Meet the character: PAXEM

About the Character: Paxem Auro

Pronunciation: Pax-em Orr-oh

City of Residence: Lacus, Corlan

Kingdom of Origin: Corlan

Status: Lowborn

Keep reading for a Q&A with the author of We Outlawed Bloodlines, Vic Massey.

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Why did you choose Paxem as the love interest for WOB?

Somewhere between 2015 – 2016 when I was first developing the story and messing around on character-creation apps, Paxem Auro was the second of seven outlaws I created in Solis’s growing family, each of them outcasts in their own way, seeking refuge in each other. 

From the start, I knew how I wanted to write the dynamics of this found family. I wanted Paxem to be protective over Solis and to bring her out the shadows she’s been hiding in. Solis is long overdue for a light in her life, and after the raid on Paxem’s village that took the lives of everyone he loved, Paxem needed that light all the same. My intent from the beginning was for them to balance each other. Both burn bright with different fires in their hearts and know when to step up for the other, though they don’t exactly figure that out for a while.

How did Paxem survive the raid on his village when countless people, including his friends and family, didn’t make it out?

That’s a hard question to answer without spoiling anything Paxem endured. What I can tell you is he made it out alive because of the love he had for his family. The only reason he ended up on the other side of the village wall was because of the love and worry he had for his youngest sister. If he hadn’t been trying to get her away from the killing, perhaps he would have been fighting the raiders at the front gate alongside his father and eldest sister. One of whom he doesn’t know the fate of. Or at least he didn’t until he returned there.

What was Paxem’s life like before the raid?

Before meeting Solis, Paxem had a very comfortable life for a lowborn. Lacus was a fair-sized village with decent crops and trade. Lumber especially. Paxem worked with his father and younger brother, Veron, logging and earning decent coin that went to their family of eight. In his spare time, he whittled small toys and figures from wood to sell or give as gifts. It was one of the few hobbies he quite enjoyed when he needed the peace and quiet. When he wasn’t working to take care of the family, Paxem was out brawling with his siblings and friends, practicing his fighting skills. He may have lived in a small log house and shared a room with his two brothers, but by many standards Paxem had a very good life before it was all snatched away so cruelly. 

Do Paxem and Solis fall in love with each other?

Paxem and Solis bond very closely over the course of the story. Running from princes, bounty hunters, and lords of different ranks, they become dependent on each other to survive. Solis has never been able to trust, and Paxem has just lost any life he’d ever known. The only difference between their scars when they first meet is that Paxem’s are fresh. Literally. He’s lost too much and failed his family, or so he believes. And because of this, Paxem refuses to let anything happen to anyone he cares about ever again.

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Stick around for more posts about the rest of Solis's newfound family: Ezek, Concordia, Ira, and Demerrea.

WE OUTLAWED BLOODLINES

An Epic Fantasy Novel Coming Soon

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