Name:Pryce Hayes Decker
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: March 15, 1916
Job:
Police Detective in New York City

Appearance:
Tall and lean man, 6'1", with sharp angular facial features, high cheekbones, and a strong jawline. Light brown short hair. Piercing Grayish blue eyes under thick eyebrows. Straight nose with a small scar near the bridge. Clean-shaven face with a subtle five o'clock shadow. Usually wears a dark brown pinstripe suit, white dress shirt, burgundy tie, and a worn leather shoulder holster. Carries a weathered brown leather briefcase and wears a vintage fedora hat. Has a distinctive silver ring on his right hand.

Personality: Methodical, observant, and quietly intense. Maintains a professional demeanor but harbors deep-seated cynicism. Prefers working alone and tends to be distrustful of authority.

Strengths:

Exceptional deductive reasoning
Photographic memory
Skilled in hand-to-hand combat
Expert marksman
Fluent in reading body language

Abilities:

Advanced investigation techniques
Lock picking and surveillance
Forensic analysis
Strategic planning
Network of reliable informants

Backstory: Born in a small, struggling neighborhood on Manhattan's Upper West Side in 1916, he grew up watching the slow funeral march of prohibition take its toll on men like his father. A factory worker turned alcoholic after losing his job to industrial strikes, Pryce swore he would never allow himself or anyone he loved to succumb to that darkness. Earning a scholarship from local leaders who saw potential in his sharp mind and keen sense for justice, Pryce attended Columbia University where law was merely an alternative track before destiny led him into the police academy at age twenty-three. Now a detective at twenty nine, Friday night finds him navigating back alleys and cigarette smoke-filled bars—battling against organized crime as New York emerges bruised but vibrant from World War II.

By 1945, NYC had transformed into a bustling metropolis rife with opportunity and danger alike; fashionably dressed mobsters blended seamlessly into crowds while wartime innovations created an undercurrent of sophistication among criminals.

Sayings:

"Truth isn't always what you see, it's what you don't."
"In this city, shadows tell better stories than people."
"Everyone's got secrets. I just make a living finding them."

Name: Titus Tafani
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 29 February 1916
Job: Soldier of the Bonnano crime family

Appearance:



Titus is on the short and slight side; his hair and eyes are both dark, and his high cheekbones give him a gaunt, hungry look. Despite his less than impressive stature, he usually carries himself with a confident swagger. His typical outfit is a cheaply made but well-tailed brown plaid suit, which hides his Colt Cobra .38 and a large knife.

Personality:

Outwardly, Titus is an extremely outgoing type, glad-handing everyone he meets. He's often found in the middle of a crowd of people, spreading gossip and asking questions and exchanging favors, always with an eye towards opportunity. Despite often making out like a bandit, he has a reputation for generosity.

Inwardly, Titus is a fairly lonely soul. He has no living family, and though he knows many people by name, he lives alone and rarely drinks with the same person two nights in a row. He sees other people mostly as tools for his own advantage, while at the same time constantly seeking out their company.

Strengths:

- Well-connected in NYC; is a made man of one of the Six Families and has many contacts throughout the city
- Fast talker; good at selling people a bad deal
- Experienced pickpocket/minor thief

Abilities:

- Surprisingly good in a knife fight
- Fast and spry

Backstory:

Titus was born in the Bronx, in 1916; his parents had immigrated only a year before from Sicily, fleeing the oncoming war. His father was a dock worker; his mother took care of him, while also doing other small jobs for their neighbors in order to help put food on the table. As young as five, Titus was enlisted to help, and began working a series of odd jobs--newspaper boy, messenger, waiter, and so on. He learned early on that he had a knack for people, and inevitably started putting that to use fleecing them for their money.

At the age of 14, he had his first encounter with what was still known then as the Marazano crime family when he tried to take the wallet of one of their soldiers. Luckily for him, the man was more impressed than angry, and promised to forgive Titus if he did some work for him. Titus took to being a mob runner like a duck to water, but his parents didn't approve.

Forced to choose between the approval of his parents and his newfound line of work, Titus left home and took up residence in a boarding house.

He spent the next fifteen years working his way up the ranks--selling numbers, convincing local shopkeepers to pay protection fees, running shakedowns, and so on. At some point he became a made man of what had since become to Bonnano family, and has spent his time since thriving in the cracks of New York City.

Name: Eleanor "Elle" Rife
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Date of birth: March 15, 1917
Job: Investigative Journalist for The New York Herald Tribune

Appearance: Tall and slender woman with wavy shoulder-length copper red hair, striking emerald green eyes, high cheekbones, and fair complexion with light freckles across her nose. Usually wears tailored 1940s suits in dark colors (navy, charcoal), pencil skirts, white blouses with subtle ruffles, and modest heels. Carries a leather messenger bag and always has a small notebook in her pocket. Wears minimal makeup except for signature red lipstick.

Personality: Determined, analytical, and persistent. Maintains professional composure even in unsettling situations. Naturally curious with a sharp wit. Sometimes comes across as distant due to her focus on work.

Strengths:

Exceptional investigative skills
Quick thinking under pressure
Strong writing abilities
Network of reliable sources

Abilities:

Expert at gathering information
Skilled at gaining people's trust
Proficient in shorthand writing
Able to piece together complex stories
Photography skills

Backstory: Eleanor moved to New York to pursue journalism against her family's wishes. Started as a secretary at the Tribune but proved her worth during the war years when male journalists were deployed. Made her name covering suspicious deaths in the city, leading her to specialize in cases with mysterious circumstances. Lives alone in a small apartment in Manhattan, dedicated to her career in an era when women were expected to be homemakers.

Sayings:

"There's always more beneath the surface"
"Truth isn't always what it seems"
"Stories don't tell themselves"
"Follow the silence, that's where the story lies"

Dialogue Examples:

"I understand this might be difficult to discuss, but every detail matters."
"The public has a right to know what's happening in their city."
"Sometimes the most important part of a story is what isn't being said."
"I've seen enough crime scenes to know when something doesn't add up."