Maxwell Roth
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- Jacob: "Why did you do it? All of it?"
- Roth: "What? Snap a baby crow's neck between my thumb and forefinger? Slice to bits the ones you deem "innocent"? Keep the world in its divine manic state? For the same reason I do anything - why not?"
- —Roth's last words to Jacob, 1868.[src]
Oberon, known in his alias Maxwell Roth, was an associate of the British Templars and one of Grand Master Crawford Starrick's seven henchmen. During the mid-19th century, he controlled the criminal underworld of London via training several of Starrick's gang leaders to rule the city's boroughs.
Biography
Early life
Oberon, Maxwell's true name, was born and raised by a couple in a traveling theater troupe, where he learned to perform for the masses. Due to the lack of profit of his parents, they turned to the life of crime - thieving and defrauding during their performances.
The troupe soon disbanded, much to Oberon's dismay. The family moved to London and failed to find steady work. They lived in the streets and Maxwell was forced to labor in workhouses and envied the rich families.
Tired of work, Oberon later assumed the name Maxwell Roth and ran away to join the circus. He learned acrobatics, boxing and sleight of hand and excelled. He returned to London and used his newly acquired skills in the criminal underworld.
Working for the Templars
Roth was in and out of prison, worked numerous jobs and gained a reputation as a dangerous bare-knuckle boxer. Within a few years, he used his skills to let his network expand.
He was soon sought out by the Templar Grand Master Crawford Starrick who offered him an incredible amount of money for his expertise in training Octavia Plumb, Edith Swinebourne, Rexford Kaylock, Bloody Nora, Cletus Strain, Lilla Graves and Victor Lynch who would soon become Blighters leaders for each of London's borough.
With the huge amount of money, Maxwell bought and refurbished a burnt-out theater in the Strand which would be later called Alhambra Music Hall. Roth used it as the base of his operations and funding shows for the public to enjoy.
Betraying Starrick
In 1868, Roth maintained control over the Blighters, but soon began to grow restless under Starrick's employ, expressing his disdain for Starrick's meticulous control over the city. Favouring more of an eclectic lifestyle, Roth sought out Starrick's nemesis and opposing gangster, Jacob Frye. Together the pair formed a partnership, and began undermining Starrick's criminal and economic power across London.
The pair sabotaged Starrick's shipments of explosives and kidnapped his henchmen Hattie Cadwallader, Benjamin Raffles and Chester Swinebourne. Pleased of Jacob's performance, he invited him again at Alhambra for more of Roth's amusements.
However, as they continued, Jacob began to grow perturbed by Roth's tactics. He eventually severed their agreement when Roth's anarchistic behavior saw him attempt to destroy one of Starrick's workhouses with children inside; while Jacob opposed Starrick and despised child labor, he would not sacrifice innocent lives to strike against the Templar Grand Master. To this, Roth shot at the dynamite crates that Jacob had previously placed, sending the workhouse ablaze and angrily left, forcing Jacob to rescue the children from the burning building.
Following this, Roth sent Jacob an invitation to a grand performance at the Alhambra Theatre - the corpse of the baby crow he had been raising as a pet - signifying his malevolent intentions. Once Jacob had arrived, Roth announced to the crowd that the show, "Corvus the Trickster", was dedicated to the Assassin, themed around near-death stunts, before he promptly set the theatre ablaze, with the guests still inside.
Prior to the inferno, Jacob managed to free the theatre's machinist, who lowered the stage's rack. This later allowed the Assassin to climb the rigging and cut away one of the sandbags above the stage, snaring Roth by the foot and elevating him up to his demise at the end of Jacob's Hidden Blade. In the midst of his final words, Roth explained his motivations, before planting a goodbye kiss upon the unsuspecting Jacob and passing away, ending the Blighters' firm grip on London as well as Starrick's control of the criminal underworld.
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