<blockquote>''"It's the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places. I've thought for some time that represented another power."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Build_the_station_at_Moulin|Build the station at Moulin|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>''"It's the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places. I've thought for some time that represented another power."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Build_the_station_at_Moulin|Build the station at Moulin|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Hillchanger.png|alt=A rocky spire with windows.|thumb|[[Hillchanger Tower]]]]
'''Aescwine Hill''' is a landmark near the outskirts of Ealing.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Constellations|Constellations|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] it's easier to make out the silhouettes on the horizon: the outline of Aescwine Hill [...]"''</ref> The summit is a popular painting spot for landscape artists,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Upper_River_Artistry|Upper River Artistry|Fallen London|}} ''"The more Nocturnalist Bohemians have taken a liking to Ealing Gardens. [...] some simply paint landscapes of the vista from Aescwine Hill.''</ref> if they can brave the enormous scorpions that infest the slopes.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_your_defensive_escort|Offer your defensive escort|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] a little trouble, [...] a troupe of [...] scorpions the size of house-cats [...] Your party does not get even halfway up the hill before you are swarmed by [...] scorpions?"''</ref> It is also one of the resting points for [[Hillchanger Tower]], which travels across the [[Hinterlands]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Build_the_station_at_Moulin|Build the station at Moulin|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places," [...] It has taken up a place in Moulin now [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Promise_to_retrieve_the_Honey-Mazed_Bear_again|Promise to retrieve the Honey-Mazed Bear again|Fallen London|}} ''"They wanted to put the stash in 'illchanger Tower, [...] see 'em climb up one morning and find the 'ole lot gone off to Burrow-Infra-Mump [...]"''</ref> but returns atop Aescwine every midnight.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Time_the_appearances_of_Hillchanger_Tower|Time the appearances of Hillchanger Tower|Fallen London|}} ''"Whenever and wherever it goes, it is always back by midnight."''</ref>
'''Aescwine Hill''' is a landmark near the outskirts of Ealing.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Constellations|Constellations|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] it's easier to make out the silhouettes on the horizon: the outline of Aescwine Hill [...]"''</ref> The summit is a popular painting spot for landscape artists,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Upper_River_Artistry|Upper River Artistry|Fallen London|}} ''"The more Nocturnalist Bohemians have taken a liking to Ealing Gardens. [...] some simply paint landscapes of the vista from Aescwine Hill.''</ref> if they can brave the enormous scorpions that infest the slopes.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_your_defensive_escort|Offer your defensive escort|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] a little trouble, [...] a troupe of [...] scorpions the size of house-cats [...] Your party does not get even halfway up the hill before you are swarmed by [...] scorpions?"''</ref> Aescwine is also one of the resting points for [[Hillchanger Tower]], which travels across the [[Hinterlands]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Build_the_station_at_Moulin|Build the station at Moulin|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places," [...] It has taken up a place in Moulin now [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Promise_to_retrieve_the_Honey-Mazed_Bear_again|Promise to retrieve the Honey-Mazed Bear again|Fallen London|}} ''"They wanted to put the stash in 'illchanger Tower, [...] see 'em climb up one morning and find the 'ole lot gone off to Burrow-Infra-Mump [...]"''</ref> but returns to Aescwine every midnight.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Time_the_appearances_of_Hillchanger_Tower|Time the appearances of Hillchanger Tower|Fallen London|}} ''"Whenever and wherever it goes, it is always back by midnight."''</ref>
The critters that menace Aescwine are called '''Hillchanger scorpions''', and are the size of cats and unusually "well-trained."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_your_defensive_escort|Offer your defensive escort|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] a troupe of perhaps two dozen scorpions the size of house-cats, [...] are those scorpions? How are they so large? And so well-trained?"''</ref> Their venom can only be extracted when Hillchanger is at Aescwine; otherwise they produce only smoke.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Develop_into_an_Envenomed_Pickle_of_Vinegar,_Vengeance,_and_Hillchanger_Scorpion|Develop into an Envenomed Pickle of Vinegar, Vengeance, and Hillchanger Scorpion|Fallen London|}} ''"To milk the venom from a scorpion stinger, [...] because these are Hillchanger scorpions – [...] perform the extraction during the time when the Hillchanger Tower is in Ealing. Otherwise, all one gets [...] is a curl of clove smoke."''</ref>
==Commercial Development==
<blockquote>''"The Union workers will accept the job and the payment for it, but there's some grumbling. If you just wanted a place with more shops, why couldn't you build them in London? Are you trying to make Ealing Gardens the same thing over again?"''<ref name="build district">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Commission_the_building_of_a_commercial_district|Commission the building of a commercial district|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
Since Ealing exists outside the immediate range of the [[Echo Bazaar]], it historically saw little commerce; the few peddlers here sold food, clothes, and [[Prisoner's Honey|prisoner's honey]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Explore_the_commercial_opportunities|Explore the commercial opportunities|Fallen London|}}</ref> The arrival of the Railway brought new commercial development to the town:<ref name="build district" /> [[Mr Hearts]] licensed a butcher's shop here,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Licensed_by_Mr_Hearts|Licensed by Mr Hearts|Fallen London|}}</ref> and enterprising locals began to take advantage of the open space to hold the occasional circus without competition from [[Mrs Plenty's Carnival]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Incident_of_the_Honey-Mazed_Bear|The Incident of the Honey-Mazed Bear|Fallen London|}} ''"Ealing Gardens offers parkland [...] far from Mrs Plenty's jealous gaze. Now and then, [...] someone has the [...] idea to [...] mount a carnival of their own."''</ref>
During her tenure as [[Lord Mayor of London]], [[Virginia]] opened a spa in [[Ladybones Road]] for the betterment of London's [[souls]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_Virginia%27s_plans_for_London|Ask about Virginia's plans for London|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Accompany_Virginia_for_a_treatment|Accompany Virginia for a treatment|Fallen London|}}</ref> but results were middling and the spa was a disappointment. Thus, with help from the [[The Great Hellbound Railway|GHR]], Virginia opened another spa in Ealing, far away from any oversight<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Spa_Services|Spa Services|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] as Mayor, Virginia took over a [...] townhouse on Ladybones Road and converted it into a spa. [...] the results were not wholly satisfactory. [...] with your assistance, she has built a branch of that spa here in Ealing Gardens, where she can offer advanced treatments without the supervision of any Ministry."''</ref> - though the efficacy of its treatments remains questionable.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Attend_for_a_treatment|Attend for a treatment|Fallen London|}}</ref>
==The Rubbery Community==
==The Rubbery Community==
Line 26:
Line 21:
<blockquote>''"People around here often mention Helicon House, a gathering place of Rubberies and Bohemians..."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Track_rumours_you%27ve_been_hearing|Track rumours you've been hearing|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>''"People around here often mention Helicon House, a gathering place of Rubberies and Bohemians..."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Track_rumours_you%27ve_been_hearing|Track rumours you've been hearing|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[Rubbery Men]] make up a significant proportion of Ealing's population. Sadly, even here they face discrimination from the town's human residents,<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Rubbery_Observances|Rubbery Observances|Fallen London|}} ''"Saving Flute Street, nowhere in London [is] [...] a home for Rubbery Men. Even here, they are subject to stares and unflattering comment. But they are more numerous in these parts than elsewhere. The Tentacled Entrepreneur built his first factory [...] down that block."''</ref> and the Railway's growing influence has negatively impacted the existing Rubbery community.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ministry_Enforcement|Ministry Enforcement|Fallen London|}} ''"'Property of the Ministry of the Upper River – Severest Penalties for Squatters.' [...] a tentacle draws a curtain at the window, then flicks it back into place."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Outflank_the_Ministry%27s_servant|Outflank the Ministry's servant|Fallen London|}} ''"Make it look as though the Rubberies have every right to be here. [...] Afterward, a magnificently tentacled face presses itself to the window. [...] with gratitude."''</ref>
[[File:Tentacledentrepreneur.png|alt=A neatly-dressed Rubbery Men wearing a top hat.|thumb|[[The Tentacled Entrepreneur]]]]
[[File:Tentacledentrepreneur.png|alt=A neatly-dressed Rubbery Men wearing a top hat.|thumb|[[The Tentacled Entrepreneur]]]]
The [[Tentacled Entrepreneur]] recently moved most of his operations to Ealing;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Tour_the_Neighbourhood|Tour the Neighbourhood|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the Tentacled Entrepreneur brought most his operations here, where the factories could expand and the workers live [...]"''</ref> his factories here are staffed with Rubbery Men,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sneak_into_the_Factories_of_the_Tentacled_Entrepreneur|Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur|Fallen London|}} ''"The factory floor requires the Rubbery men to sit closer together than seems comfortable."''</ref> and the few humans present work as security guards.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sneak_into_the_Factories_of_the_Tentacled_Entrepreneur|Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the security is provided by humans."''</ref> Strict hygiene is ensured<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sneak_into_the_Factories_of_the_Tentacled_Entrepreneur|Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur|Fallen London|}} ''"Before they sit [...] each Rubbery washes its tentacles at a basin [...] A Rubbery janitor passes [...] washing a floor that is already spotless."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_the_Factories_of_the_Tentacled_Entrepreneur_as_an_invited_guest|Visit the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur as an invited guest|Fallen London|}} ''"He emphasises hygiene. [...] The Rubbery men follow a protocol of washing when they begin and end [...] no amber deposits allowed on the factory floor [...]"''</ref> as the Rubbery Men work on an assembly line,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sneak_into_the_Factories_of_the_Tentacled_Entrepreneur|Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur|Fallen London|}} ''"They are engaged in [...] assembly work, each adding several parts to a mechanism before passing it on to the next."''</ref> manufacturing various goods.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_the_Factories_of_the_Tentacled_Entrepreneur_as_an_invited_guest|Visit the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur as an invited guest|Fallen London|}}</ref> Despite the factories' careful management and seeming profitability, they are not the Entrepreneur's main source of income.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_Helicon_House_as_the_guest_of_your_Rubbery_Bellringer|Visit Helicon House as the guest of your Rubbery Bellringer|Fallen London|}} ''"No, no, the Entrepreneur is not busy with his factories. The money comes from amber. The factories are... [...] The factories are a bell without a clapper."''</ref>
[[Rubbery Men]] make up a significant proportion of Ealing's population. Sadly, even here they face discrimination from the town's human residents,<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Rubbery_Observances|Rubbery Observances|Fallen London|}} ''"Saving Flute Street, nowhere in London [is] [...] a home for Rubbery Men. Even here, they are subject to stares and unflattering comment. But they are more numerous in these parts than elsewhere. The Tentacled Entrepreneur built his first factory [...] down that block."''</ref> and the Railway's growing influence negatively impacted the existing Rubbery community.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ministry_Enforcement|Ministry Enforcement|Fallen London|}} ''"'Property of the Ministry of the Upper River – Severest Penalties for Squatters.' [...] a tentacle draws a curtain at the window, then flicks it back into place."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Outflank_the_Ministry%27s_servant|Outflank the Ministry's servant|Fallen London|}} ''"Make it look as though the Rubberies have every right to be here. [...] Afterward, a magnificently tentacled face presses itself to the window. [...] with gratitude."''</ref> The [[Tentacled Entrepreneur]] recently moved most of his operations to Ealing,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Tour_the_Neighbourhood|Tour the Neighbourhood|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the Tentacled Entrepreneur brought most his operations here, where the factories could expand and the workers live [...]"''</ref> and staffed his factories with Rubberies.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sneak_into_the_Factories_of_the_Tentacled_Entrepreneur|Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur|Fallen London|}} ''"The factory floor requires the Rubbery men to sit closer together than seems comfortable."''</ref>
Thanks to the recent patronage of the Tentacled Entrepreneur,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Talk_with_the_Bohemian_Sculptress|Talk with the Bohemian Sculptress|Fallen London|}} ''""The sitters are all employees [...] of the Tentacled Entrepreneur," [...] "He's become one of our best patrons [...]"''</ref> '''[[Helicon House]]''' has become an important institution in Ealing, especially for the Rubbery community.<ref name="visit with dean">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_Helicon_House_with_the_Dean_of_Xenotheology|Visit Helicon House with the Dean of Xenotheology|Fallen London|}} ''"Several of the Rubbery people are gathered around a sculpture displayed at the centre of the room. "We shouldn't approach without permission," [...] "Their current posture is one associated with... sacred receptiveness. [...] This is a time of extraordinary change for them. A few years ago, Rubbery culture had nothing like this— [...] From a back room [...] a Rubbery Euphonium."''</ref> Helicon's very existence is kept secret to most humans, even within the counterculture of London,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Catch_up_on_Bohemian_gossip|Catch up on Bohemian gossip|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] that puts her ahead of all those people who are so outside the mode that they don't even know it exists."''</ref> and any human visitors are vetted thoroughly by the doorman before they may enter.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Helicon_House_(Storylet)|Helicon House (Storylet)|Fallen London|}}</ref> Within its walls, Rubbery Men are free to express and engage with their artistry and culture,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_Helicon_House_as_the_guest_of_your_Rubbery_Bellringer|Visit Helicon House as the guest of your Rubbery Bellringer|Fallen London|}} ''"Helicon is a bohemian salon, except that at least half of those present – both artists and hangers-on – are Rubbery."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Visit_Helicon_House_as_the_guest_of_your_Rubbery_Bellringer|Visit Helicon House as the guest of your Rubbery Bellringer|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] look around! Admire the artworks!"''</ref> allowing ideas, both old and new, to flourish and evolve.<ref name="visit with dean" />
[[Helicon House]] is an important institution in Ealing, especially for the Rubbery community.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Construe_a_significant_burble|Construe a significant burble|Fallen London|}} ''"Interlocked tentacles: a gathering place."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pay_in_the_currency_of_perishable_wealth|Pay in the currency of perishable wealth|Fallen London|}} ''"If you [...] observe several Rubbery persons conversing among themselves, you should refrain from joining [...] without [...] invitation."''</ref> Within its walls, Rubbery people freely express and engage with their artistry and culture,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Listen_to_the_compositions|Listen to the compositions|Fallen London|}} ''"The finest Rubbery composers present their art here [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Contribute_some_extra_practitioners|Contribute some extra practitioners|Fallen London|}}</ref> allowing ideas to flourish and evolve.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Listen_to_the_compositions|Listen to the compositions|Fallen London|}} ''"The music establishes a beat, and then abruptly deviates from it. [...] there is a meaning in those dissonances, [...] It is a music of approximation; it offers imperfection as a necessary state, and mutation as inevitable."''</ref>
== References==
== References==
Revision as of 05:00, 25 December 2022
"This was once part of London, but it was badly damaged in the Fall. The brick buildings toppled, the wooden buildings burned. Hillchanger Tower lost its crenellations."[2]
Ealing Gardens is a community just outside London, which serves as the first station of the Great Hellbound Railway.
"Not everyone who lives here is a Rubbery Man or a market gardener. Other people – the very poor, the very eccentric, and the very unpopular – have found homes here as well."[3]
A Peppercap.
Ealing was once part of London on the Surface, but it suffered serious damage during the Fall[4] and landed some distance away from the rest of the city.[5] Eventually,[6] some buildings were shoddily repaired and new ones were built in a mix of styles,[7] while areas that proved beyond repair were repurposed as mushroom farms.[8]
"It's the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places. I've thought for some time that represented another power."[19]
Aescwine Hill is a landmark near the outskirts of Ealing.[20] The summit is a popular painting spot for landscape artists,[21] if they can brave the enormous scorpions that infest the slopes.[22] It is also one of the resting points for Hillchanger Tower, which travels across the Hinterlands[23][24] but returns atop Aescwine every midnight.[25]
The critters that menace Aescwine are called Hillchanger scorpions, and are the size of cats and unusually "well-trained."[26] Their venom can only be extracted when Hillchanger is at Aescwine; otherwise they produce only smoke.[27]
The Rubbery Community
"Even here, they are subject to stares and unflattering comment. But they are more numerous in these parts than elsewhere."[28]
"People around here often mention Helicon House, a gathering place of Rubberies and Bohemians..."[29]
Rubbery Men make up a significant proportion of Ealing's population. Sadly, even here they face discrimination from the town's human residents,[30] and the Railway's growing influence negatively impacted the existing Rubbery community.[31][32] The Tentacled Entrepreneur recently moved most of his operations to Ealing,[33] and staffed his factories with Rubberies.[34]
Helicon House is an important institution in Ealing, especially for the Rubbery community.[35][36] Within its walls, Rubbery people freely express and engage with their artistry and culture,[37][38] allowing ideas to flourish and evolve.[39]
↑Tour the Neighbourhood, Fallen London"This was once part of London, [...] it was badly damaged in the Fall. The brick buildings toppled, the wooden buildings burned."
↑Tour the Neighbourhood, Fallen London"The architecture is a Rubbery parody of London: old ruins propped up [...] new buildings built in [...] imitation of known styles."
↑Fill a stomach, Fallen London"You smuggle your donation to [...] Union workers – some of them living with their families, and with not really enough to go round."
↑Constellations, Fallen London"[...] it's easier to make out the silhouettes on the horizon: the outline of Aescwine Hill [...]"
↑Upper River Artistry, Fallen London"The more Nocturnalist Bohemians have taken a liking to Ealing Gardens. [...] some simply paint landscapes of the vista from Aescwine Hill.
↑Offer your defensive escort, Fallen London"[...] a little trouble, [...] a troupe of [...] scorpions the size of house-cats [...] Your party does not get even halfway up the hill before you are swarmed by [...] scorpions?"
↑Build the station at Moulin, Fallen London"[...] the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places," [...] It has taken up a place in Moulin now [...]"
↑Offer your defensive escort, Fallen London"[...] a troupe of perhaps two dozen scorpions the size of house-cats, [...] are those scorpions? How are they so large? And so well-trained?"
↑Rubbery Observances, Fallen London"Saving Flute Street, nowhere in London [is] [...] a home for Rubbery Men. Even here, they are subject to stares and unflattering comment. But they are more numerous in these parts than elsewhere. The Tentacled Entrepreneur built his first factory [...] down that block."
↑Ministry Enforcement, Fallen London"'Property of the Ministry of the Upper River – Severest Penalties for Squatters.' [...] a tentacle draws a curtain at the window, then flicks it back into place."
↑Outflank the Ministry's servant, Fallen London"Make it look as though the Rubberies have every right to be here. [...] Afterward, a magnificently tentacled face presses itself to the window. [...] with gratitude."
↑Tour the Neighbourhood, Fallen London"[...] the Tentacled Entrepreneur brought most his operations here, where the factories could expand and the workers live [...]"
↑Listen to the compositions, Fallen London"The music establishes a beat, and then abruptly deviates from it. [...] there is a meaning in those dissonances, [...] It is a music of approximation; it offers imperfection as a necessary state, and mutation as inevitable."