The Fall of London: Difference between revisions
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''"Forty years ago, London was stolen by bats."'' | ''"Forty years ago, London was stolen by bats."'' | ||
Forty years | Forty years ago—give or take—[[London]] found itself in a terrible predicament. The Prince Consort of Britain, long admired and beloved, had fallen ill with typhoid fever. At first, there was hope—his recovery seemed assured. But then, one fateful night, his condition took a sudden and devastating turn. By the next day, December 15, 1861, his death was announced.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig My Kingdom for a Pig, ''Fallen London''] ''"...enjoyed such invariable good health... and lived so regularly all his life, that the public thought nothing of his illness until they were startled yesterday morning by the bulletin announcing a restless night and the appearance of unsatisfactory symptoms..." [Editor's note: This is a snippet from a [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer-death-of-prince-albert/15721531/ newspaper] announcing the death of Albert in 1861]''</ref> | ||
His death shattered the [[The Empress|Queen]]. Grief consumed her; she draped herself in mourning black, veiled in sorrow, and ordered the palace to be shuttered.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig My Kingdom for a Pig, ''Fallen London''] ''"Hushed hallways. Velvet. Black velvet. A scratch as matches flare and candles burn in the blackness. Speak softly, for my head still aches. I cannot bear the sun. Only candles. Bring them closer. I wish to see his face. Bring me the laudanum, quietly, quickly, for my head aches."''</ref> Her love for him was boundless, desperate—so much so that she would do anything to bring him back. It was that love that drew the attention of the [[The Masters of the Bazaar|Masters of the Bazaar]].<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pages#confirming_purchase Mr Pages: Theories or Manifesto for Archie, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"We performed the acquisition. I was not alone in the emporiance. My influence was greatest in the matter of selection. Mr Iron opposed me. It is antiverbiant."''</ref> They came with an offer.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/My_Kingdom_for_a_Pig My Kingdom for a Pig, ''Fallen London''] ''"Nobody can enter. Nobody can leave. Except for the thing on the roof. Have you witnessed its wings? Amongst the towers, perching, preening, entering and leaving when its talons tap the shuttered windowpane. Tap, tap, tap. Let me in. I have come bearing gifts. Tap, tap, tap. Let us in. We have come bearing gifts."''</ref> They would preserve the life of her beloved in exchange for everything she owned. And that included London.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pages#confirming_purchase Mr Pages: Theories or Manifesto for Archie, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"Her consort was dying. A loss not to be contemplemitted. We preserved him. In exchange: everything else she possessed. London and all that lies in fluminate propinquity, together with the oddments of the imperial hoard."''</ref> | |||
So it was that on February 14, 1862,<ref>{{Citation|https://images.mmorpg.com/features/7108/images/fallenlondon2.jpg|"London Stolen By Bats!"|Failbetter Games}}</ref> the Masters came to London and took it downward into the vast, lightless cavern known as [[the Neath]]. It fell upon Karakorum, the [[The Fourth City|Fourth City]], crushing it and becoming the Fifth City. | So it was that on February 14, 1862,<ref>{{Citation|https://images.mmorpg.com/features/7108/images/fallenlondon2.jpg|"London Stolen By Bats!"|Failbetter Games}}</ref> the Masters came to London and took it downward into the vast, lightless cavern known as [[the Neath]]. It fell upon Karakorum, the [[The Fourth City|Fourth City]], crushing it and becoming the Fifth City. | ||
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Nature itself was not spared. A month after the Fall, on March 20,<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Recalling_the_Past#A_month_or_so_after_the_Fall,_all_the_trees_died Recalling the Past: A month or so after the Fall, all the trees died, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"March 20. Equinox."''</ref> entire trees that once symbolized life in London withered and died overnight,<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Recalling_the_Past#A_month_or_so_after_the_Fall,_all_the_trees_died Recalling the Past: A month or so after the Fall, all the trees died, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"Griz: Nonsense. The trees were already half dead. Harjit: Half. They'd been withering and losing leaves slowly. Now look at them. Overnight, they're all dead. And in some places they're gone entirely."''</ref> their decay caused not just by the deprivation of sunlight, but something else as well.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Recalling_the_Past#A_month_or_so_after_the_Fall,_all_the_trees_died Recalling the Past: A month or so after the Fall, all the trees died, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"There was a notice in the broadsheets about the phenomenon. And a profile of the Totteridge Yew, the northernmost tree to have fallen with London. 'Overnight, something drank that tree to her dregs, consuming all that the Sun had endowed, leaving only bitterness.'"''</ref> | Nature itself was not spared. A month after the Fall, on March 20,<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Recalling_the_Past#A_month_or_so_after_the_Fall,_all_the_trees_died Recalling the Past: A month or so after the Fall, all the trees died, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"March 20. Equinox."''</ref> entire trees that once symbolized life in London withered and died overnight,<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Recalling_the_Past#A_month_or_so_after_the_Fall,_all_the_trees_died Recalling the Past: A month or so after the Fall, all the trees died, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"Griz: Nonsense. The trees were already half dead. Harjit: Half. They'd been withering and losing leaves slowly. Now look at them. Overnight, they're all dead. And in some places they're gone entirely."''</ref> their decay caused not just by the deprivation of sunlight, but something else as well.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Recalling_the_Past#A_month_or_so_after_the_Fall,_all_the_trees_died Recalling the Past: A month or so after the Fall, all the trees died, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"There was a notice in the broadsheets about the phenomenon. And a profile of the Totteridge Yew, the northernmost tree to have fallen with London. 'Overnight, something drank that tree to her dregs, consuming all that the Sun had endowed, leaving only bitterness.'"''</ref> | ||
As food supplies dwindled, starvation took hold.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Griz#Extra_Supplies Griz: Extra Supplies, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"The first few days weren't bad. People had food in their pantries still. Old loaves of bread, leftover joints, roots and jams. But nothing new was coming into the markets: no new fish, no vegetables from the farms."''</ref>People ate what they could: pets, vermin,<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Griz#Extra_Supplies Griz: Extra Supplies, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"When they got hungry, people turned inventive. All the pigeons around Saint Paul's, they caught and plucked. More than one society lapdog was turned to stew."''</ref> strange creatures dredged from the Thames.<ref>"The Masters warned me against eating things from the river."</ref> Eventually, the Masters announced that they had stores of food and would distribute them to the people.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Griz#griz_intros_job Griz: Introduction, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"When there wasn't a bite of fresh meat or an unspoiled apple to be found in London, the Masters announced themselves. They had stores, they said. There was plenty for every cooperative citizen, they said. Just line up here and follow your instructions."''</ref> | As food supplies dwindled, starvation took hold.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Griz#Extra_Supplies Griz: Extra Supplies, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"The first few days weren't bad. People had food in their pantries still. Old loaves of bread, leftover joints, roots and jams. But nothing new was coming into the markets: no new fish, no vegetables from the farms."''</ref> People ate what they could: pets, vermin,<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Griz#Extra_Supplies Griz: Extra Supplies, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"When they got hungry, people turned inventive. All the pigeons around Saint Paul's, they caught and plucked. More than one society lapdog was turned to stew."''</ref> strange creatures dredged from the Thames.<ref>"The Masters warned me against eating things from the river."</ref> Eventually, the Masters announced that they had stores of food and would distribute them to the people.<ref>[https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Griz#griz_intros_job Griz: Introduction, ''Mask of the Rose''] ''"When there wasn't a bite of fresh meat or an unspoiled apple to be found in London, the Masters announced themselves. They had stores, they said. There was plenty for every cooperative citizen, they said. Just line up here and follow your instructions."''</ref> | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
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[[Category:Other Things of Significance]] | [[Category:Other Things of Significance]] | ||
Revision as of 05:22, 12 March 2025
"Forty years ago, London was stolen by bats."
Forty years ago—give or take—London found itself in a terrible predicament. The Prince Consort of Britain, long admired and beloved, had fallen ill with typhoid fever. At first, there was hope—his recovery seemed assured. But then, one fateful night, his condition took a sudden and devastating turn. By the next day, December 15, 1861, his death was announced.[1]
His death shattered the Queen. Grief consumed her; she draped herself in mourning black, veiled in sorrow, and ordered the palace to be shuttered.[2] Her love for him was boundless, desperate—so much so that she would do anything to bring him back. It was that love that drew the attention of the Masters of the Bazaar.[3] They came with an offer.[4] They would preserve the life of her beloved in exchange for everything she owned. And that included London.[5]
So it was that on February 14, 1862,[6] the Masters came to London and took it downward into the vast, lightless cavern known as the Neath. It fell upon Karakorum, the Fourth City, crushing it and becoming the Fifth City.
The Fall
On the day of the Fall, the sun began to fade around three o’clock in the afternoon, the sky turned a deep red. A tremendous, dreadful “bang” erupted from the direction of Westminster, sending up a cloud of dust and prompting the tolling of bells. In the midst of the ensuing panic, a horseman clad in the regal attire of the palace rushed through the streets, commanding everyone to go indoors in her Majesty’s name. Almost immediately after, the sky was swarmed by bats: an overwhelming, almost unimaginable number that blanketed the heavens.[7]
As the citizens scrambled for safety, many rushed indoors; the homeless crowding into churches and under bridges.[8] Amidst the panic, the iconic symbols of London faltered: Parliament and Elizabeth Tower were swallowed by the Thames.[9] The city itself, Balmoral—one of the Crown's Scottish holdings—and everthing the Thames touched[10] was dragged into the Neath.[11] Yet, the rest of England, along with a peculiar section of London spared by a technicality,[12] remained on the Surface.[13]
Aftermath
Countless souls vanished in the catastrophe, their fates reduced to whispers, their bodies discovered as scattered remnants in the days that followed.[14] The sun did not rise on London again. Survivors found themselves trapped in a limbo of trauma and uncertainty.[15] Many locked themselves in their homes, both out of fear and to avoid the alien dangers lurking beyond their doors.[16]
The citizenry began to have encounters with the supernaturality of the Neath.[17] Faces disappeared from corpses, stolen by creatures Londoners would later call Snuffers.[18] Streets twisted and shifted without reason.[19] Sightings of Parabola in mirrors.[20] The Masters of the Bazaar[21] wrote commands in the Correspondence[22] that disappeared structures.[23] Sapient, speaking animals emerged in the city.[24]
The first person to come back from the dead was a gentleman by the name of David Landau, who had the unfortunate distinction of also being Fallen London’s first murder victim. At first, his resurrection sparked awe, with some hailing him as the Jewish messiah.[25] But when it became clear that returning from the dead was simply another property of the Neath, the excitement faded.[26]
Nature itself was not spared. A month after the Fall, on March 20,[27] entire trees that once symbolized life in London withered and died overnight,[28] their decay caused not just by the deprivation of sunlight, but something else as well.[29]
As food supplies dwindled, starvation took hold.[30] People ate what they could: pets, vermin,[31] strange creatures dredged from the Thames.[32] Eventually, the Masters announced that they had stores of food and would distribute them to the people.[33]
References
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