Picker

Picker was a member of the 7th Squad of the Bridgeburners.Gardens of the Moon, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB p.xii She was a head taller than the average Gadrobi.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 1, UK HB p.16 She was Blend's lover.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 5, UK HB p.149 
Ganoes Paran thought her 'an old veteran' when he first met her. Her feet were rag-wrapped and she liked to pick her teeth.Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 3, UK MMPB p.116, 118-119 She spoke with a gravelly voice.Memories of Ice, Chapter 5, US SFBC p.178
In her youth, she was abused by her father and ultimately slit his throat.Memories of Ice, Chapter 11
Like many Malazan soldiers, her name was bestowed by the legendary Master Sergeant, Braven Tooth.House of Chains, Chapter 5, US SFBC p.252
==In Gardens of the Moon==
Picker had the rank of Corporal in Sergeant Antsy's squad and was a survivor of the Siege of Pale. She met Ganoes Paran when he first arrived in Pale and gave him directions on where to find the sergeant.Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 3, UK MMPB p.118-120 Hers was the first face Paran saw when he regained consciousness following the attempt on his life. Assessing his wounds, she noted that they had not been Kalam's work and that they were at least an hour old.Gardens of the Moon, Chapter 4, UK MMPB p.141
==In Memories of Ice==
After the events of the Gedderone Fête at Darujhistan, the Bridgeburners rejoined High Fist Dujek Onearm's now "renegade" army at Pale. Picker's squad was assigned to patrol the smuggler trails through Tahlyn Mountains between Pale and Darujhistan. There, she unthinkingly bought a set of three interlocking ivory arm torcs from the itinerant artisan, Munug. Blessed by Treach, they could not be removed once worn.Memories of Ice, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.75-77 
Dujek allied with their former enemies Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake to fight the Pannion Domin. Cadre mage Spindle led Picker, Blend, Detoran, Hedge, and Trotts into the Warlord's command tent to steal Fiddler and Hedge's old card table. Rigged to win card games using the Deck of Dragons, it had been lost as a spoil of war when the Bridgeburner camp in Mott Wood was overrun. Spindle and the squad soon put the table back into action to swindle their fellow soldiers. But the presence of a new and heretofore unknown Master of the Deck card caused the plan to backfire, lightening their own purses.Memories of Ice, Chapter 4
The allied armies marched towards Capustan which was besieged by the army of the Pannion Seer. Antsy's squad travelled by Quorl to the Vision Plain where they were tasked with waiting for Quick Ben. Captain Paran took the rest of the Bridgeburners to the Barghast Range to secure an alliance with the White Face Barghast clans.Memories of Ice, Chapter 8 During this time Picker's torcs began to painfully constrict and heat. They had to be repeatedly doused in water to bring them down to a bearable temperature.Memories of Ice, Chapter 11, US SFBC p.409Memories of Ice, Chapter 17, US SFBC p.568 
Once both adjectives were achieved the Bridgeburners reunited. By this time, Capustan had fallen and Captain Paran was eager for a fight. Picker and the Bridgeburners fought their way into the city past the Tenescowri using Moranth munitions. Advancing through the devastated city they stumbled upon Gruntle, the Mortal Sword of Treach. Gruntle requested Picker's torcs for himself and Picker was happy to be rid of them. The torcs unlocked at his request.Memories of Ice, Chapter 17 For a time she shared Antsy's anxiety and paranoia over Paran's leadership of the Bridgeburners, but the captain eventually gained her admiration and loyalty. She made a silent pledge to straighten up the squad for him.Memories of Ice, Chapter 17, US SFBC p.577/602-603
After the siege was lifted and the Pannions defeated, the necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach approached Picker for directions to someone who could provide them supplies. Not knowing who he was and not caring for Bauchelain's haughty manner, she knocked him unconscious with a gauntleted fist to the face. Before Broach could come his partner's aid, Blend dropped him with a sword pommel to the skull. Picker advised the manservant, Emancipor Reese, to teach his masters the proper forms of address when they awoke.Memories of Ice, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.707
The Bridgeburners were assigned to reconnoiter the alliance's next target, the city of Coral. Along the way, Captain Paran promoted her to Lieutenant, second in command to himself, and charged her with keeping the Bridgeburners together as they approached the Pannion Seer's forces.Memories of Ice, Chapter 21, UK MMPB p.907
thumb|200x200px|Picker and Blend by [https://www.instagram.com/shadaan_studios/ Shadaan]
During the Siege of Coral, Dujek sent the Bridgeburners into the city by Quorl under the cover of darkness. Their mission was to attack the keep of the Pannion Seer while the High Fist led the rest of the army into the city itself.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.877-878 Picker's squad fought K'ell Hunters with Moranth munitions in the streets surrounding the keep while Hedge and his sappers worked to gain entrance. Her squad was decimated by the undead K'Chain Che'Malle until the arrival of T'lan Imass First Sword Onos T'oolan gave them an opening to return to the keep. Once inside, Picker was nearly killed by a Hunter's attack but for Blend pushing her out of the way and Hedge's sacrificial use of a cusser.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.885-892Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.914-915
Amidst the hard fighting with the Seer's Urdomen and Seerdomin, Picker made a temporary alliance with Lady Envy to rescue Toc the Younger in return for magically healing her soldiers. After retrieving Toc's body, Picker led the few surviving Bridgeburners back outside just before Anomander Rake crushed the keep from above with Moon's Spawn.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.916-917/938/940
After the battle, Picker and the Bridgeburners retrieved their fallen companions from the rubble. They were joined by Rake who apologised for toppling the keep around them. Calling her and her surviving squad "worthy company", he received Picker's approval to entomb the fallen within Moon's Spawn.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.973-976/979 Reunited with Paran, Picker confessed his faith in her leadership had been misplaced with disastrous results. But Paran refused to agree and his opinion was backed up by Dujek.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.991
Dujek allowed Picker and the surviving Bridgeburners to secretly retire as had been Whiskeyjack's wish.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.991-992 They went to Darujhistan where Antsy convinced her and Blend to use their accumulated back pay to establish K'rul's Bar in the Elder God's former temple.Memories of Ice, Epilogue, US SFBC p.997-1000
==In The Bonehunters==
Quick Ben told Fiddler and Kalam that contrary to reports there had been some survivors in Coral and named Picker as one of those now living in Darujhistan.The Bonehunters, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.118
Ganoes Paran also mentioned Picker as one of the survivors when he came across Apsalar and told her that those survivors had bought K'rul's Bar in Darujhistan and that he had been treated well enough amongst them.The Bonehunters, Chapter 6, UK MMPB p.308
==In Toll the Hounds==
On her way back to K'rul's Bar on the night of the Gedderone Fête, Picker was ambushed by Dester Thrin of the Darujhistan Assassins' Guild, which had taken on a contract on the owners of Krul's Bar on behalf of Humble Measure. She killed him with a longsword she had hidden under her long cloak.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 1, UK HB p.16/17/19 Rushing back to the bar, she learned of a simultaneous assassination attempt on Antsy and Bluepearl. Picker organised the retired Bridgeburners to investigate the source of the Guild contract.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 1, US SFBC p.39-41/49-51
Later, Picker, Blend, and Antsy spotted Barathol Mekhar, Scillara, and Chaur while enjoying a meal at another restaurant. Recognising Barathol's resemblance to Kalam Mekhar, they feared the Claw had sent someone to finish off the Bridgeburners once and for all. A drinking contest between the two groups alleviated the Bridgeburners' concerns and defused the situation.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 5, US SFBC p.175-182 The encounter ended back at K'rul's Bar where all but Chaur spent the evening sharing beds.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.274-275 
After failing to take individual Bridgeburners in the streets unaware, the Assassins' Guild launched a major attack on the bar itself. Fifteen assassins entered the bar's front entrance, a dozen tried to enter the back kitchen, and eleven more infiltrated the bar's upper level through a window. Picker was talking to Mallet from her usual seat in her office overlooking the taproom when she had to duck from a crossbow quarrel fired from the room below. She witnessed Mallet's death as he tried to leave the office and she barricaded the door behind him. After firing her own crossbow into the forehead of an assassin threatening an unconscious Blend near the front door, she slipped over the balcony and dropped to the ground floor. Antsy appeared from the kitchen where he had killed a dozen invaders with sharpers, and the two coordinated an attack on the assassins descending from upstairs. Finally, Barathol and Chaur arrived to help finish off the last assassins at the front door. When it was all over, Bluepearl, Mallet, and many of the bar's employees were dead.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 11, US SFBC p.454-456 An anguished Antsy railed over Bluepearl's body for having been so foolish as to have died. Picker had to pull him away before he could kick the corpse.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 13, US SFBC p.545
At a loss at how to respond to the attack, Antsy suggested they contact Ganoes Paran via the Finnest House for guidance. Raest reluctantly agreed to help, taking them to a room that allowed Picker to reach out to Paran through the Deck of Dragons. But the Jaghut warned that if her willpower was not strong enough, the Deck would leave her a drooling wreck. Ganoes was incapable of much assistance as he was under duress, apart from telling her to contact Kruppe and Baruk. The conversation between the Bridgeburners was interrupted by something that clawed into her mind, seeking drag her away and feed on her soul. She was spared by the sudden appearance of Treach who said, "Not here. Not now. There were torcs once, that you carried. There was a debt, still unpaid. Not now. Not here." before pouncing on her attacker. Picker's soul was saved, but she was left in a coma.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 15, US SFBC p.590-601
Antsy brought Picker's body back to K'rul's Bar where a healer pronounced her spirit had been torn loose and now wandered adrift.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 15, US SFBC p.626 Blend took to sleeping by her side, silently preparing herself to say goodbye.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 19, US SFBC p.777 On some distant frozen dream-world, her spirit found itself stalked by Togg and Fanderay. Picker concluded her association with Treach's torcs made her an enemy of the Wolves of Winter and she heard them howl in rage when she escaped their territory. Entering a jungle, she was rescued from a leopard by a primitive tribe of Half-humans who brought her back to a cave and forced her down a hole by spearpoint.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 19, US SFBC p.794-796
Scattered within the hole were gourds (that appeared to be filled with blood) and cave paintings--including one that seemed to depict a carriage.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.896-898 She watched as the painting slowly became a Trygalle Trade Guild carriage which had just escaped Dragnipur bringing Toc the Younger in its wake. As Hood's Herald, Toc informed Picker he was riding to relay messages to all the gods of war, and referred to her as torc-bearer. He gave her a mission to pass Karsa Orlong a message, to remind him of his vow to kill a god and to lead him to war. He instructed her to drink of one of the gourds to return to the land of the living.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.969-971
Back in Darujhistan, she rose from bed and found Karsa in the streets nearby to deliver her message then offered Samar Dev a drink. Returning to K'rul's Bar, she was warmly reunited with a tearful Blend.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.992-994/1000
==In The Crippled God==
(Information needed)
==In Orb Sceptre Throne==
(Information needed)
==Speculations==
In her first appearance in Gardens of the Moon Picker was shown picking at a tooth. This habit or her use of the phrase 'the way I pick it' might have been the original inspiration for her name.
==Notes and references==
Category:Bridgeburners
Category:Corporals
Category:Females
de:Tippa
es:Rapiña
pl:Wykałaczka
it:Picker