Amiable Vagabond

Amiable Vagabond
Category	Officers
Position	Signaller
Effects	+4 Hearts; +4 Veils; +1 Affiliation: Bohemia;
Data ID	132936
Interaction ID	314429

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Amiable Vagabond is considered a Officer Signaller in Sunless Skies.

description[]

"He sings well, smokes an old clay pipe with indecent relish, and lies agreeably."

Obtaining[]

The Amiable Vagabond can be recruited at Polmear & Plenty's Inconceivable Circus in The Reach so long as their story line has not already been completed in the current lineage. This costs 2 Sky-Stories.

The Amiable Vagabond[]

He can usually be found in good spirits and good company, gambling, laughing, playing a tune. Failing that, he will be deep in conversation with some cornered crewmember or other, quizzing them about their personal history with every sign of sincere interest.

If left alone, he grows restless. He sleeps late and rises early, eager to be among the crew once more.

Interactions

Actions	Requirements	Effects
Swap stories with the Vagabond He is an inexhaustible geyser of unlikely anecdotes.	The Vagabond's Obligation ≤ 0 Sky-Story ≥ 3	Those who wander The Vagabond's stories often feature larger-than-life characters from his loose community of vagrants. People with names like Sooty Jim or the Chimney Kid, and who collectively call themselves 'skylarks'. They hitch rides on locomotives (sometimes without permission) and scrounge a living from port to port. "I'm their King," says the Vagabond without humility. "I taught half of 'em how to tie a bindle." He pauses, sipping from his flask. "We hold monthly gatherings at Port Avon. You should accompany me to the next one. You'll never meet a more interesting bundle of folk." The Vagabond's Obligation = 10 [Accompany the Vagabond on a visit to his fellow skylarks at Port Avon] -3 x Sky-Story
Speak of the wonders in the sky The Vagabond has seemed uncharacteristically morose of late. Perhaps you can cheer him up.	The Vagabond's Obligation = 20 [The Vagabond's wanderlust is never sated. If you talk to him again, he might wish to visit somewhere new] Vision of the Heavens ≥ 1	Memories of an old home Since you left Port Avon, the Vagabond has limited his fiddle-playing to the most melancholy refrains. Every time, it leaves the boilerman in such a tearful mess that he has to abandon his duties. You share a drink and a few stories with the Vagabond, hoping to get to the root of the matter. "Even among skylarks, I don't feel quite at home," he says. "I can't stop thinking about my old homestead in Lustrum. Perhaps we could visit there some day? Ah, Captain – take this flask away from me! Whisky and nostalgia is a dangerous combination." The Vagabond's Obligation = 30 [Accompany the Vagabond to his old home in Lustrum] -1 x Vision of the Heavens
Ask about the Vagabond's plan to track down Quivers A skylark claimed to have found the mythical Sugarspun Garden, and came to seek the Vagabond's help. How does the Vagabond hope to find him?	The Vagabond's Obligation = 40 [Talk to the Vagabond about the missing skylark, Quivers]	A plan coalesces "I've been making inquiries," says the Amiable Vagabond. "Quivers was in a travelling skylark band named the Blunt Instruments. They weren't very good, but they robbed the bars they performed at, so they made enough to get by. I'd thought the rest of them were killed in a shootout last year." He beams triumphantly. "Except there was one other survivor! A concertina player who goes by the charming epithet of Ratbite. She's currently imprisoned in London for some marvellous crimes. I propose we break her out and see if she's heard from her old partner-in-crime." The Vagabond's Obligation = 50 [Break Quivers' old partner-in-crime, Ratbite, from prison in London so you can learn more about where he went]
Talk to Ratbite over dinner The jails in London have a cavalier approach to provisioning prisoners. Once she's eaten, she'll tell you what she knows about Quivers.	The Vagabond's Obligation = 60 [Speak to the Vagabond. Together, you will ask Ratbite about her old partner-in-crime, Quivers] Ratbite ≥ 1 [A skylark named Ratbite has boarded your engine.] 1 x Supplies	Secret Signs You, Ratbite and the Vagabond dine together. The Vagabond is laughing raucously, telling horrible jokes; Ratbite says little. She's gaunt, hollow-eyed, all sharp angles and scars. "Quivers was obsessed with fairy-tales," she tells you. "He said there were some skylark signs, scattered around the skies, that no one knew the meaning of. Not even the oldest skylarks. He believed they'd lead him right to the Sugarspun Garden if he could translate them." She pulls a small notebook from her pocket. "He left this with me. He'd collected all the undeciphered signs except one. Last I heard, he was headed to Achlys to find it." The Vagabond's Obligation = 70 [Find the final untranslated skylark sign in Achlys] Book of Mysterious Signs = 1 [You have been given a book of translated skylark code.] Skylark Signs: Achlys = 10 [Head to Achlys and copy down the mysterious sign] -1 x Supplies
Study Quivers' book of mysterious signs Perhaps it will reveal the location of the Sugarspun Garden. Or at least of its author.	Skylark Signs: Achlys = 40 [You have recovered the sign that was missing from Quivers' codebook] The Vagabond's Obligation = 75 [Help the Vagabond study the undeciphered skylark signs that Quivers discovered] Book of Mysterious Signs ≥ 1 [You have been given a book of translated skylark code.]	Triggers event: Mysterious Signs
Ask why the Vagabond hid his identity for so long You've heard the crew telling stories of Old Tom, and his wish in the well. Why did the Vagabond keep his past a secret?	The Vagabond's Obligation ≥ 77 and ≤ 79 Vagabond: Identity ≤ 0	Old Tom's travels "Why do you think I left my mansion in Lustrum?" asks the Vagabond. "It wasn't just the wanderlust. I have debts and enemies, Addressed As(SpeechFormal), enemies and debts! Not least among them is my sister, who has always been jealous of my success. She'd stop at nothing to bring me down, and she's powerful in her own right." +1 x The Vagabond's Obligation +1 x Vagabond: Identity
Ask if the Vagabond saw anything within Old Tom's Well According to legend, he made a wish and it was granted.	The Vagabond's Obligation ≥ 77 and ≤ 79 Vagabond: Gold ≤ 0	OId Tom's secrets The Vagabond shudders. "Aye, I saw gold. A gleam of gold amid a copse of pale trees, and nothing else but darkness. It spoke to me, in a voice like lightning striking an oak, and it made an offer. I accepted." You pry further, but he is reticent. "What else is there to say?" he mutters. "It made me rich. Others have journeyed to the Well since then, seeking their fortunes, but I'm the only one it spoke to. I don't know why." +1 x The Vagabond's Obligation +1 x Tale of Terror +1 x Vagabond: Gold
Ask why the skylark signs lead to Old Tom's Well Someone's hidden a code within a code, and it points to the abyss that bears the Vagabond's name.	The Vagabond's Obligation ≥ 77 and ≤ 79 Vagabond: Sugarspun Garden ≤ 0	Old Tom's family "My sister." The Vagabond injects a viper's worth of venom into the word. "She's formed a cult which clings to the well's edge and worships the thing that dwells within. Chasing on my heels, as always. It has never talked to her. Only to me." His eyes glitter gloatingly for a moment. "Perhaps she thinks she can change that through sacrifice. Perhaps that's why she's luring skylarks to her lair." He taps the ash from his pipe, staring through the window. "We must stop her. It's my duty as a king to protect my people." +1 x The Vagabond's Obligation Vagabond: Sugarspun Garden = 1
Raise the question of journeying to Old Tom's Well Quivers must have gone there seeking paradise, and many other skylarks besides.	The Vagabond's Obligation = 80 [Raise the question of the Vagabond returning to the well]	The Vagabond's ritual The Vagabond grimaces. "That was the only condition of my bargain with the thing in the well," he says. "I could never go back." He taps his chin thoughtfully. "But I always knew that one day I'd need to return. So when I was living in Lustrum, I sent for all sorts of scholars, mystics, engineers... In the end they devised a ritual that could break the curse. To complete it, I'll need to go to the Leadbeater and Stainrod Nature Reserve." He gazes at you for a moment, as though weighing you up. "And I'll need your help." The Vagabond's Obligation = 90 [Go to Leadbeater and Stainrod Nature Reserve and help the Vagabond complete his ritual]
Is Old Tom ready to visit his eponymous well? You've performed his ritual. He should be ready to seek out his sister and confront her about Quivers and the other missing skylarks.	The Vagabond's Obligation = 100 [Ask the Vagabond if now he's ready to travel to Old Tom's Well]	A moment of gratitude The Vagabond beams at you, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, I'm ready," he says. "Thank you for everything. This will make a fine story when it's over." The Vagabond's Obligation = 110 [Journey to Old Tom's Well and confront the Vagabond's sister]
Give the remnants of the Vagabond's concoction to Ratbite You have no idea if this will work. But the Vagabond needs a scapegoat, and you don't want it to be you.	The Garden-Rite = 30 Old Tom's Secret ≥ 1 [You have learned that the Amiable Vagabond plans to sacrifice you in Old Tom's Well to preserve his own life.] Ratbite ≥ 1 [A skylark named Ratbite has boarded your engine.]	Planning ahead Ratbite has made herself useful aboard your engine in the manner of all skylarks: part-passenger, part-dogsbody, working odd jobs around the locomotive to pay for her passage. When you track her down, she is busy helping the stokers at the engine. When you invite her to your cabin, she looks disappointed. Perhaps she suspects you're going to tell her to leave at the next port. Instead, you offer her a cup of tea, and chat about minor pleasantries. She drinks the tea without suspicion, and drinks the salvaged remnants of the Vagabond's ritual-brew along with it. The Garden-Rite = 40
Confront the Vagabond and have him thrown in the brig Accuse him of plotting to sacrifice you to the thing in Old Tom's Well. Game note: This will end the story of the Vagabond, but only for your current captain. Alternatively, remain quiet for now and look for an opportunity to turn the tables.	Old Tom's Secret ≥ 1 [You have learned that the Amiable Vagabond plans to sacrifice you in Old Tom's Well to preserve his own life.]	Revelation The Vagabond's mask drops. He stares at you with a mixture of consternation and ferocious loathing. "You're a quick one," he says. "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." You order him tied up and placed in confinement (he resists, of course, and gets a black eye and a cracked rib for his trouble). When you arrive at the next civilised station, local law enforcement lead him away while he makes his jokes and tells his stories, pausing only to shoot you a poisonous glare. As he turns a corner, you hear one of the constables laugh. Unfortunately, you doubt any prison is going to hold him for long. Amiable Vagabond = 0 Old Tom's Secret = 0 The Vagabond's Obligation = 200 [[COMPLETE]You confronted the Vagabond with the horrible truth about his misdeeds, and he has now left your employ] +3000 x Experience +1 x Searing Enigma Ratbite = 0
Ask him to play you a tune Before you've finished your sentence, the Vagabond is already tucking the fiddle under his bearded chin. "Want me to break your heart?" he asks.		Elegy The Vagabond's fiddle is scuffed and scratched; it looks like it's been broken several times, and pieced back together inexpertly. And yet, the tune which he coaxes from it is a soaring, searing, soul-stinging lament. It reminds you of precious things you've nearly forgotten, and raw things you'd rather forget. By the time the Vagabond is finished, he has tears in his eyes, and so do half the crew. The silence rings like a bell; and then the Vagabond laughs, and the spell is broken.

Quality status[]

Amiable Vagabond has different statuses according to your actions, defined by the comment in front of the quality.

Interaction description[]

These desciptions appear specifically when the value changes.

[1] The Amiable Vagabond has joined your crew.

Decreased Interaction description[]

These desciptions appear specifically when the value decreases.

[0] The Amiable Vagabond is gone.

Interactions[]

Interactions in Brief[]

Click Expand on the right for more.

Interaction	Action	Result Type	Change
Recruit the Amiable Vagabond	'Recruit the Amiable Vagabond'	Default / Challenge Fail	= 1
The Amiable Vagabond	'Confront the Vagabond and have him thrown in the brig'	Default / Challenge Fail	= 0
Old Tom and the Well	'Tell Old Tom that you switched the cups'	Default / Challenge Fail	= 0
Old Tom and the Well	'Tell Old Tom that you have prepared a different scapegoat'	Default / Challenge Fail	= 0
At the Well's Edge	'Pull the Vagabond back from the brink'	Default / Challenge Fail	= 0
At the Well's Edge	'Let the Vagabond fall to his doom'	Default / Challenge Fail	= 0
Recruit the Amiable Vagabond	'Recruit the Amiable Vagabond'	Default / Challenge Fail	= 1

Interactions in Detail[]

Click Expand on the right for more.

Story	Action	Required	Effect
Recruit the Amiable Vagabond	Recruit the Amiable Vagabond	Sky-Story ≥ 2	Default: Amiable Vagabond = 1 [The Amiable Vagabond has joined your crew.] -2 x Sky-Story Vagabond Recruited = 1
Recruit the Amiable Vagabond	Recruit the Amiable Vagabond	Sky-Story ≥ 2	Default: Amiable Vagabond = 1 [The Amiable Vagabond has joined your crew.] -2 x Sky-Story Vagabond Recruited = 1
The Amiable Vagabond	Confront the Vagabond and have him thrown in the brig	Old Tom's Secret ≥ 1	Default: Amiable Vagabond = 0 Old Tom's Secret = 0 The Vagabond's Obligation = 200 [[COMPLETE]You confronted the Vagabond with the horrible truth about his misdeeds, and he has now left your employ] +3000 x Experience +1 x Searing Enigma Ratbite = 0
Old Tom and the Well	Tell Old Tom that you switched the cups	The Garden-Rite = 10 The Vagabond's Obligation = 120 [A sacrifice must be made]	Default: Amiable Vagabond = 0 The Vagabond's Obligation = 150 [[COMPLETE]The Vagabond finally paid his debt] +4000 x Experience +1 x Searing Enigma The Vagabond has died = 1 Triggers event: Old Tom's Well
Old Tom and the Well	Tell Old Tom that you have prepared a different scapegoat	The Garden-Rite = 40 The Vagabond's Obligation = 120 [A sacrifice must be made] Ratbite ≥ 1	Default: Amiable Vagabond = 0 Incorrigible Vagabond = 1 [The Incorrigible Vagabond has joined your crew, on the condition that he can pick his victims from among them.] Ratbite = 0 The Vagabond's Obligation = 180 [[COMPLETE]You made a scapegoat of Ratbite, and sacrificed her in your stead. Now you have promised the Vagabond that you will help him gather more victims] +4000 x Experience The Vagabond is Incorrigible = 1 Vagabond: Sacrifice timer = Date + 150 Triggers event: Old Tom's Well
At the Well's Edge	Pull the Vagabond back from the brink	None	Default: Dendrified Vagabond = 1 [The Dendrified Vagabond has been dragged aboard your engine.] Amiable Vagabond = 0 The Vagabond's Obligation = 160 [[COMPLETE]The Vagabond broke his pact with the remnant in the well. In punishment, it made him finally put down roots] +4000 x Experience +3 x Terror The Vagabond is Dendrified = 1 Triggers event: Old Tom's Well
At the Well's Edge	Let the Vagabond fall to his doom	None	Default: Amiable Vagabond = 0 +1 x Searing Enigma The Vagabond's Obligation = 150 [[COMPLETE]The Vagabond finally paid his debt] +4000 x Experience The Vagabond has died = 1 Triggers event: Old Tom's Well