Bramble the Brutal

"Bramble is a dangerous man, more dangerous than any Thicket leader before him. Why? Because he's smart and yet strong at the same time. He would kill us all in a heartbeat if it suited his plans."Zenaxus' inner thoughts of Bramble

Bramble the Brutal is the current head of the Clans of the Thicket, and a major antagonist in the Sabre of Meitor campaign. He is known around the True Kingdom of Arman for his skill with his dual dragon knives. Since 590 UB, Bramble has been in Arman City as an honoured guest of Emperor Aeris the Peaceful. There the two of them hope to maintain an uneasy peace between the True Kingdom of Arman and the Clans of the Thicket.

Bramble is known to cut an imposing figure, almost six and a half foot tall, his muscular torso hiding a body trained in reflexes. He wields two dragon scimitars, named Dragon's Flame and Dragon's Fury.

Bramble took over the Clans of the Thicket in 590 UB, but has spent very little of his leadership at the Chaparral, instead preferring to learn about the court intrigue of Arman Castle. His predecessor was Faobrosh the Barber, who died suddenly from poison.

Bramble betrays his friend Aeris the Peaceful during the events of The Blood Feast after revealing his loyalty for the Trident Association. He has been given the throne of Arman, even though The Commander is the rightful heir.

Bramble's battle theme is Mastermind from Fire Emblem Awakening.

The Jewel of Odea
Bramble makes his first appearance at Arman Castle when the Heroes of Time are sent there by Nekro Sander to steal the Jewel of Odea. He notices Zenaxus, a fellow Thicket, and orders the heroes to be placed under house arrest. Zenaxus manages to convince him to allow one member to explore the castle, under the false pretense of an investigation. To start with, Bramble accompanies Azrael on his 'exploration' before summoning two guards, Curtains and Blinds to guard him.

Azrael asks to see the Jewel of Odea, but upon opening the jewel room, it has disappeared. Bramble comes in to check up on them. The guards panic, beginning to blame Azrael, and Bramble draws his blades. Fortunately, he only targets the quivering guards, who are dispatched of quickly. Bramble explains that the jewel had been moved a few days earlier to prevent the threat of theft.

However, upon viewing the secret chamber, the jewel had already been stolen. Bramble almost sacked the castle, and Azrael discovered the culprit, a clearly possessed Harry. Harry was taken away for investigation, but not before he was able to launch the Jewel of Odea into the night sky. Infuriated, Bramble slaughtered two more guards.

The next morning, after the Jewel had not been found, Bramble interrogated Harry, where he revealed to him that he had been possessed by Luther Render, one of the Trident Association's top generals. Bramble is last seen ordering out more search parties not long before the Heroes of Time returned to Rausten through Nekro Sander's teleport gem, with Doris Strongheal secretly carrying the jewel beneath her robes.

The Blood Feast
Bramble was present at the Blood Feast, and watched on as Crystine the Sly and Letra Musca slaughtered many of the guards at Arman Castle. As Aeris attempted to fight back, Bramble challenged him to a death duel, revealing his true loyalties as the Third General of the Trident Association. Betrayed, Aeris attacked him in revenge, but found that the True Lance Duroc no longer worked for him. Bramble then killed Aeris with two scimitars to the throat. He then forced the Heroes of Time to surrender, before sending them to the Chaparral to summon the rest of the Thickets.

Disaster at the Dreadstation
Bramble arrives with the Armanian army at the Dreadstation, ready to take down Sero Zamod's resistance movement. However as they approach the Dreadstation, it explodes as part of the plot formed by Sero and the Heroes of Time. Managing to convince him that Sero had perished, the heroes also informed Bramble of Crystine's demise at the Chaparral.

Fight on the Great Plain
Leading the Armanian forces, Bramble witnessed the destruction of his main army at the hands of Count Benjen III. He was able to retreat with Letra and summon the reserves to finish the fight. At the conclusion of the battle, Bramble decides to head back to Arman CIty to build another army, send Letra and the heroes onward towards Druin.

Attack on Arman Castle
Having not been able to muster enough forces to head back towards Melsa, Bramble instead devotes all his time to locating the currently missing Armanian Key to the Haunted Tower. Despite searching for at least three months, he has not been able to find the key in question.

It is at this point that Astral lets the Heroes of Time sneak into the castle. They take out Nobunaga Oda, the new captain of the guards, before unloading a large volume of magic upon Bramble's troops. Unfazed, he challenged the heroes to a 1 on 1 death duel. Although a fiery Seth Qualls steps forward, before he can enter the ring a portal appears and a shadowy Zenaxus emerges an act which seals the ring. After a vicious fight, Zenaxus is defeated, but Seth steps into the ring kills Bramble with a Scorching Ray spell.

Personality
Bramble exudes an aura of power about him. This combined with his muscular physical appearance can make him seem intimidating. Furthermore, unlike most brutish fighters, Bramble has experience in court intrigue. This has allowed him to develop a certain cunning about him.

However, Bramble can be easily angered, causing him to lash out at whoever is closest by, such as the four guards that have perished during his appearances. This can make him a thoroughly unpredictable man, the worst kind of dangerous.