Servant of the Lake Vanderboom
Servant of the Lake opens the famous Vanderboom line of Rusty Lake. This page covers every character in the game, their relationships and their fates — with story spoilers hidden.
The Family
The game’s opening line introduces the house: “There was a young man named Vanderboom, who married a woman and built a house for himself…” The first generation of Vanderbooms — three siblings — gather at that house for their annual reunion.
Aldous Vanderboom
The eldest sibling and your employer: a quiet, reserved alchemist who preserves family traditions and pursues wisdom — the opposite of William. Born in the winter of 1799. Voiced by Bob Rafferty. He secretly works on the Elixir of Life and Death with William and sends you on errands for its ingredients.
Aldous’s fate (spoilers)
In the 1859 experiment shown in Roots, Aldous survives drinking the elixir and is transformed into Mr. Crow — the immortal bird-man who spends the next century arranging Vanderboom sacrifices to resurrect his brother.
William Vanderboom
The younger brother. Loud where Aldous is quiet — he climbs in through windows and always has a drink nearby. He arrives late to the reunion and immediately puts the servant to work.
William’s fate (spoilers)
In 1859 William drinks the elixir first and dies, becoming a Corrupted Soul. His resurrection is the goal of everything in Roots — he is eventually reborn as Laura in 1935.
Alexandra Vanderboom
The sister — and the only sibling with a child. She arrives with her infant son James. The maid Kate is visibly afraid of her and refuses to speak her name above a whisper. Described in the game’s materials as “full of bright and ruthless ambition”. Voiced by D.B.
Alexandra’s fate (spoilers)
During the finale she steals the unfinished elixir and tries to force baby James to drink it, claiming “they were the chosen ones”. Kate knocks her out, but Alexandra drinks the elixir herself and becomes a Corrupted Soul. In Roots (1860) she is the one who writes to James with the code to the briefcase containing the seed.
Baby James Vanderboom
Alexandra’s newborn son. He is the ancestor of every later Vanderboom down to Laura. When the estate collapses, the servant escapes with him and hands him to the coachman.
Kate, the Maid
The house maid. She fears Alexandra and distrusts her as a mother. After the collapse she saves the dying servant by pouring the remaining elixir into his mouth. After the credits, her letter starts the secret-ending quest: her brother vanished a year earlier, and she asks you to find him. See the secret ending guide.
The Servant (You)
Who the servant really is (spoilers)
The servant is Harvey — still human in 1839. After drinking the elixir he transforms into the parrot seen throughout the series (caged by Laura in Cube Escape: Seasons, playable in Rusty Lake Hotel and Harvey’s Box). The coachman takes him to Mr. Owl, beginning his long service to the lake. The Day 3 “Animal Testing” achievement — feeding elixir to a caged parrot — foreshadows this.
The Family Line at a Glance
Aldous Vanderboom ─┐ William Vanderboom ─┼─ (the three siblings) Alexandra Vanderboom ─┴── mother of James James Vanderboom → (Roots generations) → Laura (1935) → Dale’s investigation (1972)
Related Guides
Timeline
Where Servant of the Lake sits in the Rusty Lake timeline: a prequel to Roots set around 1839, the first elixi…
Secret Ending
How to unlock the Servant of the Lake secret ending: the 4:05 clock, the bathroom tile order, the maze sequenc…
Game Wiki
The Servant of the Lake wiki: release date, platforms, price, system requirements, story summary, reviews and …