The Lost Crown: A Ghost-Hunting Adventure - Characters

Characters

Nigel Danvers The ‘hero’ of the piece; Nigel is an inexperienced ghost-hunter, employed by The Hadden Corporation, to uncover the paranormal secrets hidden throughout the English seaside town of Saxton. Nigel rents a small holiday home, Harbour Cottage, in the heart of Saxton. It is here that Nigel encounters many paranormal events, helping him to increase his knowledge of the paranormal, and in expand the use of his ghost-hunting gadgets.

Lucy Reubans Lucy is a local girl, having grown up in Saxton. She grudgingly joins Nigel on his quest to discover the Lost Crown, experiencing many paranormal events along the way. By the end of play, Lucy is also recruited by Mr. Hadden, suggesting a sequel, and further adventures for the character.

Mr. Hadden Nigel Danvers boss, and owner of The Hadden Corporation. Hadden is seen, only briefly, but appears to influence Nigel’s movements throughout the adventure. He has an uncanny talent of knowing where Nigel is, and what he is up to. Hadden is able to bribe Nigel following Nigel’s theft of important Hadden documents.

Mr. Hare & Mr. Crow The agents and scientists of The Hadden Corporation.

Nanny Noah An old age Saxton woman, Nanny Noah was once married to Robert Tawny, but separated following the death of their son, Cole, who drowned in the sea by Saxton Shore, many decades before the game begins. It is revealed that Nanny Noah’s real name is ‘Rose’, and romance between her and Bob Tawny (Robert) may blossom, once again. Nanny Noah lives in Saxton, in a small cottage known as The Ark. She has a dog called ‘George’, and likes to practise many esoteric arts, such as palm reading, tasseography and mind reading.

Station Master The first character encountered by Nigel Danvers, at Sedgemarsh Station. The Master tells Nigel that trains never arrive in Saxton, due to the ‘Spring Tides’, and that he should cross the misty fenlands instead. The Station Master also gives Nigel the wallet of Lucy Reubans, telling him to return the item to its rightful owner. Later, in the gameplay, the Station Master tells Nigel of a terrible accident, involving his father and the crew of The Apple Train. Nigel encounters these characters, as lethal ghosts, along the train line between Saxton and Northfield Junction.

Robert (Bob) Tawny Robert owns and works in the workshop on Station Lane, to the North of Saxton. He helps Nigel Danvers several times, during The Lost Crown, by mending broken items, and providing clues to some of the mysteries encountered by the player. Robert was once married to Nanny Noah, rearing one child, Cole Tawny, who drowned in the water by Saxton Shore. Robert is well known, locally, and provides food at the annual fayre. His workshop is old fashioned, even by Saxton standards, and is joined to a pigsty.

Professor Hardacre A professor of archaeology and well-known Saxton personality. Hardacre resents Nigel Danvers presence in the town, believing he is an unwelcome rival in his search for the lost Anglo-Saxon Crown. Warning him away from the area, Hardacre attempts to scare Nigel, suggesting Nigel’s temporary home, Harbour Cottage, is haunted by malevolent spirits.

Wesely Russet Nigel encounters Wesely Russet at both the Northfield and Ulcombe churches. The Russet family have lived in the Saxton area for many centuries, giving Wesely an unrivalled knowledge and perspective on local customs and folklore. He is a deeply superstitious man, warning Nigel that “some treasures are lost for a reason”. Russet busies himself by tending the churchyards, digging graves and entertaining the local wildlife.

Mr. Oogle Curator of Saxton Museum, and expert on all things Saxtonian and ‘local’. Oogle does not believe Nigel should be looking for the Lost Crown, but is persuaded to help once Nigel has provided previously unknown information regarding some of Saxton’s most cryptic mysteries. Oogle grows to believe that Nigel is destined to find the crown, and the item should take “pride of place in our humble museum”.

Morgan Mankle Owner of The Bear, Saxton’s one and only drinking establishment. She lives with the pub cat, Spivey, in the rooms above the pub. Unable to accommodate Nigel in The Bear, Morgan lets him stay in Harbour Cottage, a little further along the quayside. Morgan is known to Lucy Reubans, who refers to her as “a bully”. Morgan also appears as Mystic Morgan, come May Day, the Gypsy Fortune Teller. She warns Nigel, via her crystal ball, that his quest may bring about his doom.

Edmund Gruel and Jemima Owner of the Antiques Shop, Gruel refuses to talk to people directly, preferring to do so through his rag doll, Jemima. Nigel steals the journal of William Ager from Gruel, which is vital to put Nigel on course to the Lost Crown.

Katherine Karswell Wife of Robert, Katherine is a white witch, or wicca, based in the lanes near Northfield. She lives, in what was once, the old Ager Farmstead. She befriends Nigel, after he helps cook a recipe of Seven Birds and Nut Broth. Unknown to Nigel, Katherine and her husband Robert, are actually ghosts from the 1960s. The pair perished in a fire, caused by Brock The Farmer. Brock was Katherine’s ‘stalker’, believing her rightful place was with him, at Brock Farm.

Robert Karswell Husband of Katherine, Robert is an eccentric, and short-tempered man, interested in the geology around Northfield, just outside Saxton. Robert helps Nigel discover the real purpose behind ‘The Millstones’ (an ancient local monument) and the whereabouts of Northfield Church. Robert Karswell, along with his wife, are actually ghosts from the 1960s. The pair perished in a fire, caused by Brock The Farmer. Brock was Katherine’s ‘stalker’, believing her rightful place was with him, at Brock Farm.

Nancy Brewer Found in Ulcombe Church, Nancy is a ghost from the Second World War. She and her brother, Timmy, were sent to the countryside as evacuees, back in the 1940s. Nancy suspects that she is a ghost, but has been hiding the fact from her younger brother. Nancy is unable to ‘move on’, or cross to the otherside, as she has never understood why her beloved father “never wrote to her and Timmy”. Nigel reveals, to Nancy, that her letters were never passed on, by her stepmother. Nancy and Timmy are free to leave Ulcombe Church once Nigel has provided a letter from their father.

Timmy Brewer Found in Russet’s shed, at the rear of Ulcombe Church, Timmy Brewer is a ghost evacuee from World War 2. He and his sister, Nancy, are trapped at Ulcombe following a fatal fall from the cliff path near the church. Nigel helps Timmy solve a riddle, which in turn allows Nigel to talk with his sister. Timmy’s ghost is able to leave Ulcombe once Nigel has provided a letter from their father. Also deceased.

The Agers Four brothers, William, Nathanial, Frederick and Thomas, devoted to the protection of the lost Anglo-Saxon Crown. While alive, the brothers believed a terrible fate would befall England if the crown was discovered and removed from its hiding place. In death, the brother’s ghosts maintain their vigil, and attempt to stop anyone (alive or dead) from discovering the whereabouts of the crown.

Nicolas Gurney Deceased antiquarian and painter. The effigy of Gurney can be seen in the Sanctuary of Northfield Church. Nigel communicates with this character, after returning his stone hands and coat of arms. Gurney was murdered by Thomas Ager, back in 1799, after Gurney located the whereabouts of the Anglo-Saxon Crown.

Doctor Black An eccentric man, Doctor Black is the local General Practitioner (Doctor). Nigel encounters this character on Saxton Shore, where he paints foreboding images of The Old Net Store. Black is able to ‘see’ figures in the landscape, who are invisible to others.

Rhys Branwen Owner of Celtic Corner, and New Age specialist. He lives alone with Mr. Tibbs, his cat, and takes a shine to Nigel, after Nigel enters his shop to research local ghost stories. Rhys organises the local competition, a photographic event, known at Saxton Snappers. He is devastated by the kidnapping of his beloved cat, near May Day, only to be reunited once Nigel has rescued the animal from Ulcombe Church.

The Rector Northfield’s Rector, found in the vestry of that location. He is a devout Christian, with no time for talk of ghosts, legends and the Lost Crown. He is impressed by Nigel’s interest in the church, only to be disappointed by Nigel’s real agenda; to seek ghosts. Nigel is unaware, upon meeting the Rector, that he is talking to a ghost. The Rector had died some days before hand, and Mr. Russet is actually digging his grave.

Emily Travers (The Siren of the Caverns) Emily was lured into the Saxton Caverns, by William Ager, back in the 1940s. He had promised to show her a rare flower, The Pasque Flower. After attempting to kiss Emily, Ager was forced to smother her, leaving her for dead in the watery caverns. Nigel encounters, and frees this spirit, after locating The Pasque Flower.

Walter Spivey An unseen character, Spivey is a local legend. He is a famed captain, who many believe was an honest and gentlemanly seafarer. The reality is that Spivey was a smuggler and treasure hunter. He robbed the Saxton seabed of many artefacts, passing them off as imported treasures. He utilised the local Antiquaries shop, owned by an ancestor of Edmund Gruel, to distribute the haul. Spivey did not know, or didn’t care to know, that the treasures were most likely to be from the fallen Anglo-Saxon kingdom at Ulcombe.

Edward Molina (Eduardo de Molina) Changing his name from his native Spanish, Edward moved to Saxton in the 1950s to continue his import/export business. He invited his wife, Christina, to join him after the conversion of a harbour warehouse into Harbour Cottage. He believed the two would enjoy a long, and loving, relationship within the town. Tragically, Christina died shortly after their arrival. Edward was heart broken, believing his invitation, and insistence, to stay in Saxton, was the cause of her death. Edward killed himself after placing a noose around his neck, and jumping from the balcony at Harbour Cottage. His ghost haunts the place, until Nigel exorcises both he and his wife.

Christina Molina The wife of Edward, died in Harbour Cottage, following a long and painful poisoning from the stagnant water beneath the cottage. She believed her husband was responsible, but was unable to confide in anyone, being a stranger to the town. Christina communicates with Nigel, throughout the screenplay, via voice, action and apparition. She wishes Nigel to uncover the secret behind her death, so she can finally move on and meet her beloved husband once more.

Verity Church The ghost of a young girl, who haunts the corridors and basement of Saxton Museum. She teases Nigel by interrupting his mission, insisting that he play with her and sing her songs. Nigel does this, and discovers that Verity is an unpleasant ghost (and perhaps, was an unpleasant child), who knows, or knows of, the Ager brothers. She suggests that Nigel is going to be murdered by William Ager, who will “chop, chop, chop off his head”.