The Neath is an immense, impossible cavern that stretches beneath the Surface, incorporating the Western Continent, the Elder Continent and the vast Unterzee. It is traditionally said to be about the size of Europe,[1] and there are cavern walls,[2] but because space is highly distorted in the Neath—and the four cardinal directions behave in eldritch, non-Euclidean ways—it is likely far larger:
To the South lies the Elder Continent and the Mountain;
To the West of London lies Hell itself, while upon the Unterzee, the Dawn Machine has dramatically stretched the West even further.[5]
Although the Neath is located underground, conventional distances and geography do not apply. Its position relative to the Surface is bizarre and often contradictory. Throughout history, there have been many entrances or holes linking the Surface to the Neath.[6] In the era of the Second City, these entrances were numerous, but many have since closed.[7] Nevertheless, several connections remain:
The Travertine Spiral, a great spiral of white stone, joining the ground of the Neath to the Roof – and the Surface beyond.[8]
Lake Avernus served as the Roman mythical gateway to the underworld long before the construction of the Cumaean Canal, though the Canal later made passage far easier.
Guarding and regulating the Neath are forces known as the Treacheries: violations against the natural order of the Chain.[11] There are said to be seven Treacheries,[12]of which five are known: Clocks, Maps, Breath, Glass, and Hearts. The nature of the remaining two remains a mystery.[13][14]
Because of the absence of the sun, the Neath does not experience the conventional seasons seen on the Surface. Instead, it has its own peculiar cycle known as the False-Seasons:[15]
False-Spring
During this time, the movements of bats are said to form the shape of a lovers' embrace.[16] This is when London celebrates the Feast of the Exceptional Rose and Whitsun.
False-Summer
During False-Summer, the Neath becomes hotter and more humid,[17] the damp blowing from the Unterzee.[18] False-Summer's effects roughly mirrors the Surface's summer,[19][20] but with its own Neathy twists like wandering Parabolan mirages[21] and the troublesome outbreak of spore-fever.[22] London used to host its Mayoral Elections around this time, but has since replaced the boring democratic process with other fun summer time activities.
False-Autumn
This time of year is when London celebrates Hallowmas, the Feast of Masks.
False-Winter
Each December, "snow" begins to accumulate in London,[23] and the city celebrates Christmas. During this season, bat movements are said to take the form of a sleeping cat.[16]
Origins
Long ago, the entity that was the Earth[24] served a "fierce and brilliant" Judgement,[25][26] likely the Sun. It accepted the Sun's offer to ascend the Chain and become a Judgement.[27] In what would later be known as the Cataclysm of Silver,[28] the Sun sent a Courier, a predecessor to the Bazaar, who struck the Earth with tremendous force.[29] This Messenger, later called the Shattered Herald,[30] tore away a massive chunk of the planet, which rose into the sky and became the Moon.[31][32] The remnants of the Earth which were left behind would become the Creditor, and the vast hollow resulting from the impact: the Neath.[27] The Sun repurposed the Neath as a hidden vault for its experiments, placing the Creditor[33] in charge of overseeing and protecting the Shames[34] who were hidden from the Judgements' sight.[35]
Neath is short for Beneath.[36] It is pronounced "neeth," and not "neth" or "ne-ath."
Historical and Cultural Inspirations
Across ancient civilizations, the idea of subterranean realms and underworld afterlives has appeared again and again. In Greek and Roman mythology, there was Hades, the shadowy land of the dead. Norse mythology spoke of Svartálfaheimr, the realm of dwarves hidden deep beneath the earth. In Hindu belief, Patala was an underground domain inhabited by serpents and demons, while Tibetan tradition told of Shambhala, a secret kingdom hidden beneath the Himalayas.
The Neath clearly draws from these mythological traditions, bearing particular resemblance to the Greek conception of Hades. Much like the ancient warnings about the food of the dead, Suface travellers in the Neath are advised not to eat its food or linger too long if they hope to return to the Surface. It is a realm populated by monstrous horrors, cunning devils, and strange, otherworldly creature, exactly the kind of denizens one might expect from a mythological underworld.
However, the Neath draws from more than just myth. It is also influenced by early scientific theories, particularly the Hollow Earth theory. In the 17th century, Edmond Halley proposed that the Earth was made up of concentric hollow shells, each with its own atmosphere, and possibly even its own forms of life. He suggested this model to account for anomalous compass readings. Nevertheless, by the late 18th century, experiments such as Charles Hutton's Schiehallion experiment demonstrated the Earth's dense mass, effectively disproving the Hollow Earth hypothesis. Modern geology and seismology have since confirmed that Earth possesses a solid inner core and a molten outer core, structures wholly incompatible with a hollow interior.
Yet despite being scientifically debunked, the Hollow Earth theory captured the imagination of writers and the public alike, inspiring a wealth of literary works. Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) remains one of the most famous, popularizing the idea of subterranean adventure. Later, in the 1940s, Richard Sharpe Shaver’s "Shaver Mystery" introduced stories of ancient beings living in underground caves, secretly influencing human affairs.
The persistence of these ideas suggests that there is something profoundly compelling about the mysteries that lie beneath our feet. Perhaps humanity is drawn, instinctively, to the dark and hidden places of the world. After all, the low places are not only deep and dark, they are also marvelous.
↑Measure the measureless, Fallen London"[...] They say that the East is a plane that extends infinitely in that direction, and also a sharp line where existence halts. [...] They say, alarmingly, that it is terribly beautiful there."
↑The place that is no place, Sunless Sea"The unterzee has no northern shore. Space is forbidden. Time contracts to a single frozen instant. There is only one way North."
↑Unborn time, Sunless Sea"The Dawn Machine's roots extend here, into a luminous, impossible space. You breathe gold. You think light."
↑A Devil's Due, Fallen London"[...] A different time – the world was bigger. The Neath was more permeable. Every cave, grotto, or hole in the ground in Europe has a legend that claims it is a passageway to Hell. Some of those stories used to be true."
↑A Devil's Due, Fallen London"It is neither proper nor safe for a Devil to visit the Surface. Unheard of in these times. But in the days of the Second City, the Laws used to be softer. [...]"
↑Your beloved, Fallen London"But you have the key to the Last Labyrinth [...] You pass through the fungus-choked corridors, the pits where the Inhabiters walk, the broken gates. [...] You breach the surface, at last, in an apple orchard just outside Shepton Mallet, through a Neolithic tomb of unlikely age. It's night, but the air is warm, and scented with summer."
↑The Dumbwaiter of Balmoral, Fallen London"Due to an accidental entanglement during the Fall, the Balmoral kitchen dumbwaiters connect not to another part of the Castle, but to a modest-sized townhouse in Edinburgh."
↑Look up (SMEN), Fallen London"Clocks, Maps, Breath, Glass – and the three beyond. This is what protects the Courier and its toadies. You can end that. Your hand, your mouth, your voice. Ask the Question. Open the Gate. Advance."
↑ 16.016.1Sidebar Snippet: Divination and chiropteromancy, Fallen London"Astrology without stars? The movements of bats up in the far reaches of the cavern roof are mysterious, but seasonal patterns can be observed. There is a shape often seen in winter that looks just like a sleeping cat; one in spring that could be a lovers' embrace. [...]"
↑Sidebar Snippet: False-summer, Fallen London"The Neath has no sunshine. None of the trappings of the seasons. Still it becomes hotter sometimes, more humid. A volcano beneath the Unterzee that releases bubbles of hot, sulphurous gas, like gargantuan belches from a sleeping giant? Actual gargantuan belches from an actual sleeping giant? Convection currents created by the migratory flight patterns of bats? Whatever the reason for these hot spells, they make the chiller fogs of the Neath a distant, pleasant memory."
↑Sidebar Snippet: Heat and Dust, Fallen London"The Neath's roughly-annual false-summer brings with it many inconveniences, not the least of which is the proliferation of damp, warm fog. It blows in off the Unterzee, when the breeze is in the right direction. Finding yourself out in it is akin to trying to walk through a hot, wet blanket. One that has recently been used to dry a hot, wet dog."
↑Sidebar Snippet: Summer in the Neath, Fallen London"How to relieve the tedium of the warm season, when condensation drips from the roof of the cavern like a monsoon of stagnant sweat, and Fallen London smells as fresh as a week-old corpse? L.B.s can be paid to attach fans to bonnets. Pomander traders make their fortunes. But the best way of all to cool down is with a delicious fungal ice-cream. Urchin entrepreneurs with handcarts can supply everything from toadstool sorbet to frozen puffball creams. Where do they get the ice to keep their wares cold? Trust your correspondent when I assure you you do not wish to know."
↑Sidebar Snippet: Summer of Jack, Fallen London"False-summer sends Jack-of-Smiles, Fallen London's most prolific murderer, just that little bit more unhinged. Who can blame him? The maddening, stinging clouds of marsh-gnats, the soupy humidity, the incessant chattering of the brightly-dressed crowds thronging the tea-houses and taverns. Not to mention the extra...temptations provided for him at the edges of said crowds, where citizens may not always be strictly sober or entirely without sin."
↑Sidebar Snippet: The Wandering Mirage, Fallen London"Nasty, shimmering patches of air float along the streets in the false summers of the Neath. Strange lights sometimes dance in attendance. Far-off places can be glimpsed. Don't walk through these. There are worse places than Fallen London."
↑Sidebar Snippet: Spore-fever, Fallen London"Spore-fever. False-summer would not be the same without it. All of Fallen London is stricken, at once: sneezing, wheezing, eyes streaming. Handkerchiefs are brandished; eyes are concealed behind smoked glass pince-nez; F.F. Gebrandt sells out of remedies, whether they are intended for spore-fever or not. A city is united in self-pity. There are real cures, but their side-effects are nastier than the symptoms."
↑Sidebar Snippet: Snow in the Neath?, Fallen London"The snow that falls in the Neath every December is something of a mystery. Condensation from the cavern's roof, the sloughed chitin of enormous insects, or the dandruff of a tonsorially careless God? In any case, catching snowflakes on your tongue is probably a bad idea."
↑Guess at a time before history, Fallen London"The Creditor was once a greater body, of shared substance with the Moon, cold rock. Before that, liquid stone and metal, tucked within the shell of the Earth, indistinguishable from that vaster substance. Before that? Something without an outer shell at all, perhaps the whole of the planet. [...]"
↑ 27.027.1Long Ago the Sun and Moon, Fallen London"The Sun offered to transform the mute land into a star. But when the cataclysm came, the body of the Moon was flung into the sky and the Creditor remained, hollowed as a crust of bread. In any apotheosis, some rind of mortality is left behind."
