A. Smithson
A. Smithson was raised in the Iron Works by a mother who believed in keeping things simple: follow the laws, follow the customs, and hit first when hitting was called for. Smithson followed the advice into mercenary work, but the part that kept Smithson coming back was not the violence itself. It was the planning. Tactical thinking, the careful arrangement of assets before a raid, the satisfaction of a battle plan executed precisely: these were the pleasures Smithson would never have admitted to aloud. Superiors noticed the aptitude and promoted Smithson to captain.
As captain, Smithson led raids against Postal Workers and the Uprising, killing or capturing large numbers of people with the efficiency of someone who had found their calling. When the war intensified, the Iron Works Graverobbers offered to increase Smithson's infection levels through a new enhancement procedure. It was painful. It was also transformative. Smithson emerged revitalized, less concerned about dying in battle, willing to take risks that would have been reckless before. The fear of death receded, and what replaced it was a hunger for the fight.
Assigned to guard the Graverobbers, Smithson noticed cracks in the machinery. One Graverobber, Doctor L. Arx, seemed unhappy with the work and might defect. After being killed in battle and returning through the Mortis Amaranthine, Smithson learned the deeper truth: the Pureblood Eileen was deliberately manipulating Arx to keep the Graverobber loyal, a scheme hatched by Pureblood leadership. Smithson had recently been brought in on the plan. Killed a second time as the battle intensified, Smithson carried this intelligence into the Mortis Amaranthine, where the Uprising had another chance to extract what the blunt instrument had observed.
As captain, Smithson led raids against Postal Workers and the Uprising, killing or capturing large numbers of people with the efficiency of someone who had found their calling. When the war intensified, the Iron Works Graverobbers offered to increase Smithson's infection levels through a new enhancement procedure. It was painful. It was also transformative. Smithson emerged revitalized, less concerned about dying in battle, willing to take risks that would have been reckless before. The fear of death receded, and what replaced it was a hunger for the fight.
Assigned to guard the Graverobbers, Smithson noticed cracks in the machinery. One Graverobber, Doctor L. Arx, seemed unhappy with the work and might defect. After being killed in battle and returning through the Mortis Amaranthine, Smithson learned the deeper truth: the Pureblood Eileen was deliberately manipulating Arx to keep the Graverobber loyal, a scheme hatched by Pureblood leadership. Smithson had recently been brought in on the plan. Killed a second time as the battle intensified, Smithson carried this intelligence into the Mortis Amaranthine, where the Uprising had another chance to extract what the blunt instrument had observed.
Children
