Many men have foul tempers, but the term “berserker” is reserved for men like Torc Bradigan. Better known as “Bloody Bradigan,” this half-mad sea dog seeks violence as other men pursue wealth or women. He is so inclined to murderous rage that his quartermasters keep him constantly drunk and numb or locked away like a maddened gorax in a cage. His handlers let him loose only when ships collide and boarders leap across the gap to capture their prize. Then Bradigan experiences his only true happiness: hammering his chain-covered fists through wood and steel, slashing throats, and strangling invaders with his own bonds.
Even with Captain Montador’s indulgence, Bradigan’s penchant for “accidentally” breaking the necks and ribs of his fellows finds him in the brig more often than not. All restraints come off, however, when bloodshed is afoot. On more than one occasion he has torn the brig’s bars from their mountings when not released into battle quickly enough. With an incoherent scream of unbridled rage he leaps headfirst into the closest enemy mass, bloodshot eyes bulging. Nearly naked except for the chains dangling from his massive arms, Bradigan leaves behind a trail of fresh corpses and the piteous groans of the wounded.
Bradigan’s story began in Five Fingers, where his natural inclinations served him as a street enforcer. His life irrevocably changed when during a back-alley brawl he choked the life from the wrong man, a low captain employed by High Captain Velter Waernuk. To repay his debt, Bradigan was forced to shed blood in Five Fingers’ notorious fighting pits.
One night while the crew of the Calamitas enjoyed the town’s entertainment, Captain Montador saw one of Bradigan’s matches. Seeing great potential in the fighter, he maneuvered to acquire Bradigan during a bout of highstakes gambling with Waernuk. Bradigan has proved a dismal sailor, but it’s his ferocity in battle that led Montador to take him aboard. Montador likes to say he gave the man his freedom—an ironic boast, considering how much time Bradigan spends in the brig.
Bradigan is not always angry; his moods swing rapidly from cheerful enthusiasm to melancholic brooding to barely restrained aggression. What is most frightening is the speed with which he shifts from one extreme to the other. A moment of singing and dancing with his mates can degenerate into a savage rage at the most insignificant incident. He even thrashes about in his sleep, punching holes in the walls of his berth while dreaming of battle.
The crew of the Calamitas are glad Bloody Bradigan is comfortable sleeping in the brig. Despite his obvious gratitude toward Captain Montador, Bradigan does not speak regretfully of his days in Five Fingers. In fact, he can drunkenly recall every match he ever fought. Some of his descriptions include reenactments of punches that land a mere hair’s breadth from the faces of whichever unlucky swabs he chooses for his audience.