He was a prankster of a boy who skipped his lessons often. He got into gambling, drinking, and [[cindin]] young and didn't really get punished for it until he was cut off. He stayed around Bingtown for a short while, but wore out his welcome partly due to a reputation of leading young boys astray with his vices. He left Bingtown onboard [[Spray]].
On this first sea voyage, Brashen was seasick and sore from being unaccustomed to the work. He was approached by a sailor named [[Farsey]] who attempts to force himself on Brashen and molests him. He heads on deck and sees his first sea serpent. A compulsion to throw himself overboard rises in Brashen and even though he stops himself, that scenario is a recurring nightmare for him. He decides he wants to return to Bingtown and try to reclaim his former life as a Trader son. He vows to give up gambling, give up drinking, and give up cindin, to go back to his father and beg for forgiveness.
Sometime after that, he is aboard a different ship, [[Child of the Wind]], when it was overtaken by pirates. He was pressed into piracy by sword point and was a pirate onboard [[Despair]] for a while.