Harkerpal
Harkerpal was the chief engineer of the The Liliana (Airship) and one of Baron Theodore von Monocle's most trusted men. One of the original crew members of the Liliana, he was the only surviving original crew member still serving after the Baron's departure. He spent the better years of his life keeping the Liliana running, and by his own admission lived and breathed the ship. Loyal to the von Monocle family across many years and campaigns, he was described by Marina du Willet as knowing his craft so well that it was daunting. He was also characterized as selfless, enthusiastic, and—by his own nature—deeply talkative, with a habit of telling long, rambling stories and bobbing his head as he spoke. He grew up knowing the von Monocle family in Plainsroad Village, and knew both Zaira's father and mother, as well as Zaira von Monocle herself when she was a little girl.
By his own account, Harkerpal knew less about airship workings than even the most junior of his engineers when he first came aboard. Through dedication, he came to be described as having devoted himself to the airship more than anyone else alive. He acknowledged that Dr. du Brass was the original designer of the Liliana's engine, and stated that he could never hope to replace him. He was known to Rislandia at large as the country's great engineer.
Appearance
Harkerpal had dark skin and a lanky figure, with black hair and very white teeth; gray spots in his hair were visible by the time of The Blood of Giants. He towered over Zaira von Monocle's small frame. He carried a persistent musk of airship engine oil. In For Steam and Country, he was typically seen wearing a bright red silk shirt and a gaudy red coat, and when working in the engine room he was often covered in grease and holding tools. In The Blood of Giants, he was noted to wear a military uniform. In The Fight for Rislandia, he was described as wearing loose, grease-stained clothing rather than a standard uniform. He was known to hunch over plans while directing men.
"His head bobbed in a way unique to him when he spoke."
Role in For Steam and Country
In For Steam and Country, Harkerpal played a central role in keeping the Liliana operational during the events surrounding Zaira von Monocle's assumption of command.
Meeting Zaira at Loveridge
Harkerpal traveled to Loveridge to acquire parts for repairs, specifically a Giffard capacitor. He encountered Zaira at the Loveridge Inn, where he recognized her as Theodore's daughter by her walk, bearing, and nose. He told her that the Liliana was hers now, and showed visible disappointment when she expressed reluctance to fly the airship again. His uncharacteristic lack of verbosity in that moment notably jolted Zaira.
At the inn, Harkerpal also told the story of Baron von Monocle and the One-Eyed King, wiggling his fingers over the table as he recounted it. He had previously told Marina du Willet the story of how the Baron met his wife.
Repairs and Preparation
After installing the new Giffard capacitor and lubricating the engine and main gears, Harkerpal warned that the ship might not fly for long and that several finer components required further work—a reflection of his perfectionist streak. He showed Zaira the controls and warned her at length about every engineered system he could conceive of. During the three preparation days at King Malaky's Palace, he spent most of his time making calculations and repairs, requested various supplies from King Malaky XVI's servants, and was content to tinker with the engines, keeping away from barraging Zaira with stories during that period.
The Test Flight and Crash
During Zaira's hard bank on the test flight, Harkerpal stumbled and fell against the cabin wall. Following the Wyranth attack, he went to the engine room to assess damage. During the subsequent crash, he kicked the control console to restart the engines and maneuvered the ship in an attempt to clear the forest. He survived the crash and afterward provided a full damage assessment of the Liliana, repaired turbine gears, and returned to the ship after landing to check his repairs. He subsequently told Captain Talyen von Cravat what supplies and men he needed to get the ship airborne again, and succeeded in doing so.
Departure and the Rescue Mission
At the landing pad before departure, Harkerpal directed the fueling process, detached the fuel tube, and wound the crank to retract the boarding ramp. He called Zaira "Baron," demonstrating his belief in her. He stayed aboard the Liliana when the rescue team departed, and hugged Zaira warmly before she left, asking her to bring her father back safely. Zaira told him she was glad he was part of the crew.
Encounter with the Gunman
At one point, while Harkerpal was in the engineering room covered in grease and holding tools, he identified Zaira to a gunman as Baron Von Monocle. He also informed Zaira that the enemy engine room was located at the center of the hull, about midway down.
Role in The Blood of Giants
In The Blood of Giants, Harkerpal continued to serve as chief engineer of the Liliana under Zaira's command. By this time he was one of the few remaining links to the ship's earliest days, and Zaira noted that she had known him a couple of years and would trust him with anything. He felt like an uncle to her.
Engine Repairs at the Airship Landing Strip
When Zaira arrived at the airship landing strip, she found Harkerpal with his legs protruding from the aft turbine's maintenance shaft. He reported multiple problems with the engines: an overheated engine, a broken propeller, something lodged in the shaft, and a possibly lost capacitor. He had gotten a black gooey substance—animal blood—on his face from inside the shaft, and delegated cleaning the shaft to his engineers. He estimated that repairs could take several days.
Harkerpal repaired the damaged propeller blade by climbing the turbine shaft using a leather harness, assembling his engineering team to assist. The propeller repair was completed in approximately twenty minutes. He also suggested that an expedition on foot might be needed to find the city of Great Jerohm to procure parts.
The Zenwey Continent
Harkerpal had previously accompanied Baron Theodore von Monocle on an early expedition to the Zenwey continent, making him one of the first visitors to that region. During events in The Blood of Giants, he pointed out the volcano on the Zenwey coast and explained that the black sand of the Ebony Sands Coast contained pebbles of eroded igneous rock from lava flows. He recalled that on the first expedition, the Baron had helped evacuate a village of natives to safety, and noted that language barriers had complicated communication during that mission. He also mentioned having seen man-beasts when the Baron first came to the continent. He knew of the city of Great Jerohm and the broader geography of the Zenwey continent from these early missions.
Great Jerohm and the Nightmen
Harkerpal searched for Zaira for weeks following her capture. He found supplies at Great Jerohm, trading gold stores for what was needed, and encountered a strange man living in a castle in the middle of the desert—likely Juiyan. He expressed guilt about Zaira's capture, having previously encountered the Nightmen further north. He reported that the Nightmen appeared to have reverse-engineered the technology of the Liliana for their own contraptions. To prevent the Nightmen from obtaining full airship designs, Harkerpal deliberately left out crucial design elements from the plans he provided them, ensuring they received only approximately eighty percent of the workings of an airship. He also assuaged Baron von Monocle's fears about the Nightmen having complete airship designs.
The city's council requested that Harkerpal provide detailed notes on the workings of the airship. He had previously explained technologies in detail to Baron von Monocle.
Recovery and Return
Harkerpal was one of the first visitors allowed to see Zaira after Dr. Estrella du Clockhand permitted prolonged visits. He moved to the side of her bed so she could see him, and bobbed his head in his characteristic manner. He mentioned the Second Battle of the Border River in relation to Zaira's father, and confirmed that the Baron was safe in Rislandia City. He departed when Ethan von Lantern arrived, bowing his head before returning to his engines.
Harkerpal also indicated he would check on Toby, and gave a list of items needing maintenance and repair that ran more than three pages long. He visited Zaira in her room and referred to her as "the young von Monocle." He called her "Captain" for the first time during the events of this book, describing Talyen von Cravat gaining the title of Captain as a sad occasion.
"My place is in the air."
Role in The Fight for Rislandia
In The Fight for Rislandia, Harkerpal continued to serve as chief engineer of the Liliana. He was seen wearing loose, grease-stained clothing rather than a standard uniform. He addressed Zaira as "Baronette" and rarely saluted her, though he did so upon returning to the ship. He padded over to Zaira and bobbed his head as he talked, smiling to himself in the nostalgia of the moment.
The Anti-Serum Crop Duster
Zaira suggested that Harkerpal could help rig the mine machine to produce anti-serum. He arrived at the mine after Ethan von Lantern summoned the airship, and got to work with Rhys on the device. He conscripted several junior engineers to do manual labor and had all the tools needed from the well-stocked engine room. He was described as someone who would be thrilled by a challenging project. He told Rhys he could assemble a spraying mechanism for the crop-dusting plan, and assembled the anti-serum sprayer crop dusting mechanism. He got the machinery at the mine up and running a few hours before the evacuation.
Evacuation and Morale
Harkerpal was one of the first to board the Liliana during the evacuation, giving Zaira an enthusiastic wave upon boarding. He sipped from a steaming mug by the bonfire and told junior engineers tales about the Liliana's past exploits under Zaira's father. He recalled a time when there were five airships in the fleet, and recounted a story of Zaira's father bringing the Liliana to pick up barrels of aether fuel via hooks while other ships stayed in battle.
Harkerpal told Zaira that promotions would boost crew morale and suggested she promote someone to ease crew spirits. He laughed warmly and showed no judgment toward Zaira. He lifted his chin proudly when Rhys praised his design abilities. He also observed that Zaira and her father shared the nervous habit of rubbing the edge of their cape between thumb and middle finger. He bobbed his head when explaining the communications funnel to Zaira.
Recovery Visit and Ship Damage Report
Harkerpal visited Zaira in her recovery room, bringing a bouquet of elegant red flowers in a glass vase. He reported on the condition of the Liliana, noting that the forward turbine shaft was bent from the angle of landing but that the frame of the ship remained intact. He said repairs would ordinarily take a month but that city rebuilding efforts complicated the timeline. He beamed when King Malaky XVI promised to get the airship back in working order.
He also told a story about sailing to the Dragonmist Isles with Zaira's father to find a rare flower for her mother, and speculated about bone structures on the beaches of the Dragonmist Isles and old stories of men riding dragonback.
Early Career Anecdote
In The Fight for Rislandia, Harkerpal recounted that during his first week aboard the Liliana, he had an accident with the aether fuel that nearly set the entire engine compartment ablaze while the ship was midair. General von Monocle came rushing in with a fire suppression unit during that incident. Harkerpal acknowledged that he knew less about airship workings than even the most junior of his engineers when he first came aboard.
"My first week, I had an accident with the aether fuel which nearly set the entire engine compartment ablaze, while we were midair!"
Role in The Iron Wedding
In The Iron Wedding, Harkerpal was working to rebuild the Liliana, leading teams of engineers and hunching over plans as he directed the work. Despite his intimate knowledge of the ship—described as knowing it "like the back of his hand"—he was unable to determine the missing component needed to make the rebuilt Liliana fly, as he had not been told about the crystal component in the engine and was not the original designer of the engine. He expressed sadness at the prospect of shutting down the airship project, and stated that Dr. du Brass was the original designer of the airship, adding that he could never hope to replace him.
"I've been pouring over the plans, but I can't figure out what it is."
Harkerpal had previously rebuilt the Liliana's engine at least once before. He was also working on single-man fliers based on bat gliders he had observed on the Zenwey continent. Baron Theodore von Monocle indicated that Harkerpal would be the one to test crystals if intelligence agents could find one, reflecting continued trust in his engineering judgment.
Harkerpal had also previously accompanied Baron Theodore von Monocle on a diplomatic mission to Panderica. He was listed among those Zaira already missed upon leaving Rislandia, alongside Talyen von Cravat, Lieutenant Colwell, and others. He referred to Theodore as "General" before correcting himself to use his first name.
Spoiler: The Crystal Conspiracy
This section reveals events from “The Crystal Conspiracy”.
Role in The Steam Knight
By the time of The Steam Knight, Harkerpal had been living in Loveridge for a long time, a period that preceded the Liliana's return to the skies. He was referred to in this book as Rislandia's great engineer.
"Harkerpal, Rislandia's great engineer, had lived here for a long time before the airship Liliana returned to the skies."
Harkerpal had done all he could regarding the reconstruction of the airship design, and had learned a great deal about airship design since the passing of Dr. Lawrence du Brass. Nevertheless, something remained missing in his reconstruction of the engine, and he was unable to resolve it.
"Harkerpal has done all he can."
James Gentry reflected that he wished he had listened more carefully to Harkerpal's stories about the engine room, suggesting that Harkerpal's accounts contained practical knowledge that others had undervalued.
Inventions and Technical Contributions
- Invented the electrical field defense system (later traded to The Fae)
- Repaired the Liliana after numerous combat engagements
- Created anti-serum delivery systems with Rhys
- Assembled the anti-serum crop duster spraying mechanism
- Fabricated replacement parts from scavenged materials
- Installed the Giffard capacitor and performed engine maintenance before the test flight in For Steam and Country
- Repaired turbine gears and other systems following the crash in For Steam and Country
- Repaired a broken propeller blade by climbing the turbine shaft in a leather harness in The Blood of Giants
- Deliberately withheld crucial design elements when providing airship plans to the Nightmen, limiting their knowledge to approximately eighty percent of the full workings
- Rebuilt the Liliana's engine at least once prior to the events of The Iron Wedding
- Developed designs for single-man fliers based on bat gliders observed on the Zenwey continent
- Conducted extensive research into airship design following the death of Dr. Lawrence du Brass, as noted in The Steam Knight
The Battle Cry
It was Harkerpal who, during a dark moment following crewman Everett's death, approached Theodore about the crew's morale. His suggestion for a battle cry—inspired by his mother's wisdom that "life is short, and it is a blessing each breath that it continues"—led to Talyen von Cravat suggesting "For Steam and Country," the words that became the Liliana's rallying call.
Field Promotion
Harkerpal was promoted to lieutenant by Baron Theodore von Monocle following a mid-air engine breakdown, during which he used a prismatic spanner to fix the engine and keep the ship airborne.
Storytelling and Morale
Harkerpal loved to hear himself speak and told stories of Baron von Monocle's past exploits to keep morale high among the Liliana Crew. He sat with Zaira in the mess and praised her for saving the ship, and mentioned a mission to the Twin Tops Mountains involving the Baron. He was also once part of an exploratory mission near the Islands of Fae. He was mentioned in Baron von Monocle's log. He had a tendency to get lost in stories of the past, and Zaira wondered how he would get on with Juiyan. In The Fight for Rislandia, he told junior engineers tales about the Liliana's past exploits under Zaira's father and recounted the story of sailing to the Dragonmist Isles with the Baron.
Capture by the Wyranth
Harkerpal was captured twice by the Wyranth Empire over the course of his service. He was considered invaluable to the Liliana even by the Iron Emperor's men. He was saved by Theodore von Monocle on more than one occasion and acknowledged that he owed his life to Zaira's family.
Personal Life
Despite his warmth and loyalty, Harkerpal expressed regret at not having a wife or family, attributing this to his lifelong dedication to the Liliana. He grew up knowing the von Monocle family in Plainsroad Village and had known Zaira since childhood, as well as her father and mother Liliana von Monocle. He greeted James Gentry warmly as a friend of Zaira's. He described himself simply: "I live and breathe the Liliana." He spent most of his time below decks working on turbines, and his place, by his own declaration, was in the air. Baron Theodore von Monocle asked Zaira to say hello to him, reflecting the warmth with which the Baron regarded his chief engineer. By the time of The Steam Knight, he had settled in Loveridge for an extended period.
Spoiler: The Steam Knight 2
This section reveals events from “The Steam Knight 2”.
In the short stories
In How Baron Von Monocle Named His Airship, Harkerpal is the airship's engineer, described as "a young enthusiastic man". He warns Theodore that the ship is running out of coal near Duke Wesley Yount's castle.
In Island of the Fae, as chief engineer, he demonstrates an electrical field across the mess-hall doorway. He built it to secure the engine room after "issues with the Zenwey people boarding our airship". Theodore rejects it for daily use. On the Fae island, Harkerpal protests against giving the creatures advanced technology, but he rigs field generators and a mobile transformer from spare motor parts. He identifies the Fae's "lifesblood" as aether fuel.
In Tangled Web, he has told Edwin Ral about a pub "down the street" in Loveridge. Edwin invites Lieutenant Colwell, who refuses, so Edwin goes alone.
In A History of Rislandia
According to A History of Rislandia, Harkerpal is identified as the chief engineer of the The Liliana (Airship) and is cited directly as a source within the text itself: the sourcebook attributes the legend of the Dragon-Riders of Old to him, noting that "this legend is told by Harkerpal, the chief engineer of the Liliana, and is referenced in the published books." The sourcebook further observes that Harkerpal's speculation that the old stories of dragon-riders might be true "seems increasingly plausible" in light of expedition findings—lending his offhand storytelling an unexpected historical weight.
The Battle Cry
The sourcebook's account of the origin of the Liliana's battle cry broadly aligns with the novels but adds contextual detail. According to A History of Rislandia, Harkerpal approached Baron Theodore von Monocle after Theodore had collapsed onto a mess bench following a casualty—the sourcebook does not name the casualty in this passage, whereas the novel-based account on this page identifies the crewman as Master Sergeant Everett. Harkerpal invoked his mother's wisdom ("Life is short, and it is a blessing each breath that it continues") and suggested a battle cry modelled on the Atreblan monks who chanted seven words each morning. When Theodore shouted "For Steam and Country," Harkerpal shouted it back to him. The sourcebook frames this exchange as part of the broader history of the Fantasy War (Years 375-383), situating it within a documented military chronicle rather than solely as a personal anecdote.
Role in the Fantasy War (Years 375-383)
According to A History of Rislandia, Harkerpal told stories of past exploits to keep morale high during the Fantasy War (Years 375-383), a detail the sourcebook records with a note of ambivalence: "Harkerpal is telling stories of our past exploits, but it hardly seems enough"—suggesting the chronicle draws on a first-person or near-contemporary source that questioned whether morale efforts were adequate to the crisis.
The sourcebook records that Harkerpal repaired the Liliana's engines during a battle, allowing the ship to relaunch. Following Zaira's first flight crash, he directed the crew to set down at Loveridge so that the forested area would conceal the Liliana during repairs—a tactical decision attributed to him specifically. He was subsequently unable to fix the engines for months and needed to fabricate a particular gadget or component to complete the repair. The sourcebook states that he eventually repaired the ship in the 19th Year. It also records that he was furious after Zaira's first flight crash, and that once the Liliana was restored, it arrived to rescue the crew after the bat-glider crash. He also worked with Rhys to create an anti-serum production device and to rig the iron mine facility with explosives.
As a Historical Source
The sourcebook's use of Harkerpal as a named narrator for the legend of the Dragon-Riders of Old is notable: A History of Rislandia treats his account as a primary folkloric source, implying that his storytelling habit—often portrayed in the novels as eccentric and exhausting—had genuine documentary value to later historians. The sourcebook characterises him as "talking endlessly," consistent with the novels, but frames this trait in the context of oral history preservation rather than mere personality quirk.