Overview
Claudia Braun is the protagonist of Claudia Braun and the Disappearing Sable. She is a young brown bear who introduces herself as a detective and takes on Marnie Stout’s request to find a missing sable before the last day train leaves Plumwald Station.
Claudia is still at the beginning of her detective career. Before the game’s central case, she has spent part of the summer doing field work with her Uncle Mürrisch and has already helped with small local mysteries, including finding Mrs. Verwirt’s lost eyeglasses and trowel.
Appearance
Claudia is a brown bear cub, but she is tall enough to stand near the height of many adult commuters in the station. During the investigation, she wears smart new shoes and a detective’s coat. The text also draws attention to her claws when she thinks about physical danger and restraint.
Role in the investigation
Claudia begins the story at the Bärlinger Biergarten with her mother and Uncle Mürrisch. Her mother is reluctant to let her wander around the city, while Mürrisch argues that Barenstadt is safe enough if Claudia stays near the station. This permission gives Claudia the freedom to explore the station area when Marnie approaches her.
Marnie cannot pay Claudia, but Claudia accepts the case without charging her. Marnie explains that she saw an old schoolmate from Saint Erpel boarding school at a masked dance, knew him as Zobelein, and then lost him in the crowd. Claudia’s task is to identify him and find out where he has gone.
The player can guide Claudia through several investigative methods. Claudia can question station workers, collect sensory evidence, follow travel records, use official help from Inspector Felix Frohe, and interpret social scenes around the international platform. Her success depends on connecting details from different parts of Barenstadt, including Annie Verärgert’s coat check, Genoveva Geist’s club, the Shadow Express, and Duchess Haselschwanz’s rail car.
Outcome
In the successful ending, Claudia identifies the sable as Aleksei Oblaka and brings Marnie to Duchess Haselschwanz’s private rail car. She learns that Aleksei is a Khomyak prince involved in a secret diplomatic effort between Dormouse and the Khomyak Empire. The Duchess offers Claudia a place in domestic intelligence, but Claudia declines the offer.
Depending on the player’s choices, Claudia can also become involved in several smaller station stories. She may help visitors and workers with private problems, make useful introductions, or collect food and sweets while moving through the station. These optional outcomes are summarized by the game after the main investigation ends.