Special Investigator Havrm Ghex
Though little is known about Mover Three Special Investigator Havrm Ghex (not even his real name), it is evident that the Harmonium are now flaunting this “super enforcer” before the noses of the malcontents and legal deviants of Sigil and even the Outlands. Though all of his early Hardhead career is shrouded in extreme deep under-cover work, the only outward indication of his skill as an investigator is coloured by disinformation surrounding the Cadre case. Even his replacement, Christopher Verdue, has been quoted as saying, “He’s an enigma. Working from an agenda that neither I, nor many of my colleagues, are privy to.”
Be this as it may, what follows are accounts of the life and power of Havrm Ghex, one-time adventurer, spy, and some say warrior in one of the Blood War’s most notorious engagements, the Razor Offensive. Now, by all accounts, a mundane special investigator for under-cover operations in Sigil.
— Compiled by Gept Ouyn, information broker
— From an anonymous letter
“…I ran with that blood when we were both squibs in the Hive. He was called a lot of things, but mostly we called him Dove, on account of the birthmark. He was a peery blood even back then, always getting some scrape on a high-up, which would set us all up in jink, ya know… No matter what they called him, though, he was never no dove. He’d jump a berk in a Abyssal minute .”
The Ballad of the Seven, an epic poem by Urigh Pentavalo The day was surely lost and the night too soon to come But for that man, his sword arm strong his brow creased with the Dove. Into the Void the seven went Evil the chil'ren Gith Onto the dead backs of the gods Against the chil'ren Gith. One came back to tell the tale His brow creased with the Dove.
“That was one Hell of a day, so to speak, and Dove was the linch pin. His knife in the back of that succubus bitch put the peer in those fiends, and we drove them back to the soddin’ Abyss. Strange, though, I never saw Dove after that, but Yeml said he saw him speaking with the ‘loth afterwards. The one that had commissioned the raid not sure of its name.”
— From the journals of Zeek Pina, Blood War mercenary/veteran
| — From the Principles behind the Razor Offensive, Chapter 13: The Trials of the Severed, by Ach’likakh Yil U “Once the yugoloth high-ups fell, what was left was a group of disenfranchised mortals, humans and half-orcs mostly, with a smattering of the plane-touched, still under contract to support the offensive. They had been moulded into an elite strike force, by the end of the offensive, coordinating magical, aerial, and mounted ground attacks with unerring perfection. The mind behind the Severed was a plain human warrior, called Dove by his troops. He ruled the group by strength of arms and sheer personality. But, near the end of the Razor, even he had lost his will to fight. So, Dove led them on their last battle, to escape the contract they had all signed with the yugoloth that had commissioned the Severed. His name was unspeakable, and was most often called the Unnamed. For the next six months Dove led his men on a running guerrilla war against their employers which took them across the lower planes, the Outlands, and finally, to the heart of Sigil. What has prevented the vengeance of the Unnamed from these men is beyond even this author.” |
— From Harmonium recruiting report: RR1098-1025-001
“Recruit Ghex <PERSONNEL FILE: 1098-1025> is a natural leader, and also a natural mole. Please consider him for Operation Heavy Hand <Operations Report: Not Available>, once his training is complete.”
| — From Ghex’s early personnel file, Progress Review PR: 1098-1025-250 “Ghex is adapting well to the Heavy Hand <Operations Report: Not Available> team. He has proven himself as a deep cutter, and has been promoted to assistant coordinator of the Closing Net project <Project Report: Not Available>. Be advised, surveillance can cease. File should be moved to Location Black. All communique should use this protocol” |
Chant on the Street
“He can look like anybody. As slippery as a slaad, when he wants to be. It’s not magic, either, blood, he’s just got some power to change his face. He’s not a shape-shifter, definitely not, but you could stand at his nose, and swear he was who he’s made up to be.”
— Bubber caught in one of Ghex’s operations
Another bubber thought to be associated with the Severed
“.. he got in too deep, is the chant. He started sympathising with the cell’s aims, ’cause they had some dark on the Blood War. Something to do with his past…some unresolved issue. Nah, wasn’t a woman, it had to do with this ‘loth…don’t recall its name, but Ghex had it over a barrel once, and now it was looking for some return on the favour. Chant goes that Ghex’s set up a big operation that’ll shut the ‘loth completely down here in Sigil… Outlands too, sooner or later. He’s got zills, I’ll give him that”
| Unknown Harmonium namer “Ghex? Sheeesh, he’s as likely to turn stag on the Hardheads as the Lady is to join them. He’s an operative, berk, not a turncoat. He’s knee-deep in the Red Cell right now. They don’t even know they’ve been tagged yet. When Ghex gets in, it’s all over, berk. They’ll pay the music real soon I expect” |
“Bundo” of Red Cell
“Nah berk, you got it all wrong. It was us that had Ghex on a string. He had a history, see, with the fiends. Nah, he was in deep with all of ’em. ‘Loths, Pit Fiendshe gave them all the laugh, but they’ve been waiting for ‘im, see. He cut this deal with a ‘Loth that hired him and a crew of toughs out to Yann’ich, the Pit Fiend. They were to bob this mimir from the Abyss under the cover of the Razor Offensive. Only, this was the Granddaddy of all Mimirs. The chant goes that this glass Balor’s skull held all the knowledge and all the belief of all the planes. Everything, berk. I know it sounds like fhorge sod, but I’m givin’ it to you straight. The chant goes on that Ghex found it, then turned stag and gave them all the laugh. His whole crew has never been seen since, and neither’s this Balor’s brain-box. That ‘Loth came to us with an agenda, my blood. He played all sides agin’ the middle and had everyone running around like chaos imps. We drew in Ghex for this ‘loth and the dark is that ‘loth got what he came for. No, ether-brain, not the mimir, he got Ghex…the living part of him anyway…No chant on the brain-box, but that sounds like pure screed to me”
See Also:
- Cage Rattlers: Christopher Verdue.
- Ghex’s name also often appears in SIGIS. Try issues 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, and 20
Source: Paul Wolfe