Mammon (AoC Universe)

"It takes two to tango - but one to rule them all."

"Money...can buy you everything..."


 * - Mammon, the Lord of Greed

The sinister Mammon was the tyrannical ruler of the Avarician Empire from -65,000, reigning supreme for countless millenia. Rising to become the pre-eminent force on Middle-Earth during the defeat of Sathanus, Mammon's sphere of influence was first among all the demon princes, standing at 30% of the Black Empire in total, and remaining at a high constant until the very end of the Sin War.

Lore
Mammon's one-and-only desire was to be the One to Rule Them All. Literally. All of his actions and behaviours, right from his conception, to his failure in the Sin War that wiped the disgusting Black Empire from the face of the Earth for good, were lead-ups to the day in which he would have all of Middle-Earth under his thrall. A cunning, calculating adversary, Mammon was the master of psychological entrapment, having the ability to entice people into accepting offers that were simply too good to be true. Switching from angel to demon in an instant, he had the power to sweet-talk many an mortal into eternal slavery. According to Belzeebub, Mammon could make "anything" seem good. His natural potency in charisma, and his popularity with everyone, inflated his ego, and gave him an inflated sense of self-importance.

Unfortunately, he was not treated in a very princely manner back in the Burning Hells. The chaos and disorder in that dreaded realm was too much for him. Although he relished the free-flow of demonic magic throughout the Hells, he disliked the inability for him to assert his royalty over the lesser demons, who were all-to rebellious and hard to control. Thus, when the time came, and Sargamon crafted the Seeds of Discord, Mammon jumped at the chance to bring his plans for domination into fruition. As soon as he reached Middle-Earth, Mammon's hel whispers instantly drew the native populations to his presence, where they were made to believe that if they served him with all their hearts, they would be kings among men. It was an offer too good to refuse. Whereas other demon princes used psychotic enslavement tactics to get their way, Mammon merely had to speak for his underlings to fall in line. They pledged their souls entirely to him. Fools. Little did they know that everything that the Lord of Greed promised them, he was effectively promising to himself. HE would be powerful. HE would be the  king among men - as per his dreams, the "One to Rule Them All".

Mammon's charisma caused his empire to swell to a grand size. Allying himself with Leviathan, Mammon gained valuable sway over the economy of the Black Empire, which funded his campaigns against Sathjatar following its defeat at the hands of Lucithel. This further expanded Mammon's territory and marked the beginning of his duopolisation of the Empire, along with the Lord of Pride.

His capital city, Avaricia, has become a heritage site for both goblins and imps, who share a common pursuit of material wealth.

End
Mammon's charisma and empty promises were not enough to deter the Aesir, leaders of the Carnal Armies, from storming his citadel and bringing his dark rule to an end. He was imprisoned under the Earth along with the other gods (apart from Lucithel, who was killed). Dealing with the rest of his Empire was problematic because of how expansive it was. Also, because of his power, Mammon retains significant influence over the events of the Aeon of the Champion story series, especially over goblinkind and impkind, some of whom pledge sacrifices to the fallen prince in the hope of gaining a quick buck. Mammon laughs at such notions, knowing that far from a quick buck, his followers will be the subjects of his torture come Judgement Day.

Trivia

 * All of the other Princes of Hell were scared of Mammon, because he was so persuasive and it took the strongest of wills to resist his temptations.
 * Often he would appear in the form of a dream or vision, in which the dreamer would be in possession of great riches or power.