Seth Briars

"Oh, I've lost it all partner. My wife, my children, my business. Good riddance to them all. I don't eat, I don't sleep, I don't wash, and I don't care."

- Seth Briars

"I know, I can smell you from here."

- John Marston

 is a Major character featured in Red Dead Redemption.

Background
Briars is characterized as a dirty, crazy, old prospector who has resorted to grave robbing in his pursuit of treasure. He is obsessed with an unspecified Treasure and the map that will lead him to it.

Briars has a history of working with Bill Williamson, but is largely removed from the gang lifestyle due to his pursuit of treasure. It is this history which Marston exploits to gain entrance to Fort Mercer in The Assault on Fort Mercer.

Interactions
John Marston first encounters Seth at Coot's Chapel as instructed by an old friend of Seth's, Nigel West Dickens. Marston asks for his help in infiltrating Fort Mercer but Seth shows the least bit of interest. Until the conversation leads to story of Moses Forth stealing half his treasure map. Marston agrees to help Seth recover his map in return for helping him. They set out to Benedict Point where Moses was being held by the law after being arrested for exhuming. Marston distracts the deputies guarding the jail by stealing one of their horses, and leading them away,before returning to Seth. Seth knocks on the door of the shack before Moses slams the door in his face and tries to run away. Marston catches him and brings him back hogtied. Seth threatens Moses with a Knife for the whereabouts of his map. Moses tells Seth that it is in Odd Fellow's Rest panic stricken, causing himself to urinate. Marston and Seth leave him tied up on the ground and clear John's bounty with a Pardon Letter.

John finds Seth again at Coot's Chapel with a wagon load of corpses from Odd Fellow's Rest. He says requires Marston's assistance in bringing the bodies to a desolate location, Tumbleweed to be searched. On the way, they are ambushed by Treasure Hunters who want the treasure map. Marston then tries to outrun them in the wagon, killing any that come too close while Seth searches the bodies on the way, they arrive safely, with Seth having found the other half of the map in one of the corpses. By chance, the treasure map said that the treasure was in Tumbleweed. Seth tells John that he will help him as soon as he finds his treasure.

John later returns to Tumbleweed to find Seth robbing a grave at the old church cemetery. They head over to the mansion where the treasure is supposed to be. Unknown to them the center of town is filled with Treasure Hunters who then launch a surprise attack on the two. They push toward the mansion, with Marston killing any enemy's in their path. When they come to the room with the treasure chest, Seth opens it but all he finds is a glass eye. Seth is devastated but still agrees to help Marston as promised.

At the assault on Fort Mercer, Seth finds his way in beforehand. The Williamson Gang then lets in Nigel West Dickens stage coach. After the massacre of Williamson's gang, Seth meets up with the rest. Bill Williamson is nowhere to be found. Seth parts ways with Marston as he leaves, they never meet again.

Epilogue
After The Assault on Fort Mercer is completed Seth is not seen again. In 1914, a newspaper reveals that Seth finally found the treasure he had been obsessed with, somewhere near the Tall Trees region. He became exceedingly wealthy as a result.

Mission Appearances

 * "Exhuming and Other Fine Hobbies"
 * "A Gentle Drive with Friends"
 * "Let the Dead Bury Their Dead"
 * "The Assault on Fort Mercer"

Trivia

 * The Blackwater Ledger repeatedly reports on Briars' actions as a serial grave robber, noting public outrage at the desecration of local graveyards, yet the last issue also reports that a man named Seth Briars has found a large treasure of gold.
 * It is possible that Seth has Schizophrenia, as he has conversations with corpses.


 * During one of Seth's first missions, on the way to Benedict Point, Seth says:


 * (In his normal voice) Have you looked in the cave, Seth....?
 * (in a high pitched shrill voice) No... it's very dark!


 * This could indicate that Seth either suffers from multiple personalities or acts out both parts in conversations with corpses.


 * The irony of Seth's last mission is that he walks right by the treasure - in the basement, Treasure Hunter Challenge 4, and the #3 treasure in it.
 * The front of his left shoe is busted open, exposing his foot. It is a small feature to easily overlook.
 * His physical apparence was based on Mackenzie Crook http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188871/ especially in pirates of the Carribean who his character always lost his glass eye (what seth found in the treasure chest) and was also a crazy treasure seeker.
 * He resembles the character Gollum from Lord of the Rings. He has multiple personalities and is searching for precious treasure. He also has a similar body language.
 * In 'The Man From Blackwater' Seth finds his treasure (a glass eye) in Fort Mercer as opposed to finding it in Tumbleweed while doing Let the Dead Bury Their Dead.
 * Seth is a playable multiplayer character in the Liars and Cheats DLC.
 * In the mission Liars, Cheats and Other Proud Americans, West Dickens refers to Seth as "Seth of the Dead". This is a reference to the British Comedy Horror movie, Shaun of the Dead, which is, in turn, a parody of Dawn of the Dead.

Quotes
"Looks like you've gone and pissed yourself, Moses."

- Seth Briars

"I needs the map, partner...I needs it..."

- Seth Briars to John Marston

"Goodbye, John Marston, it's been a great pleasure."

- Seth upon John introducing himself.