Briar Moss, once known as 'Roach', is a fictional character from Tamora Pierce's quartets The 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.
Background
Briar Moss was, in early life, a street rat called 'Roach'. In The Circle of Magic quartet, he is about 10; in The Circle Opens quartet, he's about 14; and in The Will of the Empress, Briar is about 18 (his age is a mystery, since he can't remember his birthday). 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 passing mage, Niklaren Goldeye, caught sight of the trial, saw Briar's psychic affinity with plants, and took him to Winding Circle Temple to be educated in plant magic.
In Sandry's Book, his plant magic was woven together with his foster-sisters' magic to save them from an earthquake. Later, in Daja's Book, his magic was 'un-woven' from his sisters', although he still retains touches of weather, smith, and weaving magics as a result of the connection. In Briar's Book, he discovered a new disease called the Blue Pox, and worked with his beloved teacher, Dedicate Rosethorn, to find the cure. He lost a street rat friend to the disease, who was also the first person to have it. Briar later also lost Rosethorn to pneumonia after she had been administered the cure, but he followed her into death and rescued her. The incident was covered up by Dedicate Moonstream.
In Street Magic, Briar and Rosethorn have become travellers for Briar to see different plants and gardening techniques. In Chammur, Briar discovers an abient mage, Evumeimei Dingzai (Evvy), a former slave, who has stone magic. Evvy refuses to go to the nearest stone mage, (Jebilu Stoneslicer), and thus, Briar becomes her teacher. Briar teaches her meditation and about rocks and what they are used for. Evvy is contary and stubbon, often calling Briar's plants 'stone killers' and even referring to Jebilu Stoneslicer as 'Jooba-hooba.' Evvy is kidnapped by a local gang so that they can use her to find valuble gems, but is rescued by Briar. In doing so, Briar destroys the gang's sponsor's house, and the gang's hideout. Briar, Evvy, and Rosethorn leave Chammur for Leanpa.
The three end up in Gyongxe, where they experience a war. In The WIll of the Empress, Briar refuses to talk aobut it with anyone but Rosethron, though he eventually ends up telling his foster-sisters about it. In the book, Briar travels with his sisters to Namorn, where they are pulled into a life at court. Empress Berenene tries to convince him to stay in Namorn by offering him the post of Imperial Gardener, second in authority over her greenhouses. Briar thinks about it, but eventually rejects the proposal after he saves Sandry from a bride-napping attempt at court. He later helps to defeat Isabal Ladyhammer at the Namorn border, and opens all of his connections with his sisters. At the end of the book, he shows them a perfect mind-replica of Discipline Cottage, and tell his sisters that he created it 'for us. It's always us.'
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, Sandreline (Sandry) fa Toren, and Trisana (Tris) 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 also somewhat of a medicene man. This love 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. In the Will of the Empress he has become some what of a lady's man. In the same book, he was suffering from Post-traumatic 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. He also enjoys and makes money by caring for shakkan trees, which are 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.
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