The Fifth City: the Neath's Lore Wiki

Welcome to The Fifth City, the Neath's Unofficial Lore Wiki!

The unofficial, user-written guide to the lore of the intertwined worlds of Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, and other related content published by Failbetter Games! All artwork used in articles is sourced from Failbetter, unless otherwise indicated. Some art may be edited with appropriate crediting.

Caution: spoilers abound! This wiki is not intended as a substitute for Fallen London or any Failbetter game. Please support Failbetter and enjoy their content officially. We discuss the games' background information in detail here, so tread carefully if you are a new player or don't want to be spoiled.

We're currently working through the wiki to fill in gaps, and any and all contributions are valued! Pardon our dust - some information may be of dubious validity or uncited. If you're interested in helping, you can join our Discord server to meet with our community!

What is Fallen London?

"Fallen London: once capital of the British Empire, now home of the Bazaar. Deep. Dark. Expensive. Marvellous. Here you can find everything from immortality to unnervingly good mushroom wine."

Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, The Silver Tree, and Mask of the Rose all take place in an alternate history where five major cities in succession have fallen underground into a vast cave known as the Neath.

Fallen London is set in the 1890s and Sunless Sea begins in 1887; both games are set approximately 30-40 years after London became the fifth city to fall to the Neath. Fallen London explores this transfigured London and its intrigues, while Sunless Sea ventures beyond the city's docks to the Unterzee, an underground saltwater body about the size of Europe, awash with mystery. Mask of the Rose is a prelude to both these games, as it takes place shortly after the Fall of London in 1862, and offers a slice of life in the ensuing chaos and adjustment.

Sunless Skies takes place in 1905, in "a possible future" where London discovered space travel some time after the events of Fallen London and Sunless Sea. They have established a foothold in the High Wilderness, where the stars hold sway.

The Silver Tree, set in the 13th century, depicts the Fourth City that fell before London, and features a few characters who are still alive and well in Fallen London.

Important Pages

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← To Hinterlands

To Unterzee →

LADYBONES ROAD

"What can you find in Ladybones Road? Moloch Street Underground Station is the first stop on the journey to Hell. Clathermont's Tattoo Parlour, haunt of spies, is here. Hangman's Arch can be a good place to hear gossip, and is always a good place for a hanging."

VEILGARDEN

"What do they say about Veilgarden? A haunt of poets, prostitutes and other low types, and location of the notorious Singing Mandrake. Elderwick is famous for its booksellers. Hollow Street offers the best honey-dens in the city."

SPITE

"The ragged old market of Spite is known for its silk-weavers and its pickpockets. Blythenhale is notorious for its feral cats. Flowerdene Street is the heart of the worst rookery in Fallen London."

MRS PLENTY'S MOST DISTRACTING CARNIVAL

"Smoke and mirrors! Light and shade! Bright paint and squealing children and the roar of lions! And the music, as a great man once said, is like electric sugar."

WATCHMAKER'S HILL

"What can you find at Watchmaker's Hill? A sinister fungal wilderness by the river. The Department of Menace Eradication subcontracts the adventurous to deal with the things that slither out of Bugsby's Marshes. An observatory atop the hill employs only blind men."

THE FORGOTTEN QUARTER

"The Quarter is the last remnant of the Fourth City, which the Bazaar acquired five hundred years ago. Statues of warrior-kings line silent avenues. A fountain shaped like a silver tree stands before a ruined palace at its heart."

THE SHUTTERED PALACE

"Why is the Empress' Palace shuttered? Apparently the Empress doesn't like light. Or sudden movements, loud noises, foreigners, treason, peaches. When you're Empress, you can do this kind of thing."

THE FLIT

"What's the Flit? A bad altitude. The Flit is where you go when you're no longer welcome at ground level. Or if you really rate a good view from your window."

WOLFSTACK DOCKS

"This is where the trading steamer fleets come in from the lands across the Unterzee, the sunless sea of the Bazaar. Mr Fires, who deals with trade in coal, keeps his office here among the warehouses and rowdy dockside pubs."

BAZAAR SIDE-STREETS

"What can you find in the Bazaar Sidestreets? Respectable firms crammed into [workshops and offices]. The rent here is astronomical. But the quick and the hungry turn profits in the shadows of the spires. Just keep your eyes off the carvings up high. And whatever you do, don't fall in love."

The Labyrinth of Tigers

"Beasts from every corner of the Unterzee are caged in the Labyrinth. But tigers walk free. There are very few accidents."

Concord Square

"Concord Square: a small yard in London, and a metonym. A location seething with coppers. Not the place to commit unsanctioned crimes."

Moloch Street

"The residents of Moloch Street largely ignore the devils who loiter by Moloch Street Station, a vast edifice dominating one end of the road."

Hangman's Arch

"Old women sell sugared mushrooms between executions at Hangman's Arch. They know a surprising amount about what goes on in the city."

The Clay Quarters

"Beneath London are a myriad of tunnels dug deep into the earth. The Clay Men regularly close old entrances, and carve out new ones. It is rare that the same route down can be used twice."

The Brass Embassy

"With so much business in Fallen London, you can't expect the inhabitants of Hell to go home at the end of every day, can you? The Brass Embassy is a cozy hell away from hell which, they say, holds the best masked balls in the city."

The Singing Mandrake

"If you want to become a sensation in Veilgarden, here's the place to start..."

St. Fiacre's Cathedral

"The candles are all lit in the great cathedral of St Fiacre's. Flickering, wispish lights steer parishioners down processionals towards the central altar and its hulking pulpit."

The University

"What is the University? It is what you may call a castle manned by learning and scholarship. Or a vicious and permanent dog-fight between Benthic College and Summerset College."

The Orphanage

"Everything here is white. Walls, floors, uniforms. Silent masked orderlies wander up and down identical corridors. It's easy to get lost."

Doubt Street

"Workers with black-stained fingers hurry from one newspaper office to another. The thump and hiss of newspaper presses fill the air. Here, the Truth—or something claiming to be it—is prepared for distribution to the citizens of London."

Mahogany Hall

"Fallen London's MOST POPULAR MUSIC-HALL presents a NEW EXTRAVAGANZA of ENTERTAINMENT each and every night!"

Mrs. Chapman's Boarding House

alias Horatia's. Location approximate.

Tentergrounds Synagogue

Approximate location. The only known synagogue in London.

St. Albans Protomartyr

Approximate location.

The Department of Menace Eradication

"A venerable institution necessary to the proper functioning of the Fifth City. The Department of Menace Eradication subcontracts the adventurous to deal with the things that slither out of Bugsby's Marshes."

The Medusa's Head

"The stamping, shouting, raucous, rowdy tavern on Watchmaker's Hill where the Cheery Man holds court."

Bugsby's Marshes

Prickfinger Wastes

The Temple Club

"In an unprecedented move, the clandestine and obscure Temple Club has opened its doors to the public. It is a place for free thinkers, radical antiquarians and luminaries of the modern age to gather amidst the ruins of the Fourth City."

The Blind Helmsman

"A shabby, raucous, full-throated zailor's pub, sequestered amidst the warehouses and wharves of old Wolfstack."

Hogslain Market

Wilmot's End

"This is Wilmot's End! Whispered about in the stories of the Great Game. It's where the serious business of London's spycraft happens, if the stories are to be believed."

The Foreign Office

"The Foreign Office occupies two of the larger minarets and a copper pagoda in Wilmot's End. Wipe your feet."

Drowned Parliament

The House of Chimes

"I've heard tell that there's a fancy club for exceptional sorts. It's on the river, in the shell of some old clock tower. The things that go on there! They'd curl your hair and clench your toes."

Hood's Bridge

Hater's Bridge

The Bazaar

"In the deepest matters of the Bazaar, always look to love. Always."

Flute Street

"Flute Street, the home of the Rubbery Men. It's a cavern. Nothing like the size of the Neath, but still huge. There's light here. A hazy golden glow, like the bottom of a honey sea, of uncertain source. You brush past delicate floating motes, the seeds of coral dandelions."

The Royal Bethlehem

"The Royal Bethlehem Hotel. The most luxurious place to stay in London. The guests are surprisingly singular for such an expensive establishment."

Other FAQs

Some questions on your mind? What is the Neath? The Neath is an enormous cavern within the Earth populated by various settlements, some less familiar than others. What is the Unterzee? A massive saltwater body that spans the entire Neath. It has a western and southern coast, and dozens of islands peppered throughout. What exactly happened to London? Forty years ago, in 1862, London was stolen by bats. Although no one really says "stolen" anymore; it was a transaction, not a theft. What is the Echo Bazaar? The Bazaar is the center of commerce in Fallen London. Almost all legal business is conducted here. Who are the Masters of the Bazaar? Mysterious cloaked figures who each specialize in one field of trade. What is Hell? Now located due west of London; accessible via rail from the Moloch Street station. Home to devils, goat-demons, imps, and the like. Not popular among tourists. What is the Correspondence? A language of mysterious sigils. Has a tendency to set unfortunate readers on fire - physically, mentally, or some measure of both. What are Judgements? The light above, the enforcement of law. It would be foolish to challenge such a power. Or would it? What is the Dawn Machine? - SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE - What is the Discordance? I see you have nothing to ask, and so I have nothing to answer. Stoke the furnace, please; I can't stand the cold. Who is Mr Eaten? Keep asking such questions, friend, and you'll lose the very head on your shoulders...