"She has an interest in the far reaches of the Neath, and a firm commitment to ending banditry and criminal activity wherever she may encounter it."[1]
The Implacable Detective is one of the most prominent investigators in London.
"If you're getting nowhere, just keep snooping around the suspects and wait for someone's nerve to crack. That one's resolved more cases than I care to admit."[2]
The Implacable Detective is a formidable, aging woman of Elder Continent descent[3] with sharp eyes and an iron will. Well-known in London’s underworld for her relentless pursuit of the truth, her uncompromising sense of justice, and her attention to detail,[4] she has earned the respect of even the most hardened criminals.[5] She staunchly resists the corruption that permeates nearly every institution in London, including her own;[6] the flaws of the Constabulary weigh heavily on her,[7] and when necessary, she occasionally sidesteps the law to uphold the justice it fails to deliver.[8] Among her many adversaries, the Cheery Man holds her in particularly high regard,[3] and they occasionally face off over chess.[9]
The Detective is the pioneer of the Implacable Method,[10] and her most famous teaching is the Implacable's Lesson: "It's better to swallow a single hard truth than a thousand soft lies." She gives the occasional lecture to constables, aspiring detectives and interested Londoners.[4] When cases turn physical or particularly dangerous, she relies on bodyguards for support,[11] and she has gained a reputation for subcontracting her investigations,[12] likely due to her age.
The Detective has a near-compulsive habit of handing out her business cards:[13] to allies,[14] to enemies,[15] to those who already have one (or several).[16] She’ll even slip them into the most unlikely of places.[17] Regardless of the method of acquisition, it serves as an open invitation — to get casework, or simply to challenge her to a game of chess.[18]
In addition to her work with (and occasionally against) the Constabulary, the Detective is a member of the Candlefinder Society, a cohort of London's greatest investigators.[19] She often meets with them to talk shop and collaborate on cases.[20]
Solving the Neath's Deeper Mysteries
"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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"The Implacable Detective's chart cabinet is rather impressive. You wonder that she has time for matters geographical when she's usually after some Flit-villain."[21]
The Light-In-Exile
The Detective uses her investigative skills to solve crimes, but also to unravel the deeper mysteries of the Neath. She is a prominent member of the Dilmun Club, a secret society of intellectuals with the common goal of finding immortality. The Detective keeps dossiers on everyone in the club, and thus has extensive knowledge of its members' more clandestine activities.[22]
These days, the Dilmun Club focuses on its search for the Garden. But in her younger years, the Detective once inquired into a possible path to immortality[23] through cartography: not just the mapping of places,[24] but also of the self.[25] This journey took her to Hunter's Keep,[17] where she obtained several Stone Tentacle-Keys, strange devices that reshape destiny.[26] Eventually she abandoned her research, deeming it 'too unlawful' to continue;[27] she feared a single mistake might cause unfathomable psychological agony in a subject.[28]
Many decades ago, the Implacable Detective served at the Magistracy of the Evenlode, where all recruits undergo a mysterious rite of passage.[29] In the abyssal depths of the Magistracy, she encountered the Light-in-Exile — a meeting she buried deep in her memory, shrouded in shame.[30] Even now, she resents and fears the realization that the Constabulary, and with it all enforcement of the law in London, is irreparably corrupted.[31][32] She thinks it imprudent, however, to keep such a secret to herself.[33]
The Election of 1895
"We need to take a firmer hand with the law. So many of our finest minds end their careers mired in poverty or honey. I intend to spend money cleaning them up and putting them back on the streets. They need help."[34]
A Corinthian Belfry Hat
In 1895, the Implacable Detective was one of three candidates for Mayor of London, running under the slogan "The Only Logical Choice."[35] True to her profession, she conducted rigorous background checks on all her campaign patrons and managers. She also laid the groundwork for what her campaign dubbed "the Grand Prosecution:" a thorough survey of London's justice system and the Constabulary, intended to unearth rampant corruption.[36]
While the Detective garnered a respectable level of public support, her hardline stance on crime and corruption drove many constables to abandon her in favor of rivals, particularly Feducci.[37] Throughout her campaign, she also enlisted the aid of the Honourable Company of Stereoscopics, a mysterious and possibly Parabola-linked group to whom she owed a debt.[38] As a token of support, her backers received a distinctive hat crafted by the Company.[39] The Detective seemed unfazed when Feducci's victory in the election was announced,[40] but she harbors a grudge against him for winning.[41]
Cultural Inspirations
The Implacable Detective likely takes primary inspiration from Miss Marple, the archetypal "little old lady" investigator in Agatha Christie's mystery novels. However, some influence from Sherlock Holmes can also be seen in the Detective's pioneering scientific methods and professional investigative credentials.
↑ 3.03.1His enemies, Fallen London"That old bird, the one with Continent blood. She don't give up once she's started. She's all right for what she is, though."
↑The Implacable Detective's Campaign 1, Fallen London"She has a coterie of former detectives investigating her staff. At the first evidence of corruption, they are allowed to make a case for themselves in a private meeting. Very few pass."
↑Turn to the Implacable Detective, Fallen London""The joy of taking cases outside of official channels," says the Implacable Detective brightly, "is that we are allowed a little more latitude in the pursuit of justice." Mischief tugs at the sadness in her eyes."
↑He's not alone, Fallen London"A calm-faced, dark-skinned elderly woman in a walking-dress of antique cut sits across from him. Between them lies a chess set."
↑The Implacable Method, Fallen London"The Implacable's practice is systematic and elegant: consider all possibilities, eliminate all errors, and isolate the truth."
↑What?, Fallen London"The Implacable Detective isn't much in a fight, but she surrounds herself with ring-fighters, Clay Men and other sturdy sorts."
↑Argue with the Implacable Detective's supporters, Fallen London"You demand to know why a woman notorious for subcontracting her cases is positioning herself as the saviour of London justice. You wonder why she seems to be relying so much on failed constables."
↑Have a look at your fellows, Fallen London"...the greatest detectives in the Neath. The Honey-Addled Detective, glumly swirling a glass of sherry. The Implacable Detective, [...] deep in thought. The Banded Sleuth, a tiger [...] The Urchin Detective, who takes up the task of keeping the conversation going..."
↑Discuss some minor cases, Fallen London"Pickpockets and second-storey men. Dubious wills. Insurance fraud. Most of you only consult on such small cases, but it's still worth discussing the basics. The Implacable Detective goes on about how you can discern someone's mood by the shapes left behind in cigar ash."
↑Discuss the Implacable Detective's map, Fallen London"These blank spaces... they're fears. Her fears. [...] Changing her heart? Admitting that Concord Square is broken beyond repair? Confronting her own culpability? Impossible. But this – the route on this map – proves that it's possible."
↑Ask about her reservations, Fallen London"The Stone Tentacle-Key can unlock the heart's secret chambers. Imagine the monsters inside. One misstep, and the Far Shore itself would be mercy. For what? Even if you survive, only the abyss would harbour you."
↑The Light of the Lure, Fallen London"This is the traditional rite of passage. All the new recruits must do it. There's nothing to worry about (they said as they snickered) and they don't even expect you to succeed. Nobody does. But it will teach you something important, which you might have trouble learning otherwise."
↑Flee from the light, Fallen London"Don't acknowledge it. Look somewhere else. Pretend that the Law's central pillars don't extend [...] into a nightmare. File these recollections with the other unsolved cases, which have been marked 'solved' for convenience, and never re-open them again."
↑Flee from the light, Fallen London"They must know what happened anyway. That's why they sent you down there, isn't it? To put you in this position, where every handshake, every promotion that follows, flounders in your memory like a landed fish gasping for life."
↑Break the surface (Flee), Fallen London"I thought she meant something else by 'Shame' in her notes. But she was writing about her own shame. The Constables are worse than the Young Stags. Sending her to confront that creature. No wonder she ran. No wonder she's still running."
↑The Implacable Detective's Campaign 1, Fallen London"Intriguingly, she has ordered campaign staff to begin a thorough report into the inner workings of the city justices, courts, and constabulary in preparation for 'the Grand Prosecution'. No other aspect of civic governance has received anywhere near so much attention."
↑Have a word with the Implacable Detective, Fallen London"The Detective smiles as you approach. […] "Sorry about that. Never got the hang of vol-au-vents. Oh, don't look so downhearted. So we didn't win? That doesn't mean it was all for nothing. [...] The work continues.""
