Flanagan Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Flanagan Wiki
Halt O'Carrick Spoiler Alert!

Warning! This page contains spoilers for The Lost Stories.


Shadow

Ebony, Will's dog, which the Roamers stole

The Roamers are a big group of gypsie-like people who originate from the lands south of the Eastern Steppes, west of Nihon-Ja and east of Ursali. They earn their money by hosting dog-fights, making music and stealing and travel around in caravans. They are probably based on the Roma and Sinti-people.

Description[]

Roamers are bands of independent travellers who make their way through the country in horse-drawn, curved-top caravans, camping for a day or so by villages rather than having permeant homes or nationalities. Troops of Roamers live in extended family groups consisting of parents, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, roaming together and portraying themselves as entertainers, musicians and performers to earn money, giving themselves a romantic and charming air. However, they also exploit this reputation to usually steal small valuables, clothing and occasional farmstead.

The Roamers, though they originate from lands south of the Eastern Steppes, west of Nihon-Ja and east of Ursali, now, centuries later, spread over the western hemisphere and have developed a cyclical pattern of travel, appearing in a settlement, which they would remain in for a day or so, then would move on and retain from returning for several years. Roamers are close-knit groups swathed in mystery and a discernible from their olive-coloured, swarthy skin and dark hair. Their younger women are said to be remarkably beautiful, and their men are said to be argumentative and hot-headed both amongst their own and outsiders. It seems that Roamers favour brightly-coloured clothing, as many of their clothes are dyed colours such as yellows, reds and blues.

Paradoxically, Roamers, though they mistreat their horses, mules, dogs, goats and other pets, are known to mistreat their animals, forging a toxic relationship with the creatures they own. Justly or unjustly, Roamers have a history of being cruelly mistreated over the decades, resulting in them evolving a defensive mindset and a resentment to any outside their clans who attempt to pierce their groups, as well as developing the ability to conceal their secrets almost as well as those of the Ranger Corp. Furthermore, the Roamers, should they suspect those affiliated with the law suspect them of a crime, will do anything to dispose of any evidence, killing and burying/discarding any who threaten to expose them. Even if its clear one of their own are guilting, other Roamers will fix a blank-faced façade and will deny any involvement. Even without suspicion, Roamers, while near a place where they have committed a crime, will be high on the alert and often push their pace until they are out of the immediate area, should they have stolen something, leading to the Roamers being nowhere to be found in the immediate district when the theft has been discovered.

When camping, the Roamers pitch their caravans in a rough square, often in an open space to avoid being snuck up on. The caravan's horses are enclosed in makeshift pens, surrounded by long beams placed over X-shaped supports to form a wooden fence while the dogs of the camp act as a line of defence, barking a warning if an unfamiliar presence approaches.

However, though cunning, Roamers regard those of the fairer sex, even their own, as individuals of the second-class and most of their men treat their female companions with derogatory distain, which the Roamer women seem to accept, simply stating that events such as investigation and leadership are a man's role. This has led Roamers to having no idea of the danger members of the Diplomatic Corps, despite having had at least one encounter with the resourceful Lady Pauline and later, with Alyss Mainwaring.

The Roamers have another, darker form of income other than thievery and entertainment: dog-fighting, which they train dogs like Demon Tooth, twisting their fighting canines them into killing machines, then staging fights between their champions which watchers exchange bets on, staging such illegal events during encounters with other Roamer bands or near villages that's citizens also bet on the gruesome sport. Roamers thus keep their fighting dogs away from sight, just as they would with stolen live property.

Skills[]

  • Thievery: some of the Roamers are great at pickpocketing and stealing.
  • Smuggling: because the Roamers travel around, they can easily transport goods to other towns and cities. 
  • Covering their Tracks: Halt says they are almost as good at this as the Rangers.
  • Music: Roamers are skilled musicians and entertainers, which they use as a front to earn their bread. Examples of instruments the Roamers play are stringed guitars and zithers.

History[]

The Roamers[]

In The Roamers, a group of Roamers kidnap Will's dog Ebony to host her in a dog-fight. Will is able to save her with the help of his friend Alyss and have the Roamers driven from Redmont and the surrounding fiefdoms

Known Roamers[]

Associates[]

Advertisement