The Neath! A cavern the size of a continent, a mile beneath the earth. A place untouched by the light of the sun, where the laws of nature do not so strictly apply. The ancients called it the underworld, the land of the dead, and the haunt of evil spirits. Modern travellers know it to be a place of mystery, opportunity and wonder. Much of this space is taken up by a vast salt-water lake - generally known as the ‘Unterzee’ - but there are pockets of comparatively dry land, where settlements, towns, and even cities can be found.
Of these cities, incomparably the greatest and finest is London. London! Once the centre of the British Empire; now the capital of a sprawling subterranean empire on which the sun never rises. Precisely how London came here is not recorded; survivors the Fall of February 1862 describe a great thundering of wings, a tumult of noise and darkness, and then the city was in its new and present resting place.
Though the city was not so terribly damaged in its relocation as one might imagine, the clefts and stalagmites of the Neath are not the broad plains of the Thames Valley, and much of London’s geography was rearranged and realigned, along planes quite unalike those of a typical metropolis. It is easy for even a lifelong Londoner to become lost in this new labyrinth - a situation not assisted by the question of nomenclature.
At the request of the authorities, many individuals, institutions and locations in Fallen London have been required to undertake a change of name. Some, like the colleges of the University, have embraced their new identities; others, like The Magazine Formerly Known As The London Magazine, have resisted the process. Occasionally, one finds records of the names used in London before the Fall - maps, signs, and so forth. (NOTE: Private possession of these is illegal. Any found should be turned in to the Ministry of Public Decency.)
Despite these changes, much of London retains its original character. There are, approximately speaking, five major districts of Fallen London. They are, beginning in the west and moving clockwise:
LADYBONES: North of the Stolen River and immediately east of Jekyll Gardens, Ladybones is the heart of the West End, home to the cream of London society. From the Shuttered Palace - home of the royal family - to Concord Square - the headquarters of Fallen London’s police force - Ladybones defines power and prestige. Running through its centre is Ladybones Road, lined with fashionable shops and hotels. Those with an eye for architecture should turn their attention to the stately halls and quadrangles of the University, and to the well-appointed embassies that surround Hastings Place. More scientifically-minded visitors might interest themselves in the gardens of the London Zoological Society, or in the engineering-works of Moloch Street’s famous underground station.
VEILGARDEN: Between Ladybones and Hollow Street is Veilgarden, the city’s entertainment district. Pubs, social clubs, theatres, opera houses, museums, galleries, booksellers, and other, more discreet amusements - Veilgarden has everything to bring pleasure to body and mind. A great many artists, writers and musicians live and work here, giving the area its colourful, bohemian character. The Singing Mandrake is largest and most popular public house in the district, and perhaps in all Fallen London. Heartscross Hill’s picturesque cemetery is one of the finest in the city, though it has sadly fallen into disrepair in recent years.
SPITE: Between Hollow Street in the west and the shores of the Unterzee in the east is Fallen London’s industrial centre. Life is at its densest and most varied here; a dark and squalid slum may exist mere streets away from a bustling factory or market. Weavers, dyers, potters, and printers all have their workshops here, as do the major shipbuilders and traders of Wolfstack Docks. The people of Spite and its surrounding neighbourhoods make time for play as well as work - there are numerous entertainments of a more rough-and-ready sort, including a permanent circus and the city’s oldest and most popular music hall.
WATCHMAKER’S HILL: Above the coast of the Unterzee, south of the Stolen River, rises Watchmaker’s Hill, the least thickly-populated of the city’s districts. The Hill itself is the centre of a handsome piece of parkland, and much of the area adjoining the coast is occupied by the pristine wilderness of Bugsby’s Marshes. These open spaces are a popular destination for picnics, sporting meets, and similar outings. Many of the locals are employed as gamekeepers, gardeners, trainers, hunters, bee-keepers, rat-catchers, and other outdoors professions. It is thus no surprise that the Department of Menace Eradication is headquartered here, in a handsome old building by the Stolen River. Atop the hill itself sits the Observatory - once used for observation of the stars, it is now occupied by one of Fallen London’s many religious orders.
THE BAZAAR: Other districts have their specialised trades, but the south bank of the Stolen River specialises in trade itself. This is the home of almost all that is elite, exclusive, and, above all, expensive - indeed, few of Fallen London’s common folk ever set foot here, though they feel the effects of its activities every day. At the heart of this district is the Bazaar itself - the homes, offices and warehouses of Fallen London’s pre-eminent trading power, the Masters. From here, the Masters regulate trade as well as practising it, and success or failure in London’s marketplaces is, in no small part, determined by achieving their favour.
THE FLIT: There is a sixth, informal district that few respectable Londoners ever see, and that is the Flit - a shanty-town, built by criminals and outcasts, on the roofs of the city proper. Travel in this district is dangerous at best, necessitating scaling rope ladders and bridges between buildings, chimneys, smoke-stacks and spires. The Flit has some permanent residents - mostly beggars and urchins, whose gangs control certain roof-tops and thoroughfares - but is also used as a short-cut by couriers and daredevils crossing the city.