"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 towering manse, dappled with dead ivy, crowned with turrets and a sturdy keep. The castle was built for the Empress and the Consort before London fell. When it did, due to legal entanglements, Balmoral fell with it."[1]
Balmoral was originally built in Scotland on the Surface. It was considered part of the Empress' holdings, so it fell alongside London during the Fall.[3][4] The castle itself is currently closed to the public.[5] Within its kitchen is a dumbwaiter (freight elevator), which by some anomaly leads all the way up to the Surface.[6] This device is used to smuggle goods both in and out of Balmoral, such as Surface flowers[7] or Neathy treasures.[8]
A group of painters work out of a distillery[9] at Crathie, a town near Balmoral.[10] They provide the Shuttered Palace with artwork of Balmoral,[11] but only as the Empress "wishes to remember it."[12] Not all of Crathie's Scottish residents are particularly satisfied with the Empress, however; there is a dialect spoken in the town where invocations of specifically English customs like tea and scones are considered terribly rude and inviting of punishment.[13]
The Clay Highwayman and his gang have a hideout within Balmoral's woods.[14]
The Kirk of the Septemberists
"The Old Kirk is the haunt of locals and radicals, gathered among the pews to discuss poetry, philosophy and politics. The congregation comprises many of the old servants of the Empress, cut adrift after the Fall. Some resided in Crathie before the Fall, others arrived later – outcasts and exiles searching for a safe harbour west of London and east of Hell."[15]
The Kirk of the Septemberists is a gathering of intellectuals at Crathie. Their leader is September of the Calendar Council,[16] and their numbers are predominantly Scottish,[17] consisting of Crathie's old residents and those seeking refuge from London and Hell.[18] The Septemberists organize readings and debates about works of literature, specifically those connected to Mr Pages and its bureaucracies. They believe that by studying Pages' writings and quirks, they will gain insights on how to thwart its oppression.[19]
The Woods of Balmoral
"Dead and dying pinewoods skirt the boundaries of Balmoral. Despite its state, the woodland remains dense. Eyes watch from the thick undergrowth. Howls come from deep within the wood."[20]
"We really did our best, but what with the ocular modifications and the Empress' frankly ridiculous stipulation that 'the woods always be seen in moonlight', things went awry. Still, I'm glad some of them are still alive."[21]
Dense woods surround Balmoral, though its trees are decrepit and withered.[22] These woods are said to be haunted, and rumored to be a place where travelers can witness their destinies.[23] In truth, they are lit by moonlight,[24] which gives wanderers visions of an alternate reality known as the Upstairs.[25][26] In the Upstairs' timeline, September was killed by the Queen's regime[27] before her overthrow and exile to Balmoral.[28] To avenge his death,[27] the Septemberists besieged the Queen and her army,[29][30] which turned Balmoral's woods into a war zone.[31] While the real woods remain peaceful, the moonlight makes it difficult to distinguish between the two realities.[32] Some of Balmoral's staff are trapped seeing the Upstairs permanently, including the castle's caretaker who keeps the gates shut,[33] and the Devoted Ghillie who guards the forest.[34][35]
The Balmoral's woods are managed by the Marigold Menagerie Keeper under an agreement between the Empress and Hell.[36] Per the Empress' demands, the woods were populated with animals such as deer[37] and grouse,[38] albeit biologically modified to suit their environment.[39][40] They are now quite monstrous, with alterations like extra beaks,[41] silver eyes,[42] or a tendency to roar.[43] However, under moonlight they may appear strangely familiar.[44]
↑Speak to the Stiff-Backed Critic, Fallen London"[...] the works [...] all go direct to the Palace. [...] "The Palace [...] wants [...] artists to provide Her Majesty with landscapes of Balmoral [...]"
↑Practise the Unspoken Languages, Fallen London"There is a specific dialect of English spoken only at Crathie where the more English the word, the worse its invocation. To speak of tea and scones in that place is to invite a swift drubbing and then trussing up in the woods for the not-deer to find."
↑The Kirk of the Septemberists, Fallen London"The Old Kirk [...] locals and radicals, gathered [...] to discuss poetry, philosophy and politics. [...] Some resided in Crathie before the Fall, [...] current leader is known as September, [...]"
↑Discern hidden truths, Fallen London"The speakers at the Kirk dissect literature, poetry, scripture and political tracts [...] Each text under discussion was either penned by Mr Pages, or originated from its personal publishing house. [...] in London th' pen is th' sword o' th' Masters. Tae ken th' mynd o' oor enemy, we must study his wurds for their meaning."
↑Explore the woods, Fallen London"The moon disappears, [...] You search for a [...] cause, [...] uncover a slim cache. [...] once it would have held smuggled moonlight."
↑ 27.027.1Accompany September, Fallen London"[...] mournful laments for Lost September. [...] September listens [...] He hears his name [...] the long slow starvation in some [...] cell below the Palace. [...] those who came out to the streets in his name and marched north."
↑Wander the woods, Fallen London"[...] you encounter a trench. The moon gazes down [...] The bloody bodies of Septemberists hang [...] There has been an ambush [...]"
↑Wander the woods, Fallen London"The moon gazes down on you [...] The bloody bodies of Septemberists hang in the woods [...] There has been an ambush [...] You are walking in a dead woodland [...] The moon is gone. You are no longer seeing elsewhere."
↑Knock 2, Fallen London"A [...] ancient peers from [...] within. [...] Unless ye have the Empress' seal, I'll no' admit ye." [...] "Must keep the Empress safe from the Septemberists." He slams the gate shut."
↑Report a sighting of a Fox, Fallen London"We [...] did our best, but what with the ocular modifications and the [...] stipulation that 'the woods [...] in moonlight', things went awry."
↑Track down the Capercaillie, Fallen London"You [...] catch the flutter of wings [...] Black feathers, [...] seven beaks. The call is distinctive, strangled like a grouse."
↑Track your quarry, Fallen London"A fox, its fur flaming red, [...] The moon silvers its coat [...] diving into the undergrowth once more. The moonlight begins to fade: a thick, black tail brushes the ground [...] silver eyes blink [...]"
