Gather Information
DC10: "Mister Strix" is an urban myth. Just some graffiti and a spooky story Bedlam's scumbags tell each other.
DC15: Mister Strix is real. Wears all white. Shows up out of nowhere and vanishes without a trace. He fights crime all over Bedlam City, especially when it involves the Mafia. He's the one guy in Bedlam who never takes a cut for himself. He flushes your product and burns your cash.
A character who actively uses their Gather Information skill on Mister Strix will not obtain any of the following information unless they make a point of searching for potentially restricted information. If they do, then they also need to make a contested Gather Information check against Strix. If he wins, then he will be alerted to their inquiries. They can avoid the contested check by taking a -20 penalty to their original Gather Information checks for a Discrete Inquiry (or if the have the relevant challenge feat).
A character using the Well-Informed feat upon first meeting Strix or hearing of him may obtain the following information with a high enough Gather Information check, but since that represents prior knowledge, it will not trigger a contested check against him.
DC20: He only comes out at night. They say it gets cold when he shows up. He's stronger and faster than any man should be. Bullets go right through him like he wasn't there. There's no security he can't beat, and nowhere you can hide from him. The cops have nothing on him. No pics, no video, no prints, no DNA. The guy's a ghost.
DC25: Mister Strix isn't a ghost. He's a vampire. He drinks blood.
The following information cannot be obtained with a Well-Informed check. It can only be obtained with an active use of the Gather Information skill.
DC30: Mister Strix is a member of the Twilight Lodge, a secret club of Bedlam city vigilantes and mystics.
DC35: Mister Strix displays all the signs of an ancient vampire bloodline called the Schattenblut, or "Shadow-Blood". They have a strong connection to the Schattenwelt, even stronger than most of the undead. He isn't just a member of the Twilight Lodge, he's the president.
DC40: Mister Strix is Doctor Gaetano "Guy" Giordano. He died several years ago, and he came back wrong.
An appropriate Profession sub-skill can be substituted for any of these skills.
Knowledge (Arcane Lore)
DC20: The few eyewitness accounts and rumors regarding Mister Strix indicate that he shows several signs of being some sort of supernatural creature. He seems to be repelled by religious symbols, silver (which used to be thought of as solid light), and herbs like garlic and wolf's bane. He's never been seen in daylight. He leaves cold spots in his passing. Some say his footsteps make no sound and leave no prints, and he has no shadow.
DC25: Mister Strix is definitely a vampire. He has almost every tell in the book.
DC30: Mister Strix displays all the signs of an ancient vampire bloodline called the Schattenblut, or "Shadow-Blood". They have a strong connection to the Schattenwelt, even stronger than most of the undead.
Knowledge (Streetwise)
DC10: "Mister Strix" is an urban myth. Just some graffiti and a spooky story Bedlam's scumbags tell each other.
DC15: Mister Strix is real. Wears all white. Shows up out of nowhere and vanishes without a trace. He fights crime all over Bedlam City, especially when it involves the Mafia. He's the one guy in Bedlam who never takes a cut for himself. He flushes your product and burns your cash.
DC20: He only comes out at night. They say it gets cold when he shows up. He's stronger and faster than any man should be. Bullets go right through him like he wasn't there. There's no security he can't beat, and nowhere you can hide from him. The cops have nothing on him. No pics, no video, no prints, no DNA. The guy's a ghost.
DC25: Mister Strix isn't a ghost. He's a vampire. He drinks blood.
Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy)
DC25: The few eyewitness accounts and rumors regarding Mister Strix indicate that he shows several signs of being some sort of supernatural creature. He seems to be repelled by religious symbols, silver (which used to be thought of as solid light), and herbs like garlic and wolf's bane. He's never been seen in daylight. Some say his footsteps make no sound and leave no prints, and he has no shadow.
Guy Giordano
Gather Information
DC10: Gaetano "Guy" Giordano was a physician in Bedlam City.
DC15: Doctor Giordano was born in Bedlam City in 1981. He graduated high school in 1999, university in 2003, and medical school in 2007. He worked at Bedlam General Hospital briefly before dying in 2012. He grew up on Stark Hill. He died at home, in bed, of some undetermined illness. He left behind a widow, Adriana Aparo, also a doctor at Bedlam General.
A character who actively uses their Gather Information skill on Mister Strix will not obtain any of the following information unless they make a point of searching for potentially restricted information. If they do, then they also need to make a contested Gather Information check against Strix. If he wins, then he will be alerted to their inquiries. They can avoid the contested check by taking a -20 penalty to their original Gather Information checks for a Discrete Inquiry (or if the have the relevant challenge feat).
A character using the Well-Informed feat upon first meeting Strix or hearing of him may obtain the following information with a high enough Gather Information check, but since that represents prior knowledge, it will not trigger a contested check against him.
DC20: Guy Giordano and Adriana Aparo met when they both attended university and medical school in Chicago. They completed their emergency medicine residencies in Detroit, then spent a year with Doctors Without Borders in Libya and the Congo. They had just gotten married and bought a house a few months before he died. She remarried a few years later. She has a daughter with her new husband. Guy's younger brother Rafael was a Catholic priest. He was violently murdered just a few days after Guy passed away. They're buried next to each other. Guy's family is in deep with the Bedlam Mafia.
DC25: Rafael Giordano was murdered right on top of his older brother's grave, the night after he was interred. Guy Giordano father is one of "Dapper Donny" Scarpia's "capos", his older brother is a made man and his father's heir apparent, and his brother-in-law is a button man in a different crew who's well on his way to being made.
The following information cannot be obtained with a Well-Informed check. It can only be obtained with an active use of the Gather Information skill.
DC30: Accounts of Guy's illness and death are consistent with folklore about demonic possession and attacks by supernatural creatures such as succubi and vampires. His grave is empty. There's a casket buried there, but there's nothing in it.
DC35: Guy Giordano is a vampire. After he died, he dug himself out of his own grave, killed his brother in a feeding frenzy on the spot, then disappeared.
DC40: Guy Giordano is the vigilante Mister Strix.
An appropriate Profession sub-skill can be substituted for any of these skills.
Knowledge (Life Sciences) or Medicine
DC10: Guy Giordano and Adriana Aparo were both licensed and board-certified physicians with a specialty in emergency medicine.
DC15: Doctors Giordano and Aparo went to college and medical school in Chicago, and completed their residencies in Detroit. They spent a year with Doctors Without Borders, in Libya and the Congo.
DC20: Doctors Giordano and Aparo both worked in the emergency room at Bedlam General Hospital. She continued working there after his death.
Knowledge (Streetwise)
DC10: The Giordano family are Italian-Americans who live on Stark Hill. They're probably at least friendly with the Bedlam Mafia.
DC15: Guy Giordano's father, Massimo "Mo" Giordano, is part of the Bedlam City Mafia. So are his older brother, Matteo "Matt" Giordano, and his brother-in-law.
DC20: The Giordano boys are part of the Scarpia family. They've all got some blood on their hands.
DC25: Mo Giordano is one of at least ten "capos" working directly under "Dapper Donny" Scarpia himself. His son Matt is a made man, part of his crew and his heir apparent. Mo's son-in-law is a button-man in another capo's crew, who's going to be made any day now.
Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy)
DC10: Like most people on Stark Hill, the Giordano family are Catholic.
DC15: Guy's younger brother, Rafael Giordano, was a Catholic priest.
DC20: Rafael Giordano was violently murdered a few days after his brother passed away from some undefined illness. They're buried next to each other.
DC25: Rafael Giordano was murdered right on top of his older brother's grave, the night he was interred. He wasn't just a priest. He was an elite Vatican-sponsored monster-hunter, with multiple confirmed kills.
DC30: Both Rafael and his brother appear to have been murdered by vampires.
