Fiddler

Also known as Sapper, Fiddler the sapper

Major
First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 2

Fiddler is a wiry Bridgeburner sapper in Whiskeyjack's squad in Malazan Book of the Fallen (Book 1).

Gender: male
First appears: Book 1 · Ch. 2
Books: 2

Fiddler begins the series as a wiry Bridgeburner sapper in Whiskeyjack's squad, a munitions expert and inventive card player whose practical loyalty is matched by a stubborn insistence that fallen comrades be remembered as people. At the close of the Genabackis campaign he chooses to leave his squad and escort Apsalar home alongside Kalam, out of a sense of debt. By Deadhouse Gates he has become a weathered, grey-streaked veteran whose wary scowl and battered face carry the weight of countless battles, though he still holds fast to the comradeship forged in the Bridgeburners.

Description

Fiddler is short and wiry, with bandy legs and a quick, foxlike way of moving. His lank red hair hangs haphazardly beneath a tarnished leather cap, while poorly healed blisters mark the uneven bristle of his cheeks and jaw. He wears a mismatched soldier’s uniform, its tunic blood-stained at the front, and often looks as if he has just crawled out of hard work. His appearance is rough and functional, animated by restless alertness. Fiddler is short and skinny, with massive wrists that stand out against his slight frame. He often sits pitched forward, intent on whatever lies before him, and his face shifts readily from a scowl to an eager, appraising look. The text gives no specific details about his hair, eyes, coloring, or usual clothing, leaving his appearance chiefly defined by his compact build and soldierly practicality. A weathered Malazan sapper with narrow features and a battered soldier’s face framed by a grey-streaked red beard. His blue eyes often narrow in a scowl, and he moves with the wary posture of a veteran who has seen too many battles. He typically wears a leather-bound chain surcoat beneath a cloak, projecting the hardened presence of a frontline soldier.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Apsalarcomrade
Fiddler feels a debt toward the former possessed girl and chooses to escort her back toward the Empire.
Kalamcomrade
A fellow Bridgeburner who joins Fiddler in escorting Apsalar home at the end of Book 1; in Book 2 their long-time comradeship anchors their shared journey.
T
Tattersailcomrade
A cadre mage serving alongside the squad; Fiddler doubts her loyalty under Tayschrenn's pressure, though Whiskeyjack vouches for her.
Whiskeyjacksergeant
Fiddler's sergeant in the Bridgeburners. In Book 1 Fiddler presses him to grieve the fallen as people rather than losses; by Book 2 their bond is remembered as his formative command.
CB
Caladan Broodcommander
Recorded as a commanding figure with whom Fiddler converses with apparent familiarity during the campaign.
H
Hedgesquadmate
Fiddler's fellow saboteur and partner in explosives work during the Darujhistan operation.
M
Malletsquadmate
The squad's healer and Fiddler's squadmate in Whiskeyjack's unit.

Story so far

BOOK 1Gardens of the Moon
- Serves as a sapper in Whiskeyjack's Bridgeburner squad, working with Hedge on explosives and sabotage operations.
- Challenges Whiskeyjack's emotional detachment, insisting their fallen friends be remembered as people.
- Voices doubts about Tattersail's resolve and fears Tayschrenn may pressure her into betraying the squad.
- Invents rules for card games and serves as a keen observer, reporting what he sees and rallying the men when action is needed.
- Chooses to accompany Apsalar back toward the Empire with Kalam, feeling they owe it to her.
BOOK 2Deadhouse Gates
- Appears as a hardened, grey-bearded veteran sapper in leather-bound chain beneath a cloak.
- Continues his journey with his long-time Bridgeburner comrade Kalam Mekhar.
- Carries his Bridgeburner past and service under Whiskeyjack into a new theatre of war.