"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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"A lone hill commands the once green pastures of Burrow-Infra-Mump. At its peak sits the ruin of a lonely Saxon church. On the Surface, wind would whistle through the empty arches and up the broken tower. Here, the church is silent."[1]
"The land west of Balmoral falls under neither the jurisdiction of Hell nor London. It is forbidden for either side to attempt to use the territory betwixt the two for matters of espionage, politics or religious conversion."[2]
Burrow-Infra-Mump was built on the Surface, but fell to the Neath for reasons unknown. The church atop the hill is now abandoned and in ruins.[3] Should it be restored, it is not permitted to affiliate with the Anglican Church or Hell, per the Violet Treaty governing the Hinterlands' neutral territories.[4]
Behind the church is a graveyard with headstones inscribed with a language of Hell.[5] Within the graves are aged, insectoid remains.[6]
A Land Dispute
"Before Burrow fell, the Drummer had its holdfast here: a province of the white city. All this was the Drummer's dominion and all within marched to his tempo. Then came a new ideology and with it the seeds of revolution."[7]
A drumbeat.
Before Burrow fell, the place where it landed was a territory of the Drummer,[8] one of the Grand Devils of Hell.[9] During the Season of Revolutions, he was deposed[10] and imprisoned at the end of a tunnel[11] found deep below the hill.[12][13]
Regardless of his situation, the Drummer still considers the land his domain,[14] and can easily punish any trespass with his signature thundering.[15]
Real-Life Inspirations
Burrow Mump is a large hill in Somerset, crowned by a church dating back to at least the 15th century; a reconstruction was attempted in 1793 but was left incomplete.[16] The church is referred to in Fallen London as being Saxon; while the date of its construction is unknown, the site is also called King Alfred's Fort, referring to the Saxon king Alfred the Great. There is, however, no evidence Alfred actually used it.[17]
↑Broken Spires, Fallen London"[...] the once green pastures of Burrow-Infra-Mump. At its peak sits the ruin of a [...] church. [...] the church is silent."
↑Listen to the Synod's Opening, Fallen London"Someone [...] opened a Christian house of worship in the High Hinterlands. [...] contravenes the Violet Treaty, [...] land west of Balmoral falls under neither the jurisdiction of Hell nor London. [...] forbidden for either side to attempt to use the territory betwixt the two for [...] espionage, politics or religious conversion.""
↑The Old Churchyard, Fallen London"An old graveyard rests behind the church [...] headstones [...] marked in one of the languages of Hell: [...]"
↑Dig up the graves, Fallen London"[...] the graves are uncovered, [...] Within, [...] find thin, papery shells – [...] might be cocoons or [...] curled-up wings. [...] remains that were interred within the graves are gathered up [...]"
↑Commune, Fallen London"Before Burrow fell, the Drummer had its holdfast here: a province of the white city. All this was the Drummer's dominion [...] Then came a new ideology and [...] seeds of revolution. [...] his own servants [...] sealed him away [...]"
↑Heed the call, Fallen London"[...] from the church crypt is a [...] tunnel. [...] running to the heart of the Drummer, [...] tunnel ends [...] A pane of silvered glass [...] In the reflection, [...] some vast, eight-legged thing watches."
↑Commune, Fallen London"[...] the Drummer considers himself your landlord and you his tenant."
↑The Devil's Due, Fallen London"The church echoes with [...] drumming. [...] cannot be ignored. [...] will not be silenced. [...] The Drummer-in-the-Depths is sending his summons."
↑Bit About Britain: Was England Born in Athelney?"Burrow Mump is another hill, little over a mile to the northwest of Athelney. It has a ruined church on it and its own story to tell, but is sometimes known as King Alfred’s Fort. There is no evidence that Alfred used it as such, but it was once owned by Athelney Abbey and commands such spectacular views over the levels that it would be strange if he hadn’t used it as a lookout."
