Briar Moss
Encyclopedia
Briar Moss, once known as 'Roach', is a fictional character from Tamora Pierce
's quartets Circle of Magic
and The Circle Opens
as well as the stand-alone The Will of the Empress
.
Briar is of unknown, multiracial
parentage. He is described as having curly black hair and brown skin, typical to natives of Sotat, his birthland, but with a Western
nose and light, gray-green eyes.
called 'Roach'. In The Circle of Magic quartet, he is about 10; in The Circle Opens quartet, he's 14; and in The Will of the Empress, Briar is 18. His mother was killed when he was approximately four, and he joined a gang, the Lightnings, led by the 'Thief-Lord', in Deadman's District in Hajra. He was caught three times, receiving a tattoo of an X on the webbing between each thumb and forefinger for the first two; on the third he was sentenced to life at the docks. A great mage, Niklaren Goldeye
, had a vision that he would find special mages—mages whose ambient powers were not easily discernible by the usual means—and as such was there, as he needed to be, during Briar's trial. He was able to detect the boy's psychic affinity with plants, and took him to Winding Circle Temple to be educated in plant magic.
Although initially a thief, Briar developed a strong sense of right and wrong, which would serve as a weapon against criminals and seductresses. He is cantankerous, but possesses profound loyalty to his foster-sisters Daja Kisubo (whom he calls Daj'), Sandrilene (Sandry) fa Toren, and Trisana (usually called Tris for short, but Briar often calls her Coppercurls) Chandler and his teacher Rosethorn, as well as a cutting sense of humor. His affinity with all things botanical has made him not only a master gardener, but has also led to such oddities as stealing and later coming to own an ancient, magic-storing, miniature pine tree called a shakkan, tattoos of flowers that live and grow under his skin (he attempted to tattoo over his prisoner X tattoos with vegetable dyes and one of Sandry's needles), and the ability to control growth of plants. During the Circle Opens, he is shown to be somewhat flirty, but in the Will of the Empress he becomes much more promiscuous. In the same book, he was suffering from Posttraumatic stress disorder.
), trees kept small which usually store magic in the way the plant looks. He and Rosethorn developed special weapons to use in combat. They are seeds, namely of thorny plants, wrapped in cotton wool. Thrown, Rosethorn and Briar use their green magic to simultaneously cause the wool to unwrap and the seeds to grow. There are variations of the balls, some containing vines to wrap around people and others to do actual harm. When trying to tattoo over his "X" marks, Briar's green magic and Sandry's magical needles resulted in a subcutaneous garden; plants grow and shift beneath the skin on his hands, often reflecting his mood. This could be considered Briar's "unique ability" (as with Sandry's power to spin pure magic, Daja's living metal, and Tris's scrying ability and sheer versatility), though these plants have yet to show any practical magical properties.
and dies. Briar, with the help of Sandry, Daja, and Tris, goes to the afterlife to bring her back to life, almost dying himself.
, Briar finds Evumeimei Dingzai
(Evvy), a former slave, who has stone magic. Evvy refuses to go with the nearest stone mage (Jebilu Stoneslicer) and thus, Briar must become her teacher. Briar teaches her meditation and at the same time about rocks and what they are used for. Evvy calls Briar's plants 'stone killers', because their roots dig into rocks and destroy them over time. In Melting Stones she revises this attitude slightly, believing that rocks occasionally welcome the change wrought by plant roots. In The Will of the Empress one of his foster-sisters asked him if and who was the girl he cared for more than other girls to bring to their breakfast, and Briar answers, Evvy.
Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce is an author of fantasy literature for young adults. She is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania. Best known for writing stories involving young heroines, she made a name for herself with her first quartet The Song of the Lioness, which followed the main character Alanna...
's quartets Circle of Magic
Circle of Magic
Circle of Magic is a quartet of fantasy novels by Tamora Pierce, set in Emelan, a fictional realm in a pseudo-medieval and renaissance era. It revolves around four young mages, each specializing in a different kind of magic, as they learn to control their extraordinary and strong powers and put...
and The Circle Opens
The Circle Opens
The Circle Opens is a quartet of novels written by Tamora Pierce and set in a pseudo-medieval/renaissance era. It mainly revolves around four teen-age mages, each specializing in a different kind of magic, as they find that they are forced to deal with mages whose powers are similarly unusual to...
as well as the stand-alone The Will of the Empress
The Will of the Empress
The Will of the Empress, previously titled The Circle Reforged, is a standalone fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, a continuation of the story of the quartets Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens.-Empress Berenene:...
.
Briar is of unknown, multiracial
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
parentage. He is described as having curly black hair and brown skin, typical to natives of Sotat, his birthland, but with a Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
nose and light, gray-green eyes.
Background
Briar Moss was, in early life, a street ratStreet children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
called 'Roach'. In The Circle of Magic quartet, he is about 10; in The Circle Opens quartet, he's 14; and in The Will of the Empress, Briar is 18. His mother was killed when he was approximately four, and he joined a gang, the Lightnings, led by the 'Thief-Lord', in Deadman's District in Hajra. He was caught three times, receiving a tattoo of an X on the webbing between each thumb and forefinger for the first two; on the third he was sentenced to life at the docks. A great mage, Niklaren Goldeye
Niklaren Goldeye
Niklaren "Niko" Goldeye is a character of Tamora Pierce's creation, who appears in The Circle of Magic quartet and in Shatterglass of the The Circle Opens quartet, although he is mentioned in all four books of both quartets....
, had a vision that he would find special mages—mages whose ambient powers were not easily discernible by the usual means—and as such was there, as he needed to be, during Briar's trial. He was able to detect the boy's psychic affinity with plants, and took him to Winding Circle Temple to be educated in plant magic.
Although initially a thief, Briar developed a strong sense of right and wrong, which would serve as a weapon against criminals and seductresses. He is cantankerous, but possesses profound loyalty to his foster-sisters Daja Kisubo (whom he calls Daj'), Sandrilene (Sandry) fa Toren, and Trisana (usually called Tris for short, but Briar often calls her Coppercurls) Chandler and his teacher Rosethorn, as well as a cutting sense of humor. His affinity with all things botanical has made him not only a master gardener, but has also led to such oddities as stealing and later coming to own an ancient, magic-storing, miniature pine tree called a shakkan, tattoos of flowers that live and grow under his skin (he attempted to tattoo over his prisoner X tattoos with vegetable dyes and one of Sandry's needles), and the ability to control growth of plants. During the Circle Opens, he is shown to be somewhat flirty, but in the Will of the Empress he becomes much more promiscuous. In the same book, he was suffering from Posttraumatic stress disorder.
Magic
Briar has plant magic and his teacher is Dedicate Rosethorn, who is also a plant mage. Briar can make plants grow very quickly and move them to any form, like creating a snare from a vine. Rosethorn taught him how to make medicines and restore them to their full potential when they had expired. He also enjoys and makes money by caring for shakkans (similar to bonsaiBonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
), trees kept small which usually store magic in the way the plant looks. He and Rosethorn developed special weapons to use in combat. They are seeds, namely of thorny plants, wrapped in cotton wool. Thrown, Rosethorn and Briar use their green magic to simultaneously cause the wool to unwrap and the seeds to grow. There are variations of the balls, some containing vines to wrap around people and others to do actual harm. When trying to tattoo over his "X" marks, Briar's green magic and Sandry's magical needles resulted in a subcutaneous garden; plants grow and shift beneath the skin on his hands, often reflecting his mood. This could be considered Briar's "unique ability" (as with Sandry's power to spin pure magic, Daja's living metal, and Tris's scrying ability and sheer versatility), though these plants have yet to show any practical magical properties.
Orpheus
In Circle of Magic - Briar's Book, a deadly epidemic threatens everyone in the city. His teacher, Rosethorn, catches "Blue Pox", as it is called, has a seizureSeizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
and dies. Briar, with the help of Sandry, Daja, and Tris, goes to the afterlife to bring her back to life, almost dying himself.
Student
In Street MagicStreet Magic
Street Magic is the second book in the quartet The Circle Opens by acclaimed fantasy author Tamora Pierce. It describes the further adventures of child-mage Briar Moss in his travels with his teacher, the Dedicate Initiate Rosethorn.-Plot introduction:...
, Briar finds Evumeimei Dingzai
Evumeimei Dingzai
Evumeimei Dingzai is a character in the book Street Magic, part of the Circle Opens quartet. She is also the protagonist in Melting Stones-Background:...
(Evvy), a former slave, who has stone magic. Evvy refuses to go with the nearest stone mage (Jebilu Stoneslicer) and thus, Briar must become her teacher. Briar teaches her meditation and at the same time about rocks and what they are used for. Evvy calls Briar's plants 'stone killers', because their roots dig into rocks and destroy them over time. In Melting Stones she revises this attitude slightly, believing that rocks occasionally welcome the change wrought by plant roots. In The Will of the Empress one of his foster-sisters asked him if and who was the girl he cared for more than other girls to bring to their breakfast, and Briar answers, Evvy.