"After surviving a terrible mining accident, Norton Campbell became even more reserved and gloomy. With the meteorite magnet he obtained from the accident, he changed his profession and became a geological surveyor to avoid entering the darkness of the mine."
LORE!!
This page is dedicated to compiling and making sense of Norton's lore by use of every tool available to me, including but not limited to: deduction quests, birthday letters, promotional videos, in-game story modes, the Japanese Twitter's in-character tweets, events, costume descriptions and themes, and emotes. Due to the nature of Identity V lore, I can not guarantee that my deductions will be correct or that new information will not change or retcon any of the information provided here. I have done my best to make it clear what is pure speculation, and what is more grounded in canon, as well as to make it clear what I am drawing on so you can come to your own conclusions.
BASIC OVERVIEW!BACKSTORY BASICSNorton Campbell was born into a poor mining family. His father was a miner who died of black lung and little is known about his mother. Norton became a miner at an early age as well, although it is unknown exactly how young he was, simply that his schooling was limited due to him being employed. Norton was not well liked by his peers. He was considered a difficult person to be around due to his emotions changing rapidly. However, he was also known to be extremely hardworking, showing up to work much earlier than the other miners and leaving last. This did not improve Norton's reputation though, as it simply caused his coworkers to be intimidated by him. The only people who seem to have held him in high regard were his employers who wrote him letters of recommendation. He is also known to have cared for elderly miners who were either in hospice or were unhoused.At some point Norton becomes "infected" although it is not directly stated what this "infection" is or when it began. I am of the belief that Norton's condition is black lung, as it has caused him breathing issues. Norton becomes deeply afraid as his condition worsens, often feeling as if he is back in the mines. Norton seems to have been close with a friend of his father known as "Iron Chisel" Benny. Norton's father had been in on a plan with Benny to mine gold and become wealthy but died before this plan could be realized. Benny then told Norton about the plan, however, Norton went behind Benny's back to get the gold for himself. In order to expedite the discovery of the gold, Norton set off explosives in the mine while he and the other miners were inside, causing a cave in. All of the other miners died in the collapse, and Norton was stuck in the cave for days, before finally escaping. While he does not seem to have found any gold, he did find a mysterious magnetic ore which he turned into a prospecting tool. It is speculated (in universe) that the magnet's disturbed his brain, exacerbating his unpredictable moods. He became a prospector after the incident, and while he obtained more stability and safety than he had as a miner, he did not achieve great wealth as he had dreamed. He is also unable to treat his condition, even with his newfound money and stability, so his condition continues to worsen. |
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Manor Game...
Norton was a participant in the Time of Reunion half of the Ashes of Memory/Time of Reunion manor game, it is currently unknown which number is given to this game. He participated alongside "Orpheus", Alice DeRoss, and Melly Plinius, however, Frederick Kreiburg is also a participant in the first half of this game. Furthermore, Sam Bourbon, Lord Melbourne, and the Capet/Kreiburg family are listed as being connected to this game in the Character Relations Menu.Norton arrives at the manor after all of the other participants, and after Frederick has gone missing. He was hired to kill "a woman" (heavily suspected but not confirmed to be Melly Plinius), which was his incentive to attend, as he wished to achieve great wealth. He takes a disliking to the woman he has been sent to kill, describing her as arrogant. However it is unclear if this is due to any true arrogance on her part, or simply a skewed interpretation caused by Norton's tempermental nature. During the manor game, Norton attacked and knocked out Melly, and went on to seemingly target Alice, however, "Orpheus" attacks Norton, presumably in retaliation/defense of Alice, who he is currently seeing as "Little Girl", and violently knocks him unconcious. It is unclear if Norton survives the encounter, while "Orpheus"'s actions are exceptionally brutal, we never see Norton's body, nor is there any other confirmation he that he is dead.
BIRTHDAY LETTERS
"AN UNSENT LETTER" (2020)SummaryNorton's 2020 letter was written by "Iron Chisel" Benny and sent to Norton. It outlines Benny realizing Norton has betrayed him in their plan to aquire gold from the mines.Speculation"I just can't stay in this dump any longer." could suggest that Benny was either unhoused or living in hospice, as we know he is both old and impoverished, as well as that Norton visited miners that were either in hospice or unhoused. Furthermore, since Benny used to work with Norton's father, who died of black lung, it is possible that Benny is also sick from the same labor.The repeated "You wouldn't..." could suggest that Benny trusted Norton, which further supports my theory that Benny was part of the group of miners that Norton visited and cared for. Trivia"No... Norton, dammit, you fraudster!" has been changed to read "No... Norton, dammit, you fool's gold!" in reference to Norton's hunter identity "Fool's Gold". This is likely one aspect of what Norton's hunter name reflects, that he seemed to be a "golden opportunity" for Benny to become rich, only to betray him. It also likely references how Norton thought he was going to become exceptionally wealthy, yet only ended up marginally better off. |
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"THE LAST PAGE OF THE NOTES" (2021)SummaryNorton's 2021 letter is a transaction record with Norton's own thoughts attached. Norton is hired to kill an unamed woman for a sizable amount of money at Oletus Manor.Speculation"...that woman" is suspected to be Melly Plinius as Norton attacks her in the video "DA CAPO".TriviaTBA |
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"INVESTIGATION RECORDS" (2022)SummaryNorton's 2022 letter is a record of an investigation preformed by Alice DeRoss who suspected that the mine cave in Norton was involved in was more complicated than a simple accident. She interviews Norton at the manor and keeps a record. She asks him various questions about the cave in, but he is not particularly forthcoming and she learns very little, and she is unable to afford the price Norton charges her for more than three questions.SpeculationMore nortmelly beef :] They truly are the haters of all time. I am curious to know why Melly is distrusting of Norton already, had they met before? Was she aware of him being hired to kill her? Does he just have absolutely Rancid vibes?TriviaTBA |
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"AN OLD LETTER" (2023)SummaryNorton's 2023 letter is a letter written by "Iron Chisel" Benny to Norton's father, who has been on a break. In the letter he informs Norton's father that he has discovered a means for them to become incredibly wealthy and that he's waiting on his return so they can see it through together.SpeculationAs Benny is never referred to as Norton's uncle, it can be assumed that "my brother" here is not literal, but instead expresses a closeness between Benny and Norton's father. This, alongside Benny's suggestion that he would alter new winter clothes he found into a quilt for Norton ("...that brat of yours") would suggest that Benny has been part of Norton's life for a long time.The letter also lets us know that Benny had children as well, although they are never mentioned elsewhere so we know nothing about them. It is possible that the Colin in this letter is a child of Benny's, but there is no confirmation. We also do not know where they are once Norton becomes an adult, as it seems that Norton may have been taking care of Benny, which raises questions as to where his own children were. TriviaTBA |
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"NORTON'S PORTRAIT" (2024)SummaryOn the back of Norton's portrait there is a note about him.SpeculationThe first half of this message can be explained by Norton's constant working, as well as his betrayal of Benny. In regards to the second part, it is possible that the fate he reached is dying of his sickness, or possibly being killed by "Orpheus". I personally speculate the latter, as his greed in accepting the job on Melly could be considered the catalyst in his death as it is what lead him to Oletus Manor. |
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REFERENCES IN OTHER CHARACTER'S BIRTHDAY LETTERS
"A PAGE FROM A NOTEBOOK" (ENTO 2022)SummaryTBASpeculationTBATriviaTBA |
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"AN INVESTIGATION RECORD" (ENTO 2023)SummaryTBASpeculationTBATriviaTBA |
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Speculation
Nationality...
Norton's nationality is a heavily debated topic as unlike many of the other characters in the game, he lacks a confirmed nationality. There have been many different theories presented by fans which I will do my best to compile and explain below. Please remember that this is all speculation and none of this is confirmed. I am largely undecided regarding Norton's nationality and do not necessarily think that any of the below theories are "true".It is speculated that Norton may be Mexican. His release S-tier costume "Soul Catcher" is themed around Dia de los Muertos. Release S-tiers do not always represent the character's lore, for example, Annie's (Toy Merchant) release S-tier "Shining Feather" is vaguely "inspired" by various Soutwest Asian and North African cultures yet she is known to be Czech and British. However, season 16 essence 1 is lacking in direction, drawing from many different cultures without any true understanding or respect for any of them. Comparatively, the designers for "Soul Catcher" seem to have genuinely put in effort to understand and properly represent Mexican culture, which is what has lead some fans to wonder if it is intended to be lore relevant. Other release S-tiers have been lore-relevant, such as Margaretha's (Female Dancer) "Animal Tamer". Some fans have said that Norton's "provoke" emote is based on Mexican hand gestures, others have said this is not the case. I have been unable to confirm either way.
Norton could be Spanish as in the COAIV lore he is based on the Spanish book character Don Quixote from La Macha in Spain. He is shown to call his car "Rocinante". However, it is also possible that this is only a nod to the book or that he is only intended to be Spanish in COAIV.
Some fans speculate that Norton is Scottish as his last name "Campbell" is a Scottish name. Furthermore Scottland was home to a devestating mining disaster called the Blantyre mining disaster in 1877. Similarly to Norton's cave in, the Blantyre mining disaster was the result of an explosion. However, it was much more devestating than Norton's cave in, and was unintentional.
While I haven't seen other fans speculate on this, it is possible that Norton is from the Republic of Chile, as his lore is inspired by the film "The 33", which is based on the 2010 Copiapó mining disaster which occured in the San José Mine in Chile. However, as this film is based on events from 2010 and Norton was born in the late 1800s I am not particularly confident in this theory.