Editing Parabola

{{spoiler}}
{{Neath_Location|image1 = <gallery>
mirrormarches.png|SSea
parabola.png|FL
</gallery>|caption1 = |image2 = |caption2 = |location = Beyond the Mirrors|allegiance = Independent|notable_inhabitants = [[The Fingerkings]]|music = [https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/track/irrigo-below Irrigo Below]|alias=The Is-Not<br>
The Kingdom Behind the Glass<br>
The Land of Dreams<br>
The Other Place}}
<blockquote>''"A hot, orange sun hovering low in a real sky. Tangles of green foliage and the sounds of nature; little tickings and chirpings. Here and there, though, are man-made shapes and shiny surfaces; straight lines and right angles - empty frames."''<ref name="marches">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Category:The_Mirror-Marches|Category:The Mirror-Marches|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

'''Parabola''' is the realm of dreams, located beyond mirrors.__forcetoc__

==Beyond the Mirrors==
<blockquote>''"Delicate, intricate friezes are still visible on some of the walls. There is a subtle mathematics in the abstract patterns, and a vivid energy in the figures. With one finger you trace the curve of a parabola."''<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Be_enticed_by_the_temples|Be enticed by the temples|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Glassmanperson.png|thumb|A [[Silverers|Silverer]].]]
Parabola is most commonly accessed via [[Prisoner's Honey|prisoner's honey]], the preferred drug of the [[Neath]]<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}''"The most delightful secret of Fallen London: a substance which physically transports you to a dream. It is gathered by bees from the black roses which grow here. There is another kind of underground rose from which honey may be made, but that's rather less safe."''</ref> - though one may also enter by ''physically ''passing through a mirror<ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_mahogany-framed_mirror|A mahogany-framed mirror|Fallen London|}}''"It seems brighter in here, somehow. What is that sound? ...birdsong? Where are you?"''</ref> that has been daubed with prisoner's honey,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Continue_watching_Gebrandt%27s_demonstration|Continue watching Gebrandt's demonstration|Fallen London|}}''"A woman in cosmogone spectacles stands beside the mirror, smiling faintly at Gebrandt. She produces a small vial of honey and applies it to the edge of the glass. [...] The change in the mirror is nearly imperceptible; glass turns to a threshold, and the museum on the far side becomes ever so slightly off-kilter. [...]"''</ref> and there will be another known entry point in [[Irem]] that requires no honey at all.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Irem#Story_Events|The House of the Amber Sky|Sunless Sea|}}''"The House of the Amber Sky is a roofless space beneath the false-stars of the Neath, rich with the scent of Irem-roses. Despite the ice, it's warm as a desert evening. You will arrange yourself on the cushions, close your eyes just for a moment..."''</ref> Outside of the Neath, Parabola can be accessed from the [[Surface]] through specific means.<ref name=":6">{{Citation|http://silvertree.storynexus.com/|I ran to the Shaman|The Silver Tree|}}''"'The spirit world cannot protect the material one. And only a few have ever crossed over. But if you will be one of them... you may join me now.' He produces a flagon of airag and we drink deeply from golden cups."''</ref> A young [[Leopold]] was transported to Parabola from the Surface after an encounter with an [[Exile's Rose]], the flower from which Prisoner's Honey is produced;<ref name=":1" /><ref name="sacred">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets#Honey|What is prisoner's honey?|Fallen London|}} ''"from the Natural History of Pliny the Elder: "... there is another kind of honey; its effect is attributed to the flowers called exile's rose, which are found in sacred places from Pontus to Baetica. One who consumes these flowers departs and does not return."''</ref> and the people of Karakorum were able to visit Parabola before the Fall of the [[Fourth City]].<ref>{{Citation|http://silvertree.storynexus.com/|Mirrors from Cathay|The Silver Tree|}}''"'It is called a parabolic mirror,' said the Khan, 'although whether that is because it allows you to see the land called Parabola, or whether the place is called Parabola because the mirror is mathematically curved, I do not know.'"''</ref><ref name=":6" />

Parabola is not just a dreamscape, but also the wellspring of creativity, memory, and inspiration. Without it, there would no imagination,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Stripes_of_Wrath|Stripes of Wrath|Fallen London|}}''"Dreamers require it to enter Parabola, the realm behind the mirror. The loss of Prisoner's Honey would be like— closing a border. More than a national boundary; the gateway to creativity, memory, inspiration. Can you imagine the effects? Because without Parabola, you would be unable to."''</ref> and subsequently no innovation or art.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Stripes_of_Wrath|Stripes of Wrath|Fallen London|}}''"[...] He did not consider the collateral damage he would cause by locking the gate to dream. Inventors. Composers. Those with the vision to build tomorrow's Neath."''</ref> Those who enter Parabola using prisoner's honey disappear from the physical world during their stay,<ref name=":4">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Celebrate_thoroughly|Celebrate thoroughly|Fallen London|}}''"[…] What happens under the influence of wine and lust is hazy […] Only one pair had kept aside […] They had shared something […] from a silver spoon. Then vanished […] "Prisoner's Honey […] You should try it […]"''</ref>  reappearing exactly where they left<ref>{{Citation|https://maskoftherose.miraheze.org/wiki/Mr_Pages#pages_honey_resolution|Mr Pages: Honey|Mask of the Rose|}}''"Honey transports the user, for a time, to a place that Is Not. [...] There is always a return. [...] One returns to one's exactible source."''</ref> after a variable amount of time.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Case_of_the_Sealed_Vault|The Case of the Sealed Vault|Fallen London|}}''"[...] A conventional dose of Prisoner's Honey transports its consumer bodily into Parabola, returning them after an unpredictable stint."''</ref> It is possible for a honey-sipper's body to return before their mind does, leaving them in a '''honey-mazed''' state - a form of intoxication that superficially resembles drunkenness.<ref name=":5">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_unusual_wager|An unusual wager|Fallen London|}}''"A capering and probably honey-mazed individual is flinging handfuls of small coins at passersby and shrieking."''</ref>

Those who enter Parabola are greeted by a vibrant forest under an [[Cosmogone|orange]] [[The Skin of the Sun|false-sun]], populated by [[Bestiary#Parabolan_Wildlife|strange and talkative wildlife]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_striped_cat|A striped cat|Fallen London|}}</ref> Of note are the cats, who take the form of predatory big cats in Parabola but have the voices of the smaller talking cats back in [[London]]. Parabola does have a day and night cycle, and the Parabolan moon contains the image of a cat.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Night_is_falling|Night is falling|Fallen London|}}''"Look, there are patterns there, just like the surface's moon. Only... these don't resemble a man, or anything else so much as a cat, curled up asleep."''</ref>  Objects and animals can be taken out of Parabola and into physical reality.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Seven-Throated_Warbler|Seven-Throated Warbler|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Remains_of_a_Pinewood_Shark|Remains of a Pinewood Shark|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabolan_Orange-apple|Parabolan Orange-apple|Fallen London|}}</ref> Certain objects taken from dreams, like coins and jewels, have odd properties<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Queen_of_the_Elephants|The Queen of the Elephants|Fallen London|}}''"But the treasure we return with ain't exactly legal tender. The coins are forgeries of currencies that never existed in the first place, and if you flip 'em, they land on their edge. The jewels are sparkly enough, but under a bright light they turn wobbly like jelly."''</ref> and are ephemeral, only existing for a limited amount of time before disappearing.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Queen_of_the_Elephants|The Queen of the Elephants|Fallen London|}}''"And we got to spend it mighty quick, [...] Because it vanishes after a day or two."''</ref>

The common citizen is unlikely to venture far into Parabola before waking up,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Establish_a_Parabolan_Base-Camp|Establish a Parabolan Base-Camp|Fallen London|}}</ref> but certain professionals called [[Silverers]]''' '''have ventured far beyond the reaches of the Marches, and have dealings with the entities that lurk beyond the mirrors.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Become_a_Silverer|Become a Silverer|Fallen London|}}</ref> Silverers wear a set of [[cosmogone]] spectacles, tinted an impossible color that is irresistible to the denizens of Parabola.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Set_of_Cosmogone_Spectacles|Set of Cosmogone Spectacles|Fallen London|}}''"The lenses are the colour of remembered sunshine, which the things behind mirrors find irresistible."''</ref>

== Landmarks ==
{{major spoiler small}}
*'''[[The Mirror-Marches]]''', which serve as the borderlands of Parabola,<ref name="irem marches">{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Mirror-Marches|The Mirror-Marches|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> often visited by those overcome by nightmares.<ref name = "marches"/> The Marches are littered with empty mirror-frames, and travelers can observe visions of the other side.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_glimpse_of_a_cat|A glimpse of a cat|Fallen London|}}</ref>
*'''[[The Viric Jungle]]''', another of the borders of dream, frequented by those in shallow sleep.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_for_the_Viric_Jungle|Look for the Viric Jungle|Fallen London|}}</ref> 
*'''The Misermere''', a heavily disputed piece of land that has been claimed by almost every one of the [[Duchess]]'s noble cats<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Court_of_Cats|The Court of Cats|Fallen London|}}</ref>. The [[Rosers]] also have a stake in this place.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Surgeon%27s_Child|The Surgeon%27s Child|Fallen London|}}</ref>
*'''[[The Smoking Shore]]''', a great ocean of sulfurous smoke oft visited by devil pilgrims.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabolan_Panther|Parabolan Panther|Fallen London|}} ''""Devils come here on pilgrimage," your panther explains."''</ref> They say cats fought off a band of [[Heart-Takers]] here.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabolan_Panther|Parabolan Panther|Fallen London|}} ''"Here, the Peerage of the Marches cast back the Host of the Heart-Takers. Many were lost, but how we feasted! Our maws ran red; our bellies grew round."''</ref> The [[Fingerkings]] also occasionally lay eggs here, and no one knows exactly what hatches from them.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabolan_Panther|Parabolan Panther|Fallen London|}} ''"The Fingerkings lay their eggs down in the roots when the water's low. Goodness knows what might hatch."''</ref>
*'''[[The Drowned Forest]]''' or '''Drowning Forests''', a jungle under a lake that serves as the primary spawning grounds of the [[Fingerkings]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabolan_Panther|Parabolan Panther|Fallen London|}} ''"The jungle descends into a blue lake. Treetops rise from its waters in leafy islands. Beneath the surface you can see a submerged forest. Slowly stirring leaves. Vines trailing in currents. Tightly-budded flowers, their petals closed around a precious gasp of air."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_what_became_of_him|Ask what became of him|Fallen London|}}''"We breached the Drowning Forests," her ears twitch as she recounts this. "The spawning ground of the Fingerkings."''</ref>
*'''[[The Hanging Mountains]]''', violet-sloped<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/All_fear_the_Overgoat!|All fear the Overgoat!|Fallen London|}} ''"But you have seen [...] the violet slopes of the Hanging Mountains."''</ref> mountains that hang upside down.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Affair_of_the_Impatient_Apprentice|The Affair of the Impatient Apprentice|Fallen London|}} ''"To your right, beyond a wriggling river, the Hanging Mountains are pinned to the sky."''</ref>
*'''[[The Waswood]]''', where all things within are gone forever, and all things that are gone forever lie within.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Mirror-Marches|You walked the Waswood|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The heart of these woods was the birthplace of the Glory, an enormous zee-turtle that roamed the [[Unterzee]] before dying near the [[Gant Pole]]. Its shell was taken over by crazed monster-hunters, becoming the [[Chelonate]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Mirror-Marches|You heard the Glory's story|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
*'''[[The Castle of Forests]]''', a grand fortress of the [[Fingerkings]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Return_to_the_Castle_of_Forests|Return to the Castle of Forests|Fallen London|}} ''"The verdant fortress, formed from strangling vines. At its emerald heart stands the impenetrable citadel of the Fingerkings."''</ref> which also contains their prisoners.<ref name=":12">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Liberate_the_dungeons_of_the_Castle|Liberate the dungeons of the Castle|Fallen London|}} ''"The Fingerkings collect prisoners here like gold in a Viking's hoard. Most are swiftly forgotten, some linger still."''</ref>
*'''The Menagerie of Roses''', where the dreamers never see the tops of the walls.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sleep%27s_fortress_1|Sleep's fortress 1|Fallen London|}} ''"Here is a glimpse of the Menagerie of Roses, where the dreamers never see the tops of the walls."''</ref> Apparently, the roses have stopped growing, much to the dreamers' dismay.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Airs_of_London|The Airs of London|Fallen London|}} ''"A portly man sits weeping in the road. "The Menagerie," he sobs, "the Roses. They can no longer grow.""''</ref>
*'''[[Arbor]]''', the city half in dream.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Return_to_the_City_of_Roses|Return to the City of Roses|Fallen London|}}''"You know the way to a city, cardinal-red, and mired in dreams."''</ref>
*'''[[The Writhing River]]''', a river of serpents<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/That_night_-|That night -|Sunless Sea|}}''"You walk beside a river of serpents, through a green and fervid jungle..."''</ref> that borders reality near [[Hunter's Keep]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Hunter%27s_Keep|Visit the cellar|Sunless Sea|}}''""The Writhing River flows near here," the Mechanic remarks. "One of the tributaries of dream.""''</ref>
*'''[[The Skin of the Sun]]''', Parabola's false, [[cosmogone]] sun.<ref name="climb dome itself cats">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Climb_the_dome_itself_(Cats)|Climb the dome itself (Cats)|Fallen London}}''"The sky above you is a sheet of glass; the Parabolan sun, a bulbous thing that squirms in its place in the sky."''</ref>
*'''[[The Dome of Scales]]''', a dilapidated structure<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabolan_Panther|Parabolan Panther|Fallen London|}} ''"A vast, broken dome soars over the jungle. Here, a fragment has fallen from the dome and embedded itself in the earth like a monolith."''</ref> apparently constructed out of the scales of the first Fingerkings.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabolan_Panther|Parabolan Panther|Fallen London|}} ''"Conversationally, she informs you that the dome was wrought from the sloughed scales of the first of the Fingerkings. Perhaps she hopes that will put you off."''</ref>
*'''The Burbling Spring-tide''', a gorgeous garden-spa where couples can enjoy pillows of roses and visions of the night sky.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Invite_your_spouse_to_join_you_in_sampling_Prisoner%27s_Honey|Invite your spouse to join you in sampling Prisoner's Honey|Fallen London|}} ''"You help your partner into the steaming spring, then plunge in after them. [...] Bushes heavy with thornless roses lean into the water. They act as pillows as you recline. There are images in the rainbowed cliffs - they pass across them like clouds. You point to an expanse flecked with gold; could it be the night sky at day?"''</ref>
*'''The Garden Gleam''', a garden of glass flowers where gravity is low. The petals ring in a perfect harmony when disturbed.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Invite_your_spouse_to_join_you_in_sampling_Prisoner%27s_Honey|Invite your spouse to join you in sampling Prisoner's Honey|Fallen London|}} ''"...you will find the Garden Gleam - a deep, clear pool, surrounded by bushes growing glass chrysanthemums. Each bloom is the size of a cart wheel. You and your partner are lighter here; gravity's grasp on you has weakened. [...] The chrysanthemums sway gently, chiming as they touch. The Garden Gleam fills with a crystalline song."''</ref>
*'''[[The Moonlit Chessboard]]''', where spies dream the moves and counter-moves of the [[Great Game]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Find_the_Moonlit_Chessboard_1|Find the Moonlit Chessboard 1|Fallen London|}}''"Colleagues have spoken of a place where the Moves of the Great Game are played out in Parabola."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Supervise_the_New_Game|Supervise the New Game|Fallen London|}}''"This is the dream of spies, the move and countermove that controls the politics of the Surface – and sometimes of the Neath. Sometimes you are a pawn or a knight. Sometimes you are the player."''</ref>
*'''The Garden of Nightmares''', the [[The Royal Bethlehem Hotel|Merry Gentleman]]'s beautiful but macabre sanctuary.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_%E2%80%93_Arm_Yourself_Against_the_Garden_of_Nightmares|Arm Yourself Against the Garden of Nightmares|Fallen London|}}''"The Manager's position affords him many privileges. One of the chiefest is his opportunity to harvest choice nightmares from his guests. Once he has studied, categorised and collected them, he fosters the most lurid and horrid in a hidden sanctuary: the Garden of Nightmares."''</ref>
*'''The Coiling Spire''', which connects the Parabolan Sun to the ground and serves as a sacred pilgrim's destination for the [[Fingerkings]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Contemplate_your_predicament|Contemplate your predicament|Fallen London|}}''"And above you - well, below you - an enormous, twisting stone spire stretches toward the ground, like an umbilical cord connecting the jungle and the sun."''</ref>
*'''[[The Wastes of Want]]''', a desolate no-man's land that rejects anyone that tries to claim it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Consider_the_Wastes_of_Want|Consider the Wastes of Want|Fallen London|}}''"The Wastes are contested ground. At one time or another they have been held by all of the great powers of Parabola: none have been able to keep the Wastes. The land rejects its occupiers."''</ref>
*'''The Oncewood''', a forest of golden needles and constant ash rain. [[Bestiary#Aureate Stag|Aureate Stags]], one of Parabola's fastest land animals, can be found here.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Fair_Unknown|The Fair Unknown|Fallen London|}}''"You find yourself standing on the fringe of a thick forest. The needles of the trees are dark gold. Flakes of white-grey fall from a brooding sky. On close inspection these are of ash, rather than snow."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Fair_Unknown|The Fair Unknown|Fallen London|}}''"Here – the Aureate Stags of the Oncewood. The fastest short-distance beast of burden in all known Parabola."''</ref>
*'''The Marsh of Regents''', where the ruined reflections of old, unhappy queens scream across the wastes.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Fair_Unknown|The Fair Unknown|Fallen London|}}''"You emerge in a sickly yellow mire, deep in Parabola. It is the Marsh of Regents, where the ruined reflections of old, unhappy queens scream across the wastes."''</ref>
*'''The Tombwood''', whose screaming, eye-blossomed trees weep as they are felled.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Build_your_own_boat|Build your own boat|Fallen London|}}''"You hew wood from the screaming trees that grow from the graves in the Tombwood, which blossom with unblinking eyes and weep as cut."''</ref>
*'''[[The Sea of Spines]]''', where [[Rubbery Men]] swim through the memories of their ancestors.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Upstairs_Honey_Den|The Upstairs Honey Den|Fallen London|}}''"They say that honey-sippers in Helicon House can find their way into the dream-places of Rubbery Men – not by the Viric Jungle, but by the Sea of Spines."''</ref><ref name=":13">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Look_into_the_glassy_water|Look into the glassy water|Fallen London|}} ''"You stare across the water mirror – not into the water, but into some deep recess of the Is-Not. There, you see no dreams, only memories. Memories of warmth and song, of contentment and joy, of a sea more sunless that welcomes the body like a familial embrace. Each memory is a spiralling body of delicate colours – flayed and stuck on violant spines of bitter anger."''</ref> (It is not clear whether this location lies in Parabola or elsewhere in the Is-Not.)
*'''The Whisker-Ways''', a hidden place where [[Rattus Faber]] congregate close together for comfort and safety. It has tunnels leading to many other places in Parabola.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Dream_of_a_Thousand_Tails|A Dream of a Thousand Tails|Fallen London|}} ''" "The Whisker-Ways are our... dreaming-places. Rats are better neighbours to each other than you lot. Even our dreams are close together. It'll be easier to show you.""''</ref>

==The Land That Is-Not==
''"Parabola is the enemy-kingdom. The Judgements determine what is. Parabola's citizens are Is-Not. Sunlight destroys them, starlight corrodes them. Dreams come at night. Dreams thrive in the Neath. The Judgements cannot see—"''<ref name="flake">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_fragile_flake_of_vellum|A fragile flake of vellum|Fallen London|}}</ref>
[[File:Mirrormonster.png|thumb|What horrors lurk beyond the mirrors?]]
Parabola is the realm of what '''Is-Not''', far beyond the reach of the [[Judgements]]' domain.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Defiant_Devil|Ask him about his memories of Caduceus|Sunless Skies|}}''"...the Devils could no longer remain in the sight of the Judgements: not if we intended to live. We escaped through Caduceus into Parabola, the place that is not..."''</ref> This dream-realm apparently hatched from an egg<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Depart_(10_FATE)|Depart|Fallen London|}} ''"Out there in the night: [...] the egg that hatched Parabola."''</ref> and the connection to mirrors was established by [[Mt Nomad]].<ref>{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/news/the-mysteries-revealed-again|The Mysteries Revealed, Again|Failbetter Games|}} ''"Who opened the mirrors? Mt. Nomad (or the Bazaar's Granddaughter/mountain's daughter)"''</ref> Since Parabola lies outside the regulation of the Judgements, time and space can be quite mutable. This can lead to paradoxes like Huntsmen being promoted to Huntsmen on Wednesdays, despite always being Huntsmen.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Wednesday_in_Parabola|Wednesday in Parabola|Fallen London|}} ''"They summoned me to confirm me as their Huntsman.  In fact, I have always been their Huntsman.  History in Parabola is mutable.  When I complete my plan, I’ll always have been something quite different."''</ref> Parabola works on symbolic resonance; an imitation can draw a bit of power from what it is imitating, i.e. if a dreamer dresses and acts like the Red-Handed Queen, they become her avatar in a sense.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Queen_of_the_Elephants|The Queen of the Elephants|Fallen London|}}''"Parabola's a dream-place, you understand? It works on symbolic resonances, not logic. You can steal a bit of something's power by imitating it, for a while, because Parabola will be tricked into thinking you are what you pretend to be. But if you do it for too long, you’ll attract the notice of the original. And then... Well, I wouldn't want to be in her shoes."''</ref>

Natives of Parabola are considered foreign, even illegal, by the Judgements, making them unable to leave for the real world.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_fragile_flake_of_vellum|A fragile flake of vellum|Fallen London|}} ''"Parabola is the enemy-kingdom. The Judgements determine what is. Parabola's citizens are Is-Not. Sunlight destroys them, starlight corrodes them. Dreams come at night. Dreams thrive in the Neath. The Judgements cannot see—"''</ref> [[The Well of Wonders|There have been cases]] of Parabolan entities contacting and parlaying with the Judgements, but such cases are the exception rather than the rule.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Dramatis_Personae|Dramatis Personae|Sunless Skies|}}''"Travel with us now to a time long forgot / Where the Twin Kings of Measure and Distance reigned / Here a Prophet came, with Princes of Ambition /'' ''Bearing the spark of celestial revolution."''</ref> The rulers of Parabola are the [[Fingerkings]], which are snakes that lack a physical form outside of Parabola. They only wish to leave the mirrors, and, well, exist; to do this, they steal the skins of humans.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Order_Serpentine,_Silent|Order Serpentine, Silent|Fallen London|}} ''"ALL THE LITTLE SNAKE'S NEW FRIENDS spoke fondly of the place outside the mirror. And the little snake thought: what if I could walk there among all my friends-to-be? They need not leave. We would be all so very happy. But I may not walk in my own skin. So perhaps my friends shall lend me their skin..."''</ref> Unfortunately for them, many of these skin-thieves in flesh-suits have been captured and imprisoned in the third coil of the [[Labyrinth of Tigers]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Take_a_stroll_around|Take a stroll around|Fallen London|}} ''"Get me out of here. I don't belong here. I'm only here because they think I'm possessed."''</ref>

The [[devils]] of [[Hell]] once served the [[Judgements]] directly as servants.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Grove_of_Far-Too-Late|Speak to the Curious Dilettante|Sunless Skies|}}''"[...] the grand devils who once served in the Heavens, but rebelled and were cast down or imprisoned or fled."''</ref> Following their failed rebellion, they fled to Parabola via [[Caduceus]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Ancient_Refuge_Site|An Ancient Refuge Site|Fallen London}}''"Once the devils were fleeing an ancient enemy, of overwhelming force, and they came here, swarming from a place called Caduceus into Parabola."''</ref> They are immune to Fingerking possession, and the two species have consequently become rivals.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Neutralise_the_poison;_the_antidote_is_already_in_you|Neutralise the poison; the antidote is already in you|Fallen London}} ''"[...] When they discovered the Neath at last, the Fingerkings proved unable to possess them. To be swallowed by a devil was death and dissolution. A Fingerking lives on desire, and a devil cannot sustain it. It was the death of the Parlous Knot."''</ref>

The [[The Red-Handed Queen|Red-Handed Queen]] and the [[The Beleaguered King|Beleaguered King]] are powerful Parabolan powers who are locked in conflict with each other.

Another faction currently residing in Parabola are the [[Rosers]] of the [[Fourth City]]. These individuals expedited the fall of the Fourth City, and sought refuge in [[Arbor]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Solve_the_Mystery_of_the_Rosers|Solve the Mystery of the Rosers|Fallen London|}}''"You explain the escape of the Rosers, who taught their rose-rites to the Fourth City and hastened its end. They were not lightly abandoned by their masters, and many found a new sanctuary in the lands of Parabola..."''
</ref> which historically accepted refugees from many of the [[Fallen Cities]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Envoy_from_Elsewhere_2|The Envoy from Elsewhere 2|Fallen London|''"The Rosers fled long ago, but we were in Arbor first. Our kingdom borders dream. It has always taken in the refugees of your short-lived cities."''}}
</ref>

===The Attendants===
<blockquote>''"This is Parabola. We found it in dreams and brought light to it. The ushabti were built to construct a new home for [[the Second City]], where we could live forever beneath the skin of the sun. The night was the bringer of dreams and thus sacred to us. But this Palace was never completed."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Adoratrician.png|thumb|[[The Obstinate Adoratrice]]]]
During the era of the [[Second City]], the sisters of the [[Duchess]] decided to flee to Parabola to evade the whims of the [[Bazaar]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"The Palace of the Rising was to be a refuge from the Masters and the Bazaar"''</ref> There, they created a false sun made of [[cosmogone]] called the [[Skin of the Sun]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"A new sun was raised in the sky so the citizens might walk in light again."''</ref> as they knew they could not abide the true [[the Sun|Sun]] any longer.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"They could no longer abide the true sun, but they walked here in dreams;"''</ref> Using constructs called '''ushabtiu''', the sisters attempted to create a new home for the citizens of the Second City, called the '''Palace of the Rising'''.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"The ushabti were created to help in the construction of the Palace."''</ref> Things did not go as planned, however, so the Palace was left unfinished and ruined.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"This Palace was to be a refuge from the Bazaar [...] But time was not on their side. This place was never used."''</ref> The [[Obstinate Adoratrice]] still remains in the Palace of the Rising, though she lacks the knowledge to complete it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"The Adoratrice chose to shelter here, to continue the work [...] She wants to see the palace finished, but only has a fraction of the knowledge of its palace's design"''</ref>

Before the sisters built their sun, Parabola was apparently quite dark.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"This is a place that is not. It was not always light, though once it was brighter."''</ref> Given the failure of the project, it seems likely that the Skin of the Sun will eventually flicker out.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Attendants|The Attendants|Fallen London|}} ''"The sun here is failing, and alone I cannot reverse the decay."''</ref>

==References==
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:''Special thanks to waltzingOphidian for assistance with research and citations''

[[Category:Places]]

[[Category:Parabola]]