Prof. James Moriarty

c. 1891

### Aliases

Professor Moriarty; Jim (by his brother); The Napoleon of Crime (by Sherlock Holmes)

### Death

Riechenbach Falls, Meirigen, Switzerland 1891

### Relatives

James Worth Moriarty (brother); Allan Quatermain (distant cousin); Plantagenet Palliser (distant cousin)

## Professional Information

### Occupation

Professor of Mathematics; Leader of the World Crime League

### Affiliations

University of Durham; World Crime League; University of Leeds (formerly)

### Allies

Members of the World Crime League; Fu Manchu; Elric Zenith

### Enemies

Travellers' Reform Club Members; The governments of New Europa; The governments of North America; Dr. Adolf Mabuse

## Real Information

### First Story

The Adventure of the Final Problem, 1893

**Professor James Adam Moriarty Ph.D,** is a criminal mastermind, cunning manipulator, and perhaps the greatest mathematical mind of his generation, rivaling the likes of Lewis Carroll and Lord Kelvin. He is the founder of the World Crime League and perhaps the most powerful man in New Europa.

## Life Before 1869

Moriarty was born to a well-off family with one sibling, his older brother (also named James), in Ireland. Throughout his early schooling, he had been praised for his intelligence and natural genius. As a young man, he proved his ambition by moving to England to attend Oxford University, becoming the boxing champion of Oxford in his second year and, in his forth year he earned his doctorate in mathematics. Within the same year, he published *A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem*, earning much respect and prestige and made him the Professor of Mathematics at Leeds University. During his tenure at Leeds, he not only wrote his magnum opus, *The Dynamics of an Asteroid*, but also used his new found power to begin manipulating the students and faculty. He started a secret "gang" of-sorts among his students, using them as a way to gain influence and money through the criminal underworld. However, after rumors began to spread about his misdeeds, he left the university.

Following the controversies surrounding the rumors, Moriarty left to find work in London. Using his brother's connections in the Army, he establishes a business as an "army coach", acting as a private tutor for officers preparing for examinations. Not long after, in 1969, he re-entered back into the criminal underworld. At first acting as a "consulting criminal mastermind", giving guidance to other criminals; Later founding the World Crime League.

## 1869 And After

Moriarty founded the World Crime League in 1871. This began his rise through the underworld of New Europa. He recruited the best and brightest criminal minds, the greatest thieves and burglars, and, for when he needs them, the most stealthy, crafty, and ruthless killers and assassins. His empire grew across New Europa and branched into North America, South America, Afrika, and Asia. He employed the most famous criminals he could find: The Invisible Man, Arsène Lupin, and Robur the Conqueror (just to name a few). Many people tried to take him and his empire down. Smaller names in criminology, like Dick Donovan, had tried but they could not pin down Moriarty. A young Thomas Carnacki had psychically linked with one of his henchmen in the Orient, but he only knew as much as Carnacki did. The newly formed Diogenes Club, under the ownership of Phileas Fogg, posed the biggest threat to the World Crime League. Made up of adventurers and do-gooders, they fought with the League many times.

In 1872, the Chinese sent Prince Fu to Europe to get a western education, in the hopes of reforming the Empire during his reign. Fu attended Durham University (along with Oxford and Edinburgh University) where he studied mathematics under Professor Moriarty. Moriarty saw the potential Fu had and took him in as a secret apprentice. Moriarty taught him everything he knew when it came to running an unstoppable criminal empire.

In 1890, a fracture in the League began to show and Luxembourgish sorcerer Dr. Mabuse created a sect of criminals which rebelled against Moriarty. Moriarty would use his most powerful weapon on Dr. Mabuse, the albino Romanian-French mastermind Elric Zenith but, even this was not enough. This global gang war would last until 1891 when Moriarty first met the famed detective Sherlock Holmes in person. Holmes had always been a rather nasty thorn in Moriarty's side so he lured him to Switzerland where he could dispose of him. But Holmes was two steps ahead, and the following confrontation between the two at Richenbach Falls led to death of Professor James Moriarty.