1 Peculiar Investigations

Chapter 1

Peculiar Investigations

Merlin gazed out the carriage window at the bustling city streets, enthralled by the sights and sounds of Avalon. Though he hailed from nobility, the young mage never felt fully at home among the insular and pretentious noble class. No, it was out here among the common people—the flower vendors calling out their wares, the troubadours playing folk songs for coins, the shopkeepers bargaining with customers—that Merlin felt most alive.

After a few wrong turns prolonged by the cramped, winding back alleys, the carriage arrived at last in front of a weathered building tucked away off the main thoroughfares. A faded wooden sign read "Peculiar Investigations" in simple lettering. Merlin had reached his destination.

Upon entering the modest headquarters, he was greeted by a gruff, middle-aged man.

"Welcome," he said in a gravelly voice. "I'm Hal, head of this company. You must be Merlin."

Hal's face bore the nicks and scars of countless adventures. His rough hands showed the marks of a fighter who had spent decades perfecting his lethal skills. Though Hal's aging body had long since retired from battle, the keen tactical mind and wealth of experience he had acquired still served the Peculiar Investigations company well as its leader.

"Yes, sir," Merlin replied. "It's an honor to be here."

Hal grinned slightly. "No need to stand on ceremony here, son. Take a seat."

Merlin sat down across from Hal at a table cluttered with maps, strange instruments, and curiosities gathered from journeys to distant lands.

"Now then," Hal continued, "tell me a bit about yourself, and what you'd bring to our crew."

Merlin nodded, gathering his thoughts. He had rehearsed answers to questions like these many times.

"Well sir, I am adept in the elemental magics—pyromancy, hydromancy, geomancy, and aeromancy," he began. "I can call forth flames, waterspouts, gusts of wind, and manipulate the earth itself through magical focus and training. My skills are well-suited for exploration, combat, and unraveling obstacles both natural and unnatural."

Hal nodded approvingly. "Aye, mastery over the elements is a rare gift lad. You could do some serious good with powers like that."

"I hope to do just that," Merlin replied earnestly. "I may have been born to wealth and privilege, but I want to use my talents to help others...like you help people here. To be honest, I've always felt out of place in noble society. The insincerity, the politics, the lack of purpose beyond status and bloodline...it all felt so hollow to me."

The veteran adventurer eyed him thoughtfully. "Nothing hollow about the work we do here, that's certain. Our missions take courage, compassion and quick wits."

He pointed to an aged map sprawled across the table, its curled edges weighed down by strange devices—a compass with unfamiliar symbols, an astrolabe-like object, a cracked crystal that glinted in the dusty light.

"See here? This map shows sites of magical disturbances reported throughout the kingdom. Over here"—he gestured along the coast—"ships' navigation instruments go awry every full moon. And in this forest, people have disappeared, only to reappear months later with no memories of the intervening time."

Hal tapped his calloused finger on the map. "Each mark represents someone who came to us desperate for aid. Folks have nowhere else to turn when the problem lies beyond the understanding of everyday folk. That's where we come in."

Merlin's gaze roamed over the map, alight with fascination. What astonishing mysteries awaited discovery behind each mark? A myriad of questions sprang to mind.

"How do you figure out the source of each disturbance?" Merlin asked. "And how many agents do you have investigating at any given time?"

"Careful planning and research is key," Hal replied. "We've got permanent teams who specialize in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. Others are our quick responders who undertake missions to affected sites."

He stroked his grizzled beard thoughtfully. "As for total numbers...we try to maintain thirty or so field agents at once, supported by researchers and planners here at headquarters. It's a constant balance of rotating people in and out, matching talents to cases. Keeps me busy managing it all, even if I can't adventure like I used to."

Hal's weathered face crinkled into a wistful smile. "Ah, but those were glorious times, back when this old body could still endure months-long journeys and harrowing battles!"

Merlin's mind swam with follow-up questions, but Hal raised a hand.

"Now now, that's enough about me. Tell me lad, what motivates you most? Beyond just using your gifts for good, what drives you?"

Merlin pondered the question. There were many answers he could give. The chance to test his mettle and skills. The lure of uncovering mysteries. The prospect of gaining prestige and influence. But only one motivation rang truest in his heart.

"Curiosity," Merlin replied. "Even as a small child, I've always had an insatiable curiosity about magic and the workings of the world. I want to discover and understand that which is unfamiliar...to pull back the veil on secrets hidden for ages and see the wonders that lie beyond the mundane. If I can do some good while pursuing knowledge, then that's all the better."

Hal chuckled. "Ha! Of all the traits common to great adventurers, it's curiosity that most frequently gets people into trouble...and leads them to their greatest triumphs. Judging from the look on your face as you examined my map, you've got that curiosity in spades!"

Merlin grinned sheepishly, hoping his transparent enthusiasm wasn't off-putting. But Hal simply stood and clapped him on the back.

"I think you'll be a fine fit here, Merlin. One last thing. Meet some of your fellow agents."

He led Merlin to a cozy common room where three individuals were gathered around a table chatting and looking over documents. Hal gestured to a striking yet modest woman with chestnut hair. "This is Seraphina, one of our finest fighters and a former knight."

Seraphina flashed a polite, knowing smile at Merlin. Though elegant in bearing and comely to behold, her placid exterior concealed a fierce warrior within. Merlin could tell from the discipline ingrained in her movements that she was a master of combat, though one would never guess it from her tranquil disposition when at ease.

"Pleased to meet you," Merlin said, taking an immediate liking to this contrast of tranquility and power.

Next, Hal indicated a delicate young priestess. "Our healer, Josephine," he said. Josephine's slender frame and soft voice hid formidable talents for conjuring both beacons of blinding light and pillars of scorching fire. Though she appeared the image of grace and quietude, this was a woman of great spiritual strength.

"Greetings, Merlin. Welcome," Josephine said in a lilting tone.

Finally, Hal nodded toward a bookish, gangly youth buried in scholarly tomes. "And here's Quill, our researcher and artifact hunter."

Quill peered up through spectacles perched on his nose. "A pleasure," he said. What the awkward young man lacked in physical presence, he made up for with an insatiable curiosity and an encyclopedic knowledge of antiquities and magical lore.

Having met his new teammates, Merlin committed their names and memorable traits to memory. He would be embarking on perilous missions alongside these skilled individuals henceforth as a member of the Peculiar Investigations Foundation. It was an honor to be accepted into their ranks.

Hal sent Merlin off to a nearby inn recommended for visiting adventurers and scholars, assuring him the quarters were clean and comfortable. Following the gravelly-voiced leader's directions through the maze of city laneways, Merlin soon arrived at the Spinning Compass Inn. True to Hal's description, it was a tidy and welcoming establishment.

Over a hearty meal of savory stew washed down with a pint of crisp ale, Merlin reflected on the strange new chapter of life opening before him. What astonishing sights awaited him? What harrowing dangers? He knew only that this path promised a life of purpose beyond the sheltered confines he had known growing up nobility.

After being shown to a snug room upstairs, Merlin collapsed onto the straw-stuffed bed. He fell asleep envisioning the adventures in store for him as part of the Peculiar Investigations Foundation.