Seth Briars

 is a major character featured in Red Dead Redemption.

With the addition of the Liars and Cheats DLC pack,  is also a multiplayer character model that may be selected in the 'Redemption' section of the Outfitter.

Background
Seth Briars is characterized as an unhygienic and crazy 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. This obsession has caused him to lose his family, his business, and most of his mind. It is also implied through conversation that his father left him which might also be a cause of his lack of sanity.

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 &quot;The Assault on Fort Mercer&quot;. Seth Briars was also formerly associated with Moses Forth, his treasure-seeking partner.

Red Dead Redemption
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 demonstrates an acute lack of interest, until the conversation leads to story of his former treasure-hunting partner, 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 is being held by the law after being arrested for exhuming. Marston distracts the deputies guarding the jail by stealing one of their horses, and leads 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 ("I think you gone and pissed yourself, Moses."). 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 he 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 are also trying to obtain 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 finally 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 and talking to the deceased corpse 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 enemies 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 and angry, but still agrees to help Marston as promised.

At the assault on Fort Mercer, Seth finds his way in beforehand, though his method is unknown. The Williamson Gang then let in Nigel West Dickens' stage coach. After the massacre of Williamson's gang, Seth meets up with the others. Bill Williamson is nowhere to be found. Seth parts ways with Marston as he leaves, never to be seen again after that point (Undead Nightmare un-cited).

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, and that he returned to his family and re-opened his (unspecified) business in Blackwater.

Undead Nightmare


Seth appears during Undead Nightmare relaxing at the The Old Bacchus Place 'playing cards' with his friend, the newly undead Moses Forth. He suggests that Marston cleanse the three New Austin cemeteries in hopes to end the plague in the mission "Get Back in That Hole, Partner". After the cemeteries have been cleared, Marston returns to The Old Bacchus Place to inform Seth that the job has been completed. Upon his return, Marston finds that Seth has thrown a 'party' with a number of undead guests; "Mary Lou" and "Francine", as well as a fourth undead that plays the fiddle. Marston is initially upset that clearing the graveyards did not end the curse, but Seth directs him towards Mexico, saying that the cause of the infection may have originated there.

Seth makes another appearance after the completion of "A Civilized Man". After Marston has eliminated the undead Abraham Reyes, ventured through the Escalera Catacombs, and returned the mask to its rightful spot, Seth is seen stealing the mask months later. This revives Marston from the dead, as well as reignites the infection.

Red Dead Redemption

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

Undead Nightmare

 * "Get Back in that Hole, Partner"
 * "A Civilized Man"

Quotes
"I'm going to cut you up, piece by piece..."

- Seth Briars threatening Moses at Benedict Point

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

- Seth Briars

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

- Seth Briars to John Marston

"Have you looked in the cave, Seth? (High pitched voice) No, it's very dark."

- Seth Briars conversing with himself

"Well, look at me! Look! Scramblin' around, lookin' for maps, half insane! I haven't washed in six months. My hair's fallin' out and my mind's goin'!"

- Seth Briars

"I hate people."

- Seth Briars

"I hate the living."

- Seth Briars

Trivia

 * Seth doesn't like living people, especially women. He has been driven to lose all faith in others because of his obsession with treasure and Moses' betrayal. You can gain insight into this by what he says during your first mission with him, &quot;Exhuming and Other Fine Hobbies&quot;, which was, "I don't have the facility to tell you, what I would have done for that man", Of course referring to Moses, and "I don't like women partner, I don't, Not since mammy died." This may also imply that Seth and Moses were lovers, due to the fact that Seth also describes Moses as, "My partner, my boy, my man!" in the first mission you encounter him in.
 * Although Seth mentions that he dislikes women, he appears to be very emotional about the death of his mother. It is possible that his hatred originated at the time of her death. His dialogue suggests that he dislikes women because of their ability to die.
 * During Seth's first mission, 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 indicates that Seth suffers from some sort of split-personality disorder.


 * 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.
 * Seth exhibits several signs of Borderline Personality Disorder, including dissociation, self-destructive tendencies and depression.
 * Several of his physical and personality traits mimic those of the character Gollum from Lord of the Rings. He has multiple personalities and is searching for precious treasure, as well as possessing a similar body language and a similarly gaunt build. He also occasionally walks like Gollum.
 * Additionally, Seth could be based loosely on the character Sam who runs a ferry in the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales. Ironically, when first seen, the character is negotiating a ferry ride with a man who offers him a 'magical elixir', similar to West Dickens.
 * Seth also bears a strong resemblance to actor Julian Richings who is most famous for playing the character Three Finger in the first Wrong Turn film. Seth and Three Finger's facial features are eerily similar.
 * In the short film 'The Man From Blackwater', Seth finds his treasure (a glass eye) in Fort Mercer as opposed to finding it in Tumbleweed while doing the mission &quot;Let the Dead Bury Their Dead&quot;.
 * It is implied in the Gamestop Undead Nightmare Preview that Seth may have unintentionally caused the Undead Plague by stealing the Glass Eye in his last mission &quot;Let the Dead Bury Their Dead&quot;. However, this is later proven to be incorrect.
 * At the end of Seth's mission in Undead Nightmare &quot;Get Back in that Hole, Partner&quot;, although it is not possible to shoot the undead Seth is dancing with, you can shoot the lantern above them which will set one on fire causing the others to attack.
 * The same is true with Undead Bait. It will cause Moses to attack Seth, who will then shoot him. If you try and shoot Moses, Seth will end up shooting you, and is then killable. Also, if you run over the zombies mounted on War, they will start burning and Seth will run away, then, you can shoot him.
 * When John Marston searches the corpses of undead he will sometimes say "Seth, I'm sorry about all the insults". He may also say "Seth, finally I've joined you", or "Seth, how do you enjoy this?".
 * In the Red Dead Redemption artwork of Seth, he appears to be slightly more healthy - he has longer and thicker hair.
 * It is possible to kill Seth after the mission "Get Back in that Hole, Partner", however this will not affect the ending of the game.
 * When greeting John, Seth usually greets him politely but almost always gets angered in the conversations they have.
 * While sitting at a camp fire, John can hear a story about an entire family gunned down at Tumbleweed (possibly by police or federal agents). The man at the fire mentions that all of their possessions were destroyed, except for a glass eye. This is likely the same glass eye found by Seth at Tumbleweed.
 * He may not enjoy his life, because when the player points a gun at him, he may say "Go ahead. Do it. I'd most likely be better off."
 * Ironically, despite his insanity, in Undead Nightmare he is the first one to inform Marston of what really caused the plague while everyone else just comes up with random theories. Also he seems to have figured out a way to tame the Undead, such as having them dance or play the violin.
 * In Undead Nightmare, Seth and his zombies can be killed by throwing either a fire bottle or dynamite at them. You can also use the explosive rifle and aim it at the ground near them. Any surviving undead will attack Marston.
 * In Undead Nightmare, when one visits Seth and Moses "playing cards' if one looks closely, they can see Moses has a hand of a Jack, Queen, King, Ace, and ten, all of the suit of clubs. This is a winning hand compared to Seth's pair of Aces.
 * In Undead Nightmare, when Seth is playing cards, the player can make his chair fall on the ground by walking into him. Going into his shack and then get out of it, Seth will be sitting in the air.
 * It is possible that Seth is not attacked by the undead because years of exhuming bodies and his lack of hygiene have caused him to smell close enough to a decayed person as to not be attacked by the undead.