The Fallen Cities

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London is not the only city to have been brought down to the Neath. Four other cities came before it, all traded to the Bazaar for their own various reasons. Very few wish to consider the possibility of any coming after.

Traces of these former cities can be found throughout London. The Fourth City is the most present by far, as a remnant stands just outside the city: the Forgotten Quarter. London is also in frequent contact and rivalry with the Khanate, the floating city-state established by Fourth City refugees on the Unterzee.

The process of Falling a city is as follows: the Masters of the Bazaar arrive at a powerful and well-populated city and broker a deal with its rulers, which often involves a tale of love. After the deal is brokered, the old city is drowned in lacre, killing nearly all of its inhabitants, and the new one literally falls on top. The new city is then subjugated by the Bazaar, and business carries on as usual.

Extraordinary circumstances and the very impermanent nature of death in the Neath mean that certain people from the previous cities may survive long after their cities were crushed. The majority of these have left for the Tomb-Colonies, however, as these cities stretch far back into antiquity. Anybody who could survive that long and still remain a part of Fifth City life is either incredibly wily, powerful, or simply useful.

The First City, ca. 27th century BCE

First City coins.

"Only two things are known to remain of the First City: the name, the Crossroads Shaded By Cedars, and the saying: even the First City was young when Babylon fell." "The first taught restraint..."

The First City, known as the Crossroads Shaded By Cedars, was located in ancient Mesopotamia. Survivors of this city include the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel and Polythreme's King with a Hundred Hearts.

The Second City, circa 1335 BCE

Relics from the Second City.

"Never mention the Second City to the Masters of the Bazaar. Mr Wines will look at you narrowly and give you its worst vintage. Mr Cups will fly into a rage. Mr Veils will harangue you for your discourtesy. Mr Iron will say nothing, only write down your name with its left hand." "...and the second betrayed..."

The Second City was located in ancient Egypt. Remnants of the city live on in Visage and Arbor; the Salt Lions hail from the city as well.

Survivors of the Second City include the Duchess and several of her sisters, as well as the Cantigaster.

The Third City, 9th-10th century CE

A statue from the Third City.

"No-one talks much about the cities that preceded London. The Third City seems to have been acquired a thousand years ago. It had five wells, they say. And the weather was better." "...The third taught us hunger..."

The Third City was Mayan. The majority of the Tomb-Colonies are built upon Third City architecture and mythology.

There are a handful of living survivors of the fall of the Third City, including the First Curator.

The Fourth City, 1254 CE

A relic from the Fourth City.

"Who carves horse-head amulets out of bone? Whoever lived in the Fourth City. If all the Fourth City amulets on sale are real, they must really have liked horses." "...the fourth we remade..."

The Fourth City has been well-studied, and many of its survivors are known to London - for instance, the Gracious Widow. It was the capital of the Mongol Empire, and fell just over six hundred years before London. While physical remnants exist in London's Forgotten Quarter, its true legacy continues in the Khanate.

The Fifth City, 1862 CE

"The city around the Bazaar is called the Fifth City because, they say, it's not the first the Bazaar chose as a home. You can still turn up bricks from the older cities, now and then. Look: here's one marked with an eye." "...The fifth will live on in the heart of the Sun..."

There are numerous living survivors of the fall of London. It is widely known that the Empress arranged the Fall to save her beloved Prince Consort, as he was dying of typhoid fever. The Consort seems rather wan, however, and something else has already befallen the rest of the royal family...

The Sixth City, and the Seventh?

"The Masters have always been fond of Paris." "...and the sixth..."

Who knows what the Sixth City will be? There are rumors that the Masters might buy Paris - no wonder, for after all, Paris is the City of Love. As for the Seventh City, there are similar whispers of Moscow, when "the Comet" - perhaps Halley's Comet - passes in the 21st century... But these are mere speculations, and time is known to be treacherous; it could just as well be Berlin in the 1980s.