Nook

"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.

"A gap in this colossal sea monster's throat has been forced open with thick heartmetal beams. They strain under the pressure, but hold. As you pass through, your zubmarine lights pass over a message carved in a floating piece of some unfortunate's hull. BEYOND IS NOOK. BEYOND IS FREEDOM. BEYOND IS- The rest is scratched out."

Nook is a settlement located within the maw of an enormous beast located below the Unterzee.

A Taste of Freedom

"A great mouth in the zee-floor, home to a lawless, aquatic culture."

Deep below the Unterzee lies a creature embedded within the zeefloor, its jaws pried open with heartmetal. The creature's teeth are larger than buildings, have moored several shipwrecks between them, and extend far below into the creature's throat. The creature appears to be hibernating, but its nerves remain very sensitive, and one wrong move can trigger a frightening jolt. Within this creature's maw lies Nook, the city of freedom.

The water inside Nook, called Nookwater, is foul but conveniently quite breathable. Newcomers to the settlement typically find their lungs unaccustomed to Nookwater, and they may feel as though they're drowning as the water enters their airways. Luckily, getting drunk can relieve this sensation somewhat, and can help develop tolerance. Over time, exposure to Nookwater can be exhilarating, but leaving Nook can cause symptoms similar to withdrawal upon being forced to breathe air again.

Culture

"Yet the inhabitants seem content. Many have come here from London, the Khanate, the Presbyterate; abandoning cultured life for this tenuous existence. They grin, their mouths full of stolen flesh, or float naked and carefree. Many have nothing, and nothing to lose."

Take a deep breath.

Despite the obvious hazard of living inside a giant, lamprey-like beast whose mouth is only barely kept open with metallic rods, Nook is populated with people from all across the Unterzee, hailing from places such as London, the Khanate, and the Presbyterate. Most of its denizens are naked; visiting Nook in a full diving suit is the fastest way to earn ridicule. For shelter, the inhabitants of Nook carve the creature's massive teeth into caves and houses, some of which are comparable in size to those in London. Nook is a society largely known for its near-complete lawlessness, with the laws that do remain being written in blood. Thus, Nook's inhabitants, called Nookfolk, tend to be suspicious of outsiders, and carry weapons for self-defense. However, they can be quite cordial to those properly accustomed to their new environment.

Watch for sharp edges.

Verbal communication is nearly impossible in Nook due to the lack of air, so the Nookfolk primarily use sign language for communication, using unique signs as well as gestures familiar to outsiders. The only reliable sources of light within Nook are strange green polyps called phosphorescent nodules, often mined from Nook's teeth. Due to the value of light in Nook, many tooth-miners show utter disinterest in any other objects they may find, such as gemstones or other treasures.

A certain etched tooth-house in the upper areas of Nook is filled with air pockets. This unique environment allows for activities, such as talking, that wouldn't be possible in Nook's aquatic surroundings. The house is maintained by Batuk of the Seven Against Nidah, who "cares not a damn" about whatever might be happening outside of Nook.

The Depths of Nook

"Down here the water is cloudy, its greens streaked by dissipating patches of coppery red. Only a few teeth still protrude from the walls. Instead, razor-sharp hairs line them, rippling gently in the current."

The water within the deeper areas of Nook is often unusually cloudy. In these depths, the Nookfolk harvest a substance called Nookweed from the smaller surrounding teeth, which can induce horrifying, bloody visions when consumed. Rather than residing in tooth-homes, the Nookfolk down here carve out temporary dwellings for themselves in the creature's softer flesh.

Deeper still, the Nookwater is extremely foggy, acidic, and filled with bubbles, and very few Nookfolk venture down this far. These regions are home to dangerous parasites such as enormous leeches, but are littered with useful phosphorescent nodules, dropped by those residing above.

Gone No Further

"Unbreathable! A persistent viscosity pushes you down, towards the digestive juices of the hideous stomach below. Only frantic kicking allows you to struggle free and rise again. Gripping tight to a stomach hair to get your strength back, one thing is clear - this is as low as you can go."

Quite far enough.

The very deepest regions of Nook are situated within the gullet of the massive creature. Here, the water is so revolting it can barely be swam through, but treasure hunters known as Nookdivers roam these depths, guarding their riches fiercely from attackers. Other inhabitants include enormous maggots that feast on the skeletons and shipwrecks found below, as well as massive, winding tapeworms.

The walls in these depths sometimes emanate strange, vision-inducing lights, and some are lined with skeletal remains. Nook's citizens dispose of their dead by wrapping them in zeeweed before weighting their bodies, causing them to sink far below into the creature's gullet. This ceremony may in fact play a role in sating the creature's unnerving hunger. Beyond this depth, the Nookwater is completely unbreathable, and the heavy viscosity may force divers directly into the creature's stomach below.

The Leviathan

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?" Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.

"You are vast - larger than any beast or building. You are hungry - you could devour whole fleets and not be sated. You are lonely. You are far from home. You are imprisoned in the belly of a tiny world, sealed away from the blazing stars, and the singing nowhere-winds, and the edgeless, echoing freedom of -"

An Aeginae's eye.

Nook is an Aeginae, a creature from the High Wilderness that once roamed the skies. During its travels, it encountered the stars, their shining thrones, and the winds of space. However, it eventually ended up in the Neath for unknown reasons, and while the Neath is a rather free place, the Aeginae seems to consider the sky even freer.

The Aeginae, now resides below the Unterzee, and it sleeps, dreams, and mourns, steadily growing hungrier and hungrier as the days pass by.