Jack Radigan

Jack Radigan is an occult detective from Brooklyn, New York and the founder/owner of Radigan Investigations and co-founder/senior partner of Irian Investigations. Due to a curse he has been reduced to a skeleton. To combat some of the drawbacks of the situation, Jack has coated his bones in adamantine to protect himself, meaning he appears as a jet black skeleton.

Early Life
An only child born to Irish immigrants, Jack was raised Irish Catholic. His mother, a nurse, passed away when he was young. This left his workaholic father, a rat-catcher, to take care of him.

World War II
Jack enlisted in the US Army in 1937 at the age of 18. He made his way up to Second Lieutenant through battlefield promotion during the war. After an encounter with a magical relic wielded by member of the the Third Reich's Dark Circle his squad was wiped out and left him injured. However he was able to secure the relic and kill his foe before passing out. Because of his encounter with the relic he was picked up by the Office of Strategic Services to serve in a new squad dealing with the tracking down of more dangerous objects hunted by the Dark Circle. This squad consisted of Major James "The Wolf" Howe, Orsik Ironfist, and the enigmatic Opal. The squad primarily found themselves pursuing the leader of the Dark Circle, Richter von Brandt.

"Death"
Until 1949 Jack and his unit had been very successful in rooting out any remaining Nazis that went into hiding after the end of the war and tracking down the remaining members of the Dark Circle. The last remaining target was Richter von Brandt himself. They tracked him down to his lair in Rathaus and made made plans to strike the next day. Intel suggested that Richter was crafting magical weapons for the return of the Reich. Unknown to the rest of the squad Opal had plans to betray them. Opal was coerced into cooperation with Richter as he gained possession of her phylactery. She lured them into the trap set for them at Rathaus. Jack was shot in the back by Opal. She was wielding an ancient elven blade that Richter reforged into a pistol. As Jack bled out the final things he saw were Howe and Orsik being torn apart by summoned bone devils and Richter and Opal standing over them.

"Rebirth"
After Jack was shot in the back Opal dropped the gun on his body. This moment allowed Jack to attune to the gun. He found there was an intelligence within it and it offered a bargain. The being identified itself as Lazarae, an ancient elf of Aerenal from the realm of Eberron. A member of the Undying Court, he required tribute to live but had been separated from his people. The reforging of his blade, a phylactery of sorts, had caused what was left of his power to wane. If Jack offered tribute to Lazarae he would save both of their lives. Jack readily accepted. There was a complication however. Lazarae could save Jack's life but did not have enough to sustain his whole body. Over the course of the next few weeks, Jack's flesh rotted and sloughed off, leaving behind only bone.

Cursed
Unbeknownst to Jack or Lazarae, Jack was cursed by Opal and Richter. On the night before the raid upon Rathaus, Opal attempted an ancient ritual using a shard of Kyber to kill Jack. By their perception the ritual failed. Due to the fact that Kyber's power resides on Eberron the effect of such a spell was severely muted. While not killing Jack it cursed him with bad luck. This manifested as clumsy movement, breaking objects, misplacing items, hitting every red light, etc. The curse, compounded with Lazarae's waning power, is what ultimately caused Jack to wither away to just a skeleton.

Wandering
Following his "death" in 1949 Jack wandered the world to find Richter and extract his vengeance but it wasn't meant to be. He spent the next 30 years globetrotting from Europe to Asia to South America and finally to North America where his trail went cold. Broke, broken, and bereft Jack finally gave up his hunt and came to terms with his situation as a skeleton.

Radigan Investigations
Jack founded Radigan Investigations in 1980 in New York City and attempted to make a living for himself. Initially homeless he eventually gained enough work to rent an office space in Brooklyn that doubled as his apartment. Solving the murder of Merlin legitimized his business and the Council of Magic from then on had him on retainer. The business lasted for 18 years until its eventual shuttering in 1998.

Jack Radigan v The Council of Magic
While investigating the Sandman Murders Jack commited the crime of killing using magic. Not only did he kill someone using magic it was one of the founders of the Council, Uther Pendragon. Uther had gone mad from wielding Lugh's spear and was intent on killing Jack and Kiera Pendragon (Uther's daughter, unknown to him). Uther had set Mr. Bliss' estate on fire and trapped them all inside. Uther had the upper hand in the battle and in a last ditch effort, after what would be the blow before the coup de grace, Jack casted Hellish Rebuke at 5th level. Uther caught alight and was burned alive. After recovering from their wounds in Mt. Celestina, Minerva asked for Jack to turn himself in. Jack agreed and went with her. During the trial, as a complete surprise to all (especially Jack), Asmodeus made an appreance as Jack's legal council. Jack plead guilty and Asmodeus asked for the harshest punishment the Council had available, to be hung from the neck until dead. The Council obliged and strung Jack up, but because of his skeletal nature, he was immediately cut down as he was already considered "dead" by the Council's standards. Jack took the noose he was hung with and chose to wear it from then on as a way to taunt the Council. Asmodeus however said that this favor incurred a debt that would have to be repaid in the future.

Spymaster of the Nine Hells
After the case was closed on the Sandman Murders Asmodeus again appeared and came to Jack with a job offer. If Jack became the Spymaster of the Nine Hells Asmodeus would consider them even. Jack was forced into an infernal contract and he was made the spymaster while continuing his investigations business on the side. Jack would hold this position from 1992-1997. In 1997 following the disappearance of Asmodeus, Jack abandoned his position as Asmodeus was no longer present to enforce the contract. After Asmodeus was consumed by Orpheus and both were trapped within the Demiplane of Dread, Jack was sure he would finally be free. He took the opportunity during the ensuing chaos to sever his ties and walk away.

Knight of the Silver Flame
Following the events of the Eberron Expedition, Jack was inducted by Jaela Daran into the Knights of the Silver Flame. Since becoming a knight he has served as occasional inquisitor (although he hates the term), bodyguard of the Speaker of the Flame, and emissary representing Urth-Toril.

Irian Investigations
Following the closing of Radigan Investigations, Jack was struck with an idea. For years he had felt he was beginning to outgrow New York City. Recent events also reminded him of the strong allies he had accumulated over the years. Jack had saved over $650,000 in gold bullion and took it with him when he traveled the realms. Following the Great Conjunction in 1998, the world economy collapsed and when Jack returned he still had his his gold on him. The value of gold post-Conjunction skyrocketed making Jack a multi-millionaire overnight. Jack used this newfound wealth to create a new investigation company where everyone could truly get paid their worth and set up shop in Sigil. Established as a partnership, Jack offered co-founder positons to all his comrades.

The next 72 years were marked by great growth for Irian Investigations. With four office locations (and growing) and the total number of employees coming to 174, Irian Investigation had become the first inter-realm company to service the multiverse.

Opal
Jack had a blossoming relationship with Opal when they were squadmates in the OSS but that quickly ended following her betrayal. The night before his death he had even proposed to her, which she accepted, but was all part of her deception. Following this he never quite trusted her the same. They tended to bicker like a married couple much to the consternation of fellow party members, always knowing exactly what to say to cut through to the other's core. Despite their bickering and differences, Jack never stopped loving her like the sap he is, he just kept it to himself.

Lazarae
Having spent 50 years together Jack and Lazarae have become soul bonded. They have shared memories of each other's pasts and can communicate telepathically. Jack is always glad to be in the company of Lazarae as they are closer than one can imagine. Jack can also benefit from Lazarae's Undying aura which creates a sense of warmth and comfort. It is one of the few things that can truly put Jack at ease.

Vulco
Jack and Vulco met following the death of Gavinda Bliss. They were brought together during the reading of the will and Jack brought Vulco on as muscle to bring in Bliss' killer. They quickly forged a strong friendship and Jack considers Vulco one of his closest friends and someone he can always rely upon.

Azadiel
While originally a client of Jack's, Azadiel eventually came on as an employee of Radigan Investigations and eventually Irian Investigations. Jack grew close with Azadiel and eventually became godfather to his daughter, Caelynn Sylvaranth, and came to be know as "Uncle Jack" to her and Theodore Santiago. Azadiel's family is the first family to make him apart of their unit and Jack is very protective them.

Personality
A workaholic at his core like his father before him, Jack is known for not making a lot of time for himself. His life is his work and his work is his life. As a skeleton he does not tire or sleep so Jack typically uses this time to continue working on cases or whatever task is at hand. It's his mix of relentless working and no need for sleep that kept him above the poverty line in the early days and gives him an edge over his adversaries and competitors. Best described as a "knight in sour armor", Jack has a cynical perspective on the multiverse and is always quick to give his opinion on the current situation, usually with a healthy serving of expletives. Jack also has a very particular sense of humor, always ready with a one-liner to throw people off guard or purposely bother them.

Appearance
When not using a glamour to make himself appear as he did before his "death", Jack appears as a metalic black skeleton. He also almost exclusively wears three piece suits with a trench coat and wide brim fedora. Despite being a skeleton, Jack is seen perpetually smoking the cigarette he had when he died, a side effect of Lazarae's magic. This cigarette continually burns but is never "spent". His "addiction" to his cigarette is now merely long engrained habit, soothing repetition, and pure aesthetic.

Equipment
Jack Radigan has a few signature pieces of equipment that he is known for. His most well known piece is his weapon of choice, his Mauser C96 pistol, the Interloper. Originally the phylactery of Lazarae, now it acts as a battery of sorts for Jack. It holds a physical shard of the light of Irian allowing Jack to sustain himself away from Lazarae and the plane of Irian. The inside layer of Jack's trench coat is lined with a Cloak of Protection.

Jack is also known for wearing a noose instead of a necktie. He wears it as an act of defiance against The Council for their choice to sentence him to be "hung from the neck unil dead." Thankfully by their standards Jack was already dead so the hanging was more a formality than anything. The noose is actually a Rope of Entanglement.

Jack owns a dagger that he took from Ritcher von Brandt after defeating him once. It is ornate and was gifted to Richter by the Fuhrer himself.

At the suggestion of Opal, he eventually coated his bones in adamantine to better protect himself.

Following the death of King, Jack has taken to wielding his Holy Avenger scimitar in battle. Jack sees this as a way to honor King's memory and feel closer to his fallen friend.

Quotes
"I don't know what they want me do, only that they asked for my help. But I'm only good for two things: sticking my nose where it doesn't belong and fighting. This looks like both."

"You know, I quit smoking a few months ago. Trying to do it for my health and longevity. But this case has been a real horror show. So I figure, what's just one for old times' sake? Nobody's perfect, right? Nobody. Especially me."