Abbey Rock

From The Fifth City Wiki

"A black spit of an island, far from anywhere anyone would want to go. And that's how the Sisterhood likes it. Here stands their fortress-convent. There are bear-traps that look friendlier than this."[1]

Abbey Rock is a tiny island in the Southern Archipelago that harbors the Sisterhood's Island Convent, a small order of feisty nuns.

An Order of Warrior-Nuns[edit | edit source]

"A dozen nuns eye you with expressions that range from suspicion to curiosity. Everyone is armed – they all carry the spiked rosaries you've seen before. A few have revolvers. One has an axe, and she doesn't look like she's about to fetch firewood."[2]

The nuns of the Sisterhood are armed to the teeth.[3] The office of their abbess, the Mother Superior, looks more like a war room filled with strategic maps and trophies.[4] As religious as they appear, their true dedication is to the hunt of the Vake.[5] Even their idle conversation is of Surface politics and economics; most have spent their whole lives in the Neath, but are intrigued by the sky.[6] The Vake, for its part, is aware of the Convent and occasionally attacks it.[7]

Thanks to their discipline, the Convent has become a training ground for visiting Vake-hunters. The Mother Superior is more than happy to test their abilities and mettle,[8][9] and help them prepare for the task ahead.[10] The Convent is not without its rites, however; they hold matins[11] and every other important service of the day,[12] and celebrate feast days like the Feast of St Neot (the patron saint of fish).[13]

The Mother Superior's lieutenant, the Muscular Prioress, handles most affairs.[14][15] Sinning Jenny was raised here,[16] and is still a member of the Sisterhood. In her current position at the Parlour of Virtue, she keeps the Mother Superior informed of news in London, and acts as a contact with Mr Wines.[17]

Most of the nuns present as of the 1890s have dark skin;[18] this could be a coincidence of different origins, and/or could indicate more Second City survivors fighting alongside the Mother Superior.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Abbey Rock, Sunless Sea
  2. ↑ Nothing to do but wait, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Nothing to do but wait, Fallen London "A dozen nuns eye you [...] Everyone is armed – they all carry the spiked rosaries you've seen before. A few have revolvers. One has an axe [...]"
  4. ↑ Nothing to do but wait, Fallen London "You enter and find yourself in the Mother Superior's office. It has more of the war room than the cloister. Maps are pinned to tables, with little paper flags marking objectives. The walls are hung with rifles and the stuffed heads of beasts [...]"
  5. ↑ Nothing to do but wait, Fallen London "Seen the great beast and survived, eh? Well, let me tell you something. We're nuns now. But don't let the habits fool you. We're here to fight. And if you're half the Vake-hunter that I've been told you are, we'll help you."
  6. ↑ Ears flapping, Fallen London "The talk in the little study is far from spiritual. The nuns talk about the politics of Italy, revolutions in the Americas and the price of imported photographs. Most of them have never seen the Surface, but they're fascinated by the idea of the sky."
  7. ↑ Watch, Sunless Sea "In the flames of a final shot, you glimpse a crested wave of night rearing above [...] Its wings are the sky. Its horns and vanes blaze with scars. It strikes - it convulses - it whirls, and it's gone. [...] it lurches to the side, as if one of its wings had suffered a blow..."
  8. ↑ Is that how it is?, Fallen London "Armed nuns burst through every door and window, intent on your demise! [...] Few people are violently disposed towards nuns by nature. However, these particular sisters will tear you into chunks unless you defend yourself."
  9. ↑ Vigilance, Fallen London ""Vigilance," says the Mother Superior, lighting her pipe, "is the hunter's virtue. Go and stand in the corner. Turn around the moment before I tap your shoulder.""
  10. ↑ Buying secrets, Fallen London "So, you're ready for the real work. I think we can kill the Vake. Or at least you can, with our help. But you're going to need some training. And to find out some secrets. Let's get to it. Once you've trained for a while, I'll tell you what we think the Vake actually is."
  11. ↑ Thursday, Fallen London "During matins you force down a mouthful of communion mushroom (the stores are out of bread)[...]"
  12. ↑ Training: Monday, Fallen London "The prime service follows, then terce, sext, nones, vespers, compline, and the midnight office."
  13. ↑ The Sisters need provisions for the Feast of St Neot, Sunless Sea "St Neot is the patron saint of fish. Your strange catch is probably close enough. "
  14. ↑ Knock at the iron-studded gates with news, Sunless Sea "The Muscular Prioress, the Abbess' lieutenant, comes to the door to listen. She nods, and makes notes [...]"
  15. ↑ Suggest to the Scarred Sister that she might find a home here, Sunless Sea "The Muscular Prioress, the Abbess' lieutenant, comes down to inspect the potential novice. They speak together quietly. The Prioress bellows with laughter, to the Scarred Sister's obvious discomfiture. At last they return."
  16. ↑ Through the Labyrinth, Fallen London "I was just a girl when I entered the convent of the Sisterhood. [...] It's the safest place I know. [...] It wasn't until I took my vows that I learned the real purpose of our Order. The Sisterhood exists to guard secrets and protect travellers. We're... hands-on. [...] I learnt to use our weapons and to defend myself against the dreams."
  17. ↑ Through the Labyrinth, Fallen London "You want to know how I came to be here, don't you? I haven't left the Sisterhood, if that's what you're thinking. I keep the Mother Superior informed of what's going on in Fallen London. And I... liaise with Mr Wines. Its interest in the matters of the Vake is both well-known and officially non-existent."
  18. ↑ Nothing to do but wait, Fallen London "Most have dark skin. A Coptic sect, perhaps?"
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