earned him further beatings from his father and confinement to his room, Edmond began to ponder new methods of getting his way. He seduced one of the serving girls, convincing her that if only his father was gone, the two of them could be together. Within the week, she had slipped poison into his father's goblet. As Edmond looked at the black and bloated face of his patron, he wasted no time in turning the servant girl over to the authorities for her crime, ensuring that she was never questioned and that her execution occurred promptly and without ceremony.
Now the head of his household and the single most influential person in Tyr'Mallor, Edmond wasted no time in indulging his appetites. The death toll he enacted over the next ten years stretched into the hundreds, ranging from romantic encounters to political and personal rivals. Yet aside from this, he proved himself to be his mother's child and was surprisingly shrewd in the ways of negotiation and business, managing to actually increase House Perrian's wealth and standing significantly through a series of trade agreements.
On one particular trip into the Quintessence to oversee a new agreement, Edmond was introduced to Selene Van Sol, sister of the head of the Paladins of Quintessence, Siris Van Sol. Edmond was instantly taken by her beauty, which was not so unlike that of his mother. Forgetting all else, he tried to seduce her, but was met with only rejection and disgust. His persistence also cost him the trade agreement with the Paladins, after Siris learned of his unwelcome advances.
Edmond returned home furious. He could not understand this failure and rejection and could not accept it. After throwing several tantrums and injuring a handful of servants, word came to Edmond of a woman passing through town who was rumored to have mystical powers. After investigating further, he had the woman escorted to his estate and there presented his dilemma. He offered the strange cloaked woman ludicrous sums of money to fix the problem and make Selene love him. Smiling knowingly, she shook her head at the offer of gold and told him that she would help, but when the time came she would come for more appropriate payment.
Desperate to have his way, Edmond agreed to the terms. The woman told him to make a return journey to the Quintessence in one weeks time at which point he would find Selene more amenable to his advances. She departed without another word and Edmond waited impatiently per her instructions. One week later he made his journey, and immediately upon seeing him Selene ran to him joyously, embracing him as if he were a long absent lover. Within a week they were wed and soon thereafter she was with child. A daughter was born to them. As Edmond looked on the child, he began to feel the first twinges of what might be described as unselfish love.
Just as these strange emotions were bubbling to the surface, the mysterious, mystical woman appeared to him, revealing her true nature as an ancient being of chaos known in legend simply as the Demoness. She smiled wryly at him, and commandingly pointed towards the newborn child in his arms. Desperately, Edmond tried to refuse and attempted to flee, but was overrun by a demonic minion. The child was ripped from his arms and carried away before he could react.
Edmond tried to explain to Selene the disappearance of their child, but she flew into a panic, sobbing and screaming in sorrow. Unable to fix the situation, Edmond became furious, striking her across the face. As she recovered from the unexpected violence, Selene looked at Edmond in shock and confusion, as if she was suddenly awakening from a long dream only to arrive in an all too real nightmare.
It was then as she stared at him in horror that Edmond knew he could never truly possess her and that old familiar desperation and heartbreak surfaced again.
A soft voice from the shadows whispered to him, 'I can ensure that you will always control the minds and hearts of all those around you. I can ensure that you will never feel this pain again.'
Almost without thinking, Edmond nodded, reaching his hand out towards the shadows and embracing the gift of the Demoness.