Edmund Copperfield

Edmund Copperfield was born to a wealthy halfling merchant clan (Copperfield Trading Company) and showed brilliant accounting and financial strategist abilities from a young age. However, during a border war 20 years ago, he discovered his clan was profiting from refugee suffering.

The Embezzlement

Unable to stand by while his family profited from others' misery, Edmund embezzled significant funds to help refugees—establishing safe houses, buying medical supplies, and providing aid. When his clan discovered the theft, he faced execution for "betraying family."

The Cabal (specifically Miriel and Eldamar) intervened and offered sanctuary. However, Edmund chose redemption through service rather than hiding from consequences. He turned himself in to proper authorities, served 5 years in prison before The Cabal secured his release, and has worked at the Academy for 15 years since.

As Bursar, Edmund manages all Academy finances, budgets, expenditures, student stipends, emergency funds, supply budgets for all departments, staff payroll, endowment management, and scholarship fund administration.

He maintains both mundane ledgers and magical accounting matrices (learned from Nixus), can spot financial irregularities instantly, has an uncanny ability to stretch budgets without compromising quality, and negotiates excellent terms with suppliers.

Personality

Edmund is cheerful despite a heavy conscience about past actions. He's generous with students in genuine financial need (perhaps overcompensating) and takes ethical oversight of money extremely seriously now. He refuses any personal luxuries, lives simply, and donates his personal salary to refugee aid organizations.

Edmund still has nightmares about refugees he couldn't save before his arrest, waking in cold sweats imagining those who died because he wasn't fast enough. However, he tracks every refugee family he helped and has located 87 of 143 families—all thriving. He keeps their letters in a special box.

Quirks

Edmund collects ancient coins from different eras and cultures, with over 5,000 specimens. He knows the historical and economic story behind each one. Students often find him staring at coins and murmuring about inflation rates from 800 years ago.

His office in the Administrative Building, Second Floor, has windows that overlook gardens he tends on breaks—a small peace in a life dedicated to atonement.

• Born to wealthy halfling merchant clan, showed brilliance in finance from young age
• Embezzled funds to help refugees during border war, facing execution from his clan
• Chose redemption through service, served 5 years in prison before Cabal secured release
• Manages all Academy finances with meticulous ethical oversight
• Maintains both mundane ledgers and magical accounting matrices
• Generous with students in financial need, donates salary to refugee aid
• Collects ancient coins (5,000+ specimens) and knows history behind each
• Tracks refugee families he helped—87 of 143 located, all thriving
• Still has nightmares about those he couldn't save