The Detective (Main Character)

The Detective is the main character and player-controlled protagonist of The Wayhaven Chronicles.

The Detective's background, personality, appearance, and relationships are dependent entirely on player choice. The only pre-determined aspects about the Detective is their occupation, familial ties, and species. Everything else, from their appearance to the style of their apartment, can be chosen by the player.

Book One
Book One begins on the Detective's first day on the job as well as their first murder case: a young woman named Janet Greenland who was brutally murdered. The autopsy produces the woman's phone, which includes blurred photos taken inside the abandoned Farris Warehouse. Hoping for clues, the Detective goes to investigate.

At the warehouse, they have an encounter with five shadowy figures, which can possibly end in either shooting, agreeing/disagreeing to let them go, or pepper-spraying one of them. Finding no evidence of a murder, the Detective returns to the station to write a report on the mysterious strangers. The next morning, their mother, Rebecca arrives with her team, Unit Bravo, to offer the Agency's assistance in the case. Pressure from Mayor Friedman means that the Detective has no choice but to accept.

Agent du Mortain, the unit's leader, attempts to take over the case, causing tension between the two. Agent Sewell steps in to calm the situation and suggests accompanying the Detective on whatever task they deem most important while du Mortain takes the remaining agents elsewhere. The Detective is mollified and they leave, possibly accompanied by Agent Hauville or Agent Morgan/Mason. While they are out, Dr. Solomon Verda calls to inform the Detective of the blood results from the murder victim. Sewell attempts to convince the Detective that the results are a flimsy clue at best and they return to the station, where Sewell offers to go with their team to the Farris Warehouse and talk to them about working with others. The Detective eventually agrees.

A second murder in Wayhaven occurs, this time the victim is a young boy named Garret Hayes. When the Detective leaves to inform his mother of his death, du Mortain insists that they take a member of Unit Bravo with them as back-up. The Detective is free to choose any of the agents or double down on going alone.

After delivering the news to Kate Hayes, Garret's mother, and getting what information they could, the Detective returns to the station, either alone or with their chosen companion.

A story by Bobby Marks is released in the paper and sends the town into a panic, leading the Mayor to demand the Detective goes on patrol. The Detective asks Unit Bravo to accompany them. They get separated from the agents for a time but eventually bump into one of them. After some small talk, the agent with them begins acting strangely. They are found by another agent, who tells them that Rebecca has requested the team's presence and the Detective returns home.

The following day, Kate comes to the station to ask about her son's case and the Detective leaves the room to talk to her. When they return to their office, du Mortain argues with them over speaking with Kate when it wasn't necessary. The Detective becomes frustrated and leaves. Verda finds them a short time later and asks them to see if they can hurry the hospital up with returning more in-depth blood results. On their way to the hospital, they consider calling a member of Unit Bravo.

The blood tech behaves strangely, and the Detective quickly leaves after getting the blood results and giving the tech their card. They return to the station, where Unit Bravo has seemingly gone home. Tina Poname, their former partner, invites them out for drinks, which they can accept or decline. Whether they go out or not, Unit Bravo finds them. Shortly after they manage to locate them, the identity of the vampire is revealed and the five are attacked by a hoard of thralls.

When the Detective comes to, the truth is revealed and Rebecca takes them on tour of the Agency facility to explain everything. She assures the Detective that she kept this world hidden from them to protect them. At the end of the tour, the Detective can either forgive Rebecca or not. Then they speak with the team, and Sewell assures the Detective that Rebecca never meant to hurt them and keeping the secret hurt her too.

The group returns to Wayhaven to continue their mission. Unit Bravo starts staying at the Detective's house and accompanies them everywhere. A few days pass before the rogue vampire Murphy makes a move and attacks the Detective's apartment. They escape the apartment with their romantic interest and attempt to make it to their car, but Murphy kidnaps them and takes them to a warehouse where they experiment on them.

Unit Bravo arrives on the scene and get into an altercation with Murphy while the injured Detective rests. However, they are unable to defeat Murphy. The Detective comes up with a plan, but regardless of whether the plan works, the Detective passes out and wakes up in a hospital room. Rebecca visits them privately and admits that she blames herself for the situation. Unit Bravo visits soon after and du Mortain thanks the Detective on behalf of the team for risking themselves for the team.

Book Two
The Detective begins Book Two with a confrontation from the Police Captain who was mentioned, but absent, in Book One. They are able to assure him of their loyalty to WPD and the town itself. Following this, they go to the warehouse on the edge of town to meet Rebecca and Unit Bravo. They are given a tour of the facilities before being reintroduced to the team.

Back at the station, they meet a Spanish-speaking woman and her son. The family is there to report a possible intruder in their home. The Detective helps the woman make her report, then sends Tina to check for signs of a break-in. Rebecca calls to remind the Detective that they cannot allow Tina to find out about the supernatural.

On their way home with one of the agents, they are stopped by a supernatural who suffers from a severe and unknown illness. The agent traveling with them transports the ill supernatural to an Agency facility while the Detective confronts Bobby. The reporter asks the Detective about the mysterious illness in town and warns them about trusting Unit Bravo. At the facility, Unit Bravo and the Detective try to decide how to proceed with the investigation. It is decided that the recently-arrived carnival is likely to have something to do with it.

At Hauville's suggestion, the Detective and their love interest go to the carnival undercover, acting like a couple on a date. (Unless the Detective is on the Love Triangle route, in which case, they act as a group of friends.) At the carnival, they attend to several attractions of the player's choice before investigating the Hall of Mirrors. In the Hall of Mirrors, they get separated, and the member of Unit Bravo who came with them is forced into a vision of a defining moment in their past and judged guilty or not guilty by a mysterious being. The mysterious being is later revealed to be Falk, leader of the maa-alused.

From this point on, the Detective takes lead in diplomatic negotiations with the maa-alused, their goal being to get them to sign a treat with the Agency. During these negotiations, Falk visits the Detective in their apartment to carry them a message. Eventually, the maa-alused agree to a treaty, as long as their terms are met. Unfortunately one of their allies gets kidnapped, and the Detective has to rescue her.

At the end of the book, the Detective decides whether they want to begin dating their love interest.

Professional Skills
Combat, Charm, Science, Deduction, etc

Blood
The Detective was born with a rare blood mutation that makes them immune to vampires' pheromones and similar mind-altering supernatural abilities (though not physical abilities, such as superhuman strength, speed or senses). This mutation caused their blood, when consumed by a supernatural, to enhance that supernatural's abilities.

When Murphy began hunting people with this mutation, Rebecca reported the Detective's blood to the Agency in order to gain full Agency resources in protecting her child. How she herself knew is unknown. Despite attempts to protect the Detective, however, Murphy still kidnapped them and succeeded in his experiment. After this experiment, the Detective's blood mutation becomes much stronger, both in its blocking ability and the power it gave to supernaturals who consumed it.

Trivia

 * Due to Rebecca's demanding work schedule, the Detective was partially raised by an Agency-provided nanny, who may have been supernatural.