The Isambard Line

"It was meant to ring the whole Reach: a chain of accelerators and hour-funnels to speed locomotives between the outer ports. Doomed from the start, it was. Some said cursed, but I reckon building a road around the sky is just b__dy difficult. It were never finished."

Founded by the Quixotic Squire, the Isambard Line is an incomplete railway spanning the Reach. It is probably named for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a pioneer in British rail and steamships who lived 1806-1859 and whose life was therefore probably unchanged by the Fall of London.

The Trains Ran on Time

Originally, it was meant to ring the whole Reach as a fast mode of transportation, using Hours as a fuel. However, only four signal boxes and some patches of rails were completed before London abandoned the project.

Eventually the signal boxes found their uses. Skyfarers may take supplies from a box and write their names in the ledger. From that point, the Skyfarer is considered indebted, and they are expected to restock the box later. Taking supplies without writing their name is frowned upon, and may risk unwanted attention.

The signal boxes' valuable uses don't exempt them from being a shooting target for Marauders or a perfect nest for spiders. Still, there is at least one person who still maintains the boxes...

The Fatalistic Signalman

"People outside the trade don't understand how signalling works. Every port, every corner of the sky, has its own signs and messages. It's a right mess. I've been cataloguing them: the semaphores, the lamp-languages, the badges and passphrases. Not that anyone will ever read it."

The Fatalistic Signalman is the last signaller who still maintains the Isambard Line, or at least its signal boxes. He travels from box to box by hitchhiking. The failure of the Isambard Line has make him pessimistic, which wouldn't be a problem if his gloomy attitude wasn't so contagious.

Aside from fixing signal boxes, he is attempting to write a book detailing the signs and signals of the High Wilderness. He considers this his own way of preventing Skyfarers' deaths.

Years past

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?" Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.

"The corpse is desiccated, ravaged by fungus. It lies on its side facing the wall, knees drawn up. Its back is to you, which makes the act of brushing off the spores seem like a violation of privacy. But you have to know, and indeed, under the coat of pale spores it wears a grey Isambard Line uniform.

Was it the cold that killed it? The fungus? Sickness? It is impossible to say. The High Wilderness holds a thousand quiet deaths. You can only be sure that it has lain here, undiscovered and undisturbed, for years."