Fisk had always worked with his hands; he was born with quite large ones at that. They made good fists and could easily hold swords, blades, and guns if he thought it necessary, but he would much rather use them to build. Fisk’s mother and father were both craftsmen who worked in the family blacksmithery; however, his mother did much more of the forging than his father. Fisk’s father lost three fingers on his left hand and much of the muscle in his arms, which made him resort to other forms of tinkering, often involving complex machinery such as pocket watches. 

Fisk learned both the skills of the forge and mechanics from childhood, but it was his time in the forge that sealed his fate. One day, after spending much time over the hot coals, he realised he no longer felt the heat on his skin. Before he could understand exactly what had happened to him, he exploded. The blast from his hands destroyed the forge, and the family home, and killed his already weak father. His mother returned from the market to find an empty ruin and a note from her son, which was both an apology and a goodbye. Fisk ran into the rebellion amidst his troubles, hoping that his skills to create could help save lives and, in doing so, redeem him for the destruction he had caused back home.