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39. Blackbriar Thorn
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Before Day of Vengeance, Thorn had like, 4 appearances? His original, against Superman and Etrigan, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Underworld Unleashed (where he fought with Sentinel in Hell), and a stint on the Injustice Society fighting against Sentinel in JSA. When deciding on a hint, I tossed about the following: debuted in Gotham (too wide of a hint), and debuted fighting someone other than who would become his arch-nemesis (too specific but nobody would have gotten it?? idk). Anyway, Blackbriar Thorn. Given he has had more appearances in Day of Vengeance, and Scar said DO NOT READ ANY OF THAT SHIT, anything that happened after JSA appearance is spoilers to not be mentioned or whatever we're talking about here.

My character, Saoirse, is an Irish witch. So when talking about contacts (characters our PC's have pre-existing relationships with), I brought up druids to Scar, and he said the one person for that was Blackbriar Thorn. So I read what little there was on him and decided to agree. Since then, this bit-time character has been massively expanded in a way that very much suits my character, interlacing with her on a very deep level.

Let's talk about Saoirse backstory for a moment - it took months for all of this to be revealed to the other players (because she's a cagey beast), but when Saoirse was young, she was the child of two parents who could not agree how to raise her. One day, she went off to play in the woods, and went further than she should have, into gnarled groves of old wood. There, a being of wood bestowed upon her a crown - a single stick, wrapped around her head. This stick could not be gotten rid of - it always returned. And after time, Saoirse learned that she could move it, put it where she wanted, control it in ways, and soon enough, it began to show a personality as well. This was Saoirse's familiar, Twiggy, a branch who would be beside her for the rest of her life. And Twiggy is also her wand! When Saoirse was like 12, she tapped her upper arm with Twiggy and accidentally gave herself a large tattoo - a half sleeve of roses. This was NOT something her mother would approve of, and so she had to hide the thing... for awhile.

Now, because of her excursion in the woods, Saoirse's parents split and she moved to Switzerland. Then, after she got married and was found to be infertile, she got divorced and went to London, where she met Constantine and learned of the magic community at large. Saoirse would come to learn that her infertility was caused by Twiggy - and Blackbriar Thorn for giving him to her.

After fucking things up in London, Saoirse went to live back in Ireland, where she was approached by Jade, the daughter of Sentinel, who brought news of Blackbriar Thorn's return, and was looking to head him off, as Thorn had pledged vengeance on Sentinel or something. Saoirse, or more appropriately Twiggy, was the link. But Saoirse didn't want to get involved. Jade later ran into Thorn, and the two fought, and Thorn was defeated when Saoirse offered some support to Jade. And so Saoirse's four contacts have been established - Constantine, Jade, her familiar Twiggy, and her enemy Blackbriar Thorn.

Now, everyone has gone into the campaign with contacts, knowing that they might not run into them for years, or they might be dead, or whatnot. Lush hasn't met Bolt yet. We haven't run into Jade yet. Pepper hasn't seen Lagoon Boy or Hawkgirl yet. I wondered when I would see mine, at the start of the campaign. Saoirse started with Twiggy wrapped around her wrist, but inert, as our powers were being blocked.

Then comes our very SECOND week of sessions, where we travel to the Schwarzwald, and found the magical refuge of Brucke der Dunen. Holding up the domain was a massive tree - Blackbriar Thorn. His role was to provide refuge for people, and he chastised Saoirse for scorning him, when she was set to be the princess of this realm (a title she has adopted somewhat in jest and somewhat because it makes her feel good). Also found there was Enchantress, representing the Shadowpact, who were trying to recruit Thorn to fight against the Spectre. Thorn was refusing, and before long, the Spectre attacked. Thorn fought him, but was defeated. And we escaped with the Shadowpact back to Z'onn Z'orr. And within the confines of Oblivion, the magic bar that the Shadowpact remains in? John Constantine. Second week, and two of my contacts + Twiggy. Surprising for sure.

Anyway, we eventually returned to pick up a sapling of Thorn, still containing his essence, and brought it back, where it sits in a pantry in Oblivion. Thorn in this form continues to admonish Saoirse and sort of punish her in ways for scorning him, but he also takes advantage of the situation to try to get Lush on his side. See, Lush is a meta that controls plants, meaning she's connected to the Green, the very essence of the parliament of Trees, a mystical force that Swamp Thing was the avatar of. Thorn has been plying his wiles on Lush, trying to get her to side with him, in a way that is perhaps dangerous. As Matango, another ex-avatar of the Green is trying to get Lush to side with him as well, she is torn in two directions by these powerful plant-like entities. A dangerous game.

Thorn is so important to Saoirse because there have been a lot of things in her life that she feels guilt for - her parents' divorce, and her own - and both are really Thorn's fault. He's the lynchpin that set Saoirse's destiny in motion, and despite being a creepy old dude who preyed upon a young girl, trying to steal her away to be his princess in a magical realm, she knows that he's too important to the Shadowpact's cause, and thus has to deal with his presence, despite the danger.

Hint for 38: This is a character associated with Opal City.