Fallen London

Fallen London, also known by its previous name London or its status as The Fifth City, is a large city at the base of the stolen river of the western shores, the fifth city to of been purchased by the Bazaar, & the Masters, & the honorary capital of the surface empire of Britain & the nation of England. Before the fall, it served as the capital of the British Empire & England & was the largest city of the British Isles. The city was first settled by the Romans in approximately 47 AD, however none of the original structures remain. The fall of the city on the 14th of December, 1862 AD has lead to a dramatic difference in local climate & weather, however since the connection of the Neath with the surface & spread of information regarding the cities new location, a dramatic increase in population has been noted as people move in.

Metropolitan Area

The metropolitan area of London is one of the largest of the Neath, in 5th place behind Hell, Port Carnelian, Venderbright, the Khanate, & Nidah. It includes the city of Fallen London itself as well as Jericho, New London, & Bugmoor.

Major Groups

Benthic University

Fallen London's radical, secular seat of higher learning.

Bohemians

Writers, actors, musicians, painters & other reprobates.

The Church

Theology in London, down in the earth among the devils, is a tricky business. The Church has learnt to adapt.

Constables

The Constables protect the rich, the powerful, & the Masters. But sometimes, too, they protect the wretched poor.

Criminals

Wherever there's poverty, darkness, despair, there's folk to make a profit on it. & London has these a-plenty.

The Docks

Lightermen, smugglers, zailors – rough folk, & often overlooked. But they're fierce and proud & they know the river's secrets.

The Duchess

The Duchess is a woman of independent inclinations. Those aligning with her may not always align with those of the great & the good, but they certainly are respected among London's cats.

The Great Game

For half a century, the agents of the Powers played their Great Game in central Asia. Now London is their tournament-ground.

Hell

Courteous, rapacious, merciless, beguiling. The emissaries of Hell are here for one purpose: souls. Well, & also perhaps the company, the sights and a little chamber-music.

Liberationists

Most of London believes them to be part of the revolutionaries, or even a myth. They play their hands well.

The Masters of the Bazaar

The Masters of the Bazaar - Mr. Wines, Mr. Pages, Mr. Cards, & the rest - they all speak in high-pitched whispers, & under their concealing cloaks they seem winged or hunchbacked. Fallen angels, stunted pterodactyls, mobile colonies of fungus? They dismiss all personal questions with an airy wave of their gloved hands.

Of course, those most closely aligned to them know the truth: they are winged, furred, large beasts of higher society. They are banished & exiled curators. Even still, they hide many things from their closest allies, even from each other.

Rattus Faber

The squeaks & scampers below-foot, through cobbled street & into the sewers. Down where the secrets & discarded wash up & into their possession. They make for good company, if you don't get on their bad side.

Revolutionaries

Some call them the dynamite faction, but they're very far from united. Socialists, anarchists, foreign agents: only their hatred of the Masters unites them.

The Royal Family

The very peak of London society, as they would like to see themselves. The ruling class, that is, before the fall. Most of the family hasn't been in public for decades, but those standing with them don't care. It's about the prestige.

Rubbery Men

Rubbery Men are social outcasts. Their physiognomy is distressing & they lack the wealth necessary for acceptable eccentricity. To align oneself with these people is to join them & outcast oneself.

Society

Riches, power, beauty, refinement. The great, if not necessarily the good.

Summerset University

Fallen London's wealthy, Anglican university college.

Tomb-Colonists

The semi-dead of London are encouraged to leave the city... but sometimes they return. They are old and broken and terribly deadly.

Urchins

They're an eerie lot, the gangs of kids who rule the roofs of London. They hear things up there, things the wind forgot.

The Widow

or the Gracious Widow, as she herself prefers. Half of London's contraband bears her mark.

The Working Class

Steel, oil, & conveyor belts. The masses of common folk who labour & slave away within the factories. Not for long, if things go to plan.