|
SIRATH
One of the seven main characters in the Chronicles series.
BACKGROUND - Sirath is an orphan who was raised on the streets of Canalecht. He tells of having a varied life getting by as he could, often surviving by thievery and other forms of robbery, a habit forming enterprise that still forms a part of his behaviour. He speaks of having being interned within a Workhouse when as a child, which he later escaped from with a few others. He has been looked after by at least one group of prostitutes in Canalecht for some period of time, and also states that he has worked on the markets of that city upon the stalls. He hints at having been involved in the murder of at least one person, possibly more, particularly with reference to the Workhouse he escaped from, a place he also hints he was sexually abused in.
Sirath is very streetwise, and has a complex understanding of people in general, although he acts as if he has a flawed and two-dimensional understanding of women, a result both of his loneliness and libido.
However, he also has a surprising proficiency with mathematics. He is familiar with numbers, and their relative sizes, and can even divide and multiply large sums, even though he has received no formal education. Otherwise, he is illiterate.
Sirath left Canalecht at least a year ago, after he had an affair with a married woman whose husband was connected with powerful and violent gangsters. Claiming to be sick of the place anyway, Sirath has been wandering the empire ever since, making his way through the countryside indirectly towards the city of Corianth.
Sirath is not sure of his age, but assumes that it must be somewhere near twenty years, though his is flexible about this with regards to his audience, especially according to which age women would prefer to think he is.
GATHERING - When we first meet Sirath he is wandering the Midan Hills in the pouring rain, a storm overhead, when he sights a cave to shelter in. Taking his horses with him, he intrudes upon Ulric and his dying fire. Sirath claims that he has won all of the horses in a card game. Although speaking the truth in some sense of the word, as we later discover, Sirath's understanding of the rules of card games is flawed by an ignorance of local variations. Now that he is in possession of these horses, he is looking to find a market for them to earn money.
Broke and fearing pursuit from the angry villagers he left behind, Sirath is happy to join a group, especially as he greatly respects Ulric's superior strength and size, imagining him as like a bodyguard for a time, until later events prove his capabilities otherwise. Sirath is drawn by the security of money and lodging that Jerith promises, and happily follows to see where it all takes him due as much to his lack of other options.
REALATIONSHIPS - Sirath particularly gets along with Jerith, and forms a close friendship with him, both of which have a tendency to act like mischievous schoolboys in each other's company. Sirath constantly supplies Jerith with tips on dealing with women, while Jerith explains some of the past history of the Corianth Empire to him. Sirath also has an initial respect for Ulric, though this becomes strained when, during their daring visit to Erin in prison, Ulric falls at a critical moment, leaving Sirath exposed to danger. Sirath confers a similar respect to Dalathos, though is not afraid to argue with him or wind him up. Sirath tends not to deal with Tilrion, and holds a distinct distrust for Ezebekial, due to that man's strange ways. However, it is to Erin that Sirath displays a spiteful disliking for, and is constantly flippant and snide about Erin's being, even after Erin is seriously injured. This continues despite both Jerith and Ulric reprimanding Sirath for his harsh treatment of Erin.
ANTI-CHARACTER - Sirath's anti-character is Lord Vallence, though the association is not a strongly expressed due to Vallence's minimal role in the first volume. |
