Zenaxus

At the Battle of the Oaken Staves

> *Zenaxus is a special kind of person. We killed his family after they had suffered enough, yet he still follows our commands. Sure, he thinks of our demise everyday, but he uses that strength to spur him onto greater heights. A worthy Thicket if there ever was one.*
>
>

**Grimtooth Axebeard's inner thoughts of Zenaxus**

Zenaxus is a major protagonist in the Sabre of Meitor adventure. One of the widely feared assassins from the Clans of the Thicket, Zenaxus has slayed countless people since his integration into the clans. He was forced to join the clans at a young age after the death of his parents not long after The Enmity.

With the deaths of his parents pushing him over the edge, Zenaxus was forcibly integrated into the clans, despite being over the specified age limit for young recruits. Since this moment, he has harboured a deep grudge against the Thicket leadership for sparing his life.

However Zenaxus reserves his hatred for the Theocracy of Melsa, whom he believes caused all of his troubles by instigating The Enmity. His bitter nemesis is High Elder Vallogo Desway, who although not even born at the time of The Enmity, has not condemned his forebear's actions.

Although it is not stated, it is heavily implied that Zenaxus was the perpetrator of The Black Speech, where Astrul Desway was killed. If this is the case, then Zenaxus is directly responsible for the outbreak of The War of the Four Powers.

## Biography

### Early Life

Zenaxus was born to loving parents Thordin and Helki in 539 UB in Arman City. The True Kingdom of Arman was prosperous at the time, rich off of the mining of rare ice diamonds. The son of a blacksmith, Zenaxus quickly showed promise and talent for the craft, eager to please his father and become a blacksmith himself. An old tradition of the family was that a young new blacksmith would forge their own sword on their seventh birthday to prove their worth.

### The Enmity

On the morning of his seventh birthday, Zenaxus was violently woken by his father, who desperately wished to escape Arman City. The city had come under attack from unknown assailants, later revealed to be sorcerers from Melsa. Attempting to escape from the city, they came across several Melsan guards at the city gates, as well as a couple who were friends of the family. Having just lost their only child, the couple sacrificed themselves to allow Zenaxus and his family to escape.

### The Military Village

After safely fleeing Arman City, Zenaxus and his parents founded a small village on the edge of the Great Plain. Times were hard and relationships frayed, but the village began to prosper and thrive. Holding off several attacks from the retreating Melsan army and the nomadic tribes that would later form the Georgic Alliance, the village prepared a small force to strike back at Melsa in vengeance. The small cohort left shortly before Zenaxus' 11th birthday, led by Thordin.

### Second Battle of the Scalding River

Thordin's force encountered the Bergahornic resistance in the shadow of Pyre Mount. The volcano had been quiet for some time. However during the battle, the volcano erupted, killing most of the troops in lava flows. History had repeated itself, and as such this battle had been named the Second Battle of the Scalding River. Thordin perished in the battle, his charred remains only identified by his wedding ring upon his return to the village.

### Fall of the village

On the eve of his 17th birthday, Zenaxus named the village after his father. A mighty celebration was planned; it had been almost ten years since The Enmity. However during the night, Zenaxus was awoken by his mother, who was murdered right before his eyes. The attacker then knocked Zenaxus unconscious. The following morning, on his 17th birthday, Zenaxus awoke to find a member of the Clans of the Thicket grinning over him. Straight up murdering the man, Zenaxus was then approached by Faobrosh the Barber and forcibly integrated into Thicket society. This was despite Zenaxus turning 17, and thus being too old for normal Thicket induction.

### Life as a Thicket

Zenaxus adapted well to life at the Chaparral, quickly rising through the ranks to become one of the feared Thicket assassins. It was their job to assassinate key political targets and Thicket deserters. Zenaxus grew to love killing, and using his elevated status to pick off at the Thicket leadership that had cruelly spared his life. This came to a head in 590 UB, when he was able to successfully murder Faobrosh the Barber through poison and dispose of the body with no witnesses.

### Under Bramble the Brutal

After the death of Faobrosh, there was a brief power struggle for the position of Head Thicket. Eventually a young Bramble the Brutal took control, and ruthlessly removed his opponents from positions of power. Once this had been completed, he accepted an offer of court with Armanian emperor Aeris Rawle, and has not returned to the Chaparral since. However it was made quite clear that Bramble shows disdain and anger towards Zenaxus, the reason for which is unexplained.

## Rise of the Black Fang

During an investigation, it is shown that Zenaxus is one of the ones responsible for the multiple murders occurring in the town of Kummitus. He is directly responsible for the murder of Rennas Arethroat's parents. He is later captured by followers of The Blood Stone but is able to escape imprisonment when Fuil Sangiune turns traitor.

Zenaxus is later present at the Banquet of Riverwind Manor where he is given the opportunity to travel back to Liken with Vallogo Desway.

## The Sabre of Meitor Campaign

### Downfall

Seeking to become a deity, Zenaxus enlists the help of the Wuli Clan during the Festival of the Shadow Winter to split his soul, the first of many steps to god like power. Unfortunately the ritual was interrupted by an Asmodeus cult led by Seth Qualls and Crystal; Zenaxus did not survive.

### Revival

Zenaxus was then seen diving through a portal in Arman Castle, being the person to challenge Bramble the Brutal to a 1 on 1 duel. Bramble managed to land a knockout blow to the barbarian, sending him back where he had come from.

### A New Beginning

The good half of Zenaxus' soul reawakens on the Morbus Isles, where he gains the help of a resistance fighter called Thuramax Bastien. The two of them flee the Morbus Isles on a ship towards the Theocracy of Melsa when the resistance is destroyed by the ruling Black Fang.

### Battle of Carcino Bay

Zenaxus washes ashore with Thuramax in Carcino, with the two fighting in the bloody battle that followed them. Zenaxus was able to escape alongside his new companion.