The Fifth City: Fallen London's Lore Wikia
The Fifth City: Fallen London's Lore Wikia
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"A tiny flask of utter sorrow. The touch of the corked flask provokes weeping. Consume it, and be fatally consumed by melancholy."[1]

"Neath-snow - or is it 'lacre'?"[2]

Every Christmas the Bazaar floods London with its unique form of snow, called lacre.[3] This odd substance has the air of ammonia about it, but there might be more to it than meets the eye...[4]

Snow?[]

Lacre is not safe to consume (please don't),[5] and it can transform life forms into spired crustaceans - miniature copies of the Bazaar.[6] Lacre also acts as a form of liquid memory, and sampling its aroma can give an imbiber mysterious visions.[7] Inspecting lacre under a powerful enough magnifying glass will reveal flakes reminiscent of the Correspondence, as opposed to the hexagonal flakes of the Surface.[8] A most enigmatic substance indeed!

Quality lacre can be hard to come by, but the Urchins are known for peddling it,[3] and lacre is a crucial ingredient in the creation of a Noman.[9][10]

Feeding lacre to pigs will cause them to fall asleep; there is some significance to this.[11]

Concentrated Melancholy[]

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.


The Bazaar's tears are a distilled form of lacre,[12] and they are liquid sadness: touching the cork of the bottle will induce weeping, and if drunk, the liquid will consume the drinker with melancholy.[13]

Sunderedsea

A Sundered Sea.

Beneath the Bazaar lies the Sundered Sea, which serves as its lacre-vats.[14] The Sea can be accessed by crossing Penstock's Wicket, via an elevator of sorts.[15] Penstock himself is a peculiar individual; according to Maybe's Daughter, he has "understanding" with the Bazaar, and he once let the Lady in Lilac pass through to make her own bargains.[16]

Before purchasing a new City, the Bazaar drowns all previous citizens in lacre[17][18][19] along with the city itself.[20][21]

References[]

  1. Vial of Tears of the Bazaar, Fallen London
  2. Putting the Pieces Together: the Taste of Lacre, Fallen London
  3. 3.0 3.1 Sidebar Snippets, Fallen London
  4. Putting the Pieces Together: the Taste of Lacre, Fallen London
  5. Eat it, Fallen London
  6. Feed it to a Malevolent Monkey, Fallen London
  7. Mix it with an old wine, Fallen London
  8. Examine it through your Semiotic Monocle, Fallen London
  9. The Noman, Fallen London
  10. Pass the Wicket and descend, Fallen London
  11. Feed it to a Wild Boar, Fallen London
  12. A potent possibility, Fallen London
  13. Vial of Tears of the Bazaar, Fallen London
  14. A Sundered Sea, Fallen London
  15. Pass the Wicket and descend, Fallen London
  16. A Visit to the Bazaar, Sunless Sea
  17. Myself, Fallen London The lacre reservoirs are hungry: the Bazaar's passions empty them every year. Rather soon, I think, the citizens of London must go down into the tanks. London will be the new Forgotten Quarter.
  18. Where did the Rosers go?, Fallen London "Into lacre," she whispers. "Into the underpipes. Where even souls cannot survive."
  19. Deepen your acquaintance with Prisoner's Honey - DREAM OF A CITY, Fallen London "One by one, they go down the stairs into the soft white glow, their eyes wide and tender. You approach the edge of one of the pits. The scent is sharp, unpleasant."
  20. Look down into the depths, Fallen London "Space is cleared as buildings crumble beneath the weight of the lacre, brick and stone and marble breaking into dust, churned up into the lacre and swallowed away."
  21. Look out across the zee, Fallen London "A group of desperate survivors throng once-grand docks. (...) The lacre tide rises and soon all is washed away."
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