First Sergeant Bartholomew Wright

First Sergeant Bartholomew Wright

First Sergeant Bartholomew Wright was a commando and senior non-commissioned officer serving aboard The Liliana (Airship). He was recognized for his composure in combat, his ability to read terrain and enemy behavior, and his reliable command of ground teams. Wright served with distinction in operations depicted in The Blood of Giants, The Fight for Rislandia, The Iron Wedding, and The Crystal Conspiracy. He was promoted to Sergeant Major by Zaira von Monocle during a pre-battle ceremony in The Fight for Rislandia; however, his rank is recorded as First Sergeant again in the notes for both The Iron Wedding and The Crystal Conspiracy — see Conflicts below.

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Description

Wright was described as a sturdy man with a muscular upper body built from years of descending the Liliana's rope ladders. He had jet-black hair covered by a helmet matching his uniform, and wore the darker shade of Rislandian Grand Army grays used by commandos. In moments of concentration, his brow wrinkled into a frown. He was capable of projecting his voice clearly over considerable distance, as noted when his commands carried through to the bridge of the Liliana during battle. He was described as not as forgiving as Zaira von Monocle. He had been in dangerous situations dozens of times, and was noted as someone who could plan battles.

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Role in The Blood of Giants

Ground Expeditions and Wilderness Operations

In The Blood of Giants, Wright was among the commandos the narrator recognized during a ground operation. During a wilderness approach, he spotted a hunting trap affixed to a tree and warned the narrator: "If you step on the ground over there, you might end up in a net. Must be a hunting trap." From the presence of the trap, he deduced that a settlement would be within walking distance — demonstrating practical field reasoning.

When the team encountered native warriors, Wright fired a warning shot into the air to spook them, then warned the narrator to use the resulting distraction to flee. Following an explosion, he was the first to his feet and assisted Dr. Estrella du Clockhand to hers. He also identified incoming fire as explosive shells.

Rescue of the Narrator

Wright led the commando unit that approached the narrator's position during a rescue operation. He saluted the narrator upon making contact and was saluted in return. He warned her that the emergency rope-pull was very jarring, then threw himself on her to shield her from the blast of an explosive bag. After the explosion, he helped her to her feet, barked orders to his team to escort her, placed both pinky fingers in his mouth and whistled to signal the crew above to pull the rope, and waved a gas lamp across his body as an additional signal.

Intelligence Gathering at the Desert Castle

Wright extracted information from a man in a desert castle regarding the narrator's capture and persuaded him to reveal further details. Harkerpal, when recounting this episode, referred to Wright as "Lieutenant Wright" and described his methods as aggressive negotiations, stating: "Lieutenant Wright is quite good at aggressive negotiations, let me tell you." Wright's standard rank throughout the narrative is First Sergeant; see Conflicts below.

Aboard the Liliana During Battle

During shipboard combat, Wright stepped forward among the crew on deck and walked the deck shouting encouragements. He used hand gestures to signal the crew to hold fire and, separately, to open fire. He grabbed Baron Theodore von Monocle by the shoulder to prevent him from standing into enemy fire, and assured the Baron that the Nightmen had fled. He shouted "Victory!" to boost crew morale and counted the crew before returning to the ship. He noted that the Nightmen sounded like animals and suggested the attackers were from the Wyranth Empire. His voice was described as projecting clearly through to the bridge when he called: "Steady!"

The Portsgate Expedition

Wright was assigned by Zaira von Monocle to lead the second expedition, with the order: "Wright, you lead the other expedition." He was directed to leave a contingency force under Lieutenant Colwell's command. Before the Portsgate landing party, he saluted Zaira and reported, "The men are ready." He then ordered his commandos to the side to break them into teams. He described Portsgatans as friendly people.

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Role in The Fight for Rislandia

Duties Aboard the Liliana and at Plainsroad Village

In The Fight for Rislandia, Wright continued to command the commando team aboard the Liliana. Near Plainsroad Village, he was present on deck and motioned a private over to relay Zaira's order to land. He remarked on the precision of the landing: "It really is amazing how precisely he can make these landings."

Response to Wyranth Infiltrators

During a shooting incident on deck, Wright appeared at Zaira von Monocle's side and crouched by her. He identified the shooters as Wyranth infiltrators within the city, noting they were likely delivering information on defense and troop movements. He suggested sending someone to warn General von Monocle. He also proposed dropping commandos inside the city to deal with the Wyranth spies.

Drop Mission and Recovery of the Giant's Blood Serum

Wright was called to a strategic planning meeting in the mess. He led a team of six individuals on a drop mission, saluting toward the bridge before rappelling down the ropes — being the last commando to descend when deploying, and the last to board the ship on return, allowing his men up first. The mission was completed successfully with no casualties on his side. His team recovered vials of the giant's blood serum from the Wyranth.

Scouting and Ambush Operations

Wright organized a scouting party to look for Wyranth evidence, spread a map on the ground, and made plans with his commandos. He sent two scouts to tail a Wyranth caravan. He addressed Zaira von Monocle as "Baronette" during planning. As part of the mission party to ambush Wyranth forces, he directed Krueger to produce an ax to fell a tree, made commandos rotate chopping duties, ordered no fires at camp, and set Corporal Perry on first watch.

Infiltration and Cavern Operation

Wright wore a Wyranth uniform during an infiltration operation. He shouted at the Wyranth to surrender, motioned others to take positions behind boxes, and scrutinized coded papers found on a Wyranth soldier. He circled around to check for back doors to the cavern. He held Ethan von Lantern's sword when Ethan ran to the Liliana. He noted there were still five or so more Wyranth outside, suggested blowing the place and leaving, stated they needed a larger contingent to secure the facility, and said they needed someone to decipher the coded message.

Destruction of the Mine and Report to Zaira

Wright took the precaution of rigging the Wyranth iron mine to explode the day before the evacuation. He reported to Zaira after most of the crew had boarded the Liliana, saluting upon doing so. When Zaira began to ask how to detonate the mine, he detonated it before she finished the question, and suppressed a laugh at her startled reaction.

Promotion to Sergeant Major

During a pre-battle ceremony in The Fight for Rislandia, Zaira von Monocle promoted Wright from First Sergeant to Sergeant Major. Several crew members slapped him on the back following the promotion. Wright had come to Zaira's mind as a candidate for the promotion.

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Role in The Iron Wedding

In The Iron Wedding, Wright continued to lead Zaira von Monocle's airship commandos. He encountered Zaira in the forest near Loveridge, expressing surprise at finding her there with the exclamation: "Baron? … What, by Malaky, are you doing out here?" He helped Zaira to her feet after she stumbled into a deactivated automaton, and provided her with a blanket and a warm cup of tea at camp.

Wright informed Zaira that King Malaky XVI was dead, and squeezed her hand in a brotherly or fatherly way. He agreed to help Zaira with her plan, though he noted that they could not send a messenger to Rislandia City.

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Relationships

• Baron Theodore von Monocle: Wright physically restrained the Baron to protect him from enemy fire during battle in The Blood of Giants.
• Dr. Estrella du Clockhand: Wright assisted her to her feet following an explosion in The Blood of Giants.
• Lieutenant Colwell: Wright was ordered to leave a contingency force under Colwell's command during the Portsgate expedition in The Blood of Giants.
• Harkerpal: Harkerpal recounted Wright's aggressive negotiations at the desert castle in The Blood of Giants, referring to him on that occasion as "Lieutenant Wright."
• Krueger: Wright directed Krueger to produce an ax during field operations in The Fight for Rislandia.
• Corporal Perry: Wright assigned Corporal Perry to first watch during a field camp in The Fight for Rislandia.

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Conflicts

Rank discrepancy — "Lieutenant Wright" (Harkerpal): Wright is consistently identified throughout The Blood of Giants as First Sergeant. However, Harkerpal refers to him as "Lieutenant Wright" when recounting the desert castle interrogation. It is unclear whether this reflects a temporary field commission, a continuity error, or Harkerpal's imprecision. Both usages are attested verbatim in the text. Author clarification is requested.

Rank discrepancy — "Sergeant Major" alias in notes: The notes from The Fight for Rislandia list "Sergeant Major Wright" as an alias alongside "First Sergeant Wright," consistent with his in-text promotion to Sergeant Major by Zaira. This appears to reflect his post-promotion title rather than a contradiction, but is flagged for author confirmation that no earlier use of "Sergeant Major" predates the promotion ceremony.

King Malaky reference in The Iron Wedding: The existing page referred to the deceased king as "King Malaky XV." Per wiki canon, the King Malaky of Books 1–4 is King Malaky XVI, who died during The Iron Wedding. This page has been corrected accordingly, but the original text's phrasing is flagged for author confirmation.