Jack-of-Smiles

"Jack-of-Smiles. The murderous buffoon, plaything of the press, and London's most notorious killer."

Jack-of Smiles is London's most prolific serial killer.

Let's Get Stabby

"Jack-of-Smiles, Fallen London's premier lunatic murderer, has been known to hide inside snowmen until passersby come within reach. 'We award this exploit three marks of ten,' the Magazine Formerly Known As The London Magazine opines. 'Smiles' exploits increasingly tend more to the novel than the genuinely ghoulish.'"

Jack-of-Smiles has been active for at least twenty years, but did not gain his infamous moniker until a decade later. The name stemmed both from his grisly habit of slashing throats, and a sardonic reference to reports of his unsettlingly calm conduct. Jack has captured both the press and public imagination, inspiring a wealth of literature; writers of penny-dreadfuls about him have even reported receiving a personal token of appreciation from Jack himself. However, investigators suspect these trophies are more likely the work of an admirer rather than the killer. Indeed, he seems to have quite a few admirers, as many people have pleaded guilty to his particular style of murder.

Jack's weapons and combat prowess may vary greatly, but his knives are always cheap. He primarily hunts in the poorer districts of London, sometimes selecting victims from Wanted posters. He avoids open confrontation, but has been known to target the friends and family of those who obstruct his activities. Jack has been confronted and stopped numerous times by brave citizens and furious mobs, and it has become something of a grim pastime to hunt him, but the murders have continued regardless. Some accounts have even suggested that Jack can appear in multiple locations simultaneously.

Investigations have not yet established whether such persistence is due to multiple people assuming the role of "Jack," or because his personality somehow jumps between bodies — but it is a certainty that he does not appreciate being called "Smiles." Though typically referred to with masculine pronouns, Jack has been known to take female forms. There are Londoners known to have been overtaken by his influence, regardless of the mechanism; some recall little of their time as Jack. while others regain their memories with time.

The constabulary has battled Jack-of-Smiles for years, with no less than thirty-seven investigators assigned to his case — only for all of them to eventually become Jack themselves. Devils are well-versed in the marks left on a soul by violence, and representatives of Hell have claimed that the Jacks they have captured and abstracted bear no such stain. Whatever causes people to become Jack leaves no physical trace on the body either.

Who is Jack?

"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.

"It's the knives. Jack's in the knives."

Jack is not a single person but a set of sentient, bloodthirsty Polythremean knives. These knives share a single, relentless personality, and anyone who wields one becomes increasingly violent until their own mind is entirely consumed by the knife’s will.

The story of these knives begins with a plan crafted by Mr Spices, one of the Masters of the Bazaar; Spices intended to create more "flavorful" love stories for the Bazaar, but the plan failed because the Bazaar does not accept artificial tales of love. Spices tricked a Polythremean man into sharing a specialized honey-dream with it, where it convinced the man that his wife was unfaithful. The enraged man became honey-mazed, and as he dreamed of burning his town to the ground, he also did so in reality.

The knives themselves, however, were more like a serendipitous accident. They were forged in an ironworker's shop that was consumed by the fire, and the murderous passion that fueled the blaze warped not only the workshop (which was alive, because the island of Polythreme and everything on it is alive) but the set of knives that was presumably in the building at the time. While Mr Spices' original plan failed, the resulting infamy of a new serial killer proved useful, so Spices allowed and even encouraged Jack to persist.

Historical & Cultural Inspirations

Jack-of-Smiles is inspired by Jack the Ripper, the unidentified serial killer who terrorized London’s Whitechapel district in 1888. The Ripper’s victims were primarily impoverished women, many of whom were sex workers in the East End. His murders were particularly gruesome, involving deep throat slashes and severe abdominal mutilations, leaving behind scenes of shocking brutality.

The horror of these crimes gripped Victorian society, and more than a century later, the mystery still captivates the public. Sensationalized media coverage at the time not only fueled widespread fear but also transformed the Ripper into a grim cultural figure. While the murders were undeniably tragic, they became a tool for reformers to highlight issues of poverty, crime, and the failures of law enforcement in London’s most vulnerable communities.

The Ripper’s identity remains one of history’s most infamous unsolved mysteries, spawning a dedicated subculture of amateur criminologists known as "Ripperologists." These enthusiasts meticulously analyze evidence, theories, and suspects, keeping the case alive through endless speculation. Over the years, the Ripper’s story has been adapted into countless books, films, and television series, securing his place as a dark but enduring cultural icon.