Ealing Gardens

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Revision as of 02:27, 20 August 2022 by Avid Perfectionist (talk | contribs) (small adjustment about the circuses in Ealing)

"This was once part of London, but it was badly damaged in the Fall. The brick buildings toppled, the wooden buildings burned. Hillchanger Tower lost its crenellations."[2]

Ealing Gardens is a community just outside London, which serves as the first station of the Great Hellbound Railway.

On the Outskirts

"Not everyone who lives here is a Rubbery Man or a market gardener. Other people – the very poor, the very eccentric, and the very unpopular – have found homes here as well."[3]

A red mushroom with a brown stem.
A Peppercap.

Ealing was once part of London on the Surface, but it suffered serious damage during the Fall[4] and landed some distance away from the rest of the city.[5] Eventually,[6] some buildings were shoddily repaired and new ones were built in a mix of styles,[7] while areas that proved beyond repair were repurposed as mushroom farms.[8]

Ealing's citizenry is an eccentric mix of Rubbery Men,[9] London's poor and outcast,[10] and fungus farmers.[11] When the Great Hellbound Railway arrived, it brought with it new visitors and residents of various stripes:[12] retirees from Tracklayer's Union and their families,[13][14] Bohemians seeking inspiration,[15] enterprising paleontologists,[16] and even Monster-Hunters.[17] It also brought the Ministry of Upper River Development, which now oversees the growing community.[18]

Aescwine Hill

"It's the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places. I've thought for some time that represented another power."[19]

Aescwine Hill is a landmark near the outskirts of Ealing.[20] The summit is a popular painting spot for landscape artists,[21] if they can brave the enormous scorpions that infest the slopes.[22] Aescwine is also one of the resting points for Hillchanger Tower, which travels across the Hinterlands[23][24] but returns to Aescwine every midnight.[25]

Commercial Development

"The Union workers will accept the job and the payment for it, but there's some grumbling. If you just wanted a place with more shops, why couldn't you build them in London? Are you trying to make Ealing Gardens the same thing over again?"[26]

Copper-colored currency.
Hinterland Scrip

Since Ealing exists outside the immediate range of the Echo Bazaar, it historically saw little commerce; the few peddlers here sold food, clothes, and prisoner's honey.[27] The arrival of the Railway brought new commercial development to the town:[26] Mr Hearts licensed a butcher's shop here,[28] and enterprising locals began to take advantage of the open space to hold the occasional circus without competition from Mrs Plenty's Carnival.[29]

During her tenure as Lord Mayor of London, Virginia opened a spa in Ladybones Road for the betterment of London's souls,[30][31] but results were middling and the spa was a disappointment. Thus, with help from the GHR, Virginia opened another spa in Ealing, far away from any oversight[32] - though the efficacy of its treatments remains questionable.[33]

The Rubbery Community

"Even here, they are subject to stares and unflattering comment. But they are more numerous in these parts than elsewhere."[34]

"People around here often mention Helicon House, a gathering place of Rubberies and Bohemians..."[35]

Rubbery Men make up a significant proportion of Ealing's population. Sadly, even here they face discrimination from the town's human residents,[36] and the Railway's growing influence has negatively impacted the existing Rubbery community.[37][38]

A neatly-dressed Rubbery Men wearing a top hat.
The Tentacled Entrepreneur

The Tentacled Entrepreneur recently moved most of his operations to Ealing;[39] his factories here are staffed with Rubbery Men,[40] and the few humans present work as security guards.[41] Strict hygiene is ensured[42][43] as the Rubbery Men work on an assembly line,[44] manufacturing various goods.[45] Despite the factories' careful management and seeming profitability, they are not the Entrepreneur's main source of income.[46]

Thanks to the recent patronage of the Tentacled Entrepreneur,[47] Helicon House has become an important institution in Ealing, especially for the Rubbery community.[48] Helicon's very existence is kept secret to most humans, even within the counterculture of London,[49] and any human visitors are vetted thoroughly by the doorman before they may enter.[50] Within its walls, Rubbery Men are free to express and engage with their artistry and culture,[51][52] allowing ideas, both old and new, to flourish and evolve.[48]

References

  1. ↑ Consult the Delightful Reverend, Fallen London "I like all of our options, except possibly Ealing [...]"
  2. ↑ Tour the Neighbourhood, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London
  4. ↑ Tour the Neighbourhood, Fallen London "This was once part of London, [...] it was badly damaged in the Fall. The brick buildings toppled, the wooden buildings burned."
  5. ↑ Take the train to Ealing Gardens, Fallen London
  6. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London "Not everyone who lives here is a Rubbery Man or [...] market gardener. Other people [...] have found homes here as well."
  7. ↑ Tour the Neighbourhood, Fallen London "The architecture is a Rubbery parody of London: old ruins propped up [...] new buildings built in [...] imitation of known styles."
  8. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London "The blocks that could not be salvaged [...] have been laid with topsoil for mushroom-growing. [...] has to supply all the plates of London."
  9. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London "Not everyone who lives here is a Rubbery Man [...]"
  10. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London "Other people – the very poor, the [...] eccentric, and the [...] unpopular – have found homes here [...]"
  11. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London "Not everyone who lives here is a [...] market gardener [...]"
  12. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London "Now that the railway has arrived, it will be rejuvenated."
  13. ↑ Engage in Unobserved Charity, Fallen London "[...] wounded ex-Tracklayers who live around here, no longer able to [...] work."
  14. ↑ Fill a stomach, Fallen London "You smuggle your donation to [...] Union workers – some of them living with their families, and with not really enough to go round."
  15. ↑ Airs of Ealing Gardens, Fallen London "A Bohemian painter struggles up the side of Aescwine Hill, [...]"
  16. ↑ Airs of Ealing Gardens, Fallen London "A group of Palaeontologists stand consulting a map."
  17. ↑ Airs of Ealing Gardens, Fallen London "A cluster of women with harpoons pass you in the street."
  18. ↑ Airs of Ealing Gardens, Fallen London "A servant of the Ministry of Upper River Development is nailing wood over the door of an abandoned house."
  19. ↑ Build the station at Moulin, Fallen London
  20. ↑ Constellations, Fallen London "[...] it's easier to make out the silhouettes on the horizon: the outline of Aescwine Hill [...]"
  21. ↑ Upper River Artistry, Fallen London "The more Nocturnalist Bohemians have taken a liking to Ealing Gardens. [...] some simply paint landscapes of the vista from Aescwine Hill.
  22. ↑ Offer your defensive escort, Fallen London "[...] a little trouble, [...] a troupe of [...] scorpions the size of house-cats [...] Your party does not get even halfway up the hill before you are swarmed by [...] scorpions?"
  23. ↑ Build the station at Moulin, Fallen London "[...] the Hillchanger Tower. The one that appears on Aescwine Hill and then travels other places," [...] It has taken up a place in Moulin now [...]"
  24. ↑ Promise to retrieve the Honey-Mazed Bear again, Fallen London "They wanted to put the stash in 'illchanger Tower, [...] see 'em climb up one morning and find the 'ole lot gone off to Burrow-Infra-Mump [...]"
  25. ↑ Time the appearances of Hillchanger Tower, Fallen London "Whenever and wherever it goes, it is always back by midnight."
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Commission the building of a commercial district, Fallen London
  27. ↑ Explore the commercial opportunities, Fallen London
  28. ↑ Licensed by Mr Hearts, Fallen London
  29. ↑ The Incident of the Honey-Mazed Bear, Fallen London "Ealing Gardens offers parkland [...] far from Mrs Plenty's jealous gaze. Now and then, [...] someone has the [...] idea to [...] mount a carnival of their own."
  30. ↑ Ask about Virginia's plans for London, Fallen London
  31. ↑ Accompany Virginia for a treatment, Fallen London
  32. ↑ Spa Services, Fallen London "[...] as Mayor, Virginia took over a [...] townhouse on Ladybones Road and converted it into a spa. [...] the results were not wholly satisfactory. [...] with your assistance, she has built a branch of that spa here in Ealing Gardens, where she can offer advanced treatments without the supervision of any Ministry."
  33. ↑ Attend for a treatment, Fallen London
  34. ↑ Rubbery Observances, Fallen London
  35. ↑ Track rumours you've been hearing, Fallen London
  36. ↑ Rubbery Observances, Fallen London "Saving Flute Street, nowhere in London [is] [...] a home for Rubbery Men. Even here, they are subject to stares and unflattering comment. But they are more numerous in these parts than elsewhere. The Tentacled Entrepreneur built his first factory [...] down that block."
  37. ↑ Ministry Enforcement, Fallen London "'Property of the Ministry of the Upper River – Severest Penalties for Squatters.' [...] a tentacle draws a curtain at the window, then flicks it back into place."
  38. ↑ Outflank the Ministry's servant, Fallen London "Make it look as though the Rubberies have every right to be here. [...] Afterward, a magnificently tentacled face presses itself to the window. [...] with gratitude."
  39. ↑ Tour the Neighbourhood, Fallen London "[...] the Tentacled Entrepreneur brought most his operations here, where the factories could expand and the workers live [...]"
  40. ↑ Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur, Fallen London "The factory floor requires the Rubbery men to sit closer together than seems comfortable."
  41. ↑ Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur, Fallen London "[...] the security is provided by humans."
  42. ↑ Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur, Fallen London "Before they sit [...] each Rubbery washes its tentacles at a basin [...] A Rubbery janitor passes [...] washing a floor that is already spotless."
  43. ↑ Visit the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur as an invited guest, Fallen London "He emphasises hygiene. [...] The Rubbery men follow a protocol of washing when they begin and end [...] no amber deposits allowed on the factory floor [...]"
  44. ↑ Sneak into the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur, Fallen London "They are engaged in [...] assembly work, each adding several parts to a mechanism before passing it on to the next."
  45. ↑ Visit the Factories of the Tentacled Entrepreneur as an invited guest, Fallen London
  46. ↑ Visit Helicon House as the guest of your Rubbery Bellringer, Fallen London "No, no, the Entrepreneur is not busy with his factories. The money comes from amber. The factories are... [...] The factories are a bell without a clapper."
  47. ↑ Talk with the Bohemian Sculptress, Fallen London ""The sitters are all employees [...] of the Tentacled Entrepreneur," [...] "He's become one of our best patrons [...]"
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Visit Helicon House with the Dean of Xenotheology, Fallen London "Several of the Rubbery people are gathered around a sculpture displayed at the centre of the room. "We shouldn't approach without permission," [...] "Their current posture is one associated with... sacred receptiveness. [...] This is a time of extraordinary change for them. A few years ago, Rubbery culture had nothing like this— [...] From a back room [...] a Rubbery Euphonium."
  49. ↑ Catch up on Bohemian gossip, Fallen London "[...] that puts her ahead of all those people who are so outside the mode that they don't even know it exists."
  50. ↑ Helicon House (Storylet), Fallen London
  51. ↑ Visit Helicon House as the guest of your Rubbery Bellringer, Fallen London "Helicon is a bohemian salon, except that at least half of those present – both artists and hangers-on – are Rubbery."
  52. ↑ Visit Helicon House as the guest of your Rubbery Bellringer, Fallen London "[...] look around! Admire the artworks!"
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