The Elder Continent

"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."

Adam's Way. Beyond this port city lie the kingdoms of the Presbyterate, shrouded in lies. Art from SS.

The Elder Continent is a vast landmass to the south of Fallen London; it is the location of the Garden andthe Mountain of Light, and it may be older than the Bazaar. Varchas is its most well-known and accessible city.

Adam’s Way, the estuary of the blood-tinged Nameless River, is the gateway to the Elder Continent; only living ships may pass through it.

Fallen London allows those with ships access to the Carnelian Coast in the west, and an Exceptional Story allows access to more of the Continent. Sunless Sea allows access to Port Carnelian, Adam's Way, and Varchas, but travel to the latter two is restricted by local customs.

The Garden: Eden?

The Garden’s presence in the Neath may predate the Bazaar's. Only flying things may enter it, and to harm one of these is considered a crime. Snuffers once walked freely in the Garden, but were cast out. Sounds familiar. Perhaps this place 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. The source of this unnatural exuberance is the Mountain of Light, the daughter of the Bazaar and the Sun, which may be located inside or nearby. While her radiance does not provide eternal life everywhere, it does bathe the whole continent in soft light. She is also the source of the Wax Wind, which is literally wax.

Dark-dewed cherries and St. John’s lilies both come from the Elder Continent, and Hesperidean Cider - the drink of immortality - is made from apples which grow in the Garden.

The Presbyterate

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.

The College is a necessity due to the increased vitality of basically everything on the Elder Continent. Even for denizens of the Neath, the Presbyterate's citizens are difficult to kill permanently, so to prevent overpopulation, the College of Mortality makes sure no person lives longer than they should. (Feducci is an example of how hard they are to kill, though since he's the only person from the Elder Continent who is known to be repeatedly harmed fatally and come out unscathed, it is unknown whether or not his amount of vitality is considered normal there.)

The Mithridate Office is another arm of the Presbyterate; its aim is to confuse foreigners by spreading false stories of the Elder Continent.

Strange Dangers

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.

Tigers are a powerful and influential faction here; it is advised that one does not press one's luck with them.

Original by NiteBrite/Mrs. Brite