Category:The High Wilderness

"The rails fall away. The Wilderness is wide before us."

"'Where to?' asks the Navigator."

The High Wilderness is the vast and seemingly infinite celestial realm of the Judgements. Also referred to as the heavens, the High Wilderness constitutes outer space, but rather than being mostly empty, it is filled with winds, mist, and fog among which dwell sky-beasts like the Cantankeri and Scrive-Spinsters. Avid Horizon serves as a gateway between the High Wilderness and the Unterzee.

There is some breathable air in the High Wilderness, albeit thin and cold; one cannot survive more than fifteen minutes without wearing a proper suit.

At the dawn of the 20th century in the Sunless Skies timeline, the Empress Victoria led an exodus from London to the High Wilderness, where a revitalized British Empire established Albion. At the same time, the Judgements began to die off, providing opportunities for the Empire to expand and industrialize their vacated domains using a new class of vessels: spacefaring locomotives.

Locomotives

We know what you're thinking... yes, London went to space by train! Much like their earth-bound counterparts, locomotives are steam-powered. They feature tough plating made out of steel and the new material Bronzewood that protects occupants from the dangers of the High Wilderness.

Star-Madness

"The windows of your locomotive are stained glass, spilling panes of lush colour across you. In the High Wilderness, the light of the stars is enchanting. Looking too long can stir consuming obsessions, or wild fascinations. The coloured glass offers some small defence."

Sky-captain should watch out for their crew looking too long at the stars, as it would lead into an outbreak of Star-madness. Locomotives on the High Wilderness is equipped with stained glass, which functions as a prevention of star-madness.

Wells

"Holes in the sky, prowled by harrying well-winds which drag reckless locomotives in. Each well is a prison for some enemy of the stars: anything too powerful, too personal, or too useful to kill outright."

Wells - the High Wilderness' version of black holes - exist, often drawing in unwary travelers. Some cults gather around these hungry manifestations to perform rites.

Major locations

• Albion - The heart of the Empire in the High Wilderness, home to New London and Empress Victoria's Throne of Hours.
• The Reach - The lush and verdant frontier beyond Albion, just waiting to be exploited and industrialized.
• Eleutheria - A dark and riotously pagan region. Ruled by a former Judgement that now emit darkness.
• The Blue Kingdom - A stretch of space said to be populated by the dead.