Desmond McBride

“	I'm Desmond McBride, master tailor of the highest order.	”
—Desmond McBride, Swan Princess and the Dire Tree

Desmond McBride is a minor character who appeared in the eleventh Dark Parables game, The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree.

He is a Master Tailor of the highest order who was summoned by the Swan Princess to repair the cracks appearing throughout Dire Island.

Desmond may be based on The Brave Little Tailor, though this is currently unproven.

Appearance and Personality[]

Desmond is a handsome young man with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. His clothes reflect his occupation as a Master Tailor: a shirt, leather vest and trousers heavily patched with a belt fashioned to resemble a measuring tape. As a finishing touch, he also wears brown leather gloves and boots.

Desmond is extremely confident in his abilities, almost to the point of being cocky. However, he is eager to put his skills and mastery to use to help others - though he certainly does like impressing them along the way!

History[]

Desmond's early life is unknown. As a young man, he became a tailor and eventually rose to its highest order of Master Tailor. His many inventions include a magic needle that can sew anything back together and a tent with a magical vast interior. He also acquired the Mirror of Inversion which he turned into a mirror buckler.

Desmond's possession of the Mirror eventually came to the notice of the Swan Princess Elise. Under the pretense of needing his skills as a tailor, Elise sent Desmond a letter requiring his help in fixing the cracks appearing around Dire Island. But when Desmond arrived on the outskirts of the Island, he immediately got into trouble when a large crack appeared under his feet. Fortunately, he managed to stop his fall with a pair of scissors and the Fairytale Detective (who herself had arrived just seconds earlier) immediately rushed to his aid.

Using the Detective's horse to pull Desmond to safety, the grateful tailor first gave a demonstration of his magic needle and offered that the two should be travel companions. When they reached the Dire Tree, he started patching up the cracks for the Swan Princess. He later appeared for a brief moment to save the Detective from a giant spider and warned her to take caution before leaving.

After Desmond finished patching up the cracks, he visited Elise in the throne room. However, instead of paying him, the Princess stole his mirror and pushed him under the throne room. He was saved from a long fall but became trapped in cobwebs. When the Detective and Prince Ross Red arrived in the crypt, Desmond threw his needle sword onto the ground to grab their attention. The Detective cut the cobwebs and Desmond fell heavily but safely to the ground. Enraged at his treatment by the Swan Princess, Desmond declared he had enough of Dire Island and stormed off, leaving his tent backpack behind.

Relationships[]

Princess Elise (enemy)
Fairytale Detective (travel companion)
Odile (acquaintance)

Powers and Abilities[]

Sewing Skills: Desmond can sew anything back together including the ground of Dire Island.
Craftsman: Desmond is known to craft magical items including his backpack tent, a fiery crossbow, and a mirror buckler.

Relevant Parables[]

The Jewel of Repose (from Swan Princess and the Dire Tree)

At the far outskirts of what once was the Kingdom of Floralia, there lived a very poor family. The father took pride in the one precious thing he had: a jewel he had found when he was a boy. One windy night, a strange visitor came to the poor family's home. The riches she had in exchange for the fathers jewel changed their circumstances forever. They never came to realize they had conversed with a Princess, or that they had parted with the Jewel of Repose. The Princess had long coveted the jewel, one of the three legendary artifacts of Floralia. Now the Princess set her sights on the two artifacts that were owned by Ross Red and the Master Tailor. The Swan Princess still mourned her parents and other victims of conflict. "What kind of Goddess lets her people die in vain?" asked the Swan Princess, "I shall be a different kind of Goddess, one who cares for her people!" But to become a Goddess she had to destroy Flora. And to do that she needed Flora's creations: The Three Artifacts of Floralia.

Trivia[]

The name Desmond is Irish for "South Munster".
The surname McBride is English for the Irish name "Mac Giolla Brídhe", which means "son of the follower/servant of Brigid".

Quotes[]

Quotes by Desmond McBride[]

"I'm Desmond McBride, master tailor of the highest order."
"I'm the perfect person to fix those strange cracks."
"Actions speak louder than words."
"Ready to see a master at work?"
"See? A masterpiece in the blink of an eye!"
"With my help, the Princess will restore her kingdom in no time."
"Fear not, my lady! It is an honor to assist you in your time of need."
"Tread lightly now, Detective. Those cracks are everywhere."
"I've had quite enough of this island!"
"I'm done with this place!"

Quotes about Desmond McBride[]

"I have to admit the Tailor's got some neat ideas."
"The Tailor was very passionate about this." (observation by the Fairytale Detective about Desmond's work on the fire crossbow)