Elend Braitwaithe
Early Life
Elend was born into wealth and privilege as the son of Jonas Braitwaithe, owner of Arc Entertainment, a global entertainment conglomerate encompassing film studios, video game developers, and music production companies. Raised in London, Elend attended elite private schools before enrolling at Oxford University, where he earned both a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA with high honors.
Though he appeared to be a well-mannered and charismatic young man, Elend exhibited signs of manipulation and entitlement from an early age. Dissatisfied with the privileges afforded to him, he developed a persona of respectability to mask his more self-serving ambitions.
Di Inferi and the Quest for Immortality
At age thirteen, Elend discovered a mysterious hourglass amulet inscribed with the words Momento Mori. When he asked his father about it, he learned of the Di Inferi, a clandestine society that had existed in the Braitwaithe lineage for generations. The group was devoted to the pursuit of immortality, particularly through legends such as the Fountain of Youth and the Tree of Life.
This revelation became a turning point for Elend. He began to view his life and actions through the lens of this greater goal and committed himself to long-term planning, manipulation, and mythological research.
Education and Early Career
Elend’s adolescent and college years were marked by strategic social positioning. While maintaining an image of academic excellence and social popularity, he cultivated relationships with influential individuals and manipulated others for personal gain.
After a gap year spent traveling and studying ancient myths in locations such as the Amazon, Florida, and the Middle East, Elend joined his father’s company. At age 26, he relocated to Moscow to assume the role of Vice President of Music Production at Arc’s Moscow division.
Channeling and the Emergence of Powers
At age 25, Elend met Lyra, a romantic partner who would profoundly impact his development. Their relationship initially appeared genuine, but Lyra eventually uncovered Elend’s manipulative nature. A confrontation ended with Elend inadvertently unlocking a latent power – the ability to channel. With his power, he was able to compel her to stay with him for another night, before the effects of compulsion wore off, and she left him.
The power came at a cost: severe sickness followed each use. It was three years later before Elend’s first deliberate use of his power. He reunited with Lyra and found out she was engaged to be married. Filled with envy — he used his power to force Lyra into murdering her fiance and in her grief, she committed suicide. Though he does not regret the action, he acknowledges it as a loss of control and a personal failure.
Learning of Channeling
By age 30, Elend became aware of others with similar abilities when the Ascendancy revealed the existence of channelers. The emergence of a cult, known of the Brotherhood of the Ascendant Flame, that worshipped the Ascendancy intrigued Elend, who saw both an opportunity to refine his powers and potentially gain proximity to the seemingly ageless leader of the CCD.
Rebirths
Fifth Age – Lucifer, the Fallen
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