Q is for Quentin

Quentin is the crank, kook, quack, eccentric, and inventive craftsman of the Institute.

Quentin's gadgets are largely useless, but make a big show, and the show often results in an unmitigated disaster in the moment, but an equally unparalleled success that makes for Quentin's impeccable reputation.

Recent devices included:

The “Throat-Singer’s Deceiver"

A stiff leather collar with a hidden reed-and-bellows mechanism tucked under the chin. The agent twists a small knob to activate it. It’s supposed to perfectly mimic any voice the wearer has heard that day; ideal for impersonating a guard captain or seductive noblewoman during a whispered conversation at a feast.

How it actually works is the first twist makes the collar emit a loud, wet QUACK like a startled goose. Every subsequent word the agent tries to speak comes out as a ridiculous, warbling mix of their own voice and farm-animal sounds.

The “Nightwalker’s Deception"

Soft-soled leather boots with a heel-mounted counterweight and tiny oiled rollers. Stepping normally is supposed to make the wearer glide almost silently, with the rollers absorbing every footfall for perfect stealth.

What actually happens is the counterweight is always slightly off-balance. Every step turns into an uncontrollable forward lurch, making the wearer skate across floors like a drunken ice dancer.

The Institute trusts their operative's lives to Quentin. The operatives indulge both the Institute and Quentin, grimacing with every twist of pin or release of a spring.