The Echo Bazaar

“The Bazaar is traditionally spoken of as if it's a single living thing. Women call it 'he'; men call it 'she'. The Masters of the Bazaar style themselves 'Mr', but no-one seems to think they're actually men.” (How do you address a sentient shopping mall? Politely, I guess.)

"The Bazaar is located at the heart of Fallen London, in the Neath, a cavern of impossible size, by the Unterzee, a tremendous saltwater lake. They say it's the skull of some defunct pagan god. That doesn't sound very likely. Although it would explain the dreams."

Premises at the Bazaar, a very expensive place to live.

The Echo Bazaar is the very center of Fallen London. Almost all legal commerce takes place beneath the auspices of its spires, but few people are privileged enough to venture inside. From here, the Masters exercise their rule over the city.

People from all walks of life are free to buy and sell their wares here (including people straight out of Newgate, so if you’ve fallen on hard circumstances do not hesitate to pawn your belongings). People of Some Importance are welcome to walk the side-streets and purchase higher-end goods found there. The Bazaar traffics in many things, from more common items like clothing or pets to the more intangible such as secrets and souls. Stories of love seem to be of particular interest.

A Spire-Emporium at the Bazaar - even more expensive.

The Bazaar deals in commerce on a far greater scale than these goods, however. Its vaults are far too extensive and secretive to be merely mundane. People of exceptional skill and fame may trade for esoteric knowledge to push them even further in proficiency.

It’s tempting to ask why, but good luck trying to find answers. There are powerful people who’d like to keep it secret.

The Beginnings of the Bazaar

Long ago, possibly before the world existed, the Bazaar fell in love with the Sun on its way to deliver a message to an unknown celestial entity. This relationship resulted in a daughter. Which would have been fine if the Sun weren't a Judgement, an entity that is higher up on the Great Chain of Being than the Bazaar (which is basically a space crab-squid-thing). To prove that it was being unjustly punished for falling in love with a being higher on the Chain, the Bazaar went off to masquerade as a giant market and collect seven cities worth of love stories to prove to the Judgments that love between links on the Great Chain is in fact permissible. London is the fifth city the Bazaar and its space-bat attendants servants slaves - the Masters - have taken for its love stories. It's not clear what precisely will happen once the Bazaar has collected its quota of stories, but this may signal the end of the world, since this is when the poor space-squid will be sentenced. (In case you're wondering what happened to the Daughter of the Bazaar, she ended up "doing it" with a fellow mysterious being and produced Mt. Nomad)