| Raymond Maarloeve | |
|---|---|
 Raymond Maarloeve, P.I. | |
| Details | |
Profession |
Private investigator |
Gender |
Male |
Race |
Human |
Nationality |
|
Eye color |
Brown |
Hair color |
Brown |
Location |
Temple Quarter |
| Family | |
Partner |
unnamed wife (deceased) |
Children |
unnamed son (deceased) |
We first hear of Raymond Maarloeve as simply a private detective friend of Siegfried's. As Geralt and Siegfried are leaving the sewers, having just killed the cockatrice, they are set upon by Salamandra. After a quick skirmish, Siegfried mentions that Geralt should go see a friend of his, a detective, who conveniently happens to live in the house closest to the main entrance to the sewers.
Maarloeve decides to work with Geralt to uncover the Salamandra criminal organization's location and intentions as they have something in common, a hatred of Salamandra spawned from having lost loved ones (in Geralt's case, the young Witcher in training Leo). If Geralt chooses to tell Raymond that he's specifically looking for Azar Javed, because "his boot is due a rendevous with his ass", Raymond reveals ( free of charge!) that he's been investigating Salamandra for some time. Should Geralt ask whether it's a personal matter or a commission from a client, Raymond 'risks' indirectly telling Geralt the story of how his wife and son were murdered in a grisly home invasion which also turned out to be the work of Salamandra. His wife was discovered pinned to the kitchen door with a spear, his dog had been shot with a crossbow, and his son nowhere to be found. With no witnesses and no evidence to go on, the Captain of the Guard, Vincent Meis, was forced to close the case, which did not again resurface until six months later when a bizarre monstrosity turned up in a trash heap. Raymond, or "the father" in Raymond's story, was able to discern that the creature was actually his own son due to a unique feature the boy had; a sixth toe, which the monster in the trash also displayed. "The father", has since devoted the rest of his life to finding their murderers.
Later, Raymond is murdered by Azar Javed and his identity is assumed using illusion. His help prior to his untimely demise does prove nonetheless valuable in uncovering some of Salamandra's operations in Vizima. One of the clues to the fact that "Raymond" is no longer the "real" Raymond is that Geralt's medallion vibrates wildly whenever he approaches Javed disguised as Raymond. Additionally, a box of fisstech can be seen to have been left lying on the downstairs table at the Detective's house. Upon noticing it, Geralt remarks: "A small box containing fisstech. Must be evidence of some sort. I'd never suspect Raymond of being a user." It is likely that Javed switched places with Raymond after he went into hiding after Geralt saved him from several Salamanders. Indeed, Geralt's medallion does not vibrate during the brief time it takes for Raymond to walk out of the house after the fight is over.
Raymond is mentioned one last time at the end of the game when the King of the Wild Hunt blames Geralt for Raymond's death, implying that he thinks that if the Witcher were to never have asked for Raymond's help, Azar Javed would have never killed him.
Associated quests[ | ]
Journal entries[ | ]
- I hired a detective named Raymond Maarloeve to help me search for Salamandra's leader. Raymond, a bitter and cynical man, refused to lift a finger until I paid him. But he also seems to know a lot, including his craft.
- Someone has assumed the detective's identity and I can prove it.
- I found the detective's body. Someone discovered I was working with him and clearly didn't like that. They killed him and assumed his identity. I need to know why.
Speaking with Raymond provides some journal entries in addition to his own.
Notes[ | ]
- Detective Raymond has the face of a head artist on The Witcher Team, Adam Badowski. You can see him in a video called "Making of Combat 2" on the official site.
- Detective Raymond (Or rather, Azar disguised as Raymond) gives the last Sephirot needed for A Mysterious Tower quest when the Vizima Confidential quest is completed.
- When Geralt is in Detective Raymond's presence, the Witcher's medallion goes off when it is tuned for detecting monsters. This can draw suspicion to Raymond's true identity in the early stages of his storyline... especially as the medallion only goes off when immediate danger is apparent.
- Raymond Maarloeve's name is an easter egg alluding to famous hardboiled fictional detective Philip Marlowe, a creation of mystery story author Raymond Chandler.
- In Chapter II, Maarloeve mentions Morden, the head guard of Foltest, but Geralt doesn't like to listen to the full story and cuts him off.
Gallery[ | ]
Raymond's journal image
Raymond Maarloeve by Giuseppe De Iure
