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Murder at Poe's Raven Party

You have received an invitation to a raven party at the Poe Mansion in the gloomy crime-ridden city of Wraith’s Cove. The town gossips are chattering about the disreputable people on Eddie Poe’s guest list. What could Eddie be thinking? Could it be that Eddie has finally gone mad? It appears that at least the Poe Mansion’s in dire need of assistance. Ever since Eddie’s housekeeper quit, the estate is in shambles.

Nevertheless, you are intrigued by the thought of a Gothic dinner party held in honor of a fiendish bird – even if the group of ruffians may cause chaos. Chaos can be fun sometimes, right? This is where your story begins.

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Guest List

 

Lincoln Dangerfield

Police Psychologist

 A perplexing individual with a silver tongue and a dark past, Lincoln has finally figured out the world and is a contributing member of society.  As a youth, Lincoln underwent a misguided rebellion and dropped out of high school to become a street hooligan. Today, Lincoln is a morally ambiguous and infallible police psychologist for the city of Wraith’s Cove. Lincoln is oddly calm when predicting misfortune and devastation.

Lincoln is Logan Finch's archenemy and doesn't get along with Bo Bandini. He was friends with Brock as a teen but wishes to disassociate from his dark past. Lincoln and Gray are best pals. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired black suit. Police badge as an accessory.

 

Logan Finch

Office Manager, Wraith’s Cove Daily

An American of Irish descent, Logan is an office manager at the Wraith’s Cove Daily who is obsessed with workplace power-plays and revenge plots. A merciless ladder climber who never compromises, Logan is a gossipmonger when tittle-tattle has the promise to lead to advancement in rank at the newspaper. Logan prefers to be alone when possible and is anything but altruistic.  

Logan Finch has held a grudge against Lincoln Dangerfield ever since Logan worked as a 911 operator at the Wraith's Cove Police Station. For that matter, Logan despises everyone at the police station! Logan does anything to please the editor-in-chief, Eddie Poe. Logan is an obvious kiss-up to those with power, but many newspaper employees say Logan is a nightmare colleague. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. A black suit or cocktail dress for females.

 

Zane Katz

Agent, undisclosed federal agency

Zane Katz is a deeply philosophical federal agent. Rather aloof with expensive tastes, Zane’s a worldly, refined individual who people easily come to trust. Nobody knows which agency Zane works for. The burning question is whether Zane is in Wraith’s Cove for business or pleasure. The agent was invited to Poe’s Raven Party and was the first to return an RSVP card. This is troubling to those on the guest list with shady pasts and less-than-honorable intentions.          

Zane is in Wraith's Cove on a mission but cannot disclose anything further to the police or other agencies. This is proving difficult for Zane to get cooperation, so Zane is trying to work around the police and investigate alone. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. A black suit or cocktail dress for females. A toy gun as an  prop.

 

Brock Falstaff

Unemployed

Brock Falstaff is an academic genius who constantly makes a mess of situations. Bored with mundane life, this scholar creates perilous scenarios purely for the enjoyment derived from evading the predicaments. Brock is unemployed yet intermingles with the hollow upper-class world. Both witty and charming, Brock is a manipulator with a propensity to use wealthy friends to obtain undeserved luxuries and fund an extravagant shopping habit.        

Brock is a bit of a gossip and some folks are upset at Brock for spreading rumors. Many people proclaim envy over Brock's lifestyle because everyone knows Brock hasn't endured one day of hard work yet enjoys a lavish lifestyle.

Suggested Attire: An expensive-looking designer with Gothic attire. Elaborate costume jewelry as accessories.

 

Danny Drake

Forensic Anthropologist

 With a childlike charm and wonder, Danny Drake is a forensic anthropologist for the Wraith’s Cove Crime Lab. Hailing from an impoverished background - Danny deplores the upper crust of society. Hungry for attention, Danny holds the center stage of any room and often reminisces about when Danny’s mother gave up everything for a failed attempt at Danny becoming a child star.  This lab dweller embraces never-ending grudges and blames society for everything wrong in life.     

The town is holding its breath as Danny is currently investigating skeletal remains found in a local cornfield. People hope the bones belong to one of the missing victims of the Body Snatch Killer. That way, there will finally be potential tangible evidence in the case.           

Suggested Attire: cheap-looking Gothic attire (black t-shirt, black jeans with holes). You do not embrace upper society, so you don’t mimic them.

 

Eddie Poe

Editor-in-Chief, Wraith’s Cove Daily

With a primal instinct for survival, shrewdness, and deceitfulness, Eddie Poe is editor-in-chief at the Wraith’s Cove Daily.  A loner driven to seclusion from heartbreak and an unfortunate sequence of misfortunes, Eddie has an attachment to a strict routine and will become enraged if anyone gets in the way. An aficionado of the macabre, Eddie runs the editorial department at the Wraith’s Cove Daily after giving up on a dream career as a freelance poet. Due to Eddie’s self-loathing state of mind, Eddie’s estate is in a sullied condition and in dire need of repairs.    

Eddie's only true friend is a raven named Moe. Eddie claims the party is in honor of Moe, and ravens alike. 

Suggested Attire: Wear a costume inspired by Edgar Allan Poe. As you have a pet raven, attach an optional black raven on your shoulder like a pirate.

 

Flynn Moriarty

Journalist, Wraith’s Cove Daily

Flynn Moriarty exists behind a smokescreen of a glitzy swirl of high society shindigs and life without boundaries or limits. Behind the curtains, Flynn drones on about a failed career and an empty trust fund. Flynn faces the world with nothing but a charismatic personality's power. Due to Eddie Poe being a childhood friend, Flynn recently landed a job with Wraith’s Cove Daily as an entry-level field journalist, reporting on local bake sales, ice cream socials, and farm festivals. Flynn has the potential to be a success in the field if an inflated ego and a bottomless barrel of pride do not ruin everything.

Recently, Flynn was involved in an international scandal after coaxing Eddie Poe into publishing a lead story about a pop star's remains discovered in Wraith's Cove. The story was later proven to be fake, and Eddie was more than livid about having to publish a retraction.  As an entitled trust fund kid, Flynn burned many bridges in town. Now, Flynn wishes there were more friends around to show how to be a regular person. 

Suggested Attire: moderately fashionable Gothic attire. You’ve fallen from money, but still have nice things from the past.

 

Landry Nevermore

Homicide Detective

Touted as the grandest detective of modern times, Landry Nevermore is intellectual, witty, and charming. Landry possesses the powers of persuasion and rationality to crack challenging cases in Wraith's Cove's crime-ridden, evil realm.  A deductive mastermind who utilizes a superior mind for the good of the town, Landry is in tune with the seedy minds of humanity’s underbelly.             

Suggested Attire:  Gothic-inspired attire with a badge as an accessory. A disheveled appearance – you work long hours.

 

Gray Golightly

Escape Room Designer

Corrupt, wicked, and dangerous to associate with, Gray Golightly possesses an unchained, thoughtless persona. Gray’s a heartless and contemptuous troublemaker who uses people like a hairbrush – for their functionality. Take Gray’s words lightly, as Gray’s life is one big fairytale narrated by an imaginative mind. Gray’s a hipster who lives for wicked adventures and plays the cello with a disturbing lack of talent.  Landry Nevermore is currently investigating Gray for multiple disappearances of thrill seekers who have entered the Golightly Escape Experience.     

Lincoln Dangerfield and Gray are best pals. 

Suggested Attire:  Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Dr. Fox

Illusionist

A budding artist and famous escapist, Dr. Fox discharges all creative energies into maintaining the House of Dreads – a performance theater and ghoulish museum of artifacts associated with deadly attempts at magic. Dr. Fox was chiseled from the stone, giving forth fierce, bold types. A no-nonsense creature of habit, Dr. Fox is disciplined and determined to make history in the field of illusion. This illusionist has suffered a lifetime of great injustices and sadness, so the hair-raising, sinister magic shows at the theater are reflective of the past.     

Suggested Attire: magician’s costume.

 

Jess Sherlock

Writer

Jess Sherlock is the most mysterious of all the chilling guests on Poe’s invite list.  A struggling writer, blatantly embracing life with a drive fringing on recklessness, Jess has a serene detachment from a visible path of self-destruction. Lacking awareness or concern for well-being or comfort, Jess intentionally enters harm’s way. Jess has penned over thirty best-selling novels of the undead and lives in a mansion overlooking Wraith’s Cove, next door to the envious Eddie Poe.       

Many people have come to realize that Jess may have a death wish, as Jess has gone to many lengths to taunt the infamous Body Snatch Killer - a serial murderer who has plagued the town of Wraith's Cove for five years. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired poet costume or Shakespearean-style attire.

 

Lolo Trotsky

Private Investigator

A conventional rogue, Lolo Trotsky is a larger-than-life private investigator. A riotously amusing vigilante who is believed to be a modern-day Robin Hood, Lolo rejects societal rules and does whatever is needed to get the job done.  Often called a bully, Lolo claims it is merely that Lolo’s way is best, and others may not realize what is good for them. Lolo is the archenemy of Landry Nevermore, as they are often working the same murder cases – albeit the victim’s families hire Lolo.               

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired detective attire. Add a Sherlock Holmes-inspired pipe as an optional prop.

 

Morgan Marlowe

Convenience Store Clerk

Morgan Marlowe is a clerk for the Stop-N-Go – a convenience store on Black Dalia Drive. Morgan easily recites freeform poetry and engages in petty crimes to supplement a meager income and satisfy rich tastes.  An accomplished pickpocket, Morgan is particularly dexterous and uses an assorted bag of tricks to thrive and evade strife with the police. A streetwise facade with the heart of an innocent child – you’ll find yourself cheering for this antihero.  

Morgan's job at the convenience store is in danger, as many complaints have been launched about this clerk's rude behavior. Smart people have realized not to rush into the store when the doors open. Morgan is not a morning person!        

Suggested Attire: a black T-shirt and black jeans. Click here for males. Click here for females. It's not too dressy.

 

Paige Shandy

CTO, Wraith’s Cove Daily

Paige Shandy is the chief technology officer at the Wraith’s Cove Daily. Cynical with little redeeming qualities, Paige is utterly obnoxious and taxing to be around.  An acknowledged computer hacker and suspected member of an international hacking group, this CTO is not to be toiled with, albeit many have tried and failed epically.  Paige can be terrifying and intimidating, but Paige turns gentle as a lamb on a second's notice. Paige’s duo of personalities keeps everyone guessing.                

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Seven Caulfield

Puppeteer

A doomed romantic, Seven has an inquisitive temperament coupled with a powerful imagination.  Unfit for the adult world, Seven has difficulty dealing with obligations and responsibilities. Seven has a stoical truthfulness that causes Seven innately to do the right thing. A puppeteer, Seven has built a lucrative career by performing at home parties, weekly shows at the House of Dread, and by running ads on a YouTube channel with over 500K subscribers.    

Seven makes 95% of an income from running ads on a YouTube channel. Most of Seven's videos go viral because they are utterly disturbing.  The people of Wraith's Cove have been chatting about creating a petition to prevent Seven from performing in town. Seven has good intentions, but the puppet shows are demented and can give nightmares! 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. Puppet (preferably dark-themed) as an optional prop.

 

Sterling Twist

Con Artist

A probing spectator of the macabre, Sterling Twist is a rebel with a cause who modifies the past, present, and future at will. Sterling is a vibrant outcast who spews intriguing tales of extravagant adventures – which may or may not hold a shred of reality. Causing trouble at every junction, Sterling is a ferocious free-thinker who often pretends to be someone else when intermingling in society. This cagey soul may be quite dangerous, as Sterling never reveals intentions.   

Sterling is the first to arrive at a crime scene or car accident. Is it because Sterling has first-hand knowledge or intuition?  Sterling has also been seen roaming around town in disguises lately. Nobody knows why Sterling is exhibiting such peculiar behavior. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Sam Salander

Headmaster, Hogcastle Preparatory School

Sam Salander is a role model in every sense: bold, heroic, and honorable. As the headmaster of Hogcastle Preparatory School, Sam has an ambitious and overbearing personality. This headmaster understands the abundant defects and imperfections in the human condition and is on a mission to instill an eternal code of value and honor within the 284 students who roam the corridors of the prestigious academy.            

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired headmaster attire. Think Dumbledore or Gandolf from Lord of the Rings, but darken it with black and gray.

 

Bo Bandini

CIA Agent

A veteran who served twenty honorable years in the military, Bo Bandini is an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency who hails from Wraith’s Cove. With an obsessive personality, Bo refuses to back down while facing unbeatable odds. With an infectious laugh and complex nature, Bo’s willpower and motivations are admirable. It is a challenge to ascertain Bo’s theories and opinions. Nobody knows which sector of the CIA Bo is assigned.    

Bo lacks respect for the Wraith's Cove Police Department.  Bo also wasn't invited to Eddie's dinner party. Bo charmed Eddie into an invitation. 

Suggested Attire: black button-up and black pants.  A badge as an optional prop.

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Hollis Heep

Undertaker

Hollis Heep was well-born, but a long string of catastrophic events led this funeral director down a path of calamity and eventual isolation. Impoverished, Hollis’s adulthood has been nothing but social decent. Hollis exists within a solitary realm on the margins of high society, secluded from former friends, family, and colleagues. Hollis views people with money as morally corrupt and chooses only to associate with fellow undertakers and cemetery workers. 

The Heep family helped to build the town of Wraith's Cove. As one of the eight founding lineages, the Heeps had buildings named after them, were granted honorary memberships to exclusive clubs, and had carte blanche as far as the upper crust of society was concerned.  However, the Heeps refused to back down to the WC Mob, an underground mob faction in Wraith's Cove.  This led to a chain of events that brought down one of the most powerful families in the city. Hollis is the last remaining Heep in the town. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. Black suit/dress. Make your face pale with dark circles underneath your eyes.  Contour your face to be gaunter.

 

Hollis Heep's Colleague

Undertaker

Hollis Heep despises high society gatherings and prefers attending events surrounded by uninvited colleagues. This morose group of morticians, embalmers, and gravediggers all work for The Great Beyond Funeral Home. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. Black suit/dress. Make your face pale with dark circles underneath your eyes.  Contour your face to be gaunter.

 

Dom Sorel

Manager, Comic Emporium

With an affirmative and positive nature, Dom Sorel operates the Comic Emporium with smiles, flattering lingo, and pure altruism. The city's townsfolk regularly pop their heads into Dom’s store—if only for a morale boost to get through the dark days in the crime-riddled city. 

There are always people who try to bring positive people down, but Dom and the staff of the Comic Emporium are impervious to negativity. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. For a girl, Gothic comic book makeup/costume, and for a male, a dark comic t-shirt. 

 

Dom Sorel's Staff

Employee, Comic Emporium

The Comic Emporium employees take a page from Dom’s book of life and exude positivity from their pores. They are a blissful bunch of retail workers who live for their jobs and are all experts in pop culture fandom. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. For a girl, Gothic comic book makeup/costume, and for a male, a dark comic t-shirt. 

 

Linden Zhivago

Retired Broadway Performer

Linden Zhivago retired from the limelight and moved a large family to Wraith’s Cove. This former star often worries about the next generation of Zhivagos not filling the tap shoes and top hats. Oblivious to all immediate surroundings, Linden needs to be bothered about his/her offspring, referred to on the streets as the Zhivago Ten, who are incapable and unwilling to fit into society. This band of unruly twin sets is making a name for themselves - but more of a name fit for a chalk-scrawled mug shot photo – not for the bright lights of Broadway.

Linden has no idea that the ten Zhivago kids are troublemaking scoundrels who steal car stereos, vandalize neighborhood mailboxes, and chuck rocks into store windows when the moon is high in the sky. Recently, there was a piece in the local newspaper's gossip column warning the townsfolk about the Zhivago Ten—the five sets of twins from the Zhivago household. Linden was not pleased about this article, to say the least. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire. Try to be flamboyant, as you are used to wearing costumes.

 

Zhivago Ten

Offspring of Linden Zhivago and their friends

The members of Zhivago Ten are the troubled offspring of the retired Broadway star Linden Zhivago. This group of hooligans has snuggled comfortably into the underground of Wraith’s Cove, unbeknownst to their loving parents. A band of delinquents, these five sets of twins, and their friends terrorize Black Dalia Drive, a street in the city notorious for criminal activity.

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Kennedy March

Assignment Reporter, Wraith's Cove Daily

Kennedy March often apologizes for being too bright for ordinary tasks. Kennedy is a rising star at the local newspaper and is assigned most of the lead stories. This risk-taking journalist will bend any rule to get the story, giving Kennedy an edge.

Kennedy recently had a massive drop in social media followers and is scrambling to get to the bottom of why this happened.

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Kennedy March's Crew

Wraith's Cove Daily

The crew who works for Kennedy March is a shrewd bunch who knows how to evade laws to get what they need. If Kennedy is assigned a story, they will do absolutely anything necessary to make it happen. Ruthless, merciless, and void of emotion, you should never double-cross this group of folks.

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Jackie Pan

Advertising Executive, Wraith’s Cove Daily

Jackie endures a whirlwind of mishaps on a daily basis. With poor luck and worse choices, Jackie roams the streets with a black cloud looming above. Nonetheless, Jackie is perhaps the wisest soul in Wraith’s Cove and is a genius when it comes to creating advertisements. 

Jackie has asked all of the paper's advertising staff to attend the party at Eddie Poe's mansion. Rumor has it that the staff are not happy about this, as they enjoy their free time away from Jackie's bad luck curse. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Advertising Staff

Wraith’s Cove Daily

Jackie Pan’s staff must take a protective position over their ill-fated boss. Jackie is known for oozing bad luck, and those around Jackie must proceed with extreme caution as not to be sucked into Jackie’s vortex of chaos. Nevertheless, if a client has entrusted this group with their advertising campaign, they’ll never be privy to the dodged mishaps on the road to greatness.  

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire.

 

Izzy Diamond

Mob Boss, WC Mob

The WC Mobsters are intermingled with high society due to their amassed wealth and fortune. With bank accounts rivaling the wealthiest tycoons in town, these mobsters live luxuriously while extracting the life force out of the city and filling the streets with low-level villains who do their dirty work.

Izzy founded the WC Mob in the 1970s. It is now a multi-faction underground organization that has spread like wildfire across the United States. Izzy will run anyone out of Wraith's Cove who does not follow the mob's rules. 

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire &/or mobster/ gun moll attire.

 

Mobster

WC Mob

The WC Mobsters are intermingled with high society due to their amassed wealth and fortune. With bank accounts rivaling the wealthiest tycoons in town, these mobsters live luxuriously while extracting the life force out of the city and filling the streets with low-level villains who do their dirty work.

Suggested Attire: Gothic-inspired attire &/or mobster/ gun moll attire.

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