"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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"The line will run west, following the Stolen River to the edge of Hell. Your advisor unrolls a map, showing the stations to be built. Ealing Gardens. Jericho Locks. The Magistracy of the Evenlode. B—. S—— VIII. Burrow-Infra-Mump... The names grow less familiar."[1]
The Hinterlands are a huge, mostly empty swath of land that lies between Fallen London and Hell.[2]
"...this is bad territory. Ravines, bogs, hills made of bone. Moreover, it is inhabited, and not by gentlefolk."
The Hinterlands are also referred to as the Upper River,[3] as the Stolen River (Thames) flows through this inland plain from Hell to the Unterzee.[4] Two railways run through the Hinterlands between London and Hell: the devil-run Moloch Street Express,[5] and the brand-new Great Hellbound Railway.[1] The region is still largely unfamiliar to London and rife with rumor,[6] as any commercial attempts to expand westward ended before they began;[7] this changed under the tenure of Virginia as Lord Mayor of London,[8] and led to the development of the GHR.[9] Virginia also founded the Ministry of Upper River Development,[8] which issued Hinterland Scrip as a currency for investors.[10] This far west, the Bazaar has limited influence, but commerce is enabled by the Upper River Exchange.[11]
The terrain of the Hinterlands is largely rough and unforgiving scrubland,[12] dotted with hills,[13] swamps, and ravines.[14] The air is rife with smog from Hell that blots out the false-stars above.[15] The ground beneath is chock-full of fossils and bones, belonging to all manner of creatures great[16] and small.[17] There are also more dangerous anomalies, like mountains with ever-changing slope angles,[18] and icy patches created by errant Discordance stones.[19] As if the environment weren't challenging enough, the area is patrolled by bandits and highwaymen,[20][21] and occasionally hostile creatures may surface, like stray Terror-Birds[22] or more dangerous monstrosities.[23][24]
Past Fallen Cities' exploration of the Hinterlands was limited by the Bazaar[35] - but the Sere Palace is a Second City ruin,[36] ruins of the First City exist below the Magistracy of the Evenlode,[37] and there is evidence that a representative of the First City attempted to explore the Hinterlands, though this ended in disaster.[38] The most prominent reason the Bazaar hindered exploration of the Hinterlands was not the terrain, or its inhabitants, but its ruler: the Creditor,[39][40] an earthly being of such power[41] that even Hell had to pay heed when crossing its territory.[42] The topsoil of the Hinterlands is literally the Creditor's face;[43] it monitors all traffic through the region, and enforces that travelers do not damage or change the Hinterlands too severely[44] - at least not without great cost.[45][46]
↑A travelogue of the Hinterlands, Fallen London"[…] even the nearer parts of the Hinterland might as well be Tartarus to the average Londoner. There are rumours of a highwayman riding an elephant made of iron. Stories of rivers leading to a palace flooded with poison. […]"
↑Advertisements of a New Venture, Fallen London"[...] there was a treaty line between London and Hell. Plenty of ambitious people hoped to overstep it, but entrepreneurial blueprints [...] turned to ash."
↑ 8.08.1Advertisements of a New Venture, Fallen London"Then Virginia became Lord Mayor. [...] she announced [...] a deal brokered with Hell, [...] land opened to London development. She founded the Ministry of Upper River Development, [...] Constables and other worthies started handing out Hinterland scrip [...]"
↑Hinterland Scrip, Fallen London"Issued by the Ministry of Upper River Development. [...] represents the right to develop new buildings on a portion of the land."
↑Discordant, Fallen London""That stone froze a lake full of creatures [...] If you're going to [...] practice your language skills on it, at least let everyone else get [...] away first. [...]"
↑Return to London (later stations), Fallen London"As the train slows [...] a figure looms [...] twice the height of the train, and possesses far too many arms. There is a sound of swarming bees, [...] The figure reaches vast pincers [...] slices a chunk from the train. [...]"
↑For All the Saints Who From Their Labours Rest, Fallen London"Battered armaments litter the tops of the trenches [...] When London's forces ran out of ammunition, they turned to antique weaponry: [...] Elsewhere, you can find the detritus of Hell's weaponry [...]"
↑Persuade the Efficient Commissioner/Tables, Fallen London""I can't stop you. [...] you'll route around there... it was always going to happen. We prevented it in the Second City, and in the Third, but now... The Creditor hungers, it thirsts, and the city is also mad...""
↑Meaning what, precisely?, Fallen London""A gage is a pledge of good faith," [...] to be returned safe [...] if all ends well. [...] it was meant to represent the promise [...] prevent [...] from causing too much damage."
↑In Credit, Fallen London"[...] this Power will not [...] you to go further into the Neath, nor to change it more [...] unless some limit is attached [...] and some price paid for the imposition."
