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"You find the parson balanced atop a pile of furniture. He is daubing a message on the ceiling in a concoction of ash from the fireplace and wine from the cabinet. 'THE BATS NEVER CAME,' it reads."[1]
The Upstairs is a version of London that never fell to the Neath. It can be seen through exposure to moonlight.
The Upstairs is a vision of a world where London never Fell, caused by exposure to moonlight.[2]Sunlight smugglers mix their product with moonlight to cut costs,[3][4] but this practice may cause customers to "go Upstairs,"[5] giving them false memories,[6] delusions, or hallucinations,[7] which may end up being chronic.[8]
Since it is set on the Surface, the Upstairs is usually lit by the Moon and the night sky,[9] though daylight can be seen too.[10] Sailors - not zailors! - toil at the docks of London; the city's atmosphere feels familiar, yet strangely tense.[11]
The Revolutionary Council
"Smiling marchers reach out to shake your hand, to kiss your cheek. The Revolutionary Parliament is building a new society – one parade, one song, one speech at a time."[1]
"Each week on Pluto's Day, the markets stay open until midnight. They are busy tonight. Ration inspectors prowl the stalls. Vendors fry onions. A florist sells carnations in revolutionary red."[1]
Revolutionary red.
Rather than falling to the Neath, London instead "fell" to revolutionaries. It is now governed by the Revolutionary Council, a counterpart to the Calendar Council, who gained power following months of civil war. Their ascent brought peace,[12][13] but the Queen was exiled to Balmoral and is now known as Her Exiled Majesty.[14]
The Council established the Revolutionary Parliament[15] and reformed the Church into a new religion of the Everyman.[16] Public safety is still managed by the Constables, though they wear black hats instead of blue.[17] The days of the week were renamed, with one such day being Pluto's Day.[18] Commerce is managed by ration inspectors,[19] who grant allowances to citizens in exchange for mandats, documents resembling currency.[20]
The Council is comprised of several organizations, each named after a month of the calendar.[21] While these divisions seem effective, some suffer from corruption and infighting.[22]
The Council's Organizations
"The latest of the March Bureau's parades is underway – this one is to commemorate the York Martyrs, gunned down by her Exiled Majesty's soldiers. You hear the approaching stamp of feet."[1]
"Moonlight burns on the marble of the arch. It limns the gallows in silver. It highlights the muzzle of the executioner's dog mask, the sign of the December Office. The crowd bays for a hanging."[1]
The March Bureau bears a seal of a trumpet and a flag.[23] They hold parades to celebrate the revolution and its figures, such as the York Martyrs killed by the Queen's forces.[24][25] They also keep Greenwich safe from canines called Pale Dogs by rewarding mandats to those who hunt them.[26] An organization known as the Marchists is known to exist,[22] but its purpose is unknown, as is March's status.
The September Bureau employs inspectors[27] who keep tabs on political enemies and maintain order when those wanted are hanged.[28]September was taken as a political prisoner by royal authorities, died in prison, and became a martyr figure for various revolutionary groups.[29][30] It is unknown whether his title was passed down after his death.
The December Office employs executioners who wear canine masks,[31] similar to that of December.[32] They converted Marble Arch of Marylebone into a hangman's arch,[33] where they execute political prisoners, such as unpopular Lords of the old Parliament.[34]December themself is alive and apparently active, though they are a target of the city's counterrevolutionaries.[35]
Coldstream Opposition
"On the far side of the stampeding crowd, you see a man climb on a cart. He wears a red uniform, belted with white – the colours of the Coldstream counter-revolutionaries. "For her Majesty!" he cries. "For Balmoral! Death to December!""[1]
Opulent, or gaudy?
Despite the Queen's exile, various groups of royalists remain active:[36] one such faction are the Coldstream counter-revolutionaries. Their members wear red uniforms with white accents,[37] and fly a flag emblazoned with a "red cross inside a blue circle, inside a white star".[38] This faction observes the Revolutionary Council's weaknesses,[39] and stage riots and bombings to disrupt the new government. Unfortunately, their actions are known to cause civilian casualties.[40][41]
The Septemberist Revolution
"The moon crests the hill behind the Castle, silvering its mullioned windows. Here in the woods the air is thick with smoke and hushed with quiet, fretful chatter. Beyond the river, the alliance of France, the Unions and the March Bureau gather, ready for revenge for Lost September."[42]
"Her Majesty sieged. Consort in the cairn. Be brave fir our lads in scarlet. There's silver in th' wood. Might be I don't catch you awhile."[43]
September in the Upstairs gained notoriety for his impassioned speech against the Empire and the Union (of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland). He was soon arrested and locked in the cells of the Palace, where he died of starvation. After the revolution in London and the Queen's exile, a group called the Septemberists marched to Balmoral, seeking retribution.[30][44] The Queen's remaining soldiers, such as the Queen's Household Guard, mobilized to defend her, and so began a brutal war.[45]
The Septemberists laid siege to Balmoral[46] and even constructed a guillotine nearby.[47] However, loyalists held them back from their objective,[44] and the woods nearby became a bloody battleground.[48] Other landmarks, such as the River Forth, were also theaters of the conflict.[49] The Septemberists suffered heavy losses due to loyalist ambushes,[48] but their cause drew the attention of the Third Republic of France, the March Bureau, other allies within the Union,[50] and the Celtic Republics.[51] Whatever the conclusion of this tale of intrigue and revolution may be, it remains unknown.
↑Cut with Moonlight, Fallen London""Been sampling the stock, young master? [...] "Mathilde – we promised to marry. Remember [...] "You're addled! Leave me be!""
↑Noises from Upstairs, Fallen London"Sailors cluster outside a wharfside pub, puffing on pipes. [...] the scene has an intangible tension, as if fighting could break out at any moment."
↑Noises from Upstairs, Fallen London"The newspaper [...] condemning the Revolutionary Council's ascent to power in London, [...] this ends months of bitter street fighting."
↑Cut with Moonlight, Fallen London"[...] latest of the March Bureau's parades [...] this one is to commemorate the York Martyrs, gunned down by her Exiled Majesty's soldiers."
↑Cut with Moonlight, Fallen London"At Trafalgar Square [...] light seven candles. One for each of the Martyrs [...] executed for daring to speak against the old order."
↑Cut with Moonlight, Fallen London"High on its hill jut [...] the observatory. [...] Pale Dogs are hunting. [...] The March Bureau offer a reward for their pelts: crisp mandats [...]"
↑Cut with Moonlight, Fallen London"The condemned man thrashes [...] his legs finish kicking, the Inspectors cross a name off their list. [...] Inspectors of the September Bureau keep the crowd at bay."
↑ 30.030.1Accompany September, Fallen London"September listens [...] He hears his name [...] repetitions of the speech he gave on Pall Mall, of an end to Union and the Empire and thus to all tyrants. [...] the thundering wheels of the Empress' coach and the long slow starvation in some black cell below the Palace. [...] those who came out to the streets in his name and marched north."
↑Cut with Moonlight, Fallen London"The condemned [...] This is justice: he was one of the Lords who opposed the revolution. His vote sent troops into Cheapside."
↑Noises from Upstairs, Fallen London"[...] display boards. One features newspaper reports, covering divisions within the Revolutionary Council. Another is a [...] gallery of faces, with handwritten annotations. Some [...] have been crossed out."
↑Cut with Moonlight, Fallen London"[...] the crowd. The attackers are Coldstream counter-revolutionaries. [...] one of them [...] throwing something into a post office. Fire blooms from its shattered windows."
↑Noises from Upstairs, Fallen London"[...] Coldstream counter-revolutionaries, [...] stories of civilians maimed in explosions or trampled in riots."
↑Leave the woods 3, Fallen London"Balmoral stands [...] its walls blackened [...] its windows broken. [...] Someone has erected a guillotine on the lawn [...]"
