Paul’s Recruitment into the Hidden Firm
The Portable DoorThis thread follows Paul from an apparently ordinary job interview into the unsettling discovery that his employer is a supernatural consultancy.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
A Hopeless Interview

A Hopeless Interview
The Waiting Room
Paul Carpenter expects little from an interview he barely wants. Sophie Pettingell’s sharp manner makes the wait no easier.
The Partners’ Questions
The partners ask bizarre questions, and Paul answers with uncomfortable honesty. He leaves certain he has failed.
The Unexpected Offer

The Unexpected Offer
A Letter at Home
Paul Carpenter assumes the firm will reject him, but a formal letter offers him the junior clerk position.
The Hidden Hook
The appointment draws him into an unfamiliar workplace without revealing its real business. His ordinary search for employment becomes an entry into danger.
A Maze of Offices

A Maze of Offices
Lost in the Building
Paul Carpenter cannot follow the receptionist’s directions through the sprawling, confusing headquarters. The building itself feels like an early warning.
A New Colleague
He eventually meets Sophie Pettingell again, now his fellow clerk. Their awkward partnership begins with tedious paperwork and unanswered questions.
A Violent Revelation

A Violent Revelation
Goblins in Reception
Goblins break into the office after closing. Paul Carpenter confronts them with a spear and a long stapler while Sophie Pettingell is seized.
Tanner’s Explanation
Dennis Tanner rescues Sophie and reveals that the creatures are real. The apparent office job opens onto an alarming supernatural world.
An Uneasy Profession

An Uneasy Profession
The Job’s Reality
Dennis Tanner explains that the firm employs supernatural specialists and that Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell have unusual abilities.
No Easy Exit
A coercive contract and the partners’ power make leaving dangerous. The two clerks must learn the business while deciding what kind of people they will be.
The opening interview at J.W. Wells & Co. headquarters
The night after the interview
Paul’s first morning at work
The evening of Goblin Night
After the first supernatural assignments