Edmund Tyrell

King Edmund Aeron Tyrell (a.k.a. The Poisoner)

A controversial figure in the history of The Kingdom of Vallanna, who sat on the throne for only a decade. His actions in claiming the throne were to be the catalyst for the civil war known as The Panacea War, which would end with his death, in 940 AoU, at the hands of the next ruler, Violet Enarren, and would gain him the colloquial nickname of 'The Poisoner'.
Fueled by jealousy of his childhood friend, King Theodore Illyr, Edmund was behind a plot that would poison the king and his young wife, Queen Daphne Enarren and see himself installed as the new King of Vallanna.
He would prove to be a selfish and heartless ruler, thinking nothing of favouring himself and his own favourites over what was best for the people of the lands. This rule was to be cut short, however, after information about his plot was leaked to the Enarren family by the assassin who had carried out the murders. Raising all of the south of Vallanna against Theodore's northern stronghold, the final six years of his life would be consumed by civil war, and ultimately, his death.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Born the eldest son of the Earl of Springport, in 898 AoU, he was introduced to life at court from a young age; Springport's proximity and importance to the capital of Valliné ensuring that his father enjoyed close connections to the royal court. At the age of nine, he met the young crown prince, Theodore Illyr, and the two became fast friends, nigh inseparable throughout the remainder of their childhood.
It was during their teen years, however, that a secret jealousy of his friend's position was to begin to fester within the heart of Edmund. While outwardly showing no signs of the growing emnity which he held, Edmund began to form the outline of a plot to see himself onto the throne of Vallanna, should the oppurtunity present itself.
In 925 AoU, Edmund's father would die, and he would inherit the title of Earl of Springport, along with his father's responsibilities and place at court. From this date, he would begin to make the connections and friendships which he intended to leverage in the execution of his future plans, all the while outwardly presenting a friendly and charismatic face at court; remaining very much the closest confidant of the crown prince, who himself remained blind to Edmund's true feelings towards him.
The chance Edmund had been hoping for would come just three years later, with the death of Theodore's mother, Queen Camilla Illyr, in 928 AoU leaving Theodore the throne as the final surviving member of the Illyr dynasty. As his most trusted friend, Edmund was granted the position of Theodore's Lord Chamberlain, and quickly began to use the influence of this position to manoever matters at court in his favour, without the knowledge of the king.
The following year, King Theodore would marry Daphne Enarren, eldest daughter of Manfred Enarren, Duke of Laranna. Seeing a potential complication in his ambitions, should the royal couple produce heirs with which to continue their line, Edmund began to accelerate his plans, and as 929 AoU drew to a close, would meet in secret with The Velvet Court to discuss removing the king and queen.
In the opening months of 930 AoU, Edmund's plan would be put into effect by the Velvet Court - Theodore and Daphne, now indeed expecting their first child, were fed a poison, undetectable by conventional means, and would both die in short order. The poisoning, in a twist of fate which was to be the downfall of Edmund, was carried out by a young member of the Velvet Court who was unaware of the identity of his targets until it was too late - none other than Queen Daphne's own cousin, Savren Enarren. Bound to secrecy by the code of the Velvet Court, he was privately devastated, and would struggle with the implications of his actions for three years, before finally revealing the truth in an anonymous letter to his family. It was to be this information which would turn the Enarrens, who already distrusted Edmund, towards the path of war.
In the meantime, however, upon the death of Theodore, who had no heir and no surviving relatives, a conclave was called to decide who would take up the mantle of ruler. The years of deals, favours, connections made, and political manoevering with this very purpose in mind would pay off for Edmund, as after only two weeks of fevered discussion between the nobility, he was crowned the new King of Vallanna. The deciding point in the matter had been a letter written by Theodore, in which he described Edmund as "my brother, though we share not blood, to my utmost regret".
Once crowned King, Edmund would waste little time in rearranging his privy council to include only his most trusted confidants; the vast majority of whom held titles along the northern region of Vallanna, as Edmund sort to build a stronghold of power, both governmentally and geographically. He awarded hefty subsidies and royal contracts to friends and lined his own pockets at the same time. It is said that he showed little regard for the needs of the common folk while in power, doing only that which would benefit him and those whose support he unconditionally held.
Such restructuring on Edmund's part would leave the southern regions out in the cold, so to speak, when it came to representation within the King's inner circle. This would be far from the first time that a region was not favoured by a monarch, but this would understandably lead to a certain amount of displeasure and distrust between the ignored region and the monarch. This, Edmund might have weathered, had it not been for the revelation to the Enarren family of his plot to have Theodore and Daphne murdered. Incensed at the brazenness and evil of the plot, the Enarrens would begin to meet in secret with the other southern lords, sharing with them what they had learned, and talking of how to enact their rightful justice upon this usurper king who had killed their daughter and son-in-law, the rightful king and queen of Vallanna.
In 934 AoU, with a sizeable base of support built up, the Enarrens announced to the court and the kingdom their grievances and demanded the abdication and arrest of King Edmund. Edmund would refuse, and thus The Panacea War would begin, with the southern regions of the land becoming locked in bitter strife with the north for six long years of civil war.
Never one to lead from the front; preferring others to die for him; Edmund would direct the war from the luxury of the Cerulean Palace in Valliné. His paranoia would only grow as the war dragged on and, despite some early significant battles in which they were thrown back by the northern defenders, the southern states gained ground. The war would come to a head with the Siege of Valliné in the closing months of 939 AoU; the southern forces, led by Daphne Enarren's younger sister Violet Enarren breaking into the city and finally the Cerulean Palace partway into the first month of 940 AoU.
Edmund, showing some final martial spirit when confronted face-to-face with the oncoming justice for his actions, engaged Violet Enarren in single combat, but was no match for the battle-hardened leader, and would fall in short order - dead in front of the very throne which he had coveted and fought to hold onto for much of his life.
Violet Enarren would go on to be crowned Queen of Vallanna; the first monarch in a line of Enarrens that still hold power, nearly four-hundred years later.

Morality & Philosophy

Decidedly self-centred, and extremely motivated in his goal of ruling Vallanna, no matter the cost to whomever stood in his way, most notably King Theodore and his wife, Queen Daphne, whose deaths finally saw him to the throne. It is likely that Edmund lacked the morals which most would consider fundamental, and was definitely a sociopath, if not a full psychopath; feeling no empathy for those around him.
To him, all relationships were ultimately transactional, even if the other party was not aware of this. Indeed, King Theodore believed Edmund to be his closest friend, even unto his own death, and throughout his life, Edmund presented to him nothing but the most sincere visage of friendship and brotherly love. Yet still, Edmund had him killed with zero qualms about it.
During his own reign as King, Edmund would draw closest to him those who he could use to further his goals and hold onto his power, building a strong base of support around him, both at court and geographically as a whole. The relative distance of the southern portion of the country; separated as it is from the capital by the Drakeseat Mountains, likely lead Edmund to initially discount them as the strong allies he needed in the opening years of his realm, to his downfall. In ignoring the Enarrens, they already viewed him with a level of distrust, even before the truth of Edmund's plot was revealed to them.

Social

Family Ties

An only child, like his childhood friend, Theodore Illyr, Edmund would never marry, or produce any legitimate heirs. It is possible that he initially intended to seek a wife with which to continue his dynasty once more firmly established upon the throne, but with the outbreak of The Panacea War less than five years into his reign, his focus quickly shifted to putting down the rebellion; a goal he would fail at.

Rumours would circulate occasionally during the subsequent reign of Violet Enarren of Edmund fathering several illegitimate children in secret, but these would ultimately come to nothing.

Social Aptitude

Edmund was considered an extremely charismatic individual; quick with a joke and a skilled conversationalist. For him though, friendships and relationships of all kinds were transactional, although those whom he shared them with were not aware of his sociopathy. Throughout his life, he would put his sizeable skills of manipulation towards his own ends.

Wealth & Financial state

As Earl of Springport, a busy trading port on the northern coast of Vallanna, Edmund's family wealth was prodigious. The family owned a large manor within Springport itself, as well as a country estate further inland, and much property related to their business interests. They also enjoyed a sizeable income from the crown associated with their hereditary title.
Upon gaining the throne of Vallanna, Edmund's wealth was second to none, with unobstructed access to the treasury of Vallanna, and with the power to award titles, lands and property to those he saw fit.

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

King of Vallanna (930 - 940 AoU)
Lord Chamberlain (928 - 930 AoU)
Earl of Springport (925 - 930 AoU)

Life

898 AoU 940 AoU 42 years old

Circumstances of Death

Killed in single combat, by Violet Enarren

Birthplace

Springport

Gender

Male

Eyes

Steely Blue

Hair

Dark; Slick.

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Height

6'1"