app for entranceway

[fancylad]

Name: Javid
DW username: shacklebones
E-Mail: 18morehours[at]gmail[dot]com
IM: Discord: javid#6941
Plurk: erlking

Other Characters: Hadrian (whathereisevil)

Character Name: Angus McDonald
Series: The Adventure Zone
Timeline: Episode 59 - Lunar Interlude V - Reunion Tour Part 2
Canon Resource Link: here
Character History:

When the party meets Angus, he is on the small luxury train called the Rockport Limited. At first glance, he is simply a ten-year-old boy in fancy clothes going to visit his grandfather in Neverwinter, but after he deduces that their assumed identities are not real thanks to his trusty, magical message-intercepting book, he, in turn, reveals his own true identity: the world's greatest detective!

His revelation is promptly followed by Taako, Magnus, and Merle playing keepaway with his book and laughing at him.

Angus explains he is actually on the trail of a serial killer known as the Rockport Slayer, having been hired on by the Rockport City Council, who kills in order to steal riches from their victims. He tracked the Rockport Slayer to the very train on which they were riding.

Right after they agree to work together to find the Slayer, they are interrupted by a scream. When they investigate, they find that the train's steward, Jenkins, has been killed. The four of them investigate, Angus one step ahead all the time, to find the truth: the engineer was actually disguised as Jenkins, and Jenkins was the true killer, using his wizardly magicks to obfuscate his trail and break into the safe in the cargo car where everyone's belongings were stored.

The trio defeat Jenkins in battle and work together to stop the train without crashing into Neverwinter through some awful hijinks. Taako steals Angus' grandfather's expensive silverware set in the meantime and tells Angus it was simply lost in the train crash. When Angus says goodbye, Taako starts to feel bad and produces three forks from the set and says they were the only part of the set he was able to save.

Some time passes, and during this time Angus is taking jobs offscreen, for people who are searching for relatives that they've somehow lost memories of. Angus got so close to uncovering the truth of the Bureau of Balance, who were responsible for the memories being erased from the world, that the Director hired him to work with the main trio. From now on, Angus operates as the source of intel, the eye in the sky, the operator of sorts back in the Bureau headquarters while the trio go on their missions to reclaim the magical, dangerous Grand Relics that are scattered around the world. When not working with the trio, Angus also operates as a seeker, someone who searches for the Grand Relics.

On Candlenights, Angus and the boys exchange gifts, Angus gifting the trio each a favorite Caleb Cleveland: Kid Cop mystery novel, which he reveals was his inspiration for becoming a detective. Magnus gives Angus the gift of not bullying him, which was a lie, as he places a "kick me" sign on his back immediately. Taako gives him three spoons from the silverware set that he bought back from the Fantasy Costco he sold it to. And Merle regifts him a whetstone shaped like a duck. Then, Taako remembers to also throw a macaron at him, which bounces off Angus' head. Angus enjoys the macaron alone in his room as a Candlenights treat.

Offscreen, Angus apparently did some detective work for a fellow Bureau employee, Leon, who gave him a wand from the Fantasy Gachapon as thanks. And, after a big mission, Taako still feels bad about stealing Angus' grandfather's silverware, so he offers to teach Angus magic. Angus and Taako bond while they carry out these lessons, Taako revealing some personal stories from his life.

On his birthday, Angus convinces the trio to bring him along on a mission to investigate the murder of a BattleFest fighter, allowing him to watch them all take part in the BattleFest Supreme Champion Finals. Angus claims not to be a fan of Jeff Angel, but he wears a Jeff Angel shirt anyway. At a pivotal moment, Angus uses his magic to help the three save the day and defeat the murderer. Taako is very excited when he sees Angus' magical skills and how far they've come.

Angus continues to operate as a source of intel on the crew's missions, but his growing suspicion of the Director reaches a head just when the trio start to go rogue. Angus places a mark, discreetly, on the orb a Grand Relic is placed into when it is supposedly destroyed, but when the now-empty orb comes back out of the back room, the mark is missing. Determined to reach the bottom of the new mystery, Angus follows Merle and Taako into a back room in the Director's office, intervening where they would have been caught and demanding to know what they knew of the truth.

Taako decides that he trusts Angus implicitly. The trio-turned-duo inform him that Magnus has lost his body and a lich named Barry Bluejeans has, on some authority, informed them that the Bureau is not what it seems, which is about what Angus already figured out. They continue investigating, and things come to a head when the Director is forced to explain her true reasons for finding the Grand Relics, and her secret shared history with the main trio. This largely has nothing to do with Angus, but that's about when he's taken and brought to Wonderland.

Abilities/Special Powers:

WORLD'S GREATEST DETECTIVE
"That’s-- That’s sorta the three main pillars. Checking things out, solving crimes, and cracking clues!"
Angus is apparently the world's greatest detective. There is no mystery he cannot solve, and he was in fact so talented at uncovering the truth that the Director of the Bureau of Balance absolutely had to hire him on, to avoid the truth of their efforts coming out as a result of his digging. He is an incredibly intelligent boy, clever beyond his years.

WIZARDLY MAGICKS
"Oh, I’m sorry, I can tone it down if you’d like, I’m just excited to begin my magic. My magic adventure into the arcane arts!"
Taken under the wizard Taako's wing, Angus has begun to learn how to use magic. He mainly focuses on Wizard spells, but he can apparently also cast Druid and Cleric spells? He has the potential to learn/may already know more than simply what I list out here, but as a note right now he's only able to cast up to Level 2 spells. We're operating out of the D&D 5e spellbook here, where level 0 spells are unlimited but anything above that is limited to a certain amount per day depending on level. Angus is presumably level 3, and can therefore cast two level 2 spells and four level 1 spells per day, as well as retaining knowledge of three level 0 spells to choose from to cast at will. Hereafter are the spells he has cast so far:

MAGE HAND
Level 0 Conjuration Spell
Angus can conjure a spectral hand within 30 feet of himself for a duration of up to 1 minute. The hand cannot attack, simply manipulate items that are otherwise out of reach.

PRODUCE FLAME
Level 0 Conjuration Spell
A flickering flame appears in Angus' hand for up to ten minutes. He can use it for anything a flame may be used for, such as light or heat, but additionally he can throw the flame from his hand up to 30 feet away as an attack.

PRESTIDIGITATION
Level 0 Transmutation Spell
Angus can cast minor magical tricks with this spell. This includes: producing a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor; lighting or snuffing out a candle, torch, or small campfire; instantly cleaning or dirtying an object no larger than 1 cubic foot; chilling, warming, or changing the flavor of up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material; making a color, small mark, or symbol appear on an object or surface; creating a nonmagical trinket or illusion that can fit in his hand and lasts until the end of his next turn in battle (indefinitely out of battle). The range is ten feet and the duration is one hour.

DISGUISE SELF
Level 1 Illusion Spell
He can make himself, including any belongings on his person, look different in a way of his choosing for up to one hour. He can only make himself appear up to one foot shorter or taller (he's 5'0"). He must choose a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs, but otherwise, he can look like any person at all, real or imagined. This only changes the visual appearance of his body and his actual physical form doesn't change at all, so someone could figure out he was disguised if they looked very closely. Note that this is the only level 1 spell Angus has cast, so he likely knows a few more.

SILENCE
Level 2 Illusion Spell
For up to 10 minutes, all sound within a 20-foot-radius sphere produced within a range of 120 feet is muted. If someone were to enter the sphere, they would become immune to thunder damage, and cannot hear at all while inside.

ZONE OF TRUTH
Level 2 Enchantment Spell
Everyone within a 15-foot-radius sphere within a range of 60 feet from Angus' location has a chance to resist this (Charisma saving throw), but on a fail, they cannot speak a deliberate lie. All are aware of the spell when it is cast.

Third-Person Sample:

That was it. That was the climax, the big reveal, just like in his Caleb Cleveland novels, where the truth finally comes out and everything changes. The Director was cornered, she was finally explaining herself for good, and... right in the middle of it, Angus is suddenly somewhere else.

This is like a book cutting off right at the tail end of the rising action. It is confusing, yes, but most of all, it is unsatisfying.

"Aw, beans," Angus says to himself as he rises from a bench in a garden, clearly no longer on the moon base at all. There's nothing quite like getting stopped right when you are about to solve a mystery; it feels very frustrating. But, in a way, he's been granted a new mystery: where is he, exactly, and how did he get here?

"Taako? Merle?" he calls out, trying to see if anyone else was transported with him as well, but... he's alone in this strange garden. Alright then. He doesn't have the time to wait around wondering. A good detective bounces back, right into action. Thankfully, he has his little backpack full of supplies with him. He was certain he was going to need them to figure out the truth behind the Bureau.

First, he's got to start his investigation into this large building. Maybe it's someone's home? It's awfully big, though, even for a mansion; it must be built for plenty of people, he decides. He pulls out his Book of Interception from his backpack, as well as a little cup of applesauce with a tiny spoon. Sleuthing requires plenty of nutrition to keep your mind in tip-top shape.

It's time to get busy.

First-Person Sample:

[A small eleven-year-old boy is on the network, looking awfully bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for a newcomer. He gives a friendly, polite smile to the camera.]

Gee, the technology here sure is incredible! I've never seen something able to do all that a Stone of Farspeech could do and more! If my deductions are correct, everyone should be able to see me now! Whoever wrote that pamphlet was very helpful, as well!

[He clears his throat -- a very small sound, but he's trying to seem very professional.]

Hello sirs, madams, and otherwise! My name is Angus McDonald, and I am here to help! Not to toot my own horn, because that's-- that's what my grandpa used to say, never toot your own horn. But I am my world's greatest detective!

I have already looked into everyone's whole situation here, Wonderland's whole thing, which is good because I might otherwise mistake this for a much different Wonderland which is just a bad, a bad place to be. There are Wonderlands out there that are very hurtful, and harmful. And I know this one can be, too, but I think, it could probably be a lot worse. It's important to stay positive!

Anyway, I'd like to conduct a few interviews if anyone with a lot of knowhow is willing to participate! There are some details that are missing from the big picture here. First, I'd like to know: who is the person that has been here the longest? Who is the person that has been here the longest that is still here? The answers may not be the same. Also, may I speak with someone who has been to the Mirror side?

Also, if anyone has notes from their own investigations and are willing to share, I will definitely like to see those! Thank you!

[Angus gives a big cheesy grin and ends the feed.]