Sociopath/lover of the poor
When Portia the young prodigy thief and telepath reads Braden’s thoughts, she is astonished at the number of things he doesn’t think about, worry about. Morals are nothing to him. But he devotes his life to moving wealth from the upper classes to the poorest of the lower classes. He cares deeply for the 203 members of the guild and their friends and many associates. He loves Irma and Portia dearly, but kills a fair share of the guards of merchant caravans with families to feed on a monthly basis.
Warrior, parishioner
Braden left the military of Umbras, Sinon’s rival nation, to expand his fighting skills in the east. He returned with an exotic fighting style and a reputation as the deadliest man in Sinon. Those in the 203 and their intimate friends know that that distinction is debatable. Gen, manager of murders, might manage to kill Braden.
Braden attends the church of a god he doesn’t believe in and is intimate friends with the priest, Sister Fera, a fiery woman of sixty with whom he shares a love of the poor, singing, and poetry. Braden believes in belief itself. Not a god. She enjoys trying to convert him to the faith. He challenges her faith in return. It’s a game they play.
Father figure, torturer
Braden doesn’t notice when he comes to love Portia like a daughter. He trains the frail girl as burglar and killer hoping she will follow in his footsteps.
Braden challenges Portia, herself a sociopath, about whether it is right to read anyone’s thoughts she pleases, as is her wont. Braden’s moral position on privacy is the more surprising for he is the guild torturer. As masterful with pain, disfigurement, and psychological torment as he is with his oversized sword.
Read of Braden in the short story “A Psychic Rises In Sinon” on this blog!
