Short Fiction · Character

Cortwright Burr

A defeated businessman who arrives at the ball dressed as his own corpse, wearing Martian invulnerability like a taunt no one can answer.

supporting

Also known as Burr, Cortwright

First appearance: riya s foundling

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Cortwright Burr is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Sollenar's long-standing competitor, who has been consulting with Martian engineers and may have obtained a device that threatens Sollenar's EmpaVid system.

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Burr has lost his commercial war with Sollenar and comes to the revel in black and crimson robes, gray-powdered and hooded, a pasteboard imitation of himself that silences the room. When he lifts a corner of his fleshed…

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See Cortwright Burr in riya s foundling

Character Web

12 connections

A slice of how Cortwright Burr sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Minor Martian characters
Variants and minor characters

+7 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

This is the dramatic climax because Greaves confronts his deepest fear—becoming a Shadow—and resolves it by ch…

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Relationships

Mr. Sollenar
professional · ambivalent
Cortwright Burr and Mr. How this plays out →
Mr. Sollenar
professional · ambivalent
Cortwright Burr and Mr. How this plays out →
Mr. Sollenar
professional · ambivalent
Cortwright Burr and Mr. How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Cortwright Burr in riya s foundling

In the story

Cortwright Burr appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I
Sollenar's long-standing competitor, who has been consulting with Martian engineers and may have obtained a device that threatens Sollenar's EmpaVid system.
II
The victim of Sollenar's attack, who miraculously survives multiple gunshots and climbs the building to confront Sollenar before being thrown to his death.
III
Appears at the Ball in grim costume, implied to have gained Martian immortality and invulnerability.
IV
Observed by Sollenar and Ermine on the Mars rocket; Sollenar claims to have shot him.
V
Burr is mentioned as having previously dealt with the Martians, acquiring a similar device and providing drawings for its adaptation.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Cortwright Burr unlock in the free preview.

See Cortwright Burr in riya s foundling

See Cortwright Burr in I