Setting

[undergroundmods]

Setting

London ♦ The Other Realm ♦ Beyond London

London's supernatural roots go back as far as the city itself. As the city grew around the banks of the River Thames, so too did the magic that seeped in from the Other Realm and bled into its bones. Thus, there have been witches in London almost from the beginning and it did not take long for other supernatural species to join them.

Today, Greater London has a population of over 8 million people in an area covering 607 square miles. Its supernatural communities are scattered across the entire region. Here is a list of some of the most significant locations:

Across London
Riverside Warehouses
Stretched along from the Tower Hamlets and Lewisham, to Hammersmith & Fultham and Wandworth, are a series of derelict old factories and worn-out warehouses (such as the Lots Road Power Station and the Young's Ram Brewery). Though they are decrepit and sometimes literally falling apart, these neutral spots along the river are some of the most discreet places to conduct illegal business, dark magic rituals, secret meetings, or have a hideout of your very own in the event things go south. Either way, just be careful – humans might start tearing the buildings down around you.

Barking & Dagenham
Abbott Mill – The East End Den
Sitting on a waterway that makes part of the border between Newham and Barking, the red brick building looks like it could be any one of London's trendy Victorian factory conversions, if a little chipped around the edges and sporting some filled in windows. Inside, the condition varies between 'decent' and 'potentially dangerous', with furnishing sparse at best – a wise choice, considering the werewolf propensity for collateral damage. The old storage basement is equipped to hold werewolves that are out of control, full moon or otherwise. Surrounded by high walls, the gates and entrances are heavily alarmed against intruders. Read more.

Barnet
Cafe Poirot
A small establishment offering a range of pastries and beverages. Its owner is slightly eccentric and has decorated the interior in the style of a detective office. The coffee is particularly good.

Bexley
The Mott Mansion
An old mansion near the edge of Bexley which was previously owned by a vampire called Dandy Mott. The mansion belonged to a non-vampiric relative of Dandy's, who died a few years after his arrival in London. Now abandoned, it is slowly falling into disrepair.

The Three Cripples
A bar populated by various members of supernatural society. Has a shady reputation.

Bromley
Kunstkammer
A small, tidy shop filled with all manner of ephemera and art. Its Seelie proprietor Lan has a particular fondness for well-drawn maps.

Camden
The Folly
Located on Russell Square, the Folly is a row of Georgian terraces, 5 storeys high with wrought-iron railings defending steep drops into basement flats. It has a flight of stairs leading up to its double mahogany doors with brass fittings. The Latin words 'scientia potestas est' are carved above the lintel. Features of the Folly contain but are not limited to: a general library, a magic library, a lecture hall, a firing rage, a coach house, and several laboratories. Thomas Nightingale is currently the only resident. (He and the magical housemaid, Molly.) Read more.

Regent's Park Barracks
Also known as Albany Street Barracks, it is located on Albany Street near Regent's Park. Established in 1820, it currently houses Logistic Support Squadrons, Royal Logistic Corps, and Special Air Service Regiments. The Special Air Service specialized in special forces training during the Second World War and has been known to harbour supernatural personnel. Read more.

City
Law Offices of Annalise Keating
Annalise Keating is a defence attorney and professor who runs her law office out of a small townhouse in the City. Come to her if you need help getting away with murder.

Ealing
Redbright Institute
Located in Hanwell, the Redbright Institute is a school for supernatural young people of all types. Read more.

Fogwell's Gym
For all your bag punching needs.

Enfield
Conserve
A charity shop run by The Conserve Foundation, a charitable organization that focuses on outreach—housing, clothing, food, and employment assistance for lone werewolves and shapeshifters (with the ultimate goal of pack integration for the wolves). The shop offers a selection of gently used goods: clothing, furniture, small household items, music and books. While mostly staffed by unpaid volunteers, there are usually a few positions available for werewolves and shapeshifters in need of employment.

Geap Manor Ruins
Geap Manor is located to the far north of Enfield. It was built by Sir Roderick Widdowson during the reign of Elizabeth I, and it was held by the Widdowson family until September 2016 when it was burned down by the Redbright Institute. The house was most known for its door knocker once you get past the large gate and through the grounds.

Hackney
Rhapsody in Red
A night club. It's not super seedy but also not super nice and closer to the border with Tower Hamlets than is comfortable for some people. But the drinks are cheap and the music often of much higher quality than would be expected.

Harrow
Coffeers' Shop
Coffeers is a trendy little coffee shop that has been around since the mid 2000s. Originally an apartment building, it was bought by a company when it was shut down due to undisclosed reasons and was soon renovated into the coffee shop that is popularly known today. It is best known for its Espresso Bombs, espresso made from espresso itself, that they sell during the school exams season. Also the fact that the shop is occasionally invaded by budding Ghostbusters and mediums who have heard of reports about the hauntings found here.

Pins and Needles
Pins and Needles is a lovely and semi-popular dress shop that happens to be run by a Seelie, who goes by the name Mrs. Lotus. Thanks to her strong affinity with cloth, her outfits are always a hit with fashionistas. It's also a place where Seelies, even outcasts, can go if they wish to find a quiet hideaway from the humans. It's only open during the winter months since Mrs. Lotus is not as busy with Court dealings. During the summer months, one needs to make an arrangement with Mrs. Lotus to see her for a fitting. Unless you're a Seelie. Seelies are always welcomed there.

The West Winds
A cheap motel known to house wandering supernatural creatures who don't want to cause any problems.

Hillingdon
Hillingdon House
Previously occupied by the military, Hillingdon House was the Hillingdon Clan's family home from 1965 until 2003 when it was abandoned and fell into disuse. In the last five years or so it has been used as a secret hideout for hunters, who discovered that the family left behind a considerable stash of weapons and other hunting paraphernalia in the house and grounds. Since then it has earned the nickname "Hunter's Retreat".

Hounslow
Aw, Shucks
Bordering the Thames is a snail shucking and escargot packaging company. It's a small business, only big enough to occupy one building on a city block, but apparently the owners thought they could open a restaurant on the ground floor and started working on a basement kitchen... which was supremely illegal and was shut down before construction could finish. As it is, there is just a nice big basement underneath the factory which was historically used by Circle Midnight witches as a magical workshop. It has three exits, one of which leads into the Tube tunnels underneath them.

Islington
The Angelo
A large, plush luxury hotel built during the 1800s by Cesare Borgia. Fitted with a tea room, a restaurant and multiple lounges, it is the place both to be seen and to avoid the gaze of others. There is a strict no violence policy, at least publicly. What you do in your private rooms is none of the hotel's concern, as long as you keep it fairly clean. Technically everyone is welcome but that does not mean that they will all receive the same treatment. Vampires will always be given a place to sleep for the night, should they need it, while werewolves might find it tricky getting served.

Bunhill Fields
A cemetery that counts many famous people among its permanent tenants. Highlights include William Blake, Daniel Defoe, John Bunyan and Susannah Wesley. Beware of sleeping vampires. Read more.

Gray's Clock Shop
Gray's is a very quaint, hole-in-the-wall watch repair shop filled with clocks and watches of all kinds. It caters to repairs, new purchases, and advice for purchase of heirloom pieces. It occasionally also serves as a weapons cache or meeting place for the Islington Nest, though such indiscretions are always kept to after hours.

The Jolly Roger
A pirate themed bar that is fairly lucrative and successful. Word is there's a back room that allows supernatural types a bit of freedom in a more public setting but you'd need an invite to know that for sure.

Lewisham
Fagin's Den
Fagin's Den is the hidden home of the fence and his, well, minions. An attic home, the place looks like what Urban Outfitters wants your home to look like: eccentric, dirty, and please don't touch that-!

Horniman's Triangle
A triangle of open land in the middle of a housing estate in Lewisham. The area is well hidden by houses and gardens, and shaded by trees. Unless someone is looking, it is easy to miss. It is known as a haven for outcast fae and travelling folk alike.

Redbridge
Hogen & Shore
A law firm located in the heart of the borough, which originated as a supernatural haven for those who were in contention with the mortal law. Now it primarily deals in cases for the East End Pack and other werewolf packs in the area, but will still deal in minor cases with all species. Vampires included.

Richmond
Hot Ostrich Custom Motorcycles
A motorcycle shop doing its level best to sell the 'American Biker Lifestyle' to the residents of London. The owners boast that they hire mechanics and builders from overseas as a means of promoting an 'authentic' feel to the shop. The manager is a meta human and the workforce is predominately supernatural.

Tower Hamlets
Guilty Pleasures
A strip club and bar located in Poplar employing mostly male dancers (though there are special nights to be more inclusive to those who enjoy the womenfolk as well). Jean-Claude's premier business enterprise, it's one part camp and one part class, with a whole lot of sex appeal tossed about on the side for good measure. Read more.

Leman Street Police Station
Once famous for its role in the Jack the Ripper investigations, the Leman Street Police Station now serves as special operations HQ for the Met. Read more.

Tenter Street Brothel
To those upright and human, this nondescript building on Tenter Street in Whitechapel appears as a gaudy hotel styled in Victorian pastiche. A hotel that is always booked solid. To those seeking pleasures of flesh, the brothel shows its true face— as an emporium of delights, where one can be tended to by her or his choice of companion. Read more.

Westminster
Alternative Views News
Headquarters of the London offices of Worldly Weirdness Weekly, a tabloid founded in 1934 that has acted as a legitimate news source for the supernatural community since long before the relative safety of the internet allowed for a more free exchange of information between groups. All articles are framed in the manner of true tabloids so non-supernatural readers don't take it seriously while those it's intended for can keep up with world news. It also publishes the London Lambast Daily, a much smaller paper focusing on supernatural happenings in the London area.

Night Council
A secret government body located in Westminster that makes and enforces supernatural laws. Read more.

The Other Realm
Sometimes called Faery or the Other London, the Other Realm is an alternate plane that exists alongside the ordinary world. It is in this realm that the fae dwell.

Normally, the two planes overlap but never touch, and thus exist in isolation. However, there are certain places on Earth where the barrier between the realms is thin. London is one of them. It is because of this magical heritage that London has become a haven for witches and other supernatural species: magic is more potent here. And the influence of magic is felt in the general population too: an increasing number of humans are born with extraordinary powers, often as a result of contact with the Other Realm.

The Other Realm's version of the city looks similar to the real London but with a more Victorian or old-world feel. Everything is creepier, wilder and more magical. The currency is gold; fae love gold and hate silver. However, favours, promises and magic carry as much or more worth than any currency in the Other Realm. Travellers beware: if you enter the Other Realm by mistake it is not easy to get out.

Doors to the Other Realm
Fae have the ability to move between the two realms at will. One way for them to do this is to create a door. This is usually, but not always, an actual door that works as a passage between the mortal realm and the Other Realm. By walking through the door, you cross from one realm into the other. Most often, the fae will turn an existing door into a passage between the two realms, but sometimes they will make a door appear where there wasn't one before. Outside, the boundary may be less clear e.g. a path between two trees could lead into the Other Realm. These passages typically are not permanent, but exist only until the fae has passed through them. Sometimes mortals find their way into the Other Realm via one of these passages, either by accident or because they are taken by the fae.

Witches can block access to the Other Realm using their magic, in order to prevent fae being summoned and Doors being created. The witches of Circle Daybreak make it their policy to do this in all of their territories. For that reason, it is not possible to travel between the Other Realm and the mortal realm in any Circle Daybreak territories.

The River
The Thames is an important landmark in the Other Realm, for it marks the border between the territory of the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court. During times of peace, when one Court is at the height of its power, it is a centre of trade with dozens of ships jostling for space. At night, orbs of light float over the water while the fae sing, dance and play music on the river.

The Woods
In the Other Realm, London's many parks and other green spaces tend to be bigger, wilder and greener. Hyde Park becomes the Forest of Hyde, for example. The lords and ladies of the court make their homes in Green Wood (Green Park), Primrose Hill, Richmond Forest (Richmond Park), Victoria Park, Hampstead Heath and others. The royal court in the north is located in The Regent's Park where in summer it is the home of the Seelie Court and in winter the Unseelie Court. The royal court in the south is located in Richmond Forest. In winter it is the home of the Unseelie Court and in summer the home of the Seelie Court.

Buckingham Palace
Remains exactly as it is in both realms. It is the home of the Mortal Queen, whom the fae regard with great affection, and therefore the fae do not stray across its boundaries.

Mornington Crescent
A strange thing happens to unprepared visitors to the Other Realm. No matter where they try to go on the Tube, they always seem to end up at Mornington Crescent.

King's Cross
Not a train station in the Other Realm, but instead an enormous palace built by the king.

Frollo's Castle
Frollo once took a great fancy to the grand cathedral in the centre of Paris, Notre Dame. As a result, he had a replica produced in the Other Realm in place of St. Paul’s church, and he governs his portion of the Unseelie Court from here with an iron fist. In the tallest tower, he keeps a changeling imprisoned.

The Observatory
A large golden palace on top of a hill. The centerpiece of the Observatory is a room with a clear dome for a ceiling, through which the stars can be seen more clearly than nearly anywhere else. It is now closed off and most fae do not dare go near.

Inari shrine
A small shinto shrine dedicated to the god Inari. To reach it, one must pass along a path comprised of shallow stone steps and sheltered by a long row of red wooden gates. It is surrounded by dense forest. The shrine itself has a pair of fox statues guarding the entrance. If someone wanted, they could make an offering...

Beyond London
Hurtfew Abbey, North Yorkshire
The ancestral home of Gilbert Norrell, who was the Witch Representative on the Night Council before his unfortunate disappearance in June 2016. It is in the cold, far reaches of Yorkshire. Built in the time of Queen Anne, it is made of of elaborate Gothic architecture – although the library is said to be the true heart of the building. It contains an unrivalled collection of books of magic, exceeding four thousand volumes, and the library itself is protected by a labyrinth spell.

Staithes, North Yorkshire
A small North Yorkshire town. It's largely werewolf dominated with a few smaller witch covens and the like. Its werewolf pack mostly consists of elderly werewolves who believe staunchly in tradition.

Londonderry, Ireland
A constant source of strife and turmoil, the Londonderry Nest experienced a violent schism during the Irish Revolutionary Period. During the schism, a great many young revolutionaries were turned without the approval of the nest, and the Duke of Derry was killed, in no small part due to the newly-turned vampires lending aid to hunters and, it's rumoured, a werewolf. Most of these younglings were killed within the next fifty years, but several escaped into other Irish nests, with many heading either to Belfast or Dublin. To this day, no single Londonderry nest exists, and the city is viewed as a 'no-man's land', particularly with a sudden influx of werewolves into Londonderry in the last 20 years.

Berlin, Germany
Historically, everyone knows about the split between East and West Berlin and the human wall that ran through it. What is less well known is the impact of the supernatural community on that line being drawn. The werewolf and vampire factions were always present, and they split a good deal of the country (and especially the city) with an invisible border. There were, of course, members of different factions on either side and many other species present, but those two were (and remain) the largest powers in the area.

Ettersberg, Germany
Ettersberg was the location of a large battle during the Second World War that took the lives of a large portion of the magical fighting forces at the time. Mostly forgotten by this generation of witches, there are still a few who remember its significance. Read more.

Pforzheim, Germany
A city once considered a place of powerful supernatural presence, particularly witches and werewolves, due to the presence of countless families hidden in the Black Forest. After the bombings of WW2, and the subsequent revival of the city treating the forest as a tourist attraction, the area has long since lost its previous power. Read more.

The Obsidian Circle, Germany
A very large and influential group of witches from all over Germany, all magic practitioners of very orthodox and very dark roots. They also have a strong voice in Switzerland and Austria. They've been around for centuries and are always known for their cruel treatment towards other beings – especially Fae – as no more than batteries or tools for their own spells and conquests. Read more.

Pinsky Forest, Russia
Pinsky Forest spans half a million acres in Western Russia, just outside Moscow, and is home to the Zetrov Pack, one of the largest werewolf packs in the country. The whole forest is off-limits to vampires and any other supernatural creature who isn't an ally of the pack. In recent decades, the pack extended its influence into Moscow itself, all but wiping out the vampire presence there and turning the whole city into a contentious battleground.

Osaka, Japan
One of the former capitals of Japan and now its second-largest city, Osaka is historically a merchant town and economic hub. Humans, ghosts, and fae are the most numerous; vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters are less so.

California, USA
Home to SCARECROW, a brutal group that hunts to kill anyone with a trace of non-human ability or promise. Their biggest cell is in Southern California, but they are growing and looking to expand to other major cities. They are funded by Better Living Industries, a small but growing international tech company.

Salem, Massachusetts
The entire city is essentially populated only by non-humans and hunters, with the only humans either paying for safety through the Council, the Hunters, or the Court. Read more.

The Grand Court of Heaven
A heavily underground and highly extremist group, most recently becoming active in the Americas but claiming to be present overseas. Their tenets are based around the belief that all non-human entities are scourges on the universe, sins against God Himself and must be removed. Read more.

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