London
"Fallen London: once capital of the British Empire, now home of the Bazaar. Deep. Dark. Expensive. Marvellous. Here you can find everything from immortality to unnervingly good mushroom wine.[1]"
"The Bazaar stole London three decades ago. Of course only anarchists and revolutionaries say 'stole' any more. Everyone who matters has grown to know and love the status quo. It's quiet down here. All those jewels and mushrooms and all that black water. What could be better?"[2]
Now known as Fallen London or the Fifth City, London was formerly the capital of the British Empire... until it was kidnapped by the Bazaar and its Masters and placed in the lawless cavern called the Neath, in exchange for the life of the ailing Prince Albert, whom Victoria loved dearly.
Winding Streets and Treacherous Cobbles[edit | edit source]
"The streets of London were bent into a labyrinth with the Bazaar at the labyrinth's heart. Finding your way around can be troublesome"[3]
Things have changed since the Fall, and names have been replaced - but more strangely, as the years pass, Londoners have begun to notice that new maps contradict their predecessors (let alone the illegal ones from before the fall).[3] Perhaps there are just no worthy cartographers in this city; but seasoned zailors and geography professors have reported similar observations all over the Neath. For someone standing just under the spires of the Bazaar, the directions to any other point of interest would be the same, but the route would be different each time. There are rumors about a map of London so precise that it can even track the smallest deviations of each road.[4] But if something like this existed, it would be locked away from the public - the Masters don't like it when people dig too deep.
Events After London Fell[edit | edit source]
- The Cumaean Canal may have been built shortly after the Fall.
- The Captivating Princess, the last of the Empress's children, was born in 1862.[5]
- Some of the Empress's children remained in the Neath, residing with their parents in the Shuttered Palace, while others remained on the Surface. The Brooding Captain brought his ship, the Galatea, to the Neath in 1867.[6]
- In 1868, London attempted, and failed miserably, to invade Hell.
- It is not known precisely when London colonized Port Carnelian, but this may have occurred shortly before the invasion.
- Sometime before ~1890, the Empress's children took a bad batch of red honey and were turned into monsters.
- The first election for Mayor of London occurred in 1894. Mayoral elections were ceased in 1899, after the disappearance of the Viscountess of the Viric Jungle.
- At the end of 1899, the Empress decreed a second year of 1899 rather than the dawning of a new century.[7] It remains to be seen how long this will continue.
The Seven Labyrinths[edit | edit source]
It is said that London has seven labyrinths.[8][9][10] No definitive list of these mazes is known. The Streets of London are considered one of them due to their tendency to shift unpredictably,[10][11] the Law is said to be to be the Fifth Labyrinth[12][13] and there is speculation that the human heart is the Seventh Labyrinth.[14] Other mazes such as the Labyrinth of Tigers or the maze surrounding the Orphanage[8] may be among the Seven Labyrinths, but this is unconfirmed.
Map[edit | edit source]
Ladybones Road is a major district of London, rife with mysteries and intrigue.
Veilgarden is a major district of London. Best known for its bohemian leanings, this neighborhood is filled with entertainment, honey-dens, and scandalous delights.
Mrs Plenty's Most Distracting Carnival is a year-round fair held on the eastern outskirts of London.
Watchmaker's Hill is a major district of London. One of the more dangerous parts of the city, this neighborhood is home to the Department of Menace Eradication, which pays upstanding citizens to hunt various pests in the nearby marshes.
The Forgotten Quarter is the last surviving remnant of the Fourth City.
The Shuttered Palace is the home of the Empress, her Consort, and her children. Why is it shuttered? "Apparently the Empress doesn't like light. Or sudden movements, loud noises, foreigners, treason, peaches. When you're Empress, you can do this kind of thing."
Wolfstack Docks is London's single major port, located on the banks of the Stolen River near the western shore of the Unterzee.
"What can you find in the Bazaar Sidestreets? Respectable firms crammed into ramshackle workshops and pokey offices. The rent here is astronomical. But the quick and the hungry turn profits in the shadows of the spires. Just keep your eyes off the carvings up high. And whatever you do, don't fall in love."
Part zoo and part Bedlam (though the real Bedlam is a good distance south), the Labyrinth of Tigers is a curious attraction where the tigers are the only exhibits who may roam freely.
The headquarters of London's Constables.
Moloch Street is a major artery through Ladybones Road. Its landmarks include the Brass Embassy - Hell's stronghold in London - as well as the Moloch Street Underground Station, which serves as the eastern terminus of the Moloch Street Express and the Great Hellbound Railway.
A vast and ancient network of tunnels beneath London, inhabited by many Clay Men.
The Brass Embassy is Hell's bastion in London, and thus a base of operation for devils.
A noteworthy tavern in Veilgarden.
The University is London's primary institution of period-appropiate pseudoscience ahem, knowledge and innovation.
The Orphanage, operating under Mr Fires' protection, is a mysterious facility that sits in the heart of Spite's labyrinth.
The hub of London's newspapers, magazines, and other printed publications.
Mahogany Hall is London's most popular and prestigious theatre. It really does put on a different kind of show each day, just as advertised.
Boarding House
A place for those who have nowhere else to go. Alias Horatia's. Location approximate.
The only known synagogue in London. Location approximate.
Protomartyr
Location approximate.
The Department of Menace Eradication pays brave Londoners to eliminate threats to the city, particularly those in the nearby marshes.
A tavern owned by the Cheery Man.
A marsh on the outskirts of London, crawling with all sorts of strange and dangerous beasts.
An area on the outskirts of London that is littered with deadly-sharp stalagmites.
"In an unprecedented move, the clandestine and obscure Temple Club has opened its doors to the public. It is a place for free thinkers, radical antiquarians and luminaries of the modern age to gather amidst the ruins of the Fourth City."
A zailors' pub in Wolfstack Docks.
Tucked into a quiet corner of Tyrant's Gardens, Wilmot's End is the base of the Great Game in London, and the location of the Foreign Office.
The Foreign Office is an almost completely autonomous wing of London's government that is responsible for appointing colonial governors of Port Carnelian.
After the Fall of London, the Empress and the Masters of the Bazaar found no further use for Parliament. So it ended up here.
"I've heard tell that there's a fancy club for exceptional sorts. It's on the river, in the shell of some old clock tower. The things that go on there! They'd curl your hair and clench your toes."
The Echo Bazaar is the center of commerce in London.
Flute Street is an ancient Rubbery city that lies beneath London.
The Royal Bethlehem Hotel, formerly the hospital of the same name, is an elite hotel run by a very mysterious manager.
