Thaxus is a lean, sharp-featured tiefling with deep crimson skin, swept-back black hair, and curling horns polished smooth from years of absentminded handling. His amber eyes are constantly moving, measuring exits, pockets, and hands. He wears a well-fitted but heavily patched suit of dark leather armor beneath a weathered charcoal cloak. A small brass rat charm hangs from his belt, its surface worn bright where his thumb rubs it whenever he is thinking. He stands too close during conversations, often without realizing it, and has an unsettling habit of appearing beside people rather than approaching them.

Thaxus is quick-witted, observant, and irreverently charming. He treats danger like a puzzle and conversation like a game of hidden wagers. Though he pretends to care only about coin and personal freedom, he is unusually alert to frightened children, exploited servants, and anyone being cornered by people with greater power. He dislikes solemn promises but remembers every one he makes.

Thaxus Karigan grew up beneath the crowded bridges and rain-blackened roofs of a sprawling city, where a child learned quickly that hunger made poor company and hesitation made expensive mistakes. His mother disappeared when he was young, leaving him with only a brass rat charm and a name he was never certain belonged to him. He survived by carrying messages, lifting purses, and guiding strangers through alleys that respectable citizens pretended did not exist. His infernal heritage made him memorable, but it also made him useful to criminals who wanted someone blamed before anyone thought to look for the truth. An elderly pickpocket named Vey taught Thaxus the difference between stealing and taking responsibility. Vey showed him how to read a room, how to leave a mark without leaving evidence, and how to keep one promise even when every other promise in the city was for sale. When Vey vanished after robbing the wrong magistrate, Thaxus took the old thief's brass rat charm and began working farther from home. He now travels as a rogue-for-hire, chasing coin, secrets, and the faint possibility that Vey is still alive somewhere beyond the city walls. He tells himself he wants freedom, but what he really wants is to become impossible for anyone to discard.