Arbor

"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.

"That night you go to bed in your usual fashion. Sleep comes easy – the moment you pass into dream is the hesitation between one heartbeat and the next. There is a long road before you, paved with white stones. They bake beneath a dual sunlight: a queasy orange glow in the sky, and a brighter more insistent light from the south."

Arbor is a hidden city that lies within both Parabola and the Elder Continent. It is ruled by the Roseate Queen.

Et in Arbor Ego

"You are standing in a grove tangled with roses, red and gold. The gentle rotten scent of flowers fills the air with drowsy sweetness. Before you, city walls rise; the colour of sunset. Bronze gates gleam in a somnolent amber light."

Arbor, the City of Roses! The city with two skies! Where the walls glow like sunset, and the bushes teem with serpents! Arbor is a city built on wonders, limited only by the dreamers' imaginations. Within each brick lies a new mystery, a new dream, or a new secret, and the city's history is as rich as its scented wines.

Since Arbor is split between the Is and the Is-Not, it is accessible both through dreams of roses and via a mysterious, rose-ridden gate located deep within the South; a passage to Arbor also exists far beyond the Smoking Shore. This split also means that the city's skies are lit by both the Skin of the Sun in Parabola, and by the light of Stone in the Elder Continent. Arbor is heavily fortified: it's protected by three massive walls, to the north, west, and an unmaintained eastern wall. Those who wish to enter the city need special permission; visitors from London are allowed to enter via dreams, but are not currently permitted extended stays.

Newcomers to the city are greeted by the Herald of the Three Promises, a senior member of Arbor's court. Arbor itself consists of three territories: one for the poor, one for the rich, and one... other. The first two territories, Near Arbor and Far Arbor, overlap significantly; which territory one sees depends on their wealth in attar, Arbor's currency, and individuals from different social classes rarely see eye-to-eye - quite literally - as neither group can see the other's city. Arbor's populace is quite diverse: the many nationalities represented here take after the Second City, Fourth City, and the Elder Continent, and Arbor has been known for accepting refugees from any of the Fallen Cities.

Time in Arbor is determined by the hourly chiming of bells, determining the openings and closings of certain facilities. Arbor is regularly patrolled by the Huzzite Guard, human soldiers who hail from the faraway city of Huz. They monitor Arbor's borders, eject visitors when their stays have expired, enforce the city's laws, and conduct internal affairs.

Arbor's primary commodity and currency is attar, a red, perfumed powder that accumulates on a dreamer's eyelids when they witness the wonders of Arbor. Accumulating enough of it allows an individual to glimpse or even visit Far Arbor, but Far Arbor will quickly fade away if one loses their attar. Thus, Far Arbori often have their eyes steeped in attar, granting the appearance of red-colored kohl or mascara and keeping their access to the city intact.

Near Arbor

"Near Arbor. You'll enter there. It's quaint in its way. Labourers and merchants, mostly, reside there. Those insufficiently attuned to wonder. And those who upset Her Roseate Majesty, I suppose. You'll see it first but, please, do not believe that it's all that we are."

The edge of dream.

Near Arbor is Arbor's older and less affluent territory, resting on the nearer side of dream. Much of Near Arbor's infrastructure is crumbling and forgotten, either from a lack of upkeep, a lack of funding, or simply from the passage of time. The upper class of Arbor look upon this area and its inhabitants with a tinge of haughtiness, and many Near-Arbori strive to accumulate enough attar to enter Far Arbor, especially if they have been cast out.

Near-Arbori can be identified by their drab attire, in contrast to the gaudy fashions of the Far-Arbori, and many of them work as laborers and merchants for long, tedious hours. Due to the egregious inequality between the two social classes in Arbor, some Near-Arbori play loose with the rules, for instance by searching for their relatives in the third Arbor, or by spreading awareness of a certain tradition involving seventy-seven candles apparently only performed by seditionists.

Near Arbor's main entrance is a copper portcullis within the Gatehouse, and a marketplace of interesting trinkets, such as dice and cards, has been set up nearby. Despite the high prices, many Near-Arbori carefully browse the goods in the market for novelty and new experiences, but they often come up empty-handed, much to their disappointment. Meanwhile, the Far-Arbori who have been exiled to Near Arbor have set up a marketplace in the south called the Beggar's Bazaar, where they barter whatever riches they have left for precious attar.

A caged dreamer.

The north of Near Arbor is home to the Temple to the Unending Queen, which commemorates the city's ruler and the city's victories, and is presided over by the Priests-in-Scarlet. Laborers here are locked in cages and dream of improvements to the temple; however, they cannot see their own work, as it is reserved for the Far-Arbori. Less fortunate laborers are forced to perform menial tasks, such as covering the Queen's many statues with incense, and many go without meaningful payment at all.

London has an embassy in the northern district of Near Arbor, which is packed with diplomats and spies eager to make the most of the newly established connection between the two cities. Due to the secrecy of the information traded within, the embassy's windows are shuttered from the outside, and staff only enter and exit around midday for their lunch breaks.

Far Arbor

"Far Arbor is resplendent in vast, impossible architecture. Towers soar high above even the tallest buildings of Near Arbor; palaces stand three times as large as their Near-Arbori cousins. Hour on hour, the city grows as it is dreamed into being." "I envy that you'll get to see it for the first time. I would give anything to do that again."

Deeper into dream.

Far Arbor is Arbor's newer and richer territory, and is much more opulent than Near Arbor. With buildings that rise high into its two skies, and new dreams expanding the city every minute, it is the very definition of a perfumed paradise. Because Far Arbor is always laying claim to new territories in Parabola, its walls are actively fortified; despite this, Far Arbor has not seen a single war since its inception.

Far-Arbori can be identified by their luxurious, and perhaps gaudy, manner of dress compared to the Near-Arbori, as well as their attar-ringed eyes. Unlike their hard-working counterparts in Near Arbor, Far-Arbori largely spend their time indulging in amusements granted to them by their large stashes of attar, as they are completely forbidden from working. However, they too have a need to indulge in the novel, as boredom is also notably illegal in Far Arbor. A popular place of relaxation for the Far-Arbori is the Queen's Conquered Gardens, maintained by a strikingly crimson-colored irrigation system. Even the rich take risks with the law here: many Far-Arbori trade information with agents from the Presbyterate and the Fingerkings, despite the diplomatic tensions between Arbor and both other powers.

Architecture from the Fourth City.

The northern district of Far Arbor displays architecture reminiscent of the Fourth City, and it is home to the Edifice of the Unveiled Lie, which contains records of Arbori histories and artistry. Following the implementation of the Sequestration, the Edifice has recently become a home for fiction-consuming snakes, so many of the Edifice's scholars are trained in illumination, book-binding, and serpent-killing. Near the Edifice stands the Forbidden Embassy, which was closed as mandated by the Sequestration, supposedly for treason, lawlessness, or simple datedness; The Embassy is completely locked from the outside, empty of decorations or furniture, and its floor is caked with snakeskins.

The Roseate Palace is a sprawling castle set atop the southernmost point of Far Arbor, the city's magnificent summit. Encrusted in a thousand rubies and engraved with a hundred depictions of the city's ruler, this castle is where the Roseate Queen has held court for a thousand years, and will for a thousand years more. The Queen's Peace acts as the Queen's minister and supervises the city's courts, assisted by the Chamberlain. Citizens and visitors often come here to donate attar to the Queen, which does not go unrewarded, or to witness the city's trials against those accused. The Roseate Queen's government is also known to have a Senate, as well as several ministers, who seem to play an advisory role to the Queen.

The Third Arbor

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?" Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.

"There are three Arbors: the first, one enters; the second, one aspires to see. And then there is the other one – where Arbor still exists on the Elder Continent. [...]"

"That was an error. We do not speak of the third Arbor. It is lost. It never was."

"You are the only one brave enough to break my edict. To light the candles in mourning. For home. For the third Arbor. Audacity must be rewarded."

The other side?

The third and original Arbor, known as Underarbor, is mysterious and closely guarded. The Herald refuses to speak of it, only calling it an "error," and a passage in the Edifice of the Unveiled Lie says that the third Arbor is currently held "captive". The third Arbor exists in reality, on the Elder Continent, where it shares its borders with the kingdom of Vesture.

Travel to Underarbor is heavily restricted. Citizens of Arbor may access it only by piloting towering clay golems with mirrored eyes; outsiders must wear blindfolds within its bounds, and are carried by the golems. At least some of these precautions may be in place because Underarbor is lit primarily by the light of Stone, which is dangerous to foreigners at a high enough potency.

Underarbor is almost completely empty and lies in ruins that are partially covered by overgrowth. Only a few stone structures remain. Wanderers have been sighted in the rubble, and have left traces of habitation like bonfires, though their identities and purposes are unknown. Beyond them, the only humans to be found are skeletons, slumbering in ruined beds and surrounded by dead roses; Arbor's people are dead asleep. Some Near-Arbori still look through the mirrors to search for their relatives in Underarbor.

There is a forbidden rite in Arbor, where seventy-seven foxfire candles are lit: for mourning, for remembrance, and for the original city of Arbor, once the home of the Roseate Queen.

History and Diplomacy

"I am in two minds. This place is a clearly a refuge. Its walls are unscarred – it has never seen battle. It is a sanctuary for dreamers and visionaries. And it is an impossible idea – so it exists only in impossibility. But they owe fealty to the Prester and the College. They labour under a monarchy. Is this not a surrender, a defeat? They hide from the problems of our world in something that cannot be."

Adam's Way

For thousands of years, there were only two Arbors: one real, and one in dream. The real Arbor was permitted to remain sovereign, independent from the ruling of the Presbyterate, while the dream-Arbor was vassalized. This dream-Arbor was ruled by several heirs and ancient monarchs, chosen from a complex web of intrigue and familial connections, and was presumably built and maintained with the aid of the Fingerkings.

The Roseate Queen recently severed Arbor's ties with the Fingerkings, however, possibly due to a deal gone sour. In turn, Arbor nominally pledged its fealty to the Presbyterate, but the two governments are still at odds with each other, and spies from the Presbyterate are punished if caught. Arbor also has an interest in Vesture, with some spymasters already developing strategies to burn it to the ground, and presumably has a strong alliance with the city of Huz.

Arbor has also recently begun to develop diplomatic ties with London, formalizing an alliance of sorts during the festival of Hallowmas in 1896. The Glass of Mahogany Hall has also developed an interest in Arbor, but Hell has no interest at all. (Or so they say, as they indirectly offer rewards for information.)

Hallowmas, 1896

"In the small, mean days before Hallowmas, London finds itself plagued with dreams of falling roses. Citizens wake in their beds gasping, remembering a petal-fall of floral suffocation."

"In the waking world, 'The Envoy' is sending out invitations to visit. She has recently arrived in London from the Elder Continent, and has a question that must be answered. When asked, where exactly, she's from, she answers that her city is 'Hidden.'"

A dream of roses.

During Hallowmas in 1896, Londoners were plagued by mysterious dreams of roses and petals. Meanwhile, a woman known only as the Envoy arrived from the Elder Continent and sent out invitations to the citizenry to answer her mysterious question: "Where did the Rosers go?"

The Rosers were a sect of artists and Revolutionaries from the Fourth City who taught the rose-rites to the city's inhabitants, and played a role in its end. They sought asylum in the hidden city of Arbor, which historically took in many refugees of the Fallen Cities. The Roseate Queen actually sponsored the Rosers herself, providing them with the guidance and funding they needed, and helped them find refuge in Arbor when their situation turned dire. She believed their arrival would "renew" the population of Arbor.

The Roseate Queen sent the Envoy to see if the citizens of London would be able to solve her riddle, as a sort of test before Arbor's eventual opening. After her question was answered, she appointed two individuals to assist with Arbor's opening, her Ambassador and her Witness. They are permitted to travel freely between London and Arbor, and are tasked with facilitating the relationship between the two cities, though their positions are considered mostly, but very splendidly, ceremonial.

Politics and Intrigue

"They have no standing army. They commingle with serpents. They have a senate. They charged me money! A dream drink should not cost anything." Arbor may be a sanctuary in dream, but even a city as idealized as this one has its fair share of politics and intrigue.

The Sequestration

"The only things you need to remember are that labour is prized and will be rewarded with Attar. The artists must be kept in their cages. The serpents must sleep and only in the appointed places. They are not to be woken. Oh, and do not speak to other foreigners here. There are diplomatic sensitivities."

As written in the books.

In recent years, the ruler of Arbor implemented a strict set of new laws and reforms called the Sequestration. The Sequestration requires that Arbor's resident serpents remain asleep and confined to certain areas, mandates that the artists of Arbor remain in cages, and restricts communication between different foreign parties. Violating the Sequestration is one of Arbor's highest crimes, and is punishable by exile and the confiscation of attar.

Other known laws in Arbor forbid the breaching of Near-Arbor's boundaries and ban invading the dreams of serpents.

Serpents that Sleep

"In the course of your labours, you unearth a knot of young snakes sleeping within a rosebush. Attar puddles around them, sticking their scales to the petals."

A dream-snake?

Serpents are a common sight in Arbor, but the populace does not think highly of them. Serpent-tenders and Serpent-Shepherds are individuals tasked with managing Arbor's snake population; the serpent-tenders work by pulling knotted snakes apart, while Serpent-Shepherds perform their duties with a bronze crook and grey cloaks.

The serpents in Arbor largely remain asleep at all times, as mandated by the Sequestration, and are considered an annoyance in modern Arbor. However, the presence of once-glorious statues of snakes dotted throughout Near Arbor, as well as the snakeskins within the Forbidden Embassy, imply that the Fingerkings once had a much larger role in Arbor's past, perhaps as rulers or treasured allies.

In the current era, the Fingerkings are barred from entering Arbor in any significant capacity. They do retain some influence over Far Arbor's populace despite their situation, however; their agents wear striking green cloaks, and the city has its fair share of spies working on behalf of the Fingerkings as well.

The Company of the Exiled Rose

"A legion of exiled Arbori, who call its queen a usurper and traitor. They wear a white rose as their emblem though their hands are often red."

A white rose.

The Company of the Exiled Rose are a group of exiled Arbori who have accused the Roseate Queen of usurpation and treason, and declared war on her forces as a result. They are led by an individual known as the White Rose, whose body is heavily armored and whose eyes run with unique white attar.

The army of the Exiled Rose consists of golems, dreams, and a powerful type of artillery that scatters rose petals in the air when fired, Their emblem is a white rose, their standard is a representation of the three Arbors, and their battle cry is "Blood for the Roses!" As long as these warriors are employed, as long as the thunder of their marches and mortars ring in the Roseate Queen's ears, they will remain fulfilled.