The Dumas family could trace its origins back to the twelfth century.
Back then, the Catholic Church wielded immense power as the voice of God. It even had its own army, and kings had to tread carefully around it. At the height of its power, the Church could even appoint and depose kings at will.
During the Crusades, a group of Knights Templar broke away from the Church and followed a warrior named Dumas, establishing a secret religious order.
Later generations honored him as "Saint Dumas."
The Order of Saint Dumas had originally aspired to punish evil and root out corruption, but as times changed and the organization grew, its teachings gradually became extreme-
Vengeance was justice.
They believed mortals could not afford to wait for divine judgment, and that the order's executioners should purge sin with their own hands.
Violence against violence. Evil against evil.
They possessed legendary "holy relics" and fashioned the "Armor of Sorrows" in their likeness to enhance their warriors' abilities. Through selective breeding, deep hypnosis, and drug interventions, they created "Angels of Death" to serve as the family's living instruments of execution.
After several generations, the members' bloodlines became intertwined, evolving into a community bound by both blood and faith-the Saint Dumas Family.
Eventually, ideological divisions emerged within the order.
Following its largest armed uprising, an "Angel of Death" broke free of Mind Control and destroyed the order's headquarters, inflicting devastating casualties on its main branch. Vast quantities of records were burned, and its core members either died or fled. The once-mighty Order of Saint Dumas fell apart.
One branch of its direct bloodline came to Gotham and reestablished the Dumas family there. Using the wealth they had accumulated in the past, they went into business and secured a firm foothold in Gotham.
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