Axel

Level 2 Human Aviarist

*"And finally, Axel's Amazing Aviary! See him produce birds from under his cloak! They fly, they sing, they deliver sweets to children in the audience!"*

*-The Professor, introducing Axel to the crowd.*

Axel is an NPC from Extinction Curse. A young man with a stammer, Axel had always dreamed of joining the circus and showing off his skills with his collection of doves. When he heard about The Circus of Wayward Wonders, he dropped everything to join it, despite his lack of confidence making him a hard sell for the other performers to allow in.

## Description

Axel is a young man with a terrible little mustache. He dresses smartly, wearing a top hat, cloak and vest. His voice is wheezy, and he often stammers when he speaks. He often keeps his doves on his person, such as hiding them up his sleeves, even when not about to perform.

## Personality

Axel is someone who can only be described as pathetic, to put it kindly. His low self esteem, anxiety and stammer inspire pity or sadism in those around him, depending on the person. That being said, he's also an eager person; he never lets bullying get to him for too long, and when he's determined to do something, he does not give up, no matter what.

## Abilities

Axel is a skilled aviarist, when it comes down to it; though his birds don't always obey him, when he's under the spotlight, they're invariably a sight to behold as they fly and swoop around the big top. Axel is also more perceptive than many would give credit to; he was the only one who noticed Nemmia Bramblecloak watching the circus before the performance began from the woods nearby.

Axel is also a surprisingly good improviser; when Volio Via tasked him with repairingthe Mechanical Carny, Axel did a surprisingly good job in repairing him, considering he had no experience with metalwork.

## History

Little is known about Axel's history before joining the circus. According to him, he had never left the town of  before the start of Extinction Curse, and left a dull life (and impliedly unpleasant parents) behind. What is known is that he was not a member of Mistress Dusklight's Celestial Menagerie, and he started practicing alongside the circus about a month before the grand performance. Axel spent much of this time pestering Myron Stendhal, trying to get a straight answer as to whether or not he would be allowed to perform with the circus during their debut. Thunder consistently danced around the question, refusing to give a straight answer to Axel. Ultimately, it was Axel who discovered Thunder's body after he had been killed by Nemmia Bramblecloak. Axel was given a role in the first show of the Circus of Wayward Wonders as part of the Grand Finale. While he was momentarily struck by stage fright, a quick massage from Royari San Sarnax and some demonic Guidance from Eriato Bati quickly gave him the confidence he needed to perform, helping guide the Circus' performance into its first show as a critical success.

Axel helped where he could during The Wandering Three's investigation of Thunder's murder, and was among the performers wrapped up in a fireside jig by the grigs, Tarisia & Cannono. He witnessed the Wandering Three's battle with Nemmia and her defeat at their hands. Following this, Axel spent much time back at the camp practicing as the Wandering Three continued their investigation of Abberton. Axel aided in the repairing of Mekano the Mechanical Carny, and helped to liberate the Hawfton Family's home from wasps.

By the end of Calistril of 4720, Axel joined the Circus of Wayward Wonders when they went to Escadar. Unlike many of the other performers, he was thrilled to see the port city, and joined Volio and [[1]] in a tour of the city and a quick fishing trip. He remained at camp, training, during the majority of the rest of their stay in Escadar.

When Mistress Dusklight sends a force of thugs to attack the circus while the Wandering Three are out shopping, Axel is kidnapped and taken back to the Celestial Menagerie. The note left behind for the party to find insinuates that he's going to be involved in some kind of gruesome "after dark" show that he is guaranteed to not survive, prompting the group to mount a hasty rescue in the face of most every obstacle that Dusklight puts in their path. He was successfully rescued, and afterwards shared a heartfelt moment with Volio before they broke camp to continue their journey.

## Relationships

### Volio Via

Volio delights in tormenting Axel, seeing his anxiety and sheepish
attitude as the perfect bullying target. He undermines and audibly
doubts him whenever he can, something which Axel doesn't seem to
actually mind any more than he minds anything else in the world.

Volio is slowly opening up to Axel, perhaps showing more kindness than was originally expected of him; the reason behind this slow change in treatment is unknown. It reaches the point where, after the circus is attacked in Episode 22, Volio is the first to realize that Axel is missing, the first to look for him, and the first to find the letter announcing his kidnapping.