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''"Why do they call it the Elder Continent? That vast continent to the South with a glowing mountain at its heart - where the Presbyter has ruled for a thousand years - is older by far than any of London's civilisations. Which is embarrassing."''
{{spoiler}}
{{Neath_Location|image1 = carneliancoast.png|image2 = mountainoflight.png|caption1 = Art from FL.|caption2 = Art from Sunless Sea.|location = SOUTH|alias = The Bright Continent|allegiance = [[The Mountain of Light]]
[[The Presbyterate]]|notable_inhabitants = [[The Presbyterate]]<br>
[[Stone]]<br>
[[Snuffers]]<br>
[[Tigers]]|music = |port=[[Adam's Way]]}}
<blockquote>''"Why do they call it the Elder Continent?"''</blockquote>


[[File:Adamsway.png|thumb|250px|Adam's Way. Beyond this port city lie the kingdoms of the Presbyterate, shrouded in lies. Art from SS.]]A vast, sprawling continent to the south of Fallen London and the location of the Garden and the Mountain of Light, called Stone by zailors. It seems to have been founded by survivors from the [[The Fallen Cities#The Third City, 800s-900s CE|Third City]]. [[Varchas]] is its most well-known and accessible city.
<blockquote>''"That vast continent to the South with a glowing mountain at its heart - where the Presbyter has ruled for a thousand years - is older by far than any of London's civilisations. Which is embarrassing."''<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>


Adam’s Way is the gateway to the Elder Continent, a waterway stained incarnadine with the Mountain’s blood, through which only living ships can pass. The Wax Wind also blows here from the south, and it’s not exactly good for one's health because ''it's literally wax.''
<blockquote>''"Your road runs beside the nameless river that flows from the Mountain to the zee. The waters are thick with blood – thicker still as you travel South. Scabs float on the water like foam. The coppery scent of it rises about you."''<ref name="flint" /></blockquote>


Fallen London allows access to the [[The Carnelian Coast|Carnelian Coast]], which is nominally part of the Elder Continent but not treated as such here, and in an Exceptional Story, allows access to Apis Meet (Adam's Way). There may be another way to get there in the future. Sunless Sea allows access to Port Carnelian, Adam's Way, and Varchas, but this is restricted by local customs.
'''The Elder Continent''' is a vast, warm, and humid landmass, bathed in the soft glow of the [[Mountain of Light]], that forms the southern edge of the [[Unterzee]]. More ancient than any of the [[Fallen Cities]], the Continent is home to wildlife, demographics, and kingdoms the likes of which [[London]] has only just begun to dream of.
==The Garden: Eden?==
The Garden’s presence in the Neath seems to predate the [[The Echo Bazaar|Bazaar]]’s; only flying things may enter, and to harm one is considered a crime. Snuffers once walked freely in the Garden, but were cast out. Sounds familiar. Perhaps it ''is'' Eden, but far more mysterious...


The Garden provides a strange source of vitality to the entire continent, as well as nearby realms like [[Polythreme]]; fruit can grow from rocks, bones can sprout from the soil, and in some cases, inanimate objects have minds of their own. [[Food in the Neath|Dark-dewed cherries]] and St. John’s lilies both come from the Elder Continent, and Hesperidean Cider is made from apples which grow in the Garden.
==Civilizations==
The primary civilization on the Elder Continent is the '''[[Presbyterate]]''', an empire of seventy-seven kingdoms that has possibly been in the [[Neath]] since before the [[Bazaar]] arrived. At the heart of the Continent, within the Mountain of Light, lies '''[[the Garden]]''', the source of all the Neath's unnatural vitality.


The source of this unnatural exuberance is the Mountain of Light, an entity that is quite high up on the Great Chain of Being. It lies near, or perhaps in, the Garden. While it does not provide eternal life like the Garden, it does bathe the whole continent in soft light. It is also the source of the aforementioned Wax Wind.
The coast of the Elder Continent is home to [[Port Carnelian|'''Port Carnelian''']], London's sole imperial possession; '''[[Adam's Way]]''', the Continent's primary port of entry; and the mirrored city of '''[[Varchas]]'''. The hidden city of '''[[Arbor]]''' also has strong ties to this place. Navigation in the Continent is guided by time and brightness, i.e., how long it takes to travel between places and the intensity of the Mountain's light in a location.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Thing_That_Came_in_From_the_Fog|The Thing That Came in From the Fog|Fallen London}}''"[...] A tenuous picture takes shape in your mind; in the Elder Continent, distance is measured not in miles, but in time and brightness. Judging by the Mithridate's description, the kingdom that devoured the Grandmaster is bright, but not blinding, and requires weeks of travel from the coastline."''</ref>


==The Presbyterate==
==Flora and Fauna==
<blockquote>''"What can you find on the Elder Continent?"''</blockquote>


The College of Mortality governs the seventy-two kingdoms of the Presbyterate; it elects a leader, called a Presbyter, through a ceremony that seems permanently fatal to anyone who isn’t from the Continent. After the Presbyter’s time in office is up, he lives nameless among the College of Mortality.
<blockquote>''"Travellers tell of strange tribes and incomprehensible religions, carnivorous flora, pygmy elephants and giant mice. But no-one believes travellers' tales, do they?"''<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:feather.png|thumb|100px|A Blue Prophet's royal blue feather. ]]
[[Tigers]] are a powerful and influential faction here; it is advised that one does not press their luck with them. Currently, they are vying for control of the [[Carnelian Coast]] against London and [[the Khanate]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Port_Carnelian|Visit Heartscross House|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>


The College of Mortality is a necessity due to the increased vitality of basically everything on the Elder Continent. Even for denizens of the Neath, its citizens are difficult to kill, so to prevent overpopulation, the College of Mortality makes sure no person lives longer than they should. [[Feducci ]] shows how hard they are to kill, though due to being the only person from the Elder Continent harmed in the game, it is unknown whether or not his vitality is considered normal there.
[[Heart-Takers]] are also native to the Elder Continent.<ref name="flint">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}}</ref>


The Mithridate Office is another arm of the Presbyterate; its aim is to confuse foreigners by spreading false stories of the Elder Continent.
A species of bird called the [[Bestiary#Blue Prophet|Blue Prophet]] flocks near the Elder Continent; these birds are known for their sky-blue feathers and the superstition that they can prophesize the deaths of certain individuals by crying out their names.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Blue_Prophets|Blue Prophets|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Hatwarhelm.png|thumb|An Epicurean War-Helm.]]
A group of renowned hunters known as the '''Epicurean League''' hails from the Presbyterate kingdom of [[Skite]]. These connoisseurs stalk the most dangerous, and delectable, animals of the Elder Continent; using the skin of their first kills, they fashion war-helms which are worn during subsequent feasts. As a result, these helms are often covered in blood, juices, and condiments.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Epicurean_War-Helm_(action)|An Epicurean War-Helm (action)|Fallen London|}} ''"Renowned in the fabled kingdom of Skite [...] these connoisseurs [...] stalk only the most delectable (and deadly) animals [..]. The skin of the first kill is used to fashion these helms, which are then worn during the first meal of their flesh. They are coated in the blood, juices and culinary sauces that pair best with the meat."''</ref>
 
An intriguing fruit that grows in the Elder Continent is the '''chertapple''', known to be nourishing "to the bone." They taste like earth, induce dreams of the South,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''""Crunchy, but nourishing" [...] And now you'll dream of the south [...] They taste like stony earth..."''</ref> and can apparently be used for navigation. Chertapple trees are often plagued by creatures known as '''bloatfingers''', snakelike things so enraged by their own ugliness that they unleash their rage upon all who look at them.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"Bloatfingers, so enraged by their own ugliness that they kill those who observe them. But these apples can show you the way..."''</ref>


==Strange Dangers==
==Strange Dangers==
<blockquote>''"On rare days, an impossible tempest sweeps out of the Elder Continent: a wild wind carrying the scent of boiling honey and a storm of molten wax. Ships that fall prey to the Wax-Wind float like filthy icebergs in the Unterzee, their crews confined in wax, mouths fixed in endless screams."''<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>


There is a disease endemic to the Continent that sets souls on fire. Even for people raised there, this is invariably fatal. Unusual fungal infestations are also commonplace; anyone who harvests fungi will almost definitely harbor a very severe infestation that may make them more mushroom than human.
It should go without saying that the Elder Continent is not a very safe place. People who harvest the massive mushrooms that grow here often suffer from '''Lung-Bloom''', especially in places like [[Varchas]] where fungal blooms are common. A chronic condition, Lung-Bloom begins as a bad cough, but soon progresses into growths of fungus on one's extremities, before sprouting out of other orifices. Yikes.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Charitable_Hospital|The Fungal Infections Ward|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>


Tigers are a powerful and influential faction here; it is advised that one does not press one's luck with them.
The [[Wax-Wind]] is a storm of molten wax that engulfs ships zailing near the Elder Continent. Contact with it is devastating and invariably fatal.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|What is the Wax-Wind?|Fallen London|}} ''"On rare days, an impossible tempest sweeps out of the Elder Continent: a wild wind carrying the scent of boiling honey and a storm of molten wax. Ships that fall prey to the Wax-Wind float like filthy icebergs in the Unterzee, their crews confined in wax, mouths fixed in endless screams."''</ref>


''Original by NiteBrite/Mrs. Brite''
Falling asleep in the deeper regions of the Elder Continent can be dangerous, as one might encounter the '''Conjunction of Fancies''', where the dream-realm of [[Parabola]] presses against the skin of the world.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London|}} ''"This is the Conjunction of Fancies, when the dream-realm of Parabola presses against the membrane of the world."''</ref>
 
And one must not forget [[Animescence]], the soul-burning affliction endemic to the Continent...
==References==
{{Scroll box|text=<references/>}}
[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Other Places]]
 
[[Category:The Neath]]
[[Category:The Elder Continent]]

Latest revision as of 18:04, 21 April 2025

"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."

Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked content. Proceed with caution.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"Why do they call it the Elder Continent?"

"That vast continent to the South with a glowing mountain at its heart - where the Presbyter has ruled for a thousand years - is older by far than any of London's civilisations. Which is embarrassing."[1]

"Your road runs beside the nameless river that flows from the Mountain to the zee. The waters are thick with blood – thicker still as you travel South. Scabs float on the water like foam. The coppery scent of it rises about you."[2]

The Elder Continent is a vast, warm, and humid landmass, bathed in the soft glow of the Mountain of Light, that forms the southern edge of the Unterzee. More ancient than any of the Fallen Cities, the Continent is home to wildlife, demographics, and kingdoms the likes of which London has only just begun to dream of.

Civilizations[edit]

The primary civilization on the Elder Continent is the Presbyterate, an empire of seventy-seven kingdoms that has possibly been in the Neath since before the Bazaar arrived. At the heart of the Continent, within the Mountain of Light, lies the Garden, the source of all the Neath's unnatural vitality.

The coast of the Elder Continent is home to Port Carnelian, London's sole imperial possession; Adam's Way, the Continent's primary port of entry; and the mirrored city of Varchas. The hidden city of Arbor also has strong ties to this place. Navigation in the Continent is guided by time and brightness, i.e., how long it takes to travel between places and the intensity of the Mountain's light in a location.[3]

Flora and Fauna[edit]

"What can you find on the Elder Continent?"

"Travellers tell of strange tribes and incomprehensible religions, carnivorous flora, pygmy elephants and giant mice. But no-one believes travellers' tales, do they?"[1]

A Blue Prophet's royal blue feather.

Tigers are a powerful and influential faction here; it is advised that one does not press their luck with them. Currently, they are vying for control of the Carnelian Coast against London and the Khanate.[4]

Heart-Takers are also native to the Elder Continent.[2]

A species of bird called the Blue Prophet flocks near the Elder Continent; these birds are known for their sky-blue feathers and the superstition that they can prophesize the deaths of certain individuals by crying out their names.[5]

An Epicurean War-Helm.

A group of renowned hunters known as the Epicurean League hails from the Presbyterate kingdom of Skite. These connoisseurs stalk the most dangerous, and delectable, animals of the Elder Continent; using the skin of their first kills, they fashion war-helms which are worn during subsequent feasts. As a result, these helms are often covered in blood, juices, and condiments.[6]

An intriguing fruit that grows in the Elder Continent is the chertapple, known to be nourishing "to the bone." They taste like earth, induce dreams of the South,[7] and can apparently be used for navigation. Chertapple trees are often plagued by creatures known as bloatfingers, snakelike things so enraged by their own ugliness that they unleash their rage upon all who look at them.[8]

Strange Dangers[edit]

"On rare days, an impossible tempest sweeps out of the Elder Continent: a wild wind carrying the scent of boiling honey and a storm of molten wax. Ships that fall prey to the Wax-Wind float like filthy icebergs in the Unterzee, their crews confined in wax, mouths fixed in endless screams."[1]

It should go without saying that the Elder Continent is not a very safe place. People who harvest the massive mushrooms that grow here often suffer from Lung-Bloom, especially in places like Varchas where fungal blooms are common. A chronic condition, Lung-Bloom begins as a bad cough, but soon progresses into growths of fungus on one's extremities, before sprouting out of other orifices. Yikes.[9]

The Wax-Wind is a storm of molten wax that engulfs ships zailing near the Elder Continent. Contact with it is devastating and invariably fatal.[10]

Falling asleep in the deeper regions of the Elder Continent can be dangerous, as one might encounter the Conjunction of Fancies, where the dream-realm of Parabola presses against the skin of the world.[11]

And one must not forget Animescence, the soul-burning affliction endemic to the Continent...

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sidebar Snippets, Fallen London
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Flint, Fallen London
  3. ↑ The Thing That Came in From the Fog, Fallen London "[...] A tenuous picture takes shape in your mind; in the Elder Continent, distance is measured not in miles, but in time and brightness. Judging by the Mithridate's description, the kingdom that devoured the Grandmaster is bright, but not blinding, and requires weeks of travel from the coastline."
  4. ↑ Visit Heartscross House, Sunless Sea
  5. ↑ Blue Prophets, Sunless Sea
  6. ↑ An Epicurean War-Helm (action), Fallen London "Renowned in the fabled kingdom of Skite [...] these connoisseurs [...] stalk only the most delectable (and deadly) animals [..]. The skin of the first kill is used to fashion these helms, which are then worn during the first meal of their flesh. They are coated in the blood, juices and culinary sauces that pair best with the meat."
  7. ↑ Flint, Fallen London ""Crunchy, but nourishing" [...] And now you'll dream of the south [...] They taste like stony earth..."
  8. ↑ Flint, Fallen London "Bloatfingers, so enraged by their own ugliness that they kill those who observe them. But these apples can show you the way..."
  9. ↑ The Fungal Infections Ward, Sunless Sea
  10. ↑ What is the Wax-Wind?, Fallen London "On rare days, an impossible tempest sweeps out of the Elder Continent: a wild wind carrying the scent of boiling honey and a storm of molten wax. Ships that fall prey to the Wax-Wind float like filthy icebergs in the Unterzee, their crews confined in wax, mouths fixed in endless screams."
  11. ↑ Flint, Fallen London "This is the Conjunction of Fancies, when the dream-realm of Parabola presses against the membrane of the world."
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