"Sullen lights glow green at the jetty's edge. Behind the port buildings, the island is is knee-deep in ash. There are ruins here and there, of houses destroyed by fire. Far above, the mountain's top flickers red: just for an instant."[1]
Mount Palmerston is a large volcanic island to the north of the Unterzee.
Mt Palmerston is a sparsely populated island near a potentially active volcano. The ground is knee-deep in volcanic ash, and the landscape is marked by burned ruins.[3] Many farmers have attempted to settle here, but their ventures were ended by past eruptions, leaving behind only scorched fields.[4] Some ruins may be more than just failed settlements: one contains graffiti of the Dawn Machine written in a language of Hell, while another is an ossuary containing a bent cross carved of bone.[5] There is also a hidden oasis here, full of unnatural trees covered in strange fungi.[6] While fishing the stream could be a profitable endeavor, it is also home to monstrosities no wise zailor should meet head-on.[7]
The soul trade has a strong foothold at Palmerston, with mysterious hooded figures serving as contacts for smugglers.[8] One such character is the Buzzing Beggar, who despite its title does pay for smuggled souls; it also wears a mask, and has hard, wood-like flesh.[9][10]
The Brimstone Convention
"There was a revolution in Hell: and the aristocracy of devils fled here. Here, they plot in exile."[11]
"You bend your head closer. Closer. You feel the sounds tingling in your teeth and bones now. You can make out words: Judgements. Dream. Zalt. Alliance. Ecstasy. The sound overcomes you, and your vision blurs to red and grey."[12]
Once, there was a revolution in Hell known as the Season of Revolutions. The aristocrats on the losing side took up shelter at Mt Palmerston and formed the Brimstone Convention. They reside near the summit of the island and rarely interfere with the port below,[13] but their droning - like billions of bees - permeates through the mountain's upper slopes, loud enough to rattle a person's teeth from their skull.[14]
It is not known whether the Convention's membership currently includes Grand Devils; it is confirmed that at least one prince of Hell resided here at some point,[15] but according to a Marigold Knight, the Convention believes all of Hell's former princes are slain.[16] Either way, the Brass Embassy is hellbent on hunting down these renegades, and will pay large indulgences for information.[17] In turn, the Palmerston exiles are plotting counter-revolutions to defeat Hell, but these plans appear desperate and impractical.[18]
A certain Wistful Deviless resides in a cozy cottage near Palmerston, acting as a guardian of the crater.[19] Despite her station, she misses Hell, and seeks to feed intelligence about the Convention to the Brass Embassy so that they may allow her return.[20] The Brimstone Convention may appear to be on dire straits, but their ultimate schemes seem to involve Parabola, the Judgements, Salt, and a potential alliance with any one of these influential powers.[21]
Historical and Cultural Inspirations
Many real-life locations called "Palmerston" existed throughout history, named after the famous Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston. Temple was the Prime Minister of the UK from 1859-1865, and had a long and famed career as a politician throughout the Victorian Era; due to his reputation, diplomacy, and political activity, explorers named many sites after him. One such site is the Palmerston Atoll in the Cook Islands of Polynesia, a chain of 15 small islands which in fact rest on top of a volcano.[22] Of these islands, the island of Palmerston is the only one currently populated.[23]
↑Location description, Sunless Sea"Behind the port buildings, the island is is knee-deep in ash. There are ruins here and there, of houses destroyed by fire. [...] the mountain's top flickers red: just for an instant."
↑Find your contact, Sunless Sea"[...] the ruined granary up on the headland, where the last generation of farmers died in the volcano's flames."
↑Dig among the ruins, Sunless Sea"One wall of a barn [...] Someone has gouged words into it, in one of the lesser alphabets of Hell - an account of a dream of the Usurper Sun, of its gear-teeth [...] How many of them died down here? [...] Three grinning skulls and a carven crooked-cross."
↑Event description, Sunless Sea"A quiet hollow. A stream of sweet dark water. A grove of parasynthetic fruit trees, boughs heavy with symbiotic fungus."
↑Fish in the stream, Sunless Sea"Fish in the stream [...] lazy, menacing ripples disturb the surface. There's more in there than sticklebacks. [...] The strangling horror that emerges from the water [...] the screaming seaman in whom it embeds its many mouths. [...] too late for him [...] You return to the ship with gall-fruit, gloam-carp and freshly filled water-casks. This has been a good day."
↑Chat to the port-folk about the Brimstone Convention, Sunless Sea"Chat to the port-folk about the Brimstone Convention [...] There was a revolution in Hell: and the aristocracy of devils fled here. Here, they plot in exile. [...] “They don't do us any harm. They stay up there, and we stay down here."
↑Independent verification, Sunless Sea"You scramble up the stones. Before you are more than half-way up [...] There is a sound in the earth - a profound, complex, overwhelming drone, like the buzzing of a billion billion bees."
↑The Pulling of a Thread: (Opportunity), Fallen London"The plans for a new warship were indeed stolen by devils, though not devils from Hell. The culprit [...] anti-Republican sympathies – secretly an agent for the exiles of Mt. Palmerston. The whole plan seems like a bit of a stretch: even if they had the plans [...] they couldn't build it. And even if they could, it wouldn't do much against Hell's forces. But counter-revolution is a desperate business."
↑Story description, Sunless Sea"The road to the crater ends at a brass gate in the crater wall. Beside it stands an oddly charming [...] cottage. [...] An equally charming deviless [...] leans against the cottage wall, [...] “I am the guardian of this place,” [...]"
↑The Deviless disconsolate, Sunless Sea"The lights, the agonies, the scalding mists of lead. I miss them so. I long to return from exile. [...] There's no future with the Convention." [...] I overhear things, [...] the Convention's plans. Take them back to London for me. The officialdom of Hell will show gratitude to me, [...]"
↑Independent verification, Sunless Sea"There is a sound in the earth - a profound, complex, overwhelming drone, like the buzzing of a billion billion bees. [...] You bend your head closer. [...] You can make out words: Judgements. Dream. Zalt. Alliance. Ecstasy. The sound overcomes you, and your vision blurs to red and grey."
