Ironjaw

"Ironjaw" was the moniker of a notorious crime boss operating in the city of Erradan. He was notable for being practically unkillable, shockingly ruthless, and for going through several names throughout his lifetime. For a short time, he operated the Grinning Pact, a huge criminal gang in Erradan's city centre, based out of the Dead Man's Hand casino.
Ironjaw was the main villain of the Winter in Erradan campaign, his schemes being frequently disrupted by the actions of the vigilantes Shrapnel, Spellslinger, and Cruiser.
During the winter of 20.88, on the Night of the Long Vigil, the Vigilantes managed to defeat and arrest Ironjaw, after performing a ritual to remove his immortality.
=== Description ===
Ironjaw is a tall, athletic, man of Erdannian features, with medium length dark hair and blue eyes. His most notable feature is a mechanical prosthetic jawbone. His age is unknown, but he must be at least 50 years old, based on how long ago the Dead Men were operating. However, he still has the appearance of a man in his 30s.
His outfit has changed over time along with his name, however, under his most recent guise of Donovan Smiles, he tends to wear a bright red pinstripe suit, with a red fedora. He has also had his mechanical jaw plated in gold.
=== Personality ===
There's not many positive things that can be said about Ironjaw's personality. He is a sadistic, arrogant, and deceitful man, who lacks any form of empathy, and has no desire to change. Being practically unkillable has given him a reduced sense of consequences; he does whatever he wants because he knows there is very little anyone can do about it. He also has a tendency to become easily angered, and frequently takes this out on his own underlings, enforcing his rule on fear, rather than respect. If anyone gets in his way or crosses him, he is likely to kill them, and often makes a spectacle of this. His sadism goes beyond mere violence, he also seems to enjoy twisting people's emotions, and telling them things that hurt them.
===Background===
====Time in the Dead Men====
Not much is known about Ironjaw's history, or how he came to be. The earliest notes of his existence come from his time as a Special Operations soldier on the Frontier, working for the Tower as part of the infamous militant squad known as "The Dead Men". During this time, he was called Orson Redsands, though this likely was not his real name. The members of the Dead Men left their past behind, hence a lack of knowledge about his early life.
While part of the Dead Men, Orson worked alongside Horace Schumacher, Troy Silverglass, Wayne Ravenstead, and Clay Carpenter (senior). Orson was known as the most brutal of the group, and often disagreed with the other members.
At some point during their actions on the Frontier, Orson was involved in a train accident that resulted in the loss of his lower jawbone. It was replaced with a prosthetic mechanical jaw. This was what earned him his moniker, though the name also refers to his supernatural resilience.
The last mission that the Dead Men embarked upon was the infamous Eccleton Incident, where a classified artefact emerged from below ground into a Frontier schoolroom, and the Dead Men were instructed to kill all witnesses. Wayne Ravenstead refused to follow this instruction, so Ironjaw killed him. The event caused an irreparable divide in the group that caused them to disband.
====Petty Crime in Erradan====
After returning from the Frontier, Ironjaw turned to a life of petty crime in Erradan, running a series of cons under a new name; "Jayce". He worked alongside Evelyn Munroe for some time, before she betrayed him, leaving him to be caught by the police.
Ironjaw was dragged to Bleakstone Prison, but only a few years later managed to escape during the Bleakstone Breakout of 20.87. After being freed, he began to establish his own gang, and even managed to mount an assault on the King's Cup Pub in search of Evelyn, to take revenge for her betrayal. He did not succeed, but managed to kill many of the rival gang members.
====Rise of the Grinning Pact====
When Circe Rosenclair became the War Minister of Erradan, she knew that her Clockwork Legion would not be enough to control the organised crime of the city. And so she approached Ironjaw with an offer of mutual benefit; she would give him the resources to build up his gang, enough to take control of the majority of crime in the city. She would make sure that law enforcement didn't get in the way, but he would need to make sure his gang acted in her best interests. Ironjaw agreed.
Under the new name of "Donovan Smiles", Ironjaw took over a popular casino, and made deals with various petty crime lords across the City Centre. With other gangs being ruthlessly attacked by the Clockwork Legion, many criminals flocked to Ironjaw's organisation, who promised immunity from the law. His gang became known as the "Grinning Pact", and quickly became the largest gang in the city, with half the constabulary secretly on side.
However, at some point during this time, Ironjaw discovered that he was suffering from a terminal illness, that even his healing couldn't fix. No standard doctors could solve it, partially due to the fact that Ironjaw's biology was different from most peoples. So, he desperately began searching for other solutions, delving into obscure magic and alchemy. These profane experiments, and the people who were abducted as test subjects, led to the Vigilantes uncovering his operations, and beginning their campaign against him.
=== Allies and Lieutenants===
====Doctor Joy====
The disgraced surgeon, Dina Steiner, under the moniker of "Doctor Joy", worked closely alongside Ironjaw, partially as she was fascinated by his supernatural healing factor. She was a part of Ironjaw's search for a cure for his illness, and though she was unable to help him, she pointed him the direction of darker, more esoteric magic. The Vigilantes stopped her operations, and gave her into the custody of her sister, Larissa Steiner.
==== Desmond Thorpe====
Desmond Thorpe was once a minor lawyer, who fell into white-collar crime, and ended up working as Ironjaw's personal assistant and legal advisor. There was some manner of intimate relationship between Desmond and his employer, though this was unlikely to be romantic due to Ironjaw's complete lack of empathy or care towards any other human being. After Ironjaw's arrest, Desmond remained at the casino and attempted to keep the Pact together, but fled when the Black Dragon Brotherhood attacked. His current fate is unknown. 
====Alessia Esposito====
Alessia is a socialite and businesswoman who signed onto the Grinning Pact, and became one of Ironjaw's main representatives. She is known to be friendly and good at making connections, while also being able to put her foot down when needed. After the collapse of the Grinning Pact, she fled the city to escape the Pact's enemies.
====Arabella de Armas====
A former member of the Black Dragon Brotherhood, Arabella de Armas was Alessia's secretary, and had a major interest in the occult and forbidden magic. When Ironjaw started delving into obscure magic to try and cure his illness, she became integral to researching the magic required, and planned a ritual that would enhance his immortality. The ritual was disrupted by the Vigilantes, who corrupted it to produce the opposite effect, and Arabella was arrested.
====Baccarat====
"Baccarat" is the moniker of Jack Sharpe, who was once a famed heavyweight boxer many years ago, until he was involved in a cheating scandal. He became one of Ironjaw's main enforcers, keeping an eye on the Casino, and roughing up anyone who needed it. After the Pact acquired the infamous "Steel Fist" of the deceased criminal Steelfist, the augment was applied to Baccarat in the hopes it would make him more powerful in a fight. After Ironjaw's arrest, Baccarat took over the Casino and attempted to become the new leader of the Pact, but fled when the Black Dragon Brotherhood attacked. His current fate is unknown.
====The Bloodhound====
The Bloodhound, real name unknown, was one of Ironjaw's top enforcers, in charge of tracking people down. She was able to lure the Vigilantes into a trap and almost defeated them by exploiting the weaknesses of Spellslinger and Shrapnel, however she did not account for the presence of Cruiser, who managed to defeat and kill her.