Old Biggs

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Old Biggs (老比格)
Alias(es)	Bigglo 146 187
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Briston Branch Office; former apprentice in Mrs. Mary's occult lineage 105 126
Occupation/Role	Official coroner of Briston's North District; shooting instructor; mentor in Spirit Sight and divination 83 84 105
First Appearance	Chapter 83
Status	Active as of Chapter 239; divines that his “thread” has reached its end 239

Background / History

Old Biggs trained under Mrs. Mary alongside his senior sister, Mrs. McNeil. He failed to complete his apprenticeship: his Spirit Sight, divination accuracy, and sealwork all fell short of the required standard. Rather than receive a formal title, he followed his teacher's advice to become a coroner and apply his partial occult training to autopsy work. He later transferred from the Imperial Capital to Briston. 104 105

His master entrusted him with a Webley-Pryse RIC revolver upon the completion of the apprenticeship period, reflecting his school’s belief that a practitioner’s chosen tool should be treated as an extension of their arm. 83

Before arriving in Briston, Biggs became involved with a waitress in the Imperial Capital's South District. She suffered from a long-term lung disease and disappeared before he could help her. He remained alone afterward, believing that a coroner without attachments can act without hesitation. 220

In Briston, he became the North District's only official coroner. His routine work includes autopsies, secondary checks, death registration, and assisting the Branch Office with occult cases. 83 104

Appearance

Old Biggs has a round face, a round belly, wrinkles, and small eyes. His ordinary posture and manner can appear sloppy or comedic, but his demeanor becomes sharply disciplined when handling a firearm or serious work. 84 105 126

• Usually carries a canvas tool bag.
• Often drinks black tea, sometimes mixed with rum or sage.
• Frequently spins a copper penny between his fingers. 104 127 220
• Wears reading glasses while reviewing autopsy records. 219 238

Personality

Biggs is talkative, informal, and fond of defusing tense moments with blunt jokes. He calls Richard “kid,” talks while eating or drinking tea, and openly admits his own shortcomings. 84 105 126

Beneath that casual exterior, he is patient, observant, and deeply conscientious. He teaches Richard without charging money or demanding formal discipleship, believing that occult knowledge should be passed on to anyone willing to learn. 105

His work has made him realistic about death and danger. He strongly favors investigation over reckless action, repeatedly warning Richard that power used without understanding can worsen conditions Behind the Veil. 115 139

The discovery that the Echo Society had used his former lover as an anchor leaves him withdrawn and obsessive, but it also strengthens his determination to uncover the organization’s pattern of exploitation. 238 239

Abilities & Skills

Marksmanship

Biggs is a highly skilled revolver shooter. His ordinary, unkempt bearing disappears when he fires, replaced by steady posture, disciplined timing, and tight shot groupings. 84

• Teaches stance, grip, aiming, trigger control, breathing rhythm, recoil management, and gradual practice.
• Emphasizes consistent rhythm over fast shooting.
• Can accurately use Enchanted Bullets during field engagements. 84 203
• Favors reliable revolvers over complex automatic pistols near The Veil. 138 139

Spirit Sight and Aether Perception

Biggs possesses enough Spirit Sight and Aether perception to assess Richard’s Breathing Technique, Inspiration, and perceptual limits. 84 115

• Taught Richard Fixed Sight, using a copper disc as a training medium. 116
• Conducts Inspiration tests by having students identify objects with and without Aetheric residue. 114 126
• Failed to meet his master’s standards in Spirit Sight during his own apprenticeship. 105
• Could teach Richard only through basic Spirit Sight; Mrs. McNeil later identifies and corrects flaws in his instruction. 140 187

Divination

Biggs teaches practical divination as an investigative discipline rather than a means of predicting the future.

• Instructs Richard in Candle Talk, Wax Reading, and Stone Reading. 116 126
• Interprets recurring wax formations as the beginnings of a diviner’s personal “Wax Speech.” 126
• Defines diviners as detectives who use traces and evidence to determine what has already happened. 126 239
• Cannot teach advanced methods such as astrolabe, crystal-ball, or tarot divination because he never mastered them. 140
• Uses rune stones to divine his own situation after a Black Hound watches him; he concludes that his “thread” has reached its end. 239

Forensic and Occult Autopsy Work

As a coroner, Biggs combines conventional examination with occult procedures.

• Performs examinations, measurements, bone-age assessments, and death-record analysis. 238
• Identifies and burns External Interfaces found within Echo Society victims. 238
• Helped examine Answer Chief’s body, remove concealed items, and identify the Echo Society’s canal network. 206 208
• Compared five years of North District death records against the canal map, finding that over eighty percent of relevant corpses had been recovered within three hundred yards of a marked site. 219

Occult Knowledge

Biggs has broad practical knowledge of the occult despite not completing his apprenticeship.

• Explains the Aetheric function of Enchanted Bullets against Evil Beings. 84
• Knows the risks of high Inspiration: a practitioner may perceive deeper layers of The Veil and be perceived in return. 115
• Understands that excessive enchanted firepower can damage seals and attract more dangerous entities. 139
• Recognizes seals but states that he cannot set them himself. 105

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Webley-Pryse RIC revolver — an older, compact revolver passed down by his master. 83
• Enchanted Bullets — silver-cased, lead-silver rounds inscribed with basic exorcism rings; effective against the Aetheric cores of low-level Evil Beings. 84
• Canvas tool bag — carries occult training tools, firearms-related equipment, and work implements. 83 116
• Copper disc — used for Spirit Sight practice. 116
• Rune stones — used for Stone Reading and personal divination. 126 239
• Copper penny — a habitual fidget item he spins while thinking. 220 238

Relationships

• Richard Ashford — Student and quasi-apprentice. Biggs teaches him shooting, Spirit Sight, Candle Talk, Wax Reading, and Stone Reading; he also supplies Richard with Enchanted Bullets at an internal price. 84 105 126 140
• Mrs. McNeil — Senior sister in Mrs. Mary’s lineage and a far more accomplished practitioner. She corrects Biggs’s inscription work and later takes over Richard’s advanced divination training. 104 146 187
• Mrs. Mary — Biggs’s master and the founder of his occult lineage. Her advice led him to use his incomplete training as a coroner. 105 126
• Unnamed South District waitress — His former lover, who died after being used for over a decade as an Echo Society anchor. Biggs recognizes her by a scar and a smiley face he once drew on her wrist. 220 238
• Answer Chief — Biggs assists in autopsying his body and discovering the External Interface that enabled his abnormal power. 206 208

Story Role / Major Arcs

Shooting Instructor

Biggs meets Richard at a shooting range after being asked to supervise him. He teaches the fundamentals of revolver use, recognizes Richard’s strong Breathing Technique foundation, and introduces him to the existence of Enchanted Bullets. 83 84

Occult Mentor

After identifying signs that Richard has a younger sister through mundane clues, Biggs offers to teach him Spirit Sight without fees or formal ritual. He tests Richard’s Inspiration, introduces him to divination, and repeatedly invites him to formally enter Mrs. Mary’s lineage. Richard declines because he prioritizes university and his family’s future. 105 114 117 126

Supplier and Adviser

Biggs helps Richard choose a Webley Police Third Model revolver, warning him that automatic pistols can malfunction where Aether interferes with complex mechanisms. He gives Richard practical guidance about guns, Enchanted Bullets, and the risks of escalating force near The Veil. 138 139 140

Branch Office Coroner

During the Echo Society crisis, Biggs works with Mrs. McNeil and Richard on Answer Chief’s autopsy. His familiarity with North District deaths allows him to recognize a pattern linked to the Society’s canal network. 206 208 219

Echo Society Investigation

Biggs discovers that an unidentified female corpse was the waitress he once loved and that the Echo Society had kept her alive as an anchor for more than ten years. He immerses himself in old records, refuses Richard’s offer to leave Briston, and seeks the thread connecting the organization’s victims. 238 239

Notable Quotes

“Every brick on the tower has its position. If you can do your part with your brick, the whole tower becomes a bit steadier.” 105

“A diviner was a detective, not a prophet.” 239

“This old thing looks crude and unremarkable, takes its time loading all six rounds, and kicks hard. But it is simple, and simplicity is a virtue.” 139