On sir Gardamon, by an associate
On sir Ashbel Gardamon, demon lord of the Shattered Plains
The forty-sixth ruler of the Gardamon family is, as some before him, an odd one. However, Ashbel is even stranger than the past lords of his family. They've indeed always collected purple soulstone, but... not as avidly as sir Gardamon.
He sees them with that eye of his. He sees the souls. All souls, but twice reincarnated and children's souls in particular. Now, sir Gardamon has compassion. He returns the children's souls to the Regent who may send them back to the gods. But the purple souls... they never leave. Just as the regent collects obsidian soulstone, this man collects the purple. Not a single known twice reincarnated soul has escaped the grasp of sirs and ladies of the Gardamon line.
Many see in sir Gardamon a tired old man. But where they see in Ashbel a timid creature, I see a relentless hunter. Whenever a purple soul appears he scales any mountain and crosses any distance to find and crystallize it, adding onto the impressive collection. There's not enough space on the main trophy wall anymore. I've seen it. The crystals hum with energy and let off a purple haze, creeping along the shelves. Quite big chunks as well.
Sir Gardamon has what's in common tongue referred to as the Soulstone Affliction. It's not hard to tell. His horns have partially turned to purple soulstone - or rather became coated with it. That eye of his is a symptom as well. Although, sir Gardamon seems to be handling it quite well. It even invigorates him to some extent. It's speculated - but I know - he's consumed souls to purposefully become afflicted with them. He can read the crystals, and live souls. He has other people's memories. He's seen many corners of Hrawa and the surface world without even leaving his manor.
But it is all valuable to the Regent, of course. Sir Gardamon is essentially his secret force for tracking down particularly troubling souls - even if the Soul Chaser profession hails from the Spectral Labyrinth.
I've heard sir speculate about what would happen if he let a soul reincarnate three times. Who can say? He seems to regard it as the greatest hunt to come.
I do agree.