For my series, I have researched into a wide variety of fiction and news from the period of the 1830's up until the turn of the 20th century, which I have now narrowed down to create stories and characters for my collective.
Coming up with the name for the group
When thinking of names to give to the group I had a few ideas, none seemed to jump out at me so I went for a more straightforward approach and described what the group was:
"London's Unit for Paranormal Investigation (and Research)"
When looking at this title and thinking about how their colleagues and the general public must see this advertised and know the members, they would think they were most likely slightly crazy . Not only for working with known felons but also for chasing something which they believe to be fictitious. That's when it hit me, they would think they were crazy and would realise that when the first letters of each word where placed out, it would make up the word L.U.P.I , a similar word to 'Loopy". This poorly named title serves as a comic relief and shows the lightheartedness of the team as a whole, with no one else outside of the group along with a select few knowing that what the team does is far more important in keeping the public safe.
Cast of main characters
Nicholas Rowens:
The protagonist and leader/ founder of LUPI. A skilled inventor and an amateur consulting detective. He's a highly intelligent and resourceful young man, with an incredibly resilient and loyal personality. A tad gun ho and clumsy, his methods seem unorthodox and slightly eccentric in nature, but they seem to work and therefore no one questions them unless it jeopardises the situation.
An expert in the fields of Deduction, Chemistry and the Occult, he's a keen inventor, although his creations never seem to work.
Following in his fathers footsteps, Nicholas has developed a fascination for all things supernatural and the macabre and is more than willing to investigate anything that can be classed as 'paranormal' in order to fully understand the mysterious side to London.
Jack Caines:
Forever the anti-hero. Jack is a reformed felon, at one point working under the alias of "Spring Heeled Jack", causing havoc and panic in London. Taking over his predecessors duties of ridding the City of demons and animated corpses, Jack equipped himself with an arsenal of gadgets , most notably his iconic boots, fitted with hydraulics and springs ,allowing him to keep up with and combat them as he hunted them across rooftops and rough terrain.
Known for being able to leap great distances, Jack is very agile and a skilled fighter, making him a formidable opponent and a valued member of the Team when battling or chasing strong supernatural entities.
Brash, mouthy, arrogant and shrewd , he is often accused of having a lousy and pessimistic attitude. Considered the roughest member of the team due to his lower class upbringing, but holds his own in social situations.
Despite his flaws, he's an extremely intelligent and resourceful man. He can be suspicious of people but he is incredibly loyal to his friends and team members, especially Nicholas, who offered Jack the chance to reform himself and join the team.
Lucian Blackwood-:
The forever cautious childhood friend of Nicholas and slightly over protective older brother of Violet. An ex-soldier, Lucian can sometimes come across as cowardly, but this is his cautious and nervous disposition coming through. His stubborn and pessimistic attitude is a major downfall for him, although he makes up for it in his meticulous mindset, good morals and extreme loyalty to his comrades.
A master for making plans and strategies, Lucian will often plan LUPI's cases down to the last detail with as little risk as possible, which is a shame since most of them end up being a shambles due to the other members' recklessness and eagerness to jump into danger in pursuit.
Lucian has been given the nickname "Luci" due to his sensitive nature and smothering attitude towards Violet. He hates this name and is often seen as defensive or taking offence towards it along with many other things, thus he is often the butt of most of the groups teasing and jokes. However its all in good sport and Lucian is incredibly loyal towards his team members and is always the first to defend them.
Violet Blackwood:
The only female member of LUPI. Violet is the childhood friend (and sweetheart) of Nicholas and younger sister of Lucian. Seen as the baby of the group, the others are very protective of her much to her annoyance. Despite this, she has proved to be an invaluable member of the group and can hold her own on cases with her extensive knowledge on the occult, resourcefulness and feminine charm.
Plucky and intelligent. Violet is never without a retort or a stern word to keep the team in their place and is always ready for a challenge whether it's a troublesome ghost or undercover work.
Strong minded and stubborn, she has taken upon herself to juggle the upkeep of the main head quarters with cases, earning the respect of her team mates.
Dante:
The eldest member of the group. Arriving in London to avenge his brother's death, Dante soon got tangled up in tracking down reanimated corpses of women who were preying on civilians, disposing of the corpses in such a way as to cover his tracks. His work soon attracted attention and pretty soon there was public hysteria as Dante was given the alias of "Jack The Ripper ". It was then that LUPI caught up with him and persuaded him to join their team as an alternative to facing jail or the death penalty . Being a doctor and former surgeon, Dante's knowledge on medicine and anatomy as well as his knowledge on how to track and dispose of some entities with his expert knife skills coupled with his quick thinking and reflexes are invaluable to the group.
Despite his past, Dante has assumed the role of the father figure of the group as well as preferring to settle matters peacefully, but if pushed into conflict or if the safety of his team is jeopardised, he quickly springs into action.
Edmund Harker:
The silent and calmest member of the team. Edmund was the last member to be instated as an alternative to prison after being exposed for carrying on the family business of Demon Disposal. A descendant of the Infamous "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", Edmund is very skilled with both razors and knives and very resourceful as well as quick thinking and calm, making him a very formidable opponent.
Often mistaken for being melancholic and considered scary, Edmund is very reserved and stoic, making his opinions some of the most respected amongst the group, the silent listener, he's always at hand to hear out any of the others' problems and happy to point them in the right direction.
The Stories:
- Introduction to characters and background stories -
* Nicholas
* Jack
* Lucian and Violet
* Dante
* Edmund
- Cases-
* " The Barne's Mystery "
Researching the events of the "Spring Heeled Jack" case, I came across the intriguing location of the Old Cemetery at Barne's Common .
It iss believed to have been the location of the first sightings of Jack in September 1837 and the start of his reign of hysteria which would last right up until the present day.
Not only would this be an interesting setting to see a descendant of the original Jack in, I could work in the facts of the original sighting into the narrative, as well as Jack's own personal feelings towards this location; it's not somewhere that he remembers in his life time but it might still feel nostalgic or memorable to him due to its connection with his predecessor.
As well as its connection to the "Spring Heeled Jack" mystery, the cemetery has its own share of
ghost stories and rumours. The most well known is the ghost of a nun which apparently walks amongst the graves of this abandoned grave yard. The ghost is connected to a prolific murder which happened in the area in 1879 known as "The Barnes Mystery ". This was a well covered news story at the time where widow Julia Martha Thomas was murdered by her housemaid Kate Webster, who then dismembered her body, proceeding to boil the flesh off the bones and disposing of the remains in the River Themes, and in a fashion that echoes the stories of the dreadfuls and fiction such as Sweeney Todd , she is alleged to have offered neighbours and street children the fat from the body as dripping or lard.
The remains that the police found were buried at Barne's Common on the 19th of March 1879, however, Thomas' skull was not found until 2010 during building work.
I thought this story was a particularly good example of a Victorian crime story, with a perfect setting and context for a short narrative.
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Nicholas and the rest of the team stake out the graveyard hoping to get a glimpse of the spectral nun that haunts the graveyard . The other team members are skeptical that the apparition will appear and so they complain but are thwarted by Nicholas's enthusiasm and their own curiosity. Nicholas regales them in the tale of the "Barnes Mystery". informing the audience as to why they are in a grave yard in the small hours in the cold.
Jack takes the opportunity to look around as Nicholas briefs the rest of the team, feeling a sense of nostalgia as this was the place where the figure of "Spring heeled Jack " began with his predecessor a few decades before.
It isn't too long before even Nicholas begins to lose heart and the team decides to abandon the stake out and as they prepare to leave, they spot something moving amongst the graves.
It turns out to be Jack and in the commotion they are all reunited near the grave of Julia Thomas. It's then that they come face to face with the real ghost, who lets her presence be known to the team before vanishing, leaving LUPI stunned at the rumour actually being real and by the appearance of the apparition .
* " 50 Berkeley Square "
No. 50 Berkeley Square is reported to be one of the most haunted places in London, a genuine haunted house with multiple unexplained deaths, strange occurrences and rumours surrounding the house. In the Victorian Era especially, this house was known to be one of the most haunted places in London .
The story varies but the house is believed to have a presence that terrorises anyone who is brave enough to spend the night in the attic room. At least 2 deaths were recorded at the house and there have been other strange occurrences surrounding the attic room: a maid apparently went mad after spending the night there only to die in a mental asylum a few days after, another man was found in such a mad state that he could not speak.
Looking at all the information I have been able to find out about this strange case. I began to plan a short narrative based on the haunting and the whole idea of spirit phones and séances being a way to communicate with the dead and how fashionable they would have been at the time.
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LUPI take it upon themselves to investigate the strange haunting at No. 50 Berkeley Square, making their base in the attic room of the house which is supposedly the most haunted.
Nicholas has brought along equipment to help them communicate with the "spirits" and they hold a séance in the room. Nothing happens at first, but soon enough strange noises and figures begin to appear. The activity gets so violent that the team are forced to flee as it becomes more dangerous from them to be there and as they flee the building they are attacked by the spirit who destroys the equipment, leaving them with no other proof than their own experiences with the house as evidence that there is an evil presence within the house.
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