Cline

"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.

"A great many citizens are walking circuitous paths. You follow them at a distance, unobserved, as they go through identical motions like automatons around a clock. Their gestures are not only sluggish, but they follow similar patterns, as though they were actors performing rehearsed parts."

Cline is a kingdom of snails: a citadel built of shells, situated beside a massive crater.

Slow and Steady

"By way of explanation, the Shrouded Man faces away from you and lets the sheet around his body drop below his shoulders. A spiral shell protrudes from the base of his neck, like a snail mounted in a museum. It twists counter-clockwise, flat against his back. Unlike the one on the table, this shell looks glossy, more vibrant, alive. Everyone in Cline must have one – some larger than others. That would explain their stiff movements and hunched postures."

Cline's inhabitants, though otherwise human, all have snail shells upon their backs. These shells, which hinder their owners' movements and appear to make their behavior more snail-like, are a manifestation of one's regrets.