[Muirdach]

I like those choices a lot, since they're things that a lot of characters (and people) have probably flirted with a bit - temptation and reactions to it. I find characters a lot more believable if they have both strengths and weaknesses, and especially reasons for being the way they are. So, off the top of my head:

Count Alfryn of Malston is known throughout the lands as a war hero. The captain of a fort during the farmers' rebellion, he and his loyal soldiers were able to hold the bastion in the most restless part of the country, despite being surrounded and besieged by a massive force of peasantry. Alfryn himself led the defense of the main gate, slaying many in hand-to-hand combat and refusing to yield even though the royal armies were held up in other parts of the lands. Due to his heroism, the rebels were never able to gain control of the fort, and thus never had a stronghold of their own from which to expand.

Once peace becalmed the lands, Alfryn was honoured with the lands that he had defended so valiantly, and wasted no time in hunting down the remaining pockets of discontent in his region. However, once the last sword was cleaned, he grew restless. He had never known true peace in his life, and he knew that he was too old to ever see a real battle again. Honoured in tale and song and showered with gifts, he no longer feels a fire burning within him.

Having no background in politics or administration, he began to leave the day-to-day running of his land to others. His steward began to exert more and more will, while Alfryn spent his days dueling and killing weakened criminals as an attempt to cling to the feeling of martial power that his age was beginning to deny him. His castle was decked with golden tapestries portraying exaggerations of all his victories, and he entertained old friends and young knights alike on a nightly basis, reveling in his wealth and fame. To fuel this lavish lifestyle, he ordered his steward to tax heavily the peasants who he still saw as traitors. He only pardoned those who would recognise the efforts of war heroes (himself, of course) through ever-increasingly extravagant gifts. Throughout all of this, he remained oblivious of governmental issues, believing his stream of riches to be never-ending.

How will he go from here? Another thing I like is that there isn't necessarily any karma involved, it is by no means inevitable that he will die by the sword that he lived by. He has many friends in high places. He still maintains a huge reputation from his past deeds, as much of the country still believes those who he rules over so harshly to be of questionable loyalty at best. Those who are his guests bring back the stories to their own lands, adding to them his embellished tales of glory and the opulence of his manor. The youths of noble standing aspire to his favour, to become knights and commanders and associate themselves with his fame. The peasants themselves, despite the oppression and mismanagement, remember their defeat. Will they dare to rise again? Only the future can tell.