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The Fifth City: Fallen London's Lore Wikia
The Fifth City: The Neath's Lore Wiki
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Devils

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"I saw it! Ask anyone! ...except her. Don't ask her."

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"The Bazaar's conveniently located for Hell, and Hell's envoys keep stalls and warehouses here. Which is great if you want to buy brass, obsidian, sulphur, hydrogen, devilbone or any of Hell's other well-known exports. Or if you want to sell souls. But you shouldn't do that."

Courteous, rapacious, merciless, beguiling: devils, the emissaries of Hell, have come west to London for one purpose: souls. And perhaps the company, the sights, and a little chamber-music. They run and patronize several establishments in the vicinity of Ladybones Road; for example, Dante's Grill, the Long Spoon, Abbadon and Bael Trading Co., and their London headquarters, the Brass Embassy.

Characteristics[]

Devils are generally humanlike, but with fangs and golden or brassy eyes to set them apart. They appear to have a rather strange relationship with time; Fallen London is set in the 1890s, but the devils seem to have become well-acquainted with 1920s fashion and technology, so their style of dress also distinguishes them easily.

In the Sunless Skies timeline, devils also reside in the High Wilderness. Many can be found in the soul-spa of Carillon, as well as in Caduceus, the Well of the Wolf, and Pan.

The Alphabets of Hell[]

“Your body has glimpsed what the rose giveth. It craves the knowledge of every step. You dream fitfully of brass tablets; ache for one upon which to carve your words. Inspiration – when it strikes – strikes red.”[1]

Devils speak many languages - around a hundred, all in all,[2] many of which may be lethal to learn or read.[3][4] They largely go unnamed and undifferentiated, but some alphabets are said to be invisible[5] while others glow bright enough to shine through several layers of cloth, making them useful for marking criminals.[6] These languages may also be spoken, which frequently brings strange memories or sensations,[7] and particularly grave words may even lead to sudden decay of objects around the speaker.[8]

The most frequently-mentioned language of devilkind is the Rose Giveth,[9] which is sometimes called the Rose Taketh[10] and said to be the best language of Hell.[11] It is unclear whether the two names designate some subtle distinction, or serve as synonyms. Regardless of its moniker, it is a dance-language: laboriously engraved into brass tablets,[12] and spoken through quick rhythmic motions that burn the floor and send sigil-sparks flying in their wake.[13] Ideally, it is performed with wings and six legs,[14] if not more - but even with four limbs, it is a difficult and demanding language.[15] Mistakes in the Rose Giveth lead to limbs bending in unnatural directions,[16] and novices may struggle to return to verbal speech as they instinctively attempt to dance what they want to say rather than voice it.[17] Even witnessing the Rose Giveth, either engraved or danced, leads to nightmares, aches across the body and even bleeding from the eyes.[18]

The Rose Taketh is, in truth, a variant of the Correspondence,[19] which explains another common complaint - singed eyebrows.[20] Other alphabets of Hell may share the same origins.[21]

Servants of the Stars[]

Appallingsecret

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, or Sunless Skies. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


Devils once lived in the High Wilderness, where they were attendants to the stars.[22] Some of the devils, if not all, were servants of the Binary[23] - until they betrayed it,[24] spurred by promises of glory and freedom[25] from the Prophet Exile,[26] and murdered the King Who Speaks[27] at a peace negotiation gone awry.[28] While the Prophet Exile and his followers were destroyed and scattered by the King Who Wars,[29] this was the beginning of a wider revolution.[30]

A major segment of this rebellion involved the King of Hours, as it instituted the Golden Day to rule its kingdom and place it in something of a time loop for all eternity. The King of Carols was a great leader of the devils, who protested the Golden Day by refusing to sing for the Judgements.[31] For this he was hung over the Well of the Wolf as a warning. After he gave his voices away in defiance, he was imprisoned within it for eternity,[32] which stirred the devils' insurrection to its height. It is said that "the Chain was broken" at this point - but ultimately, they failed.[33] The devils claim to have been responsible for the death of the King of Hours during this period of history,[34] but they conveniently shared a goal with the real murderer, the Sapphir'd King,[35] and said murder took place much later.[36] It is possible that they purposely conflated their assassination of the King Who Speaks, or another star, with the later death of the King of Hours to increase their own celestial clout.

The defeated devils fled to Parabola via Caduceus to escape the Judgements' sight.[37][38] Led by the Eglantine Regent,[39][40] they made a deal with the Fingerkings[41][42] and spent "aeons"[43] in Parabola,[44] mapping and planning.[45] When the devils finally discovered the Neath, the Fingerkings thought they had found their ticket to existence - but it was a poisoned bargain,[46] since the devils' bodies corroded anything that tried to possess them.[47] The devils passed through mirrors back into reality, and proceeded westward from Irem[46] until they settled at the current location of Hell, bargaining with the Creditor for safe settlement.[48] The founding of Hell was promptly celebrated by the deposition of the Eglantine Regent, who had proclaimed herself sole ruler.[49] (At least if the Book of Roses is to be believed; it is possible, given subsequent events, that this last segment was added much later.)

After establishing the government of Hell, the devils began to be ruled by Princes (Grand Devils), but these were all overthrown in one Season of Revolutions. While it is unknown whether any Grand Devils still roam free in the Neath, their supporters live in exile in the crater of Mount Palmerston[50] and among the Brazen Brigade of the Hinterlands. The Brass Embassy will now pay a fortune for the whereabouts of just one of their former overlords.[51]

And yes, they are bees (and, sometimes, other insects too). Just wrapped up in all sorts of disguises. This is why Prisoner's Honey is a thing - devils hold the key to Parabola, in a sense.

References[]

  1. ↑ Writ in Dance, Signed in Red, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Practise the Unspoken Languages, Fallen London “There are a hundred languages of the devils. Learning even one is an exhausting process. Luckily there is a comfortable chair in the Reading Room…”
  3. ↑ Learn a letter in one of Hell’s alphabets, Fallen London “The devils assure you that this alphabet is one of the sorts that isn't immediately fatal.”
  4. ↑ A bold approach (The devil's parrot), Fallen London “Hmm. That did not go to plan. This parrot... is no longer alive. You don't feel well either. It seems that these infernal letters are not healthy to be around. You hastily put the brass tablet away and try not to think about it.”
  5. ↑ Take the vote and declare Victory (Infernal Alliance Charter), Fallen London “The crest of the railway is stamped in Nevercold Brass, and accompanied by a motto in one of the invisible languages of Hell. Since no one can see it, no one is troubled by being unable to read it.”
  6. ↑ Rob the Brass Embassy, Fallen London “As you are collected, a senior devil burns a painless letter from one of Hell's alphabets into your chest. The letter glows bright and ruddy, even through four layers of clothing. Stealth is going to be difficult for a while, although it will fade eventually.”
  7. ↑ Request passage to the Sere Palace (with the Hell-Scarred Gondolier), Fallen London “The Gondolier plies the waters himself. He sings as he rows, in contravention of Jericho's law, which he no longer observes. The language is unfamiliar, its vowels pluck memory's strings. You remember roses and marigolds, entwined in a bed of violets.”
  8. ↑ Correct a point of vocabulary, Fallen London And she says a word in one of the languages of Hell, which means A Procession of Violets. When she says this word, all the remaining biscuits on the table crumble in their basket. She looks embarrassed; she hastily dumps out the biscuit crumbs into a napkin, and wads the napkin up in her lap, so that no one will see.”
  9. ↑ Present the brass token, Fallen London “They are effusive with their gratitude, admiring your natural talent in following the subtle verses they danced through the Rose Giveth.”
  10. ↑ Cricket, Anyone?, Fallen London
  11. ↑ Enter Hell once more, Fallen London “[...] and they were brought to the dancing place and there they spoke the best language of Hell until their shoes were shreds and their skin was as red as the petals that were thrown when all kings fell.”
  12. ↑ Share the secrets of infernal dance, Fallen London “Paper is meek and fragile. Poetry is a labour. You will write through the strain of engraving brass.”
  13. ↑ Allow your devilish associates to take care of this, Fallen London “The heels of their boots strike against the pavement, throwing up sparks of – are those sigils? They are gone too fast to be certain. Your vision swims; your stomach roils. Only when the devils have worn away a circle in the lacre do they stop.”
  14. ↑ Hear the message in the Baroness' own dance, Fallen London “Even among the devils, not every one would have the skill to perform as the deviless, the Creditor's Solicitor, now performs for you. She has six legs, now, and that makes the motions easier. There are phrases that can be expressed only in the tremble of the wings.”
  15. ↑ Share the secrets of infernal dance, Fallen London “At first, there is the easy ache of exertion; later on, you can feel your limbs attempting to bend in ways they were not made for, stretching towards dance steps that outpace a mortal lifetime.”
  16. ↑ Share the secrets of infernal dance, Fallen London “They thank you profusely through the smell of burnt hair - one of them by tapping a rhythm on the floor with his feet, which then promptly bend backwards with a sickening crack. Ah, well, it’s not for everyone.”
  17. ↑ Mr Sacks! Take these red words!, Fallen London “You make to reply, but language has been upended. Your answer is trapped in the twitch of your feet.”
  18. ↑ A work of burning dance, Fallen London “By the end of the second act, there's not one dry eye in the house - though not all of them are shedding tears.”
  19. ↑ Decipher some of the dance-alphabet of the devils, Sunless Skies “You have learned a great deal in your travels. You are sure the patterns of the devils' dance are a crude form of the Correspondence. The hymn itself, you think, is only inflection.”
  20. ↑ A work of burning dance, Fallen London “Rehearsals are a massacre. Most dancers can't even begin to approximate what you need. Eventually, you bend them into shape, though there are always complaints about singed eyebrows.”
  21. ↑ Meet some churchmen of your acquaintance, Fallen London “The conversation ranges from the theological to the esoteric to the frankly occult. How many alphabets does Hell have? What is their relationship to the Correspondence? Which saints are barred from the Neath, and why? Fascinating stuff.”
  22. ↑ Listen to a story of things past, Sunless Skies "Mr Menagerie gestures to the frescoes where devils in rose-masks walk in procession to a great mirror. "Once they were servants of the light. Their eager seneschals. Their celebrated cupbearers. Their willing chamberlains.""
  23. ↑ Listen to the lecture on 'the Binary', Sunless Skies "Apparently when the Halved had a twin, it was collectively called 'the Binary'. The Supplicant speaks of devils in the Binary's service, responsible for preparing a raiment of killing light for one of their masters before he went to war, and a mantle of merciful radiances when the other went to parley." (This likely describes the Mantle-bearer and the Chorister.)
  24. ↑ Listen to the lecture on 'the Binary', Sunless Skies ""But they betrayed their master," she says. Amid a fresh chorus of shouting, she begins to talk about a doomed 'peace conference' – a peace with who, you couldn't catch."
  25. ↑ Listen to a story of things past, Sunless Skies "Once they were servants of the light. [...] But they craved to feast at the banquets they served. They were placed high, but not high enough. They began to dream of a time without chains. And so they fled and so they fell."
  26. ↑ The Prophet Exile spoke to the Princes of Light, Sunless Skies "My Apostle. The first to shield me from the light that burned away my existence. The light of the arrogant Kings. Their Princes were not willing to languish in service in the hope of a glory that the Kings would never offer them. Ah, but wrapped up in stories of inevitable victory and cowering bravely behind my figurehead, their resentment became my serrated blade."
  27. ↑ V. A Night Of Transfiguration, Sunless Skies "The PRINCES OF LIGHT and the PROPHET EXILE welcome their latest Disciple — the KING WHO SPEAKS. [...] At their Prophet's signal, the Princes drew their knives! They stabbed the King's unprotected soul."
  28. ↑ The Messenger returned!, Sunless Skies "The Messenger came, resplendent in black robes / Offering an olive branch of peace to the Prophet and Princes. / The Twin Kings had granted a hearing. / A conclave to discuss matters of transformation."
  29. ↑ The King Who Wars mounted his chariot, Sunless Skies "This was how a King fought, with fire and light / And the Princes learned the folly of their youth. [...] THE KING WHO WARS: Scream not for the comfort of oblivion / Such mercy is not for traitors to know / As you burn forever in my palace / In the flames of anger you have ignited."
  30. ↑ Trade mysteries with the Piper, Sunless Skies "When you are done, she tells you of a great war fought before the devils fell; of a new Conjunction in heaven; of diets of war and of peace; of counsels betrayed and feasts where the sky ran with spilt starlight; of the death of a king, and the end of all idylls in Eleutheria."
  31. ↑ Listen to the fourth and final hymn, Sunless Skies "[...] the hymn's plainsong denotes a time long ago: [...] a tale of the Many-Mouthed. He... [...] campaigned, perhaps, or protested – against [...] 'the Golden Rule'? [...] The King of Carols 'objected through the withdrawal of his voice'. Because of this, 'the eyes were angry'."
  32. ↑ Listen to the third hymn, Sunless Skies "This hymn is a hymn of suffering. [...] a period of punishment. The Choir-in-One [...] was – elaborated? Stretched? Hung? – above the well, from the spur of ice on which the bandstand now rests. The stars 'made a message of him,' [...] In defiance, he gave away his voices, bestowing 'all but one of them upon his—' The next part might be 'creations' or 'aberrations' or 'amalgamies'. Apparently, this was not well received by 'those who judged'."
  33. ↑ Listen to the fourth and final hymn, Sunless Skies "The Many-Mouthed was judged by the Regents in Gold, and cast into the well. His voices, all but the one he kept, 'were scattered to the hives'. His followers – 'the horned and brazen' – grieved, then raged, then rebelled. The Chain was broken. The fate of the uprising is unstated, but the sigils are melancholy. There is reference to an exodus, to 'a time of serpents'."
  34. ↑ Discovered: A Brilliant Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 1:3: AND THUS SPAKE THE KING OF HOURS: “For those who wear crowns, let their kingdoms be counted; and for those who wear ashes, let their miseries be counted; and for those who keep this tally, let their debts be counted.” Upon hearing this, the people struck him down."
  35. ↑ Hand over the Dignity of Albion Bill, Sunless Skies ""We know. There is an order to creation; a Chain of Being. Things such as you cannot be the death of things such as we. [...] When a murder is committed correctly, only two creatures know what occurred: one is the murdered; the other..." She says no more, but opens one of her thousand plumed hands [...] A trophy, plucked from the corpse of a star."
  36. ↑ Use your reputation to help skip the queue, Sunless Skies "Using the telescope, he was able to locate the last light cast by Albion's old sun, the one the Empire claims to have defeated 5 years ago. But according to his calculations, the light is centuries old. Albion's sun was dead long before the Empress came to the skies."
  37. ↑ Ask him about his memories of Caduceus, Sunless Skies ""After the Well of the Wolf," [...] "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; and from there onward. We were a people in exile. Not strong enough to take a place and hold it for our own. Not weak enough to be welcomed as refugees. It was an intolerable time and I take no pleasure in remembering it."
  38. ↑ 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."
  39. ↑ Discovered: A Chilly Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 2:1-3: AND AMONG THE PEOPLE AROSE a great and fearful clamour [...] And from this clamour arose a few great voices to lead them. And among these great voices arose the Eglantine Regent, she who bargains with serpents."
  40. ↑ Discovered: A Dark Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 3:7: AND THE EGLANTINE REGENT SAID unto the people: “I have signed a bargain with serpents; and I have given us a road to walk; and the mirrors shall open to us; and there we shall make new law; and there we shall draft the plans of a city that is already ours.” And upon hearing this, the people rejoiced."
  41. ↑ Receive the story in the form of cascabel venom, Fallen London "The devils swarming into Parabola longed for many things: for souls, for escape, for their own deaths and the things that waited beyond each death. The Fingerkings saw their longing, and welcomed them as food. The devils were bargainers, contract-writers, enemies of the stars. The Fingerkings saw their nature, and welcomed them as allies. The devils were hollow, skin-shedders, eternally in chrysalis. The Fingerkings saw their capacity, and welcomed them as salvation."
  42. ↑ Discovered: A Discordant Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 4:6-7: AND THE PEOPLE SHED THEIR SKINS to squeeze through mirrors. And the people wandered a wasted sky beyond the glass. It was a time of famine and bitter cold, and the people faltered and regretted their flight. And the Eglantine Regent said unto them: "This place Is Not; and what Is Not may not harm us. For we do exist, and we exist more than anything in existence.""
  43. ↑ Hold steady, Fallen London "Aeons passed [...] They searched the mirrors endlessly for a suitable destination in which to hide themselves, but always that goal remained out of reach – until they found the Neath. Until the first person brought the first looking-glass below."
  44. ↑ Discovered: A Jewelled Future, Fallen London "The Book of Roses 5:4-5: [...] Thus spake the Parlous Knot: "This is the dream of a giant, that we have set aside for you to dwell within." And the people set down their baggage and were still. And said the Eglantine Regent: "Here we shall make camp, but we shall not build our city; for our city has always lain elsewhere.""
  45. ↑ Discovered: A Nearby Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 6:5-7: AND THE PEOPLE BUILT FURNACES and made maps. They devised new numbers with which to calculate the position of their home. And the Parlous Knot looked upon these works, and saw that they were good. And so said the Eglantine Regent: “Soon we will arrive in Hell.” And the Parlous Knot rejoiced, for it believed that it would accompany them."
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Discovered: A Neon Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 7:7-9: AND WHEN THE TIME CAME for the people to depart the Is-Not, they made their passage through Irem. [...] And so said the Eglantine Regent: “For the future to arrive one must have a present.” And the Parlous Knot cursed the name of the Eglantine Regent. And the Parlous Knot perished."
  47. ↑ Neutralise the poison; the antidote is already in you, Fallen London "Aeons passed. The Fingerkings waited. The devils built furnaces in Parabola, and laid down trade routes; looked out of mirrors, and considered new homes; and for generations searched for their new Hell. 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."
  48. ↑ Discovered: An Abyssal Future, Fallen London "Book of Roses 10:2-3: WHEN THE PEOPLE CAME TO THE END of their voyage west, they set down their baggage and began the work of building a new city. And there they made petition to the powers of the Earth, who might set the boundaries of their city."
  49. ↑ Discovered: An Altered Future, Fallen London "AND WHEN THE LAST BRICK WAS LAID on the last wall of Hell, there arose a great and joyful clamour among the people. And there the Eglantine Regent lit the furnaces once again, so that those great voices among the people might devise new laws. And there the Eglantine Regent made a proclamation of her rulership. Upon hearing this, the people struck her down."
  50. ↑ Chat to the port-folk about the Brimstone Convention, Sunless Sea "Chat to the port-folk about the Brimstone Convention [...] There was a revolution in Hell: and the aristocracy of devils fled here. Here, they plot in exile. [...] “They don't do us any harm. They stay up there, and we stay down here."
  51. ↑ Reported Location of a One-Time Prince of Hell, Fallen London "The season of revolutions brought an end to thrones in Hell. Where did their nobility take refuge? And what will Hell pay to find them out?"
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