As a baby, Tool was left at the doorstep of a rundown orphanage in a remote village deep in the mountains. The orphanage was poorly managed and often neglected by the townspeople. The caretakers there were indifferent at best and abusive at worst, providing little love or care. Never knowing the warmth of a family, Tool grew up in a world where survival meant exploiting others. He quickly learned to manipulate the younger and weaker children, relishing his control over them. His cruelty only intensified when, at the age of eight, he was cast out of the orphanage for injuring one of the other boys.

From then on, Tool lived on the streets, stealing to survive. His cunning and ruthlessness kept him alive, but the constant rejection he faced from society fueled his growing hatred for everyone around him. Over the years, he became a wandering rogue, feared by the other street urchins, and developed a reputation for his sharp tongue and fists.

Erlek, recognizing the boy’s potential for malice, saw a perfect opportunity to mold Tool into a weapon. He secretly began to visit Tool, feeding him lies about his importance and destiny. Erlek told him that his parents had abandoned him not because they didn’t love him but because they were too weak to handle his greatness. These lies filled Tool with a delusional sense of grandeur, pushing him further into wickedness.

Tool now sees himself as a future ruler, believing the world owes him for the suffering he endured. He willingly follows Erlek’s dark guidance, convinced that his rise to power is inevitable and that crushing the weak is his right.

FIRST APPEARANCE

Erlek's Tool first appears in Engines of Alchemancy (The Alchemancer Book One).