In the last Character Spotlight, we had a look at The Whitemaiden‘s protagonist and main POV, Catirna Elkela. Today you’ll meet the secondary POV — the young, cursed sage Axel Pavlekel.
This would be the sage mentioned in the story blurb:
When a young sage turns up in the woods, tortured and cursed, a disgraced healer must regain her gift in order to save him. But it isn’t until she’s captured by the very men who cursed him that she realizes the true nature of the curse, and that the key to its healing lies deep in her past…
Like Catirna, Axel grew out of an older character of roughly the same name. Unlike Catirna, however, he has little in common with his forebear — little except for his love interest and a very nasty curse.
The Original Axel: A Moody, Mouthy Punk with Anger Management Issues
His name was Axel Moore.
A reckless but self-conscious punk in life, he had died in a car accident at the age of 19, in 1989, having missed a curve while both drunk and furious. The anger followed him into death, as the gatekeepers of hell cursed him with what was euphemistically called “rage.”
Without warning, he would go berserk — literally — and attack anything in sight until he wore himself out or managed to kill himself. (Yes, in this world, they could die even after death … and then be revived and die again. Kind of like a video game!) Fortunately, the banshee Caitir MacCandlish took him in and cared for him as the youngest member of her misfit household.
In this story, Axel’s wardrobe was a cross between punk and BDSM, as he wore nets and chains … theoretically to help others restrain him. (In fact, it was because Axel evolved out of yet another character, Brandy, who was borrowed from a friend.) He also sported bull’s horns on his head and an angry red scar slashing across his chest.
Here are a few old sketches of him. Note some details are missing, like the horns and chains:
And here is perhaps the best representation of Axel Moore, done by comic artist Noel Arthur Heimpel (then PurpleCloud, heh) back in our SheezyArt days:
Though the berserker rage was only periodic, his bad mood was 24/7. He was the most sarcastic, vicious and broody little s*** I ever created as a character, but I loved him. Not only did he generate lots of juicy drama, but his unswerving loyalty to Caitir, as well as his reluctant tenderness toward his partner-in-crime Kitty (with whom he bickered constantly) made him oddly likable.
I actually miss this original version of Axel, as he turned out to be one of my favorite characters. He had the best redemptive character arc in the story, as well as the best backstory, which haunted me long after the manuscript was finished.
In order for the new story to work, though, he had to change a bit. And by a bit, I mean by doing a 180.
Axel Pavlekel: A Still-Rather-Mouthy Sage with Anxiety Issues
Where Axel Moore was sarcastic, petulant and ridden with vices, Axel Pavlekel is your neighborhood “fine young man.”
As a Called sage, he can’t tell a lie without his face or voice giving him away, and he can catch everyone else in their lies, too. That keeps him honest. As a Gifted beastmaster, furthermore, he has the ability to communicate with animals through special bonds, which he maintains with a pet dog and a pigeon. That keeps him grounded. What keeps him softhearted and human are his six younger siblings, who depend on him as head of the family.
His full field-name is Aleksán Artiro Videro es Morna — a clunker of a name that he got for being a Myelnayan-born child of Lusarian immigrants. (Myelna being the setting of this story.) Though he’s a bilingual native speaker in both Myelnayan and Lusarian — and culturally identifies with both — he stands out for his dark skin and most of all for his orthodox faith.
As for his personality, Axel has a classic older-sibling responsibility complex and often suffers self-doubt and guilt. (Almost as if he’s hungover from his previous life as a jerk.) He also suffers from anxiety, which he’s learned to control through breathing, “rock chants,” and a hobby of woodcarving.
For all that, though, he’s practically fearless as a street preacher and a low-key spy for a rebel prince. He has also won the heart of Kityanka Elkela, Catirna’s ward and font-sister (to be introduced in a later post).
So, totally not the raging punk he used to be.
What remains of the old Axel is the curse, the scar (which he gets in the course of the story), a little rebellious streak, and a tormented but sincere love for a girl named Kitty.
I may miss the old Axel, but the occasional mouthiness from this one makes me smile.
Musical Inspirations
Some of Axel’s songs include:
Plus about a hundred more that aren’t themes, but still serve as background music for his scenes. Just for fun, here are the themes for the old Axel:
- Linkin Park – Breaking the Habit (THE Axel Moore theme)
- Linkin Park – Points of Authority (you can tell he was angsty, right?)
- Hoobastank – The Reason (had to throw in some cheese; you’re welcome)
Axel Pavlekel is pleased to meet you. Up next: Kityanka Elkela, aka the Lost Princess!
I must say I absolutely adore these little character blogs. They remind me a lot of our early days.
I think the “soundtrack” choices especially show the age of the characters. Back when Linkin Park was SUPER EDGY.
Haha, exactly! I had *mostly* outgrown Linkin Park by this time, but that didn’t stop me from using their songs as character themes. >=)