Eli Tadcombe

Role Custodian, Orphean Society Nationality British Status alive Age 58

Overview

Eli Tadcombe is the late-50s custodian and night watchman of the Orphean Society. Stoop-shouldered and weathered, he performs mundane maintenance work: cleaning, furnace tending, waste disposal, and locking up. He is paid poorly and prefers not to ask questions about what happens in the building when proper members arrive.

However, Tadcombe is not a complete innocent. He was bribed by Rooke to provide unlocked access to the stairwell leading to the sub-basement, a transaction that sealed Rooke’s fate. Since Rooke’s disappearance, Tadcombe has lived in a state of anxious silence, troubled by vague singing sounds from beneath the floorboards and deeply afraid of his employer.

He is a crucial source of information—but requires careful handling, as he is easily frightened and prone to lying when cornered.

Description

Tadcombe is stoop-shouldered and wiry, perpetually smelling of pipe tobacco, bleach, and coal dust. His fingers are stained with nicotine, and his teeth are yellowed. His eyes dart nervously; he rarely makes direct eye contact. He dresses in worn workman’s clothes and moves with the shuffle of someone accustomed to being overlooked.

In public spaces (especially at the Silver Quay tavern), he affects a casual demeanor—but his tension is always visible just beneath the surface.

Personality & Traits

• Surly and evasive; prefers brief, noncommittal answers
• Easily swayed by coin or flattery; his loyalty is purchasable
• Sharp memory for faces and names, despite claims otherwise
• Knows more than he admits; lies reflexively when pressed
• Deeply superstitious and afraid of supernatural consequences
• Not evil, but morally flexible and self-preserving

Appearances