Maddox was born in Cyre, on the 28th of Zarantyr 984YK. He was the son of a pair of farmers in the small village of Frostwatch, near to the Breland border. Frostwatch was mostly left untouched by The Last War, so Maddox had a mostly happy childhood.
That all changed on the 10th Olarune 994YK, when Maddox was ten years old. A Karrnathi battalion, having retreated from battle with Cyran forces further to the north, found themselves in the village. They demanded food and medical supplies from the villagers, who refused to comply. The Karrnathi warriors proceeded to slaughter the villagers, taking what they needed by force. Maddox saw his parents cut down, but the boy was unable to help. So instead he ran, and was one of a dozen villagers that made it to a nearby river. They kept on going for the many days, not looking where they were going, and only trying to get away from any pursuing soldiers. Their escape saved their lives; for ten days later, the surviving villagers had crossed the border into Breland. They were therefore not in Cyre when the The Day of Mourning occured on 20th Olarune 994YK, but they were close enough to the border to see the strange sight for themselves, as waves of mist spread across their former home.
Maddox spent the rest of his childhood wandering from one refugee camp to another; picking up what skills he could, but unfortunately the Cyran refugees were never welcome in one place for long. Eventually, he made his way to the semi-permanent settlement of New Cryre, that had been set up by Prince Oargev ir'Wynarn, the last surviving member of the Cyran royal family. Maddox, by then nearly an adult, flung himself into the concept of building a new home for the displaced people of Cyran. He found himself mildly proficient in magic, so sought out mages within the settlement, learning from them as much as he could. He chose a quarterstaff as his weapon of choice, and practiced with it every day.
Unlike many of his countrymen, he consciously chose to keep the memory of Cyre alive, rather than acknowledging the loss and finding a new home within one of the other nations. He immersed himself in the Cyran culture, as a way to keep it alive as much as possible – he wore clothing cut to match historical Cyran fashions, grew a neat beard and moustache in the Cyran style, and taught himself to speak in the accent associated with Metrol, the former Cyran capital. By doing these, he strived to keep alive the memory of what had been lost, in the hope that Cyre could live again.
Maddox was always very aware of New Cyre’s controversial position, with the people of Breland wary of it becoming a permanent settlement within their borders. When he heard the announcement that King Boranel ir'Wynarn was putting together an expedition into The Mournland, Maddox gleefully jumped at the chance to represent his nation. His hope was that if the expedition was successful, then perhaps the Cyrans might have a new permanent home. Either because Boranel ir'Wynarn was grateful for their assistance, and would therefore grant New Cyre a permanent charter; or because the expedition could learn more about The Mournland, so that perhaps the Cyrans would be able to mitigate or even undo the Mourning, and return home at last.
After getting sent to Symbaroum (SY01. The Promised Land) and finally returning (SY16. Symbar, Part II - Eenie Meenie Miney Mo), Maddox was happy to see the new nation of Cyre, and it's capital Oargev, formed in the reclaimed land that was previously in the Mournland. He stayed there for a short while, but one day suddenly disappeared...