Nuncio

"DO NOT RETURN, SENDER."

Nuncio is where the Neath's mailmen go when they get frustrated, bored, or ashamed of their undelivered mail.

Ratmas for All!

"Taciturn functionaries walk the docks, in the uniforms of postmen. An enormous crowned statue casts a chilling shadow.The shadows gleam with rats' eyes. Their ceaseless chittering rolls like the tide."

The island of Nuncio, dating back to the First City, is a place where all undelivered mail ends up eventually; its shores are constantly swarmed with washed-up letters and parcels, attracted by a mysterious magnetic pull. The island is also a home to postmen who've managed to acquire any dead letters during their careers; the letters' attraction to Nuncio eventually takes their owners there, so that the postmen can gather and catalog the dead mail in hope of one day allowing its delivery. The magnetic pull is not the only strange phenomenon on the island; Nuncio's mail is almost indestructible, and able to reforge itself even after it has exploded.

Nuncio's giant statue can be interpreted as a representation of its many postmen; its appearance changes over time to best represent the people living on the island.

The island is infested with hordes of rats, and Nuncio's inhabitants use their corpses as currency.

NO WORD LOST

"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously." Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked content. Proceed with caution. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.

Deep under the island lies a giant spiral cavern, with walls lined with undelivered mail from all the previous Fallen Cities. At its very bottom is a needle of deep black rock, whose surface is inscribed with sigils of the Correspondence. This needle is the source of the island's supernatural happenings, as the words written upon it are a powerful commandment: no message may ever go undelivered.

Possible Origins

The term "Nuncio" isn't a real-world place, but it is a title.

Nuncio (officially known as an Apostolic nuncio and also known as a papal nuncio) is the title for an ecclesiastical diplomat, being an envoy or permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or international organization. A nuncio is appointed by and represents the Holy See, and is the head of the diplomatic mission, called an Apostolic Nunciature, which is the equivalent of an embassy.

This perhaps is referencing the giant statue in the center of the island. The ultimate messenger of The Unterzee, Nuncio is sanctuary for all those who must deliver messages and packages. It is only natural that the island is named after one of the most important messengers in the Christian world.

Fun fact: The basic idea for Nuncio was created by Spacemarine9, creator of the lore blogs Saint-Arthur and Saint-Beau, who spent some time working for Failbetter.