"When you find power over your mind and self, not the world around you, realizing this is true strength."

-Axel

 

Axel is a Dragonkind monk and the temple master of the “Defenders of the Sovereign Leaf.” Axel and the Defenders of the Sovereign Leaf swear no alliance to any specific group, remaining neutral in almost every capacity possible. They will intervene to protect the lives of the innocent or those in danger, but are not known for socializing or interacting with other nearby mortal groups or becoming involved in political affairs. Typically, these monks only leave their temple when called upon or when in need of supplies from outside resources.

 

The “Sovereign Leaf” refers to a plant indigenous to Havokk, the “Dream Flake.” Axel and the other Defenders of the Sovereign Leaf derive their enhanced-sense abilities from the leaves of this rare plant. Dream Flake is an anomaly on Havokk as it does not appear to age, wilt, or decompose over time. It is said that Rhythmos, the Elder Dragonkind and Warden of Time, specifically enhanced this plant with its time-bending magic, but the true purpose or origins of the plant have been lost to time. A single dose can incapacitate a common mortal upon use, but for Dragonkind, their ancient power and heritage slow their perception of time and enhance their body's ability to tune into their senses. Axel has used the power of the Dream Flake to train his physical form to peak condition so that he can defend the inhabitants of Havokk.

 

In early life, when Axel and a "brother" Dragonkind, Tama. Orphaned together, the two were travelling across Havokk’s vast expanses and continued to encounter opposition on their travels at the hands of mortal attempts to claim power for their own. The two Dragonkind fled to the closest mountains of their region in hopes of a simpler life free of adversity. What they found instead was the very type of Mortals that they had been seeking out: Master Kuzuryu and those who followed a path of enlightenment, knowledge, and self-improvement rather than an endless pursuit of power.

 

There was peace, for a time, before Zhakul ultimately cursed Tama to be consumed by the darkness of the Void into his Dragonsoul. Axel now feels he must defeat Tama and find a way to return his Dragonsoul to balance before he becomes a terrible force Havokk must protect itself from, as the dark Elder Dragonkind Armanos was before him.

 

Axel, following the loss of his brother-in-arms, dedicated himself and his resolve to resisting the power of Aribus, Lylath, or any other so-called deity. Training under Master Kuzuryu for many years, Axel was promoted to master of the Temple, and Master Kuzuryu has since aided in training the future generations of Defenders of the Sovereign Leaf.