James Adler (JAYMZ ADD-lur)

The Case of the Legacy

James Horatio Adler Moriarty (a.k.a. Jimmy)

Born at sunrise on August 10, 1898, as the cathedral bells of St Albans tolled their morning song, James Horatio Adler Moriarty entered the world beneath three looming shadows: a mother cloaked in myth, a father of reason, and a ghost bearing a name too heavy for a child. Known affectionately as "Jimmy," he was the product of a clandestine union between Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes—though the latter never knew. To protect her child from scandal, Adler convinced Professor Moriarty the child was his, and they wed in secret, granting Jimmy legitimacy and a name. Adler was brilliant, warm, and exacting. Under her tutelage, Jimmy became fluent in languages, music, and the art of persuasive restraint. But his mother’s light dimmed when he was only six. Stricken by tuberculosis, she passed quietly, leaving Jimmy to the care of a man who had been more myth than mentor: Professor Moriarty. The criminal mastermind, widowed and guilt-stricken, threw himself into shaping the boy’s intellect. Their relationship was cold but formative—rigorous, disciplined, and built on manipulation dressed as love. In adolescence, Jimmy was kidnapped under mysterious circumstances. Professor Moriarty, powerless for once, turned to the one man he despised—Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, unaware of the blood tie, enlisted the aid of Morgan le Fay to track Jimmy down. It was Morgaine who, upon touching the boy’s hand, saw the truth ripple through her. But before she could reveal it to Sherlock, Holmes collapsed from an aneurysm, dying with the truth just beyond his reach. Wracked with guilt, Morgaine drew Jimmy into the League, guiding him like a sister toward a purpose grander than vengeance.

League Member Note
Dates Active in League: 1916-1947
James joined the League in 1916, a prodigy at eighteen with a cello case full of tools and a mind honed like a scalpel. While his intellect rivaled Holmes, it was his flair—his theatricality and moral flexibility—that made him stand apart. In operations requiring espionage, sabotage, or negotiation, Jimmy excelled. He once talked an anarchist cabal into disbanding using nothing but allegory, a violin, and a timed chemical reaction. He never drew a weapon unless cornered—but when cornered, he was devastatingly effective. Morgan le Fay remained his closest confidant within the League, acting as both guardian and tempter. He was rarely fully trusted by senior operatives—some could never overlook the Moriarty name—but his results were undeniable. Missions that teetered on failure would course-correct the moment Jimmy intervened. Whether it was through charm, blackmail, or psychological insight, he delivered outcomes where others saw chaos. Haunted by the duality of his origin, Jimmy often struggled with legacy. Holmes, the man he came to admire from afar, had never known him. Moriarty, the man who raised him, had sought to control him. Adler, the one person who truly understood him, had died before he could understand himself. In the League, Jimmy became something else: not a son, not a villain, not even a hero—but a razor of intention, dancing on the edge of the moral blade. In 1947, he stepped back from active League operations, citing a desire for stillness he had never known. He took up residence in Sussex, at the very cottage Holmes had once used for beekeeping. There, he grew vegetables, read endlessly, and played cello in the evenings. On the morning of May 22, 1973, Jimmy was found in the garden, seated beneath the elderberry tree, a book folded over his chest, a soft smile on his face. He died as he had lived—alone with brilliance, surrounded by the quiet legacy of those who shaped him.
****END NOTE****

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Athletically lean with a fencer’s balance; precise in movement and deceptively quick.

Facial Features

Sharp cheekbones, calculating eyes, and a perpetually unreadable expression softened only by his faint, ironic smile.

Special abilities

Hyper-intelligence, eidetic memory, near-perfect pitch, expertise in chemistry, cryptography, and psychological manipulation.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

A ghost in plain sight, Jimmy’s past is buried beneath layers of secrecy and intentional misdirection. Raised under false pretenses, he learned young that truth is a luxury few can afford.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

To outwit fate, to reconcile the paradox of his birth, and to leave a mark more permanent than his name.

Likes & Dislikes

Loves cello duets, deductive puzzles, and night walks in fog. Loathes zealotry, small talk, and unchecked cruelty.

Virtues & Personality perks

Brilliant, magnetic, fiercely loyal to those he chooses to trust.

Vices & Personality flaws

Manipulative tendencies, moral ambiguity, emotionally detached coping mechanisms.

Representation & Legacy

Seen as a cautionary tale of potential untempered by certainty. His story is studied in League files under both "success" and "ongoing concern."

Social

Social Aptitude

Charming when it suits him, disarming even when it doesn’t. Can silence a room without raising his voice.

Speech

Measured, theatrical, with deliberate pauses and occasional bursts of biting wit.

Species

Duine

Realm

The Mortal Realm

Date of Birth

August 10, 1898

Date of Death

May 22, 1973

Life

1898 CE 1973 CE 75 years old

Circumstances of Death

Died peacefully while tending the garden where Sherlock Holmes once kept bees. No illness, no conflict—just silence and sun.

Birthplace

St Albans, Hertfordshire, England (Watson’s Walk)

Place of Death

South Downs, Sussex, England (Holmes’s garden, former apiary)

Parents

Sherlock Holmes

Children

Sex

Male

Sexuality

Pansexual

Eyes

Grey with flecks of gold

Hair

Ash brown, almost black when wet

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale with slight freckles across the shoulders

Height

5'11"

Weight

154 lbs

Quotes & Catchphrases

People rarely lie well—they simply dress their truth in fear.

Aligned Organization

The League

Character Prototype

Leo

Charismatic, noble, radiant, loyal, dramatic, confident
Shines without asking permission. This person thrives on performance and loyalty, needing to be seen not for ego, but to reflect light. Behind their roar is a heart that leads with generosity and pride.