The Amiable Vagabond

"He claims to be an expert in snake-wrangling, thimble-twisting and stick-swinging; he professes to be a psychologist, mythologist, and escapologist; he boasts he can tell stories that'll haunt you until you die, and play tunes that'll make stones dance. If all that fails to entice you, he supposes he could turn his hand to signalling."

The Amiable Vagabond is an experienced wanderer and the unofficial leader of the Skylarks, a group of travelers.

The Skylarks' Quest

"My life is a lark! My king is the sky!"

The Skylarks' ultimate goal is to find the mythical Sugarspun Garden, a fabled paradise where the rivers flow with whisky and the mountains are made of marzipan. Only there do they plan to rest their heads and put down roots. The Amiable Vagabond has led them on this madcap quest across the sky for as long as any of them can remember, and he has the tall tales to prove it.

The Skylarks meet with something approaching regularity, at sites marked with cryptic skylark signs, to swap stories, trade liquor, and mourn those who have perished since their last meeting. For all their joy, a Skylark’s life is perilous, and there is rarely a meeting without a missing face.

A Sinister Sister

"The Judas Psalm. It contains the only lesson that we need to hear: the promise that those who wronged us can be made to suffer."

The Amiable Vagabond is not alone in this world - he has a sister, the Lank Minister of the Church of the Judas Psalm. The Church is devoted to the ardent belief that the Almighty will rain vengeance upon those who have wronged its congregants - and the Minister's target is her own brother. The Vagabond has a hunch that as part of his sister's campaign against him, she lures his followers to the Well and thus to their deaths.

The Prospector's Prize

"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously." Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked content. Proceed with caution. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.

"Yes. I wrote the hidden code into the Skylark signs. I tricked Quivers into following them, then threw him in the Well. I did the same to a dozen curious skylarks before him, and a dozen gullible captains. What do you want from me? Guilt? Guilt won't change what I've done."

In truth, of course, the Vagabond is rather more than he seems - for he was once known as Old Tom. As one of the first prospectors to scout out the Avid Horizon, he made a deal at a well in the Reach, promising it his life in return for a year of fabulous wealth. The entity within kept its promise: Tom soon discovered the Mother of Mountains and became rich beyond measure.

As the day of his death drew near, however, Tom found himself unwilling to die. Desperate to extend his lease on life, he drew upon his more sinister connections and eventually discovered a ritual that would allow him to exchange another’s life for his own.

And so Old Tom became the Amiable Vagabond, and his murderous odyssey began. He led the Skylarks on a perpetual journey, occasionally singling one out and sacrificing them to the remnant within the well. Nobody remarks on the disappearance of a Skylark - a thousand perfectly plausible deaths await travelers in the heavens.

The Vagabond’s true relationship with his sister is tense and complicated. He claims that since he's the only person the Well has ever spoken to, the Lank Minister regards him with jealous respect. She has no particular compunctions about his homicidal practices, but deeply resents what she sees as a betrayal of the entity within the Well.