Helgando “Hush” Barrington, Mercenary.

Harsh looking sure, but he’s a cream-puff in a fist fight.

I touched on him at a glance in a past post, but I wanted to share a bit more.   To be honest, Hush acts as one of my favorite characters to write, but I never quite understood him until I stepped into his shoes.

We might know someone like him.   Someone tried and tested but inherently flawed despite that.   I wanted to add someone to the story that knows what should work, but often doesn’t.  He isn’t an idealist, he’s a realist.

That isn’t to say he’s spineless though.   Hush knows the rules but sometimes acts against them.   Risk versus reward.   The higher the stakes, the fatter the wallet.   The creed of a good Mercenary.

Hush acts as a foil to Zammela.   As he backs up his knowledge with experience.   Second to Tartagin, he’s the oldest of the group and reveres knowledge and execution in equal parts.  He sees those that can’ provide for themselves or contribute in a matter he seems appropriate as cargo.  From a contract standpoint, there is nothing above finishing the job…  But it doesn’t mean he won’t complain about the dead weight.

Zam and Hush are like oil and water.   Her ideals and his reality clash at every opportunity… and it’s a blast to write.   With how much fun I’ve had making his chapters.   I’m tempted to delve further into his past as a soldier.

He stands in the curious position of the group’s ‘big guy’.  By trade he’s a master archer but lacks talent with a blade.   He towers over the others both in height and presence, mostly due to his harsh demeanor and colorful vocabulary.

All of this falls on the page naturally, but it was when his background fleshed out he grew as a character.   Where he is from built more than what he is.  From that perspective it makes reactions natural.  That was the point when he evolved from an amusing character to a complete one.