"Jericho Locks: the hub of the Hinterlands' canals. The place where the bargemen cool their heels between voyages, where certain trade between London and Hell flows. Once, these waters belonged to the Surface – before the Masters changed all that."[1]
"No music, except the viol. And that's only because some fool visitor struck up playing one in the Hands, and the Locks, stayed right where they was."[2]
Jericho Locks was once part of a university on the Surface.[3] It fell to the Neath during the Fall of London,[4] and its canals linked with the rivers of Hell.[5] The Masters of the Bazaar saw an opportunity in this,[6] and turned Jericho into a hub for trade between London and Hell.[7] The waterways are navigated by the Guild of Gondoliers,[8] who helm sable-colored barges, and whose senior members wear silver half-masks.[9] The Guild enforces several rules and traditions, including a ban on all music barring the viol.[10][11] When the Great Hellbound Railway arrived at Jericho, the Guild's enterprise was threatened,[12] and some members even attempted to sabotage the railway's infrastructure.[13][14]
The Arborist's Hands is the Locks' only public house, run by the Nostalgic Landlady.[15] When London fell, the Masters laid claim to everything touched by the river Thames; unluckily, the river was flooding its banks at the time and the building was roped into the deal.[16]
The Canals
"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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"The west of Jericho is dominated by its locks. Seven great gates divide the canal as it rises Hellward. Each gate is made of a different precious metal. Each is adored with a unique, hideous metalwork face."[17]
"The Wandering Gondolier explains how the canals feed into rivers that feed into Hell. There is a nexus of these tributaries west of Jericho – and at their heart the waters course with venom. That is where this ruined palace is. The poison keeps the Guild away; even Hell's own merchants avoid it."[18]
Hell's waterways.
Jericho's canals serve as a transportation route for both cargo[19] and passengers.[20] Their red waters[21] can be quite hazardous, as they are ruled by bellicose factions of gondoliers and devils, and teeming with ancient and dangerous monsters.[22][23] Jericho's eponymous canal locks are seven in number: each is made from a different valuable metal, and each is adorned with a unique, hideous face.[24]
While Jericho itself is relatively recent,[4]Hell's canal system was constructed in ancient times.[25] The Hinterlands' waterways appear to be a mix of natural rivers[26] and artificial canals.[27] The canals were expanded during the time of the Second City;[25] the waterways converge around the poisonous Sere Palace,[28] home to a pool that controls the canal's gates and water flows.[29][30]
Locations accessible from Jericho Locks include:[31]
↑Take a tour of Jericho, Fallen London""Jericho!" [...] it's been here since the Fall. Canals first, [...] since the waters rushed into Hell's tributaries [...]"
↑Jericho Locks, Fallen London"Jericho Locks: the hub of the Hinterlands' canals. [...] where certain trade between London and Hell flows."
↑Jericho Locks: The Lockside, Fallen London"Jericho Locks is home to its Guild of Gondoliers: [...] who [...] work the [...] trade routes between the two great cities of the west."
↑Ask about the Arborist's Hands, Fallen London"[...] that [...] drinking house should be up on the Surface, [...] When the Masters brought the river down, it happened to have burst its banks. Flooded the pub [....] the terms of the agreement were 'everything the water touches'...""
↑Return to London (from Jericho Locks), Fallen London"The tracks east of Jericho are subject to hazards: aggrieved gondoliers [...] battles between devils [...] the train is caught in a tense stand-off between gondoliers, [...] sects of devils and an ancient, [...] thing [...] from the [...] canal water. [...] the [...] thing begins to eat the [...] sect of devils."
↑Jericho: The Canals, Fallen London"The west of Jericho is dominated by its locks. Seven great gates divide the canal as it rises Hellward. Each gate is made of a different precious metal. Each is adored with a unique, hideous metalwork face."
↑The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London"This final leg is under the belching shadow of Hell. [...] The canal is divided by the vagaries of Hell's edicts, [...]"
↑A Conversation with the Wandering Gondolier, Fallen London"[...] the canals feed into rivers that feed into Hell. There is a nexus of these tributaries [...] at their heart the waters course with venom. That is where this ruined palace is."
↑The Lotus Pool 2, Fallen London"[...] mosaics [...] they correspond to the waterways here. [...] an old trench off the canals. Dry now. [...] If [...] I fill this pool [...] it will open a gate that will flood one of the old routes."
