Joel Saxon

Joel Saxon
Family Parents Trent, Mrs. Saxon
Profession	Student
Residence	Armedius Academy
World	Earth (Rithmatist)
Featured In	The Rithmatist

Joel Saxon is a student at Armedius Academy.

He is not a Rithmatist, but enjoys studying Rithmatics, and excels at mathematics. He is a fantastic line/circle drawer, even though he does not possess the magic properties needed to be a Rithmatist.

Joel is believed to be the only non-Rithmatist ever to encounter a Shadowblaze. with possible exceptions from before Gregory III began the current Rithmatics tradition.

Appearance and Personality

Joel is 16 years old and tall for his age. He is obsessed with Rithmatics, and is very good in every academic subject, especially geometry. Despite his aptitude in academics, he tends to fail at least one class every year.

History

Student at Armedius

Joel has lived at Armedius Academy his whole life. He grew up there due to his father being the school chalkmaker and his mother a cleaner. He was offered a scholarship by Principal York when his father died in a springrail accident when Joel was eight. Joel and his mother then moved from his father's workshop into a small room with one bed and one bathroom. Joel attended Armedius once old enough, and then proceeded to flunk one class every year.

“No son, I can’t agree to this. Too unconventional. I have already caused enough trouble. I’m sorry, son.”

—Professor Fitch denying Joel’s request to study under him

Joel was sneaking into a Rithmatist lecture from Professor Fitch when Andrew Nalizar showed up to challenge Fitch. Fitch was beaten by Nalizar and subsequently demoted Joel had to decide on a summer elective. Joel heard that Lilly Whiting, a Rithmatist student, is missing, and he sees a federal inspector on campus. Joel asked another student he knew about spending the holidays with him as usual, but Davis told him he’s spending the holidays with a group of rich, popular students. Joel decided to try and get a summer elective studying Rithmatics under Professor Fitch. Joel asked Fitch, who said it wasn’t possible, and gently denied his request. Desperate to join Fitch’s class, Joel decided to purposefully fail his Rithmatic history exam, in hopes that he might be assigned to remedial tutoring with Professor Fitch. After failing it, Joel was sent to the principal’s office. Once the principal made it clear that he intended to expel him, Joel confessed why he did it, and York compromised that if Joel passed his history test, he could be assigned to Fitch as a research assistant on a special project. Joel went back to class, and was allowed to redo his test, which he passed.

Research Assistant to Fitch

“No, it’s perfect. I… Coming in here feels like home. ”

—Joel upon entering Fitch’s office

On his first day with Professor Fitch, Joel met Fitch’s second student, a Rithmatist student named Melody. She was awful at Rithmatic lines, and was there to relearn the basics. Fitch assigned Joel to investigate census records to identify all Rithmatist who died in the last twenty years, as well as to make note of ones who died in unusual ways. Joel did the assignment with some reluctance, and helped Melody with some of her circles. While taking food to Florence and Exton, Joel heard a rumor that Lily Whiting was murdered by a Rithmatist.

“Yes, Melody. It’s not a competition - at least, its not a competition when you are involved. None at all.”

—Joel gloating over Melody

Joel determined to get through the census records as fast as possible in hopes of learning more information when he finished. During his research, Joel found Exotn in the list of Armedius graduates, which surprised him. Fitch had Melody and Joel do several practice Rithmatic duels, and they grew very competitive. Joel insulted Melody’s skills, deeply hurting her feelings, though he meant it as lighthearted ribbing. After finishing the census records, Fitch told Joel that another Rithmatist student, Herman Libel, disappeared in the night. Joel convinced Fitch to let him help with the actual investigation. They went over diagrams from Lilly’s crime scene, and met with Inspector Harding, who gave them more information. Joel apologized to Melody for insulting her and taught her a new defense, and they both spied on Nalizar, who was checking out a suspicious book at the library. Mysterious Rithmatic symbols were found at both crime scenes, and Nalizar was checking out books on unknown Rithmatic symbols.

Investigating the Kidnappings

“It’s good Joel, you should mentioned things like this. However, I don’t think we have anything to worry about from Andrew Nalizar. ”

—Harding in response to Joel’s suspicions

“Not having ice cream, is the culmination of all disasters! That’s it. No more discussion. We’re going. Follow.”

—Melody to Joel

Parents of Rithmatist students started pulling out their kids, and Harding initiated a campus lockdown. Joel told Harding and Fitch about his suspicions of Nalizar, but Harding vouched for Nalizar. Joel introduced Melody to his mother, and Melody invited Joel out for ice cream. She payed for him, and learned that Joel missed his inception ceremony because of his father’s death. Curious about why his family was so poor, Joel questioned his mother and found that they have great debts. The next day, he heard that Charles Calloway has been taken, with a few non-Rithmatists killed as well. Joel, Fitch, and Harding traveled to the crime scene, finding a strange, unknown Rithmatic line. They found a description, written by an surrounded Charles. He wrote a description of his assailant, and said that strange wild chalklings had attacked, and that they couldn’t be killed. Joel spots a chalkling and chases it, following it until he found Melody, who was curiously spying on them. Harding suspected her of being involved, but Joel vouched for her. Once back at Armedius, Joel confided his suspicions of Nalizar to Principal York. York told Joel that he was suspicious of Nalizar too. Joel showed York the strange Rithmatic line, which York said looked familiar. Joel realized that he’s seen the symbol too, in his father’s workshop. He went down there with Melody, and found the symbol in his father’s notes. Fitch explained that his father thought there was more than four Rithmatic lines. Melody convinced Joel that his inception was botched, and that he should redo it. Through force of will, Melody convinced Father Stewart to let Joel redo his inception on the Fourth of July.. Joel began to doubt his suspicions of Nalizar after learning that Nalizar tried to save Melody’s brother at Nebrask, risking his life.

“That was when he saw it. A symbol, written in chalk on the brick wall. A looping swirl. The Rithmatic line they still hadn’t been able to identify. The night was strangely quiet.”

—Joel noticing the Line of Silencing

The night before his inception, Joel heard something outside and saw the mysterious Rithmatic symbol on his wall. He realized that Scribbler has come for him, and runs for it. He tried to scream, but discovers that the mysterious line was a Line of Silencing, which rendered him unable to call for help. He managed to escape to Exton’s quarters, using a clockwork coin Melody gave him to deter the chalklings. Exton used his poor Rithmatic abilities to box himself in, and Joel ran for help. he made it to Harding’s men, who melted the chalklings with acid. The next day, Harding arrested Exton, saying that there was irrefutable evidence in Exton’s quarters. Joel attended his inception ceremony. Inside the chamber, he saw a strange chalkling. Joel touched it and it fled. When he emerged from the chamber of inception, he was not a Rithmastist.

The Scribbler

“Oh dusts, oh dusts, oh dusts. We’re doomed. We’re going to die. ”

—Melody as the Scribbler attacked

“A creature of Nebrask. They lead the wild Chalklings. But… how did one get all the way here? And attached to Harding! I wasn’t aware that was possible. This is dire, Joel.”

—Professor Fitch to Joel

That night, Joel and Melody found Harding’s men unconscious. Joel realized that the Scribbler was attacking one off the school buildings, and rushed inside while Melody went for help. Joel found Nalizar inside. Joel splashed him in the face with acid, and Nalziar trapped him in a box of Lines of Forbiddance. Harding appeared, revealing himself as the Scribbler. Harding and Nalizar dueled, but Nalizar lost and was knocked unconscious. Melody and Fitch arrived, Melody freeing Joel. Fitch and Harding dueled furiously, and Fitch eventually won. Joel threw a bucket of acid on Harding, which got rid of the Forgotten that was possessing him. The wild chalklings then turned into the missing victims of the Scribbler, both those taken at Nebrask and at Harding’s kidnappings.

Aftermath

“If we go out, we go out dramatically! Nine-pointer! ”

—Melody to Joel at the start of the Melee

Joel confronted Nalizar on the day of the Melee, and Nalizar heavily hinted that he is a Forgotten, and that nobody would believe Joel now. Joel realized that Nalizar will use his elite student team to win the Melee and gain important positions at Nebrask, so that he can sabotage things there. In a move that was technically legal, Joel signed up to be on Melody’s team for the melee. They worked together as a team during the melee, Joel drawing lines with his chalk and Melody tracing them with hers. With both Joel’s mastery of Rithmatic defenses and Melody’s skill with chalklings, they won the melee, defeating Nalizar’s students.

Notes

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