The Whistler (Patreon)

Introducing Carter the Hedgehog, the Casey of Noir-Mobius:

Carter is a young man, about 18-19 and an aspiring train conductor. He's full of energy, full of life, and always looking to lend a hand, so after he discovered the Ghost Train' Express's ties to a run down soup kitchen on Pumpkin Hill, he was driven to secure a position on the team.

You see, in Noir Mobius, Pumpkin Hill is a mountainous area that is considered hallowed ground. It's contains a cemetery built to honor those fallen in a historical battle centuries ago, and is a national landmark that is federally protected from disturbances. Upon it, there lies a dilapidated church, and a soup kitchen--which was built to assist the impoverished, the needy, and those personally affected by the bloody battle.

It is also a source for a relatively sizable deposit of Ataxian ore, a radioactive mineral with the power to transmute wishes into power. Because of the arena's status as a landmark, the ore has been untouched and undisturbed to this day, allowing it to grow out of control in the Pumpkin Hill's underground.

Carter, like most...has absolutely no idea.

He travels to Pumpkin Hill and applies for a position of crewmate on the Ghost Train Express. He likes the idea of helping the less fortunate, and his interest in trains makes the job--any job working on the Ghost Train Express, worth it. Luckily for him, the kindly parish protector hires him in as a Passenger Director--since the man finds it hard to enable the railway switches in his old age.

Carter is young, in shape, and takes to the job easily enough. The rail Switches are litered all over the mountainous zone, and he needs to be able to get to them in a timely manner to ensure everything runs smoothly. Its hard work, but he always gets the job done, his signature whistling becoming something as a beacon as he moves about to the beat of his music.

After a few months on the job, Carter begins to realize that his monotonous job is anything but. Platforms are slowly getting harder to reach, shadows are moving, cold spots are everywhere, and he can hear voices chiming in all around him. Everything seems to change bit by bit, and a spooky feeling settles in over time.... at least until the whistling starts.

It doesnt seem malicious, in fact--the whistling feels familiar somehow. Almost like he'd known it all his life. One day while idly working, the song works its way into his subsconscious, and he begins to whistle the tune....

As if like magic... more, easier to reach platforms appear before his very eyes!

With cautious optimism, he taps them to ensure that the ghostly panels are real...

They are. Real. Heavy. Solid. As if they didn't just appear out of thin air.

He's less concerned than he is relieved, however, and before long he's using these panels to get his work done much faster than before, and now he's got free time to explore the rails, insprect the trains, and chat with the passengers.

The voices he used to hear get clearer over time. They're absolutely not malicious... they're just lonely. And he's happy to listen to their endless stories as he works. His Mystic Melody reveals new secrets to him every day, and work is less "work" now.

The time he used to spend scaling mountains and vaulting fiery boobytraps is now filled with meaningful interaction. He has so much free time to learn the train, assist the passengers, and aid the conductor... and the aging conductor takes a shine to him in kind.

Sometimes, he even let's him conduct the train...with supervision of course .

Carter's never wanted much, but somehow it's like all of carter's dreams are becoming reality.

Wonderful company, promising career growth in his favorite field, and being able to help people... it's almost like magic!

Story Select: Hero

The conductor for the Express is getting on in years, and he's looking forward to a nice, comfy retirement with his wife. Another conductor would be really hard to come by with the rumor mill at work, and if a replacemrnt can't be found, the Ghost Train Express is very likely to be decommissioned and shut down.

Maintaining the train all alone is hard work, but the people of Pumpkin Hill need his expertise to keep the Ghost Pumpkin Soup Kitchen accesible. Luckily, Carter's spectral friends have watched this train work for centuries. I'm sure they know a thing or two about keeping it moving...

Story Select: Neutral

The ghosts arent usually scary, but the frights are constant now, and that uncomfortable prickling at the nape of the neck is really unsettling. Carter's not really sure how long he can keep this up. His heart's always pounding, and he's been scared silly more times than he can count. Luckily he may not have to with the conductor entering retirement soon. The train will be shutting down soon enough.

Maybe there's another way to keep things moving, though? The train is a landmark, right? Why not captalize on the history and the legends surrounding it. The ghosts can scare the passengers, while Carter mans the train. No more scares, and maybe we can fix the reputation of this place. Murder Mystery Trains are pretty popular, I hear.

Story Select: Dark

This job is awesome, but there's so much mystery to uncover with the newfound power Carter has. He's found rings, items, and even priceless artifacts buried around here with the help of that Mystic Melody. I'm sure a lot of this stuff is worth a fortune to somebody, and its not like the dead are missing them.

The conductor's retiring soon, and the Ghost Pumpkin Soup Kitchen is at risk of shutting down if people can't get to it. The money can go towards keeping the train going, and no one else has to know where it's coming from...

The ghosts don't seem too happy about it though.

A special thank you to @RailroadMillion for sponsoring this commission!

See more of Casey, Carter, and the rest of their characters here