Reference
The Scardungeon Compendium
An A-to-Z of the people, places and lore of Scardungeon — for readers who want to go deeper between books.
People
Adventurers and guardians
Cantrice
Emerald, sapphire and gold feathers catch the lantern light, but there's nothing ordinary about this parrot. Older than she looks, sharper than she sounds, and bound to the Williams family in ways Samuel is only beginning to understand.
Captain Marc Williams
A ghost pirate bound by a three-hundred-year-old bargain, his black storm-worn coat and pale hair unmistakable in any century. Ancestor, guardian and guide to the boy who must finish what he started.
Commodore Germane
A figure who has learned to cross between Earth and Scardungeon, carrying a stolen time stone that opens the way. Three hundred years on, he has not made the crossing to make peace — he has come to avenge Captain Marc Williams. He commands a small fleet of ships, and sails one himself — when it flies black, it means only one thing: he is aboard.
Farsconther, the Lord of Parrots
Spoken of throughout Scardungeon, rarely seen by anyone — and, some now whisper, missing altogether.
Lord Tribworth
The being who struck the very first bargain on a quiet English beach, and holds the fate of both Scardungeon and Earth in his hands. Not cruel. Not kind. Simply certain.
Mr Higgins
A stern, watchful presence who runs the campsite on the Dorset coast, never straying far from the sea — though his bearing is oddly formal for a campsite warden, and something about the set of his shoulders looks more suited to a ship's deck than a reception desk. There is more to Mr Higgins than meets the eye, and not everyone who crosses his path walks away unchanged.
Samuel Williams
The boy who has been waiting all summer for an adventure, and gets far more than he bargained for. Determined and curious, he's the one who notices the mysterious stranger everyone else walks past.
Sarah
Samuel's cousin, and the friend who keeps a level head when things get strange. She follows the clues of the pirate legend right alongside him.
Places
Where the story unfolds
Klindesdale
The afterworld reserved for sailors who kept their word. Not every pirate earns a place there — but every pirate hopes for one.
The End Inn
A wooden sign creaks above a doorway with a very strange name. Nobody Samuel meets can quite explain why.
The Flatlands of Klindersfell
Endless grasslands stretching beyond the known edges of Scardungeon's map, glimpsed from a distance but not yet explored.
The Pirates' Playground
Hidden beyond an ancient archway on the Dorset coast, where new rules apply and a guardian is made, tested, or unmade.
The Village of Sine
The quiet village that once gave Sineford its name still exists, half-hidden, deep within Scardungeon itself. Some journeys end exactly where they began.
Artifacts & lore
Objects, bargains and quests
The Bargain
Three hundred years ago, a bargain was struck on a quiet English beach between Captain Marc Williams and Lord Tribworth — a promise that shaped the fate of two worlds, and one that must eventually be paid in full.
The Guide
An ordinary wristwatch, transformed by Captain Marc Williams into something extraordinary — a guide capable of finding the people, places and truths Samuel needs most.
The Three Temples (Wardock, Gygle & the Parrot Lords)
Three sacred temples scattered across Scardungeon, each requiring an ancient stone to be placed — a quest at the heart of Captain Marc Williams's final voyage, and of Book Two.
