The Sons of Salem

Marie carefully brushes the dust and grit from an object, deeply examining it to determine a variety of historical markers. So familiar with the various types of sediment, dust, and wear on a given object, she is easily able to determine the environment an object would have recently been. With a few more deductions and close observations, she begins to understand the strange, unworldly qualities of the given item. With each fact, she quickly runs to a journal to write down what she has learned.

Faira knows her cars. And knows how people treat them, and her ties to the magic of the road can sometimes let her know things she shouldn't simply by feeling the spirit of the vehicle.

A bit of a gambler, he won this lupe in a game of cards some time back. The man he bought it from was a lost steampunk explorer, down on his luck and desperate for a small quantity of radium for some reason.

As Dr Scab pulls out his lupe and carefully examines the object in question, strange illusions can be caught in the lupe lens's reflection such as eyes, teeth, or flames but Scab doesn't seem to notice or mind, simply turning a little disk at the end presumably tweaking the focus.

When activated, the Umbrae Defender processes its gathered data and displays the results on a concealed, high-resolution screen embedded discreetly into the handle. As the multispectral imaging completes, the screen illuminates, revealing a color-coded map of residues and fingerprints, each substance tagged and classified with forensic precision. Soil, pollen, or microscopic traces appear as glowing markers, each one identified by its chemical signature, presenting a clear visual of the object’s recent environments.

Next, the GPS data renders as a series of coordinates on a small map overlay, showing the object’s last known locations. These coordinates pulse on the screen, tracing a path of its journey, almost like a breadcrumb trail left by the item’s history. You can zoom in on these points to get a sense of specific places, each location tagged with approximate timestamps that correspond to environmental changes noted by the sensors.

The LIDAR-generated surface map appears as a 3D model on the screen, rotating slowly to display every scratch, dent, and mark on the object. Each detail is magnified, allowing you to examine wear patterns up close and trace the item’s handling history. This surface map provides clues about the object’s use, as well as how it may have been involved in the crime.

Finally, any available RFID data or manufacturing records load into a separate information tab on the screen. This section gives background details like the object’s origin, manufacturer, and production date, presenting a digital “birth certificate” of sorts. Each piece of information, meticulously presented on the screen, combines to create a clear, organized summary of the object’s journey, origin, and recent interactions—making the Umbrae Defender a powerful, portable investigative tool.

Toropova summons the Manitou in her eye for a favor. The dear headed ghostly apparition and toropova plays a quick hand of poker for old time sakes while it looks the item over. Sometimes toropova gets caught cheating resulting in the enraged spirit breaking the object and leaving.

The Thief examines an object closely for a minute to appraise its value. As their eyes dance across the subject, their pupils split vertically, and their irises fade to gold. If it is a particularly valuable item, the Thief may greedily lick their lips, revealing a forked tongue.

Within a minute, they have determined how materially valuable the object is and why.