Stagger is a wiry young man with a constant, defiant scowl and a lean build that suggests whip-cord muscle rather than bulk. He has short-cropped black hair that looks like it was cut with a jagged knife and deep-set grey eyes that never stop moving. His knuckles are heavily calloused and scarred, often wrapped in rough grey linens, and he favors loose, dark commoner clothes that don't hinder his frantic, erratic movements.

Brash and quick to take offense, Stagger uses aggression as a shield. He is fiercely independent and has a burning desire to prove he is more than just another street rat. He despises laziness and cowardice, often pushing himself to the point of exhaustion to ensure he is never the weakest link in a chain.

Stagger grew up in the shadow of a father known only as Shakes, a man whose cowardice was as legendary as his addiction to cheap wine. Every time Shakes botched a job or ducked a debt, it was Stagger who took the hits from the neighborhood heavies. He learned to move before the blow landed, turning a desperate scramble for survival into a refined, if chaotic, style of street fighting. He earned his name from the way he wobbles and weaves to bait opponents into swinging at empty air. He spent years running errands for local syndicates, using his quick hands to lift purses and his quick feet to escape the city watch. But deep down, Stagger hated the life of a petty criminal. He watched his father die in a gutter, alone and unmourned, and swore that his own legacy would be written in blood and discipline rather than failure. He took his meager savings and fled the city, seeking a path that would transform his street-born instincts into something honorable, yet he still carries the jagged edge of the slums wherever he goes.