Axton

Basic Details

• Race:
  • Tiefling
• Age: 30; born 890 PD.
• Class:
  • Artificer
• Height:
  • 6’3” or 189cm
• Skin Tone:
  • Red
• Hair Colour:
  • Black
• Eye Colour:
  • Golden
• Voice: Stern
• Accent: English

Backstory

This is the retelling of your backstory from Axton’s perspective.

Origins

Axton is a Tiefling orphan of unknown parents. He was raised in the slums of Gerward; the economic and technological centre of Terick. He hated the other kids at the Clockwork Orphanage because they picked on him for his appearance. Ostracized from society; he became a social recluse and began reading books and studying machines.

Tinkerer

Some of the adults at Clockwork Orphanage felt bad for Axton and showed him how to build small toy sets that had been donated or purchased for him by sponsors. This set Axton’s focus on understanding and mastering these devices in a mission to develop more complex machines. His innate gift was realised as he quickly began to combine the parts of his toy sets to create mechanical companions who could complete simple tricks or tasks - his favourite of which was and owl that could fly, send letters, and collect packages of new parts. Sadly, he regularly had to rebuild or redesign his machines; as the older orphans would hide or destroy them, leading Axton to become very protective over his creations. His efforts fixing his machines led him to desire a device that could easily fix anything that was broken and one day, he sketched up an augmented wrench that could do just about anything. The wrench could even function as a weapon should the user desire it.

As his mechs became more complex; too complex for the parts available to him, he resorted to stealing or trading for the parts to continue his research.

Dark Dealings

Years later; now in his early 20s, Axton had moved out of Clockwork Orphanage with some of the money he’d made from his exploits. One day; whilst enjoying a drink in a pub called The Rusty Wrench, he was approached by a Half-Orc male who attacked him over a pay dispute. Axton swiftly pulled out his trusty crossbow; specifically one he’d made himself, and ended the fight.

He ducked out of pub and made his way back home; only to be cornered by some odd men wearing similar outfits. After interrogating him; they learned of his skill in the Artificer arts and offered him gold and access to rare resources on two conditions.

“Ya’ gotta listen to tha’ bawse… That there is tha’ first part of tha deal - capiche? Secondly; and more importantly, ya’ gotta be able to put up’ with ‘er…”
- The Strange Men’s offer to Axton

Axton was taken to the Moretti Family Manor and introduced their boss; Vito Moretti; a Human man with a grip over the underworld of Gerward, and Maya Stoneheart; a Half-Elf Woman who was of the same mind as Axton. She took an immediate liking to Axton, and training him professionally in the ways of Artificership; specifically for the purposes of making Arcane machines of destruction.

The two grew very close over many years through their work and shared love of machines. He could sense that she wasn’t entirely happy working for Vito Moretti but didn’t press too hard for details - he could see she wasn’t ready or able to speak about her reasons for working for him. They both knew what he was and what he had done in order to stay in power for so long - but they both knew it was far too late to leave. During their downtime, the pair would work together on The Omniwrench and developed a functional schematic for the device - now all they’d need were the parts and the time.

Vito Moretti was a criminal and a terrible person, but at least he paid well and respected good work when he saw it. His son however; Marco Moretti, was truly just a sack-of-shit and he knew it. He proved to be a bigger thorn in Axton’s side than his father most of the time. Axton managed to hold his tongue and let Mara do the talking with Vito Moretti - but when Marco chimed in; usually to taunt Axton about his Tiefling lineage or orphan-hood, he couldn’t control himself. They’d come to blows a handful of times over the years; each time Axton would get a punishment whilst Marco would get off with a slap-on-the-wrist at most.

Breaking Point

In early 920 PD, Axton was summoned to the Moretti Family Manor for what he thought was a routine check-up by Vito Moretti; only to realise that Marco Moretti had been the one to summon him instead. Marco Moretti confided that he had plans to use Axton’s latest invention on a group of innocent civilians; some of which were familiar faces from Axton’s past.

“Oh I really liked your latest invention, Freak!

I liked it so much I had plans to use it on these people here to show the whole city how effective it is!!”
- Marco Moretti taunting Axton

I’ll let you tell me what the device was or if you want me to surprise you - I can do that.

Axton’s conscience could no longer bear the weight of all the blood on his hands and before he could stop what his body was doing - his hands were already nearly around Marco Moretti’s throat. A brawl ensued before coming to a swift end; when Axton’s invention was accidentally activated and used on Marco Moretti himself - killing him in an instant.

On The Run

Vito Moretti’s fury was swift and Axton knew he had to flee to have any chance of surviving this event. Mara helped her protégé out of the city and told him to head Southwest towards the coast - there he’d be relatively safe from the Moretti Family for a fair while. She referred to him by the nickname of “Crash” and he adopted it as a cover name.

Sorry that I sorta spoiled this above table for you at Session 0 - we can still run with this in campaign as technically, none of the characters have actually heard your name yet I don’t believe.

Axton moved South West with haste to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Moretti Family. He stopped as Wrestonbridge; a rest stop West of the bridge over the Lowrun River, after a few days. Exhausted; he rented a room and laid low for the night. At an early hour of the night; he awoke to a gang of Goblins stealing his bag of mechanical parts but he was knocked out cold before he could stop them.

Bridge To Campaign Start

He followed the Goblins trail past Wrestonbridge and towards Rookwell; based on intel he’d acquired from a band of thieves he’d caught off guard. It appeared the Goblins had been working with a group of Raiders that had been attacking Rookwell for a few weeks now.

Upon arriving in the town; Axton felt a bit ill and fell unconscious; waking up in the Ironwood Tavern with a high fever. One of the townsfolk came to check on him and did what they could to comfort him without Alchemy or Divine Magic.

Relationships

Maya Stoneheart - Teacher and close friend

Mara immediately saw the potential in Axton and rushed to foster it. For the first time she saw someone as a true/worthy successor to her knowledge/tutelage.

Vito Moretti - Former-Employer

Axton fell into working for Vito Moretti and the Moretti Family after a pub brawl one day. At first, he liked the extra resources but the consequences of his work came to bear on his conscience after a time. Vito Moretti is furious with Axton for the murder of his son Marco Moretti.