Knight of Pentacles

Name: Edmund George Melville
Meaning: Edmund means "rich protector", which directly pertains to the fact that Pentacles is the material part of the tarot (rich!) and the fact that the Knights are supposed to protect and stuff. Yes. George means "earthworker, farmer", chosen because it's dorky and has to do with earth. Melville is from a French term meaning "bad settlement", mainly chosen for the word 'bad'. Oh, I am clever.
Age: 18
Birthday: May 1
Zodiac: Taurus sun , Virgo ascendant, Gemini moon.
Height: 6'1"
Likes:
Expensive things: Edmund enjoys the finer things in life, and spends his time working so that he can afford these finer things. This isn't just fur coats and gold jewelry, either. He goes all out, with vintage furniture (a lot of art deco) and accumulating stuff in general. He's big into getting things that are rare, no matter what they may be (like a really ugly original art deco lamp).
Being in charge: More of a planner than a doer, Edmund likes to direct people and get things accomplished through them. He likes to head up projects in school this way, not to mention that this is how he tends to run his more sinister operations (you know, being the Knight of Pentacles and all) .
Intellectual stimulation: See relics below. He is compelled to go to the library a lot, or find things that otherwise increase his random useless knowledge skills. This includes deep, artsy films, classic novels, non-fiction (Plato's republic!), et cetera.
Art Deco: It is from the classiest era, of indulgence and overproduction, riches and more riches! He decorates his entire apartment with original art deco pieces, no matter how ugly they may be to the modern eye, though he manages to arrange things in a relatively pleasing way.
Random likes: Silk, women in classy 50s-style lingierie, small breasts, going out for dinner, Dilbert, Sony products, plasma televisions, gold, shiny and sparkly things, Pi cologne.

Dislikes:
Obstacles: See relics below. It's rather annoying for him when something gets in his way, whether it be a person or a concrete object. He has a set path and it drives him up the way to be driven off of it.
Being proved wrong: Not that he admits to it or acknowledges it. He is so confident in his rightness that his world is shattered with RAGE when someone points out that something he said or did is incorrect. Yes, the man has some anger issues.
Movies based on books: They never do it right, and he could do it so much better, they might as well just get him to do it and be done with it. Argh, says he!
People who mispronounce words: It's "pillow", not "pellow", and it's "mom", not "mam". So obviously, Michigan accents bother him the most. Either way, he can't even stand it when a British person says "shed-jewel" instead of "sked-dual". He will always, always correct a person for saying a word 'wrong'.
Random dislikes: Donald Trump, cheap jewelry/perfume/moisturizers/etc, tea (only chicks and homos drink tea!), milk, women who smoke (rather, he finds it very unattractive), disagreeable people (or people who disagree with him), repeating himself.

Hobbies:
Pushing people's buttons: He likes to think that by upsetting people, he's actually performing a service to them, "toughening" them up. He has no concept of his jerk-like behaviour, thinking that they should appreciate what he's doing for the person he's goading on.
Moisturizing daily: Seriously, this man sleeps with moisturizing GLOVES every night and keeps moisturizer on him at all time. He is very protective of his skin.
Throwing Parties: Edmund loves to play socialite, and often invites everyone to his snazzy pad to enjoy a snazzy party that seems all high class and important. People have come to think of his parties as events that Those Who Are Cool absolutely must attend. After all, his hors d'oeuvres are to DIE for.
Online Poker: Those games that you actually register for and get sent cheques for your winnings. He started out pretty shitty at it, but now he's a pro, winning up to a few hundred dollars each time he plays. He enjoys real poker as well, but he doesn't exactly have access to casinos all that easily. He likes making money in other wasy as well, but this is one that he happens to have the most fun with.

Appearance:
Hair: Black with a blue tint to it, it's generally kept immaculately in place and swept to the side with a modest amount of pomade or gel, clipped short to keep it extra-neat. It's like all 1930's-ish and stuff.
Eyes: Though they are almond-shaped, they are rather boring otherwise, simply straight across his face and a regular fan of dark lashes. They are a cold, steel blue, giving him a very striking gaze. If he's staring at you, especially if he's upset, it's very intimidating.
Face: His face is long and narrow, sometimes dusted with a bit of stubble, but usually clean-shaven. He has a long and narrow nose and a squared jaw, overall giving him a pretty boy kind of look, but not in an effeminate way. His mouth is of an average size, lips rather evenly sized, with a slight point at his top lip, though not enough to be a cupid's bow. His complexion is on the tan side (not tanNED, but tan), and it's very clear, with soft skin, since he moisturizes and exfoliates like a skin-nazi.
Build: Not being one to bother with exercise, Edmund has a rather average and untoned build, more on the lanky side of things. His height is striking, and broad stance, but he's certainly not any kind of powerhouse of strength.
Carriage: Naturally, Edmund has a very confident gait, always walking straight-backed and with a quick stride as though he has somewhere to be five minutes ago (even though he's generally early or on time).
Attire: This boy is nothing if not professional in the way he presents himself, and his wardrobe is no exception. He wears button up shirts, fancy slacks, shiny dress shoes, suits, the works. He is always immaculately dressed and primped, his intention being to look like a suave businessman. He favours neutral colours that allow him to fade in and out of the background as he will.

Personality

It is very easy to like Edmund; he's charming, well-spoken and, though he can be intimidating at times, rather approachable. He's not the type to grin like an idiot all day, but passing him on the sidewalk or in a hallway will certainly elicit a smile and a nod before moving along. Anyone that has met him would agree that he's a laid back kind of guy, and easy to talk to. His easygoing manner, coupled with his confidence, is something that tends to attract people to him, and it has earned him a lot of respect among his peers and instructors at the community college. Indeed, Edmund seems like the most well-adjusted man you'll ever meet.

Of course , his smooth manner is hiding a much more sinister personality. Everything he does serves a personal purpose, some kind of ulterior motive that benefits only himself. On top of that, he possesses infinite patience, and so his plans can take anywhere from minutes to years to produce the desired effect, but it's all the same to him. As long as he gets what he wants eventually, which he knows he will, everything is hunky dory.

Stoic, indifferent, hard working, good with money, likes lots of stuff/comforts of life, materialistic, sensual, persuasive, sexy, aloof, dependable, emotionally stable for the most part, selfish, stubborn, traditional, stands up for what he believes in, likes to own things, possessive, patient, confident, smug

History

Present: As regular as you can possibly imagine. Edmund was born to fairly average parents, his father being a self-employed accountant, and his mother being a day care co-ordinator. They were rather well-off, more on the upper-middle class side of things, but nothing particularly interesting ever happened to Edmund. If his parents ever fought, he never saw it. They were caring, but not overbearing, and they taught him the value of money rather early on. Okay, so they weren't 'average' per se, but there was nothing apparently different about them from any other upper-middle class American. You know, like in American Beauty.

Ever the enterpreneur, Edmund would often set up things like lemonade stands, or at yard sales, coffee stands (since it's really only adults that go to yard sales, and they've got cash!) when he was a child. Later on, it was a paper route and mowing lawns, and walking dogs. He was always out to make a buck (or ten), which delighted his parents, as they figured it was a good way for him to know that he had to work for money, and life wasn't easy, and blah blah. In high school (he attended Grand Bend Park High School), he would volunteer to help raise money for various charities and managed to work in a way of making some money for himself (like having people donate an amount of money that was easily altered to something a little lower).

Basically, there was absolutely nothing that distinguished him from any other average kid in Grand Bend. He got good grades, but he wasn't the top of his class; he studied, but still went out with friends. He got into some trouble occasionally, but was never a delinquent. Teachers would describe him as a 'well-adjusted young man', and a 'nice boy' on his report cards. And it isn't the point that it wasn't entirely true about him! Dammit! It wasn't until he was sixteen years old that things got a little weird.

Edmund came upon a raven pecking at shiny things in the school yard, which wasn't really odd at first. No, it wasn't until the raven looked up and stared at him that Edmund became a little uncomfortable. What made him even more uncomfortable was the agitated manner in which the raven flapped its wings at him after a few moments, hopping his way towards him. And then, of course, the kicker: it spoke. Introducing itself as Zopyros, the raven proceeded to tell him things that didn't make much sense, because he was far too excited to form complete sentences. The gist of it was: Edmund was the Knight of Pentacles and Zopyros was the King of Pentacles, previously his father, and they needed to find the Pentacles relics immediately.

Naturally, Edmund didn't believe a word of this and ran away. At home, Zopyros was waiting for him on the front step and tossed a card (can you guess which one?!) at him. And then, the Knight of Pentacles was BACK. He still wasn't too sure about his father being a raven. And renamed him 'Wolfram', but he usually shortens it to 'Wolf'. No, Zopyros doesn't like it.

Over the last two years, the Knight of Pentacles has been working on his own, trying to collect the Pentacles relics back, and starting to remember his original purpose. No, Zopyros wasn't aware of it, and still isn't, until Pentacles begins to collect other Minor Arcana cards.

Past: The Knight of Pentacles was a charming guy, though pretty quiet and reserved. Had a lot of STUFF. Charming. Aloof. People didn't suspect him!

Soldier Information

Sphere of Power: black magic, earth, and SHINY THINGS.

Uniform Colours: Ugly, yellow ochre and dried blood red.

Uniform: A Bulgarian Royal Navy Captain first class uniform, from the World War II era. The jacket is long and coloured yellow ochre, with matching slacks and shoes. There are epaulettes (which are the things on military clothing that keep shoulder boards on) with white-gold 'pentacle' buttons, which match the two rows of buttons on his front and the four buttons on the back. The shoulder boards have fancy embroidery on them, which is basically a Pentacles coat of arms (the design of which I have not yet come up with). A black leather belt with 'pentacle' clasps holds a 'dried blood'-coloured velvet pouch that contains his pentacle coins. Underneath the jacket is a 'dried blood'-coloured high-necked shirt. He wears a pair of 'dried blood'-coloured gloves.

Weapon: Mace (see relics). He is usually more of a physical fighter, so he waves his skeery mace around. ;_;

Team/Alignment: HIMSELF.

Transformation: YOU WILL NEVER SEE IT HAHAHA.

Powers:
Losing Your Assets (black magic, offense)
The Knight of Pentacles grabs a coin (or more) out of his pouch and tosses it, speaking the phrase rather mundanely. Sometimes he'll have a target in mind, sometimes he'll allow the coin to land where it will. Wherever the coin lands, the person closest to it within a fifty foot radius is trapped in place. No sparklies are involved in this, so one may not even know he or she is trapped right away. It is one target per coin, so if he throws more, each coin traps whoever is closest. Unfortunately, this can also mean himself or his allies/minions.
This is a temporary curse, of sorts, where something that the target values most about him or herself physically starts to deteriorate. Oooh, superficial! Not literally, of course, but it certainly looks and feels that way to the target (if it is hair, it won't be painful, but it will feel like it is falling out). Others will just see a crazy person writhing around and screaming about something ("My spleen is melting! ;_;"). So visually, the attack is rather unspectacular unless you are the one suffering its effects, and then it can range from horribly gory (like, say, you especially value your skin) or just plain unpleasant (like getting really, really thin or fat if you value your figure).

Wild Land (earth, offense)
Upon speaking this phrase, Pentacles tosses a coin, usually aiming for the centre of a group. The ground starts to rumble and break, rising up in a conical shape, bits and pieces of earth (and whatever else the area is made of). It looks rather jagged and messy of course, and the base of it gets about as wide as the length of an average car. Terrain change!
Anyone around this earth shifty thing of DOOM either gets knocked about the head with falling stones/earth/concrete/whatever, and if they are directly on it, they fly up and then fall down! It is hurt-y.

Relics:
2 of Pentacles: Taking the form of a gold ring, this relic has an effect that is positive in a way, but can work against him: it boosts his confidence in his decision-making abilities, so he tends not to question or second guess himself. In the past, this relic was used to help people who were indecisive, specifically in matters related to finance (such as buying a house).
3 of Pentacles: This card takes no solid form, but allows him to communicate with his minions (the pages) without needing a mobile phone! It's basically a card that is in five pieces when he is transformed, each piece given to one of the Pages (which means that technically, they hold this relic as well). This card was used in the past for business owners who were 'going under' and needed help to get back on their feet. Of course, the relic didn't do these things for people, but help them sort out their minds and come up with their own solution.
5 of Pentacles: This card also has no form, but it works against him a bit. It sort of gives him a stroke of bad luck with obstacles, such as getting stopped by a train just as he is going after a relic that one or both of the other teams are going for. So while he may know about a relic beforehand, at times this card kicks in and prevents him from getting it, if not for good then just at that moment. Make sense? This card was often used for people who seemed to be stagnating career or money-wise, and was in pursuit of something better. It was a fickle relic, however, and didn't always work properly.
8 of Pentacles: His weapon, the mace. It is made of something Very Hard (pewter-coloured) and it is scary-looking, with its spikes and the dried blood on it that never seems to go away. There is no magical property to it, it is just a physical object. This relic has always been in the Knight's possession as a mace.
9 of Pentacles: A gold bracelet. While the Knight of Pentacles alone would not be much of an intellectual, this card gives him a slightly larger intellectual capacity. He's compelled to read more and learn things, where normally he would have no interest. This tends to perplex him. This relic tended to not be used, because it caused strange growth spurts everywhere, whether they be physical (aging or growth) or mental (sometimes led to depression). It was only used by Pentacles himself, Hierophant and Judgment, for they had a better handle on using the relic.
10 of Pentacles: Another one with no form, this card has the potential to embarass him. It's stronger when he is transformed, and it causes him to say what he is thinking at any given time. It kicks in randomly, though luckily he's managed to get himself to a point where he mumbles things rather than shouting them. Clearly, this is a relic that was useful for getting criminals to admit things, and was therefore often used by Justice in the past.