Derek Matthews - The Jawbreaker

His mother was one of Baldur’s most brilliant minds, his father one of its most brilliant boxers. Derek was born out of wedlock by a chance meeting of his parents at a ball, and his father, a big name in Baldur’s sporting world, was forced into marriage with his one-night paramour, whose own family was a large contributor to hosting the events, a steady source of income which fuelled their scientific pursuits. Derek was thus born into this world, where his maternal family was one of opulence, wealth and intellect, and his maternal family hailed from Grimgate’s outskirts; working class, overalls and grim-filled fingernails. The clashing of two worlds did little to keep the bonds of his parent’s marriage, and Derek himself was kept in the custody of his mother in the esteemed Alcott Estate, a large vineyard perched upon the cliffs north of Grimgate. Seldom would he venture into the city, except during the winters in which he would see his father, whose best days were behind him as the toll of his separation and isolation had claimed both his mind and body. Taking to drink, his father would often unleash his frustrations upon his son: the cause of his misery. The beatings only relented after Derek had come of age, striking back against his father, beating him across the head with one of the bottles he so often fuelled his misery with. Broken and ashamed, it was this that caused his father to regain his senses, aiming to redeem himself in the eyes of his son, and the mother of his child. Derek thus spent his winters learning to fight and to box, while the rest of the year with his mother at the family estate was spent schooling, aiding his grandparents with scientific pursuits and tinkering with his own ideas and creations in his study. The two worlds eventually met once again when he created his Brass Fists, powered by a small energy core, they were able to deliver blows strong enough to shatter a breastplate, and catch a sword in full swing without missing a beat, crushing it within their grasp. He hoped that weapons like these would protect Baldur from its enemies after seeing the Liturium War wreak havoc on the rest of central Tharador. With his pedigree as a son of the illustrious Alcott family, he was afforded entry to the Baldurian Inventor’s society from a young age, and within its ranks he was noted for his charismatic charms and easy-going personality. Being the son of a famous boxer from The Spit, a champion of the commoners, also had its perks, making him a paragon of the poor and downtrodden as well; people who previously cared little for the work of the BIS. With Derek as the society’s posterboy, they were able to bridge the class gap that often left divide in Grimgate, so that all could come together to marvel at the wonders of the society’s invention, even if they might only benefit the select few who could afford them.