Edmun Rivers

## Personality

### Personality Description

Edmun, like most nobels, keeps up a facade of well-mannered calm and friendliness. The upkeep of this masquerade is something that Edmun has gotten remarkably good at. He is of course not at facade and deception, as he does genuinely enjoy the company of others, especially fellow artists.

When it comes to more formal social engagements, he tends to stick to a strategy of calm appeasement, trying to stay in the good graces with as many people as possible, or at least as many of those he considers important.

Having gone through his adult life being called the “mad bastard of Riverrun” has greatly affected him, both to the negative and to the not-as-bad. He likes to at times embrace his reputation to act eccentric, just for fun. Though this he does only from time to time and only when it doesn’t risk his already spotty reputation even more.

His limited martial skills make him not one to resort to challenges too often, though he will usually take up a challenge if presented, especially if it is to protect his own honour.

### Goals and Motivation

Edmun is a man of many goals, but three things he dreams of the most of all is respect, a wife and sanity. Much has been denied Edmun, both birthrights, and the products of hard work. Firstly he was robbed of his inheritance, both as a product of his extramarital origin as well as his father’s insistence to have more sons (legitimate ones this time). While neither land nor castle was to be his lot, neither was the knights' sword. Edmun was never too interested in fighting, seeing it as both dangerous and boring, but still, if it earned him a title he would become a knight. But this too was taken from him, for the faith refused to anoint him, all because of his rumored insanity. Now he serves as a stewards aid, dreaming of the day when he’ll own one of the great castles of Westeros, when he’ll shall be covered in gold and fine cloth, the day the Queen shall shower him in titles and honours, like is fit the heir of a great house.

Another issue plaguing Edmun is his loneliness. His insanity, mainly manifesting in the form of periods of near-suicidal depression, makes it hard to keep up good relations with people or any relationship really. Edmun has read many Westerosi tales of love and passion and the idea of himself getting to enjoy the fulfilling feeling of love that the poets describe has captivated him.

Of course, if his insanity is the root of his problems, well that too seems like something that needs solving. Over the years he has gone to many a healer, secular as well as spiritual, but every attempt to fix him has failed. Edmun dreams of living a life in which he can be happy, without his own mind trying to tear itself apart every now and again.

Last and least is his loyalty to House Tully. While he isn’t completely without gratitude to his father, Lord Edmyn, he does still have several grudges against the rest of his family. Still, he sees the advancement of house Tully as a way for himself to advance and as the best way of repaying the little he still owes to Lord Edmyn.

### Reputation

While the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions the name Edmun Rivers is the insanity, there are also some brighter parts of his reputation one can discuss. Edmun is known in Maidenpool as both a poet and a playwright, having produced both well-liked plays of the heroics of old knights and kings and many emotional poems. Though his reputation in this regard is still quite limited, with most people only knowing of him as “The mad bastard of Edmyn Tully” if they even know of him at all.

## Backstory

Edmun was born the first son of Edmyn Tully, the Lord of Riverrun and the Riverlands. His position as the eldest son would one day make him the Lord of the Riverlands, or at least would have if he weren’t a bastard, born out of wedlock to a maid by the name of Mylna.

Mylna died soon after Edmun’s birth, but luckily Lord Edmyn took a liking to his firstborn son, letting him stay in Riverrun and giving him a trueborn son's upbringing. But with the birth of both Damon and Bryden Tully, Edmun was sidelined as his father’s attention was redirected to his trueborn sons. This sidelining was also encouraged by Lady Alyssa, as she both disliked Edmun for the bad reputation he brought to her marriage and his position as a possible rival to her sons in inheriting Riverun and Lordship of the Riverlands.

Edmun was allowed time with his brothers and sister and got on quite well with them all, though there would always be some distance between them, with Damon and Bryden preferring each other's company and Mya preferring that of the other young ladies. So Edmun would be mostly isolated, until his tenth nameday.

On his tenth nameday his father offered him the position as a squire to a hedgeknight by the name of Ragorn. Ser Ragor was a stern old knight, who kept the relationship between him and Edmun distant, yet productive and Edmun would grow to enjoy the knights' company. While never excelling in the martial arts, Edmun was still learning enough to one day be knighted.

But sadly that day never came, as around his fourteenth nameday his mental state began to crash. While at first, the suspect was some kind of disease, the maester of Riverrun concluded it to actually be some kind of madness. Edmun would recover after about a moons time but would crash again from time to time. At his sixteenth nameday the septon of Riverrun declared that the faith wouldn’t knight him due to his madness.

After this Edmun is resentful of both the faith and Lord Edmyn. Lord Edmyn, on the advice of his wife, sent Edmun to be ward to Osric Mooton, the lord of Maidenpool. At Maidenpool Edmun worked for the castle steward, but would also begin writing plays and later poetry. It is in his art he finds much joy, both from the creative process itself, but also from the love he gets from the smallfolk of Maidenpool.

Now with Damon an adult, Edmun has been allowed to return home to Riverrun, but he still prefers his place at Maidenpool. But he does still visit at times, mostly to stay in his father's good graces.