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Brianna "Thorn" Skehan is a Defending Operator featured in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, introduced in the High Calibre expansion.

Biography[]

Skehan grew up on a farm in a part of Ireland known for two things: horse racing and military training. For several generations her family was heavily involved with both. When she wasn’t outwrestling one of her five older brothers, she was helping her parents breed and raise thoroughbreds for the tracks as well as for the mounted division of Ireland’s national police force. While it was a Hawthorn family tradition to eventually abandon farm life for the military, Skehan contemplated joining the police force. She believed the military to be an "easier" route and wanted to challenge herself.

Her youngest brother, Liam, ultimately led her to make a decision. His many addictions led him to the racetracks, where he fell into the pockets of organized crime members. One night he led several criminals onto the farm where they burned a stable to the ground, killing the champion horses inside. This incident caused Skehan to join the Garda Síochána the very next day, and never she saw Liam again.

Over the next four years, Skehan displayed impeccable service and became aquainted with Seamus "Sledge" Cowden. She later applied for the Garda’s elite tactical branch, the Emergency Response Unit. Only five percent of applicants pass the grueling two-week entrance exam. Skehan not only finished top of her class, but would routinely assist other applicants through the training gauntlet.

She quickly rose through the ranks as a tactical weapons expert and helped re-design the unit’s obstacle course, referring to the former design as a “walk in the park.” Towards the end of 2021, word of her course reached the ears of Taina "Caveira" Pereira, who upon barely completing the training exclaimed with exhaustion “You want a job?”

Skehan accepted Caveira's offer and was recruited into Rainbow and placed on Team Caveira for the upcoming Six Invitational. A short time later, Skehan invited Caveira and Sledge to train at her family farm in Ireland. While the training was intense, Caveira and Slege enjoyed their time at the farm and the beauty of its surrounding landscape.

Upon returning to Greece, Skehan and Caveira went on a trip to Athens to go sight seeing. While visiting the Parthenon, Skehan noticed two suspicious men exchanging a brief case. Caveira told her to ignore them as they were off duty. Skehan disregarded the comment and ran after the man with the brief case. They both followed the man to a vacant lot and learned he was trying to sell weapons as well as a funeral mask that had been stolen from one of Caveira's favorite museums. Skehan confronted the men who drew their guns on her. Caveira then approached and told them to relax, using her distraction as an opportunity to disarm one of them. While engaging them in hand-to-hand combat, Skehan complained that she had the situation under control. Caveira stated that while she didn't doubt her, she wanted to show Skehan that teamwork was a big part of how Rainbow operates. The last man then fled in a van, prompting both women to commandeer a horse to chase after him. Caveira managed to shoot out one of the van's tires which caused it to crash. They then subdued him and secured the stolen artifact and weapons before being arrested by local police. After they were released from police custody, Skehan and Caveira were reprimanded by Sam "Zero" Fisher for failing to keep a low profile.

Psychological Report[]

"If ever you want to feel physically inept, shake hands with a farmer. At least that’s how I felt when I first met Specialist Brianna “Thorn” Skehan. In that brief instant I experienced a life’s worth of hard work, discipline, tremendous strength, and total control. I knew then and there she’d fit right in.

Growing up on the farm, Brianna had to fight for attention, and everything else. Her mother and father were too busy and left most of the parenting to her older brothers. And while she may have been picked on when she was little, it all stopped the day she broke her oldest brother’s nose. She possesses a strong sense of justice and has zero tolerance for bullying […]

When we discussed her decision to join the police force, she recounted with some reservation an incident involving her youngest brother, Liam. His many addictions led him to the racetracks, where he fell into the pockets of organized crime members. One night he led them onto the farm where they burned a stable to the ground, killing the champion horses inside. Brianna joined An Garda Síochána the very next day, and never saw Liam again. […]

Brianna often glosses over hard topics with humor and is quick to suppress her emotions. Signs of vulnerability were weaknesses in the eyes of her brothers, which would explain her perfectionism, her competitiveness, and her ferociousness on the field.

Brianna’s personality is magnetic. She gets along with everyone and elevates morale with her stories. She’s awake and training before most of our specialists have opened their eyes, although Sledge has recently been joining her on morning jogs. […] When I asked if her past was a distraction, she laughed and said “Only fools get distracted by the past.” I was tempted to explain how I’d be out of a job if that were the case.

- Dr. Harishva "Harry" Pandey, Director of Rainbow"

"Hey Cav,

There’s a lot to be said about specialist Brianna “Thorn” Skehan, considering I’ve known her for quite some time. We haven’t been in contact in a while, but her right hook leaves a lasting impression that I won’t soon forget.

She’s a dedicated woman, stubborn, doesn’t take anyone’s rubbish. She’s a good choice for a recruit – you’d have trouble finding another soldier as strong or as smart. Her infamous obstacle course represents her perfectly in that sense, and you said it yourself – that thing’s as hard as it gets.

We have a solid team, but Brianna’s bound to round it out perfectly. You never have to worry about her being on top of her game, and if we’re lucky, she’ll kick a few of us in the backside for motivation. When she’s not so guarded, she’s forthcoming with her time and she’ll help anyone who she feels needs it.

On that subject – she treats people about as well as they treat her. She’s got a smile and a hug for her pals, and nothing but aches and pains for anyone who messes with her or what she stands for. Her four brothers always gave her a rough time, so don’t be surprised at how common the word “bully” is in her vocabulary.

I’ll spare you the stories, she can tell you those herself if she wants to. She’s already told Mira, judging from that insane contraption she designed for her. Territorial is one way to put it – walking into its warning zone is like a cactus kindly telling you that you’re about to step on it barefoot. It’s no less terrifying, but at least you get to adjust. It’s sharp, bright, and beautifully crafted.

With the Six Invitational coming up, I’m sure Brianna will fit right in and maybe even push our team to victory. The others will have to double their efforts just to keep up with us, and I certainly won’t complain about that. I’ll see you both in training."

- Seamus “Sledge” Cowden[1]

Gameplay Description[]

Loadout
Primary
Secondary
Gadget
Ability
Thorn gadget

Razorbloom Shell

Thorn's Unique Gadget is the Razorbloom Shell, a proximity grenade that can be thrown and attached to any surface. When deployed, any Attacker that enters its radius will start the Razorbloom's timer, followed by a powerful explosion a short moment later

Synergies[]

  • Razorbloom grenades work well with Defender gadgets that can slow down Attackers, such as Barbed Wire, Melusi's Banshee Device, Clash's Electro Shield, or Lesion's Gu Mines, preventing them from escaping the Razorbloom's explosive radius.

Counters[]

  • Razorbloom grenades can be destroyed from a distance by explosions, gunfire, and laser devices such as Twitch's Shock Drone and Zero's Argus Cameras.
  • IQ can spot Razorblooms with her Electronics Scanner
  • Razorblooms can be disabled by Thatcher's EMP Grenades.
  • Razorblooms can be disabled by secondary EMP Grenades.
  • Razorblooms can be hacked by Brava's Kludge drone resulting it to turn on the defenders


Device Description[]

"Once triggered, Thorn’s Razorbloom Shell gives you just enough time to re-think all your life decisions."
Mira

The Razorbloom Shell sticks to a surface after it's thrown by Thorn. Shortly after detecting a nearby opponent, it automatically propels a set of sharp blades in all directions, delivering lethal damage.

Device Evaluation[]

Device: Razorbloom Shell/Proximity Charge Device
Operator: Specialist Brianna "Thorn" Skehan
Evaluation Lead: Specialist Brianna "Thorn" Skehan

(Comment_E. Álvarez: "When Brianna told me how she used to defend her food from the greedy hands of her brothers with a table fork, I was immediately inspired. I wanted to design something severely punishing to anyone foolish enough to encroach on her space. But to have maximum effectiveness in the field it had to be throwable, proximity-activated, and time-sensitive. The trick was incorporating high-velocity, multi-directional projectiles in a dormant shell." - Mira.)

"I was a little nervous when Mira said her inspiration for the Razorbloom Shell came from one of my childhood stories. I thought maybe she was going to hand me a cattle prod or some sort of fancy shovel. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.

From the moment I pulled the pin, I was in love. Grenades are unpredictable and can be thrown back in your face. But the Razorbloom's deployable claws can grip just about any surface. So once the proximity sensor is activated and the device turns red (like me when I'm angry), you'd better keep moving forward or retreat altogether. Because trust me, you don't want to get caught in the blast radius when that thing unleashes what I like to call "controlled chaos."

- Brianna

Quotes[]

Thorn's Quotes
  • "Setting a razorbloom."
  • "Razorbloom out."
  • "Razor shell out!"
  • "Setting a surprise."
  • "This will rattle them."
  • "Hope they like surprises!"
  • "They won't see this coming!"

Trivia[]

  • Thorn was initially supposed to have the M45 MEUSOC and the Bearing 9 as her secondary weapon options, as indicated by the in-game "Eternal" bundle.
  • According to early access testers, Thorn used to have the P90 as part of her loadout during early phases from around July 2021.

Gallery[]

References[]

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