Round #11; Fallen London - The Bazaar, the Masters, and Mr Eaten
Fandom: Fallen London
Subject: The Bazaar, the Masters of the Bazaar, and Mr Eaten
Title: No light over London.
Warnings/Notes: A mix about the most unknowable creatures of the Neath: the inhuman Masters of the Bazaar, whatever they are; the former Master and fount of madness known as Mr Eaten; and, of course, the Bazaar itself. Contains spoilers from Fallen London.
About: Fallen London -- previously known as Echo Bazaar -- is a "a browser-based choose-your-own-adventure game," described variously as gothic, steampunk, cosmic horror, and comic horror. It is a surprisingly rich world filled with charming writing, compelling storylines, and intriguing characters.
Thirty years ago, in the year 1860, London was stolen by bats. Or, to be more accurate (and more politically correct), it was sold -- to the Bazaar, in return for the life of the Traitor Empress's ailing consort. London was taken underground, to the Neath, and is currently controlled by a group of strange, cloaked beings called the Masters of the Bazaar. But, although they are called its Masters, they appear to be working for it... and it is demanding, and hungry.
London is the Fifth City. Four others came before it; the ruins of the Fourth City can still be visited, if you know how to get there. The Bazaar seems beneficial, almost a sort of symbiote, but it is more likely a parasite, and each time it leaves a city to move on to the next, that city falls to ruin. And, of course, the Neath has its monsters -- the worst of which, named Mr Eaten, used to be a Master itself, betrayed by the Bazaar. To seek Mr Eaten's Name is to seek madness and death. To cross the Bazaar is to forfeit your mind. Citizens must tread carefully.
***
In the beginning, there was the Bazaar... whatever the Bazaar really is. It is unclear whether its Masters came later, though some in-game text hints that this may be the case. Either way, the Bazaar's modus operandi is the same: It needs people. It needs to find a civilization. And then it will latch on.
01. Ayreon - The Earth Extinction - Glimmer Of Hope
Through their eyes we will see
With their hands we will create
In their world we will be free
With our minds we'll shape their fate
Now the die is cast, the first step taken
A glimmer of hope lights up our lives
Visions of the past, dreams forsaken
Forming right before our eyes
We're alive
Through their pain we'll learn to live
Remember all life has to give
***
"Residents have been known to say 'since the Fall', to mean, not the Biblical Fall, but the Descent of London. Well enough. But what do they mean by 'since the Bazaar was between stars'?"
02. Marina & The Diamonds - Buy The Stars
You bought a star in the sky tonight
Because your life is dark and it needs some light
You named it after me, but I'm not yours to keep
Because you'll never see that the stars are free
Oh, we don't own our heavens now
We only own our hell
And if you don't know that by now
Then you don't know me that well...
You're buying stars to shut out the light
We come alone and alone we die
And no matter how hard you try
I'll always belong in the sky
***
Very little is known about the cities that came before. The first is entirely unknown; the second was likely Egyptian; the third was certainly a Mayan civilization. The fourth was a Mongolian city called Karakorum, and still leaves its traces. But the Fifth City is London. And not everyone is pleased.
03. Coldplay - Cemeteries of London
So we rode down to the river where the toiling ghosts strain
For their curses to be broken
We'd go underneath the arches where the witches are in there saying
There are ghost towns in the ocean
The ocean...
Singing la lalalala la la le...
And the night over London rang
Singing la lalalala la la le...
There's no light over London today
***
When the Bazaar, and the Masters, took London, things became... strange. Very strange. And its clear that they don't quite understand humans, don't quite think the same way, though most of the Masters seem to enjoy them.
04. Broken Iris - Where Butterflies Never Die
Multiply humanity
Harmonize insanity
Shedding light of remedy
Pulling tight of clarity
Shattered glass in flower beds
Humanize inhuman ends
It's all the same for the Dreamers
It's all the same for us
Float on
To the painted skies
Where dreams will be unified
***
They are strange, alien, abnormal. People make wild guesses: They are angels, giant bats, mobile colonies of fungus. The Masters give no answers, and the Neath swallows London whole; they are already used to it, they already know the rules, but for a while, everyone else must struggle to adjust.
05. Marina & The Diamonds - Valley of the Dolls
In the valley of the dolls we sleep, we sleep
Got a hole inside of me, of me
Born with a void, hard to destroy with love or hope
Built with a heart, broken from the start
And now I die slow
In the valley of the dolls, we sleep
Got a hole inside of me
Living with identities
That do not belong to me
***
With time, however, anything can become normal. Not everyone dislikes the Neath. Slowly, people come to think of it as home; it becomes slander, only spoken by revolutionaries, to say that the city was "stolen." And, after all, there is much to like about this new London. It is dark. It is strangely free. There is good company, good craftsmanship, mushroom wine. You can live quite comfortably down there. And, of course, death is only temporary in the Neath. The secrets to immortality lie down there. Why would anyone ever want to leave?
06. Flogging Molly - Lightning Storm
This lonely existence paves the way
For the hard of hearts must beat, be brave
While this quiet lightning storm
Wrecks the harvest gold we try to sow...
I sit on the wing for a blackbird's song
To tell me where and when this all went wrong
There's no resolution without remorse
With ignorance bliss, defend "let's stay the course..."
Take what you give
Until there's nothing left but forever live
And night descends on shadows without their kill
As the days they come, but the years they go
So take care of your freedom
They'll never know
***
For some people, however, the Neath will never quite be home. They are trapped, and shut away from sunlight. Once you die in the Neath, you can never return to the surface. Not every citizen is happy, and far more search without knowing what, exactly, they're looking for.
07. Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling & Dharohar Project - To Darkness
Board the yard as it departs
Lead me on the shore
But I will hunt no more
Hold my sin above my head
Take me home instead
Take me home instead
I will not speak of your sin
There is a way out for him
The mirror shows not
Your values are all shocked
But oh, my heart was fraud
I knew my weakness
So hold my hand
Consign me not to darkness
***
Some people, however, know exactly what they are searching for. They are driven, single-minded. Hungry. They seek the Name. For many, the messages come at first in dreams; for some, they come through other paths. But the instructions are always the same: GO NORTH.
08. Stars - The North
It's so cold in this country
Every road home is long
He had a map that he bought
For the price of his soul
He had a reason to go there
And a warm place to stay
And when it came time to leave
It was never the right day...
Its so cold in this country
You can never get warm
Good luck bad luck survivor
Sleep is my friend and my rival
***
The Masters, for whatever reason, strongly discourage this search. For those who quest, they will receive a note, only one, from the Masters of the Bazaar. An order to stop their foolishness. And if their warning is ignored, the Masters will turn their backs on you. There is only so much warning you can give the suicidal, especially if you do not truly understand the human mind.
09. A Perfect Circle - The Outsider (Frosted Yogurt Mix)
Help me if you can
It's just that this, this is not the way I'm wired
So could you please
Help me understand why
You've given in to all these
Reckless dark desires
You're lying to yourself again
Suicidal imbecile
Think about it, you're pounding on the fault line
What'll it take to get it through to you, precious?
I'm over this, why do you wanna throw it away like this?
Such a mess
Why would I want to watch you
Disconnect and self destruct one bullet at a time?
What's your rush now, everyone will have his day to die
***
Whatever their reason for warning you away from Mr Eaten... whatever he is... he will not be denied. A reckoning, he says to those seeking his Name, and sometimes says through them, is not to be postponed indefinitely. He is rage and pain, and he will not be denied; despite the other Masters' efforts, too many people still search for the one who was drowned in the well.
10. Pandora101 - Wizard Of The Tempest
Leaves are gone
And nothing left to me
No hope in destiny...
I want to go back to my position
In the world of my dreams
(Soon you will be mine)
Because there is no one there
To save me
Wizard of Te...
It is cold and I can't go back
Bring back the time
(Now)
My fear is coming inside
My mind, my eyes are blind
But I've seen you cry
Maybe I'm dreaming
So far and lost I'm no one
Maybe I'm just drowned
Into the real world
***
The more you delve into the game, the more you realize, and the more becomes clear. Events that had been shrouded have the curtains drawn away. Even the Masters' strange motivations are shown. And you learn more of Mr Eaten: That there had been another Master, named Mr Candles. That the Third City had been a Mayan civilization. That there had been people there called the God-Eaters. That the Bazaar had made a deal. They said they would only take a little, Mr Eaten whispers, but they took and erased everything that he was, until only an echo remained.
11. The Hush Sound - Dark Congregation
A dark congregation of familiar faces
Gathered around the quiet earth
A red rose fell upon the soft snow
Prayers were whispered so slow from our mouths
Our breath rose in the cold
Like a hundred souls escaping...
Save me, I am swallowed by the guilt of this
You're gone
Sleeping in the dust
We will not let time erase us
***
The Bazaar is cruel. Perhaps the creation of Mr Eaten was its biggest sin, but there are many others. In the deepest matters of the Bazaar, it is said, always look to love. Always. But stories of love are what the Bazaar feeds on, and it prefers tragedies.
12. Katzenjammer - Lady Marlene
Silently soldiers dance 'til they fall
Icicle chandelier shining so cold
They are draped in red in her masquerade
Lady Marlene takes your hand and commands the
Wind to blow
Ghosts to the sky above
Deep in despair they cry
Where is the love?
Oh, the north wind blows
Ghosts to the sky above
Deep in despair they cry
Where is the love?
***
If the Bazaar is cruel, its Masters are certainly not kind. But, perhaps surprisingly, not all of the Masters of the Bazaar are completely loyal to their... employer. In fact, even the most loyal of them may not like it much at all. And some -- it is unsure how many, but certainly Mr Fires, Mr Iron, Mr Veils -- are working against it, in stealth.
13. The Tiny - Know Your Demons
Listen, devil, I will let you go
I have carried you for years, but my hands are sore
I won't feed you anymore
This is as far as I'll take you
I should've turned you down from the start
My lungs are burning, but you're worn out too
I know your every turn by heart
Like a favorite work of art...
Know your demons
They know you
Wherever you go
They go too
Know your demons
They know you
Wherever they go
You're bound to
***
But, where there is disquiet, there is friction. Some of the Masters side, surprisingly, with London; they want the city to stay. Some, like Mr Stones, want to move on as soon as possible, and are trying to force the Bazaar's hand. Some, like Mr Wines, are wildcards, and don't much care. This is discord, now, among colleagues.
14. Keane - Broken Toy
I want to stay another season
See summer upon this sorry land
So don't dust off your gun without a reason
You understand...
Who says a river can't leave its waters?
Who says you walk in a line?
Who says a city can't change its borders?
Who says you're mine?
I look out for you
Come rain, come shine
What good does it do?
I guess I'm a record you're tired of
I guess we're just older now
***
Whatever happens, in the end... At the center of things, lies the Bazaar. It is old, and it is powerful, and it is unimaginable. It may well be that the Masters cannot force its metaphorical hand, one way or the other. It may well be that it will have what it wants, and move on, inexorably, to its Sixth City, in its own time.
15. Vienna Teng - Watershed
While you were building your empires
I was still sleeping
I was still sleeping
And while you were setting your woods afire
I was still dreaming
I was still dreaming...
While you argue it over
I am not waiting
I am not waiting...
I've done this many times before you
Old Shanghai, New Orleans
Amsterdam and Mumbai
Strange new creatures to scavenge your pores...
Children, your time is done
If you say it's done together
***
D O W N L O A D
Subject: The Bazaar, the Masters of the Bazaar, and Mr Eaten
Title: No light over London.
Warnings/Notes: A mix about the most unknowable creatures of the Neath: the inhuman Masters of the Bazaar, whatever they are; the former Master and fount of madness known as Mr Eaten; and, of course, the Bazaar itself. Contains spoilers from Fallen London.
About: Fallen London -- previously known as Echo Bazaar -- is a "a browser-based choose-your-own-adventure game," described variously as gothic, steampunk, cosmic horror, and comic horror. It is a surprisingly rich world filled with charming writing, compelling storylines, and intriguing characters.
Thirty years ago, in the year 1860, London was stolen by bats. Or, to be more accurate (and more politically correct), it was sold -- to the Bazaar, in return for the life of the Traitor Empress's ailing consort. London was taken underground, to the Neath, and is currently controlled by a group of strange, cloaked beings called the Masters of the Bazaar. But, although they are called its Masters, they appear to be working for it... and it is demanding, and hungry.
London is the Fifth City. Four others came before it; the ruins of the Fourth City can still be visited, if you know how to get there. The Bazaar seems beneficial, almost a sort of symbiote, but it is more likely a parasite, and each time it leaves a city to move on to the next, that city falls to ruin. And, of course, the Neath has its monsters -- the worst of which, named Mr Eaten, used to be a Master itself, betrayed by the Bazaar. To seek Mr Eaten's Name is to seek madness and death. To cross the Bazaar is to forfeit your mind. Citizens must tread carefully.
***
In the beginning, there was the Bazaar... whatever the Bazaar really is. It is unclear whether its Masters came later, though some in-game text hints that this may be the case. Either way, the Bazaar's modus operandi is the same: It needs people. It needs to find a civilization. And then it will latch on.
01. Ayreon - The Earth Extinction - Glimmer Of Hope
Through their eyes we will see
With their hands we will create
In their world we will be free
With our minds we'll shape their fate
Now the die is cast, the first step taken
A glimmer of hope lights up our lives
Visions of the past, dreams forsaken
Forming right before our eyes
We're alive
Through their pain we'll learn to live
Remember all life has to give
***
"Residents have been known to say 'since the Fall', to mean, not the Biblical Fall, but the Descent of London. Well enough. But what do they mean by 'since the Bazaar was between stars'?"
02. Marina & The Diamonds - Buy The Stars
You bought a star in the sky tonight
Because your life is dark and it needs some light
You named it after me, but I'm not yours to keep
Because you'll never see that the stars are free
Oh, we don't own our heavens now
We only own our hell
And if you don't know that by now
Then you don't know me that well...
You're buying stars to shut out the light
We come alone and alone we die
And no matter how hard you try
I'll always belong in the sky
***
Very little is known about the cities that came before. The first is entirely unknown; the second was likely Egyptian; the third was certainly a Mayan civilization. The fourth was a Mongolian city called Karakorum, and still leaves its traces. But the Fifth City is London. And not everyone is pleased.
03. Coldplay - Cemeteries of London
So we rode down to the river where the toiling ghosts strain
For their curses to be broken
We'd go underneath the arches where the witches are in there saying
There are ghost towns in the ocean
The ocean...
Singing la lalalala la la le...
And the night over London rang
Singing la lalalala la la le...
There's no light over London today
***
When the Bazaar, and the Masters, took London, things became... strange. Very strange. And its clear that they don't quite understand humans, don't quite think the same way, though most of the Masters seem to enjoy them.
04. Broken Iris - Where Butterflies Never Die
Multiply humanity
Harmonize insanity
Shedding light of remedy
Pulling tight of clarity
Shattered glass in flower beds
Humanize inhuman ends
It's all the same for the Dreamers
It's all the same for us
Float on
To the painted skies
Where dreams will be unified
***
They are strange, alien, abnormal. People make wild guesses: They are angels, giant bats, mobile colonies of fungus. The Masters give no answers, and the Neath swallows London whole; they are already used to it, they already know the rules, but for a while, everyone else must struggle to adjust.
05. Marina & The Diamonds - Valley of the Dolls
In the valley of the dolls we sleep, we sleep
Got a hole inside of me, of me
Born with a void, hard to destroy with love or hope
Built with a heart, broken from the start
And now I die slow
In the valley of the dolls, we sleep
Got a hole inside of me
Living with identities
That do not belong to me
***
With time, however, anything can become normal. Not everyone dislikes the Neath. Slowly, people come to think of it as home; it becomes slander, only spoken by revolutionaries, to say that the city was "stolen." And, after all, there is much to like about this new London. It is dark. It is strangely free. There is good company, good craftsmanship, mushroom wine. You can live quite comfortably down there. And, of course, death is only temporary in the Neath. The secrets to immortality lie down there. Why would anyone ever want to leave?
06. Flogging Molly - Lightning Storm
This lonely existence paves the way
For the hard of hearts must beat, be brave
While this quiet lightning storm
Wrecks the harvest gold we try to sow...
I sit on the wing for a blackbird's song
To tell me where and when this all went wrong
There's no resolution without remorse
With ignorance bliss, defend "let's stay the course..."
Take what you give
Until there's nothing left but forever live
And night descends on shadows without their kill
As the days they come, but the years they go
So take care of your freedom
They'll never know
***
For some people, however, the Neath will never quite be home. They are trapped, and shut away from sunlight. Once you die in the Neath, you can never return to the surface. Not every citizen is happy, and far more search without knowing what, exactly, they're looking for.
07. Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling & Dharohar Project - To Darkness
Board the yard as it departs
Lead me on the shore
But I will hunt no more
Hold my sin above my head
Take me home instead
Take me home instead
I will not speak of your sin
There is a way out for him
The mirror shows not
Your values are all shocked
But oh, my heart was fraud
I knew my weakness
So hold my hand
Consign me not to darkness
***
Some people, however, know exactly what they are searching for. They are driven, single-minded. Hungry. They seek the Name. For many, the messages come at first in dreams; for some, they come through other paths. But the instructions are always the same: GO NORTH.
08. Stars - The North
It's so cold in this country
Every road home is long
He had a map that he bought
For the price of his soul
He had a reason to go there
And a warm place to stay
And when it came time to leave
It was never the right day...
Its so cold in this country
You can never get warm
Good luck bad luck survivor
Sleep is my friend and my rival
***
The Masters, for whatever reason, strongly discourage this search. For those who quest, they will receive a note, only one, from the Masters of the Bazaar. An order to stop their foolishness. And if their warning is ignored, the Masters will turn their backs on you. There is only so much warning you can give the suicidal, especially if you do not truly understand the human mind.
09. A Perfect Circle - The Outsider (Frosted Yogurt Mix)
Help me if you can
It's just that this, this is not the way I'm wired
So could you please
Help me understand why
You've given in to all these
Reckless dark desires
You're lying to yourself again
Suicidal imbecile
Think about it, you're pounding on the fault line
What'll it take to get it through to you, precious?
I'm over this, why do you wanna throw it away like this?
Such a mess
Why would I want to watch you
Disconnect and self destruct one bullet at a time?
What's your rush now, everyone will have his day to die
***
Whatever their reason for warning you away from Mr Eaten... whatever he is... he will not be denied. A reckoning, he says to those seeking his Name, and sometimes says through them, is not to be postponed indefinitely. He is rage and pain, and he will not be denied; despite the other Masters' efforts, too many people still search for the one who was drowned in the well.
10. Pandora101 - Wizard Of The Tempest
Leaves are gone
And nothing left to me
No hope in destiny...
I want to go back to my position
In the world of my dreams
(Soon you will be mine)
Because there is no one there
To save me
Wizard of Te...
It is cold and I can't go back
Bring back the time
(Now)
My fear is coming inside
My mind, my eyes are blind
But I've seen you cry
Maybe I'm dreaming
So far and lost I'm no one
Maybe I'm just drowned
Into the real world
***
The more you delve into the game, the more you realize, and the more becomes clear. Events that had been shrouded have the curtains drawn away. Even the Masters' strange motivations are shown. And you learn more of Mr Eaten: That there had been another Master, named Mr Candles. That the Third City had been a Mayan civilization. That there had been people there called the God-Eaters. That the Bazaar had made a deal. They said they would only take a little, Mr Eaten whispers, but they took and erased everything that he was, until only an echo remained.
11. The Hush Sound - Dark Congregation
A dark congregation of familiar faces
Gathered around the quiet earth
A red rose fell upon the soft snow
Prayers were whispered so slow from our mouths
Our breath rose in the cold
Like a hundred souls escaping...
Save me, I am swallowed by the guilt of this
You're gone
Sleeping in the dust
We will not let time erase us
***
The Bazaar is cruel. Perhaps the creation of Mr Eaten was its biggest sin, but there are many others. In the deepest matters of the Bazaar, it is said, always look to love. Always. But stories of love are what the Bazaar feeds on, and it prefers tragedies.
12. Katzenjammer - Lady Marlene
Silently soldiers dance 'til they fall
Icicle chandelier shining so cold
They are draped in red in her masquerade
Lady Marlene takes your hand and commands the
Wind to blow
Ghosts to the sky above
Deep in despair they cry
Where is the love?
Oh, the north wind blows
Ghosts to the sky above
Deep in despair they cry
Where is the love?
***
If the Bazaar is cruel, its Masters are certainly not kind. But, perhaps surprisingly, not all of the Masters of the Bazaar are completely loyal to their... employer. In fact, even the most loyal of them may not like it much at all. And some -- it is unsure how many, but certainly Mr Fires, Mr Iron, Mr Veils -- are working against it, in stealth.
13. The Tiny - Know Your Demons
Listen, devil, I will let you go
I have carried you for years, but my hands are sore
I won't feed you anymore
This is as far as I'll take you
I should've turned you down from the start
My lungs are burning, but you're worn out too
I know your every turn by heart
Like a favorite work of art...
Know your demons
They know you
Wherever you go
They go too
Know your demons
They know you
Wherever they go
You're bound to
***
But, where there is disquiet, there is friction. Some of the Masters side, surprisingly, with London; they want the city to stay. Some, like Mr Stones, want to move on as soon as possible, and are trying to force the Bazaar's hand. Some, like Mr Wines, are wildcards, and don't much care. This is discord, now, among colleagues.
14. Keane - Broken Toy
I want to stay another season
See summer upon this sorry land
So don't dust off your gun without a reason
You understand...
Who says a river can't leave its waters?
Who says you walk in a line?
Who says a city can't change its borders?
Who says you're mine?
I look out for you
Come rain, come shine
What good does it do?
I guess I'm a record you're tired of
I guess we're just older now
***
Whatever happens, in the end... At the center of things, lies the Bazaar. It is old, and it is powerful, and it is unimaginable. It may well be that the Masters cannot force its metaphorical hand, one way or the other. It may well be that it will have what it wants, and move on, inexorably, to its Sixth City, in its own time.
15. Vienna Teng - Watershed
While you were building your empires
I was still sleeping
I was still sleeping
And while you were setting your woods afire
I was still dreaming
I was still dreaming...
While you argue it over
I am not waiting
I am not waiting...
I've done this many times before you
Old Shanghai, New Orleans
Amsterdam and Mumbai
Strange new creatures to scavenge your pores...
Children, your time is done
If you say it's done together
***
D O W N L O A D