Liminal Pax Londinium

2
A supplement for Liminal
Writing: Neil Gow

Art and Layout: Jason Behnke
Logo: Stephanie McAlea
Editing: Elaine McCourt, Guy Milner, Paul Mitchener
Proofing: Elizabeth Behnke, Ian Stronach
Special Thanks:
Matt Nixon
Lynn Yin
Lloyd Gyan
Linda Amoako
Liminal is written and conceived by Paul Mitchener.
3
Contents
Chapter 1
Introduction�� 8
What is your London?��10
How To Use This Book��10
Reference��11
Chapter 2
Liminal London��14
London Themes��16
1. London is both a huge city and a smaller one��16
2. London is a multicultural city��16
3. London is a city in motion (but not always quickly)��16
4. London wears its history on its sleeve��16
5. London is a city of the Hidden�� 17
Pax Londinium�� 17
Chapter 3
Factions of theHidden World�� 20
The Council of Merlin��22
The Court of the Queen of Hyde Park��24
The Boggarts��24
The Duchess of the Bridges��25
The Lady of Flowers��25
The Mercury Collegium��27
The Jaeger Family��30
The Order of St. Bede�� 31
The Order of St. Bede: Media Division��32
P Division��33
Key Players in P Division (London Branch)��33
P Division and Forensics��35
The Sodality of the Crown��36
London Factions��38
The Knowledge��38
The Hidden (after Neil Gaiman)��39
Guild of Water and Light (the Lighters)��40
Guild of Tunnellers��41
The Guild of Sewer Hunters��41
Chapter 4
A City of Mysteries�� 44
Bible and Key Fortune Telling��46
The Eaten Heart��46
The Pig-Headed Woman of Maida Vale��46
The Chelsea Smilers��46
A Red Rose as Payment of Debts��47
Body Invasions!��47
Rough Music��47
Swordbearer��48
Ravens and the Raven Master��49
Secret Societies and Ancient Livery Companies��49
4
Chapter 5
A City of The Dead and the Undead�� 50
Plague Pits��52
Mr Killburn’s Acquisitions Association��52
The Ghost Courts of London��53
Chapter 6
A City of Gods and Goddesses�� 56
The Palladia of London: Ancient Protections��58
The Guardian Head of Bran the Blessed��59
The Bodies of Vortimer and Vortigern��59
The Ravens of the Tower of London��59
The Goddess of the Land��59
Arthur’s Pledge��60
Powers from Around the World��60
The Cult of Diana the Hunter��60
The Children of Ra: The Egyptian Insurgency�� 61
Yasmine Halim, Museum Curator��62
The Two Chinatowns of London��62
The Orisha of ‘Little Lagos’��63
Chapter 7
Encounters in London�� 64
Ahmed’s VHS Wonderland��66
Marge’s Pie and Mash Shop��66
The Golden Man of Trafalgar Square��67
The Watch on Patrol��67
Zephyr: A Liminal Courier Service��68
The Dragon of Temple Bar��68
The Temple Tailor: Mr Thresher and Mr Glenny��69
Beyond the Babadook: Cryptids and the LGBTQ+ Community��69
Chapter 8
The Worshipful Company of Investigators�� 70
Crew Goal��72
Base of Operations��73
Support��73
The Alumni��73
Connections��74
Simon D’Oliviera��78
Chapter 9
New Rules�� 80
Chronomancy��82
Bullet-time (1 point)��82
The Path That Forks (2 points)��82
The River Flows Backwards (2 points)��82
Afterword�� 84
Index�� 85
5
6
1. Highgate Cemetary 20. Point 37
2. New Aeon Bookshop 21. The Lion and Unicorn, Mercury Collegium
3. Camden Market Fae Horse Fair 22. St Paul’s Cathedral
4. The Gardens of Maida Vale 23. Museum of London
5. The Rooftop Gardens of the Ladies of Flowers 24. Aldersgate - Ghost Domain Gate
6. Hyde Park 25. Southwark Cathedral, Order of St. Bede
7. The Grenadier Pub 26. Billingsgate - Ghost Domain Gate
8. Sotheby’s 27. Bishopsgate - Ghost Domain Gate
9. Ahmed’s VHS Wonderland 28. Aldgate - Ghost Domain Gate
10. The Harry Price Library of Magical Literature 29. Aldgate East Tube, home of the Boggarts
11. British Museum 30. Petticoat Lane Rookery - The Hidden
12. St Giles Rookery - the Hidden 31. The Ten Bells Pub
13. Chinatown 32. Marge’s Pie and Mash Shop
14. Naval and Military Club 33. Old Nichol Street Rookery - the Hidden
15. Trafalgar Square 34. P Division Station House HQ
16. Cleopatra’s Needle 35. The Tower of London
17. Westminster Abbey 36. Jacob’s Island Rookery - the Hidden
18. The George Pub 37. Bermondsey Rookery - the Hidden
19. Temple Bar Memorial - Griffin the Dragon 38. Peckham Library
7
Chapter 1
Introduction
There are two places in the world

where men can most effectively disappear —
the city of London and the South Seas.
- Herman Melville
London is a nation, not a city.

- Disraeli
8
9
Chapter 1
What is your London?

Is your London one that comes through the lens of popular culture? Born from movies and
TV shows, past and present? Even within that frame, there’s a stunning difference between
Mary Poppins and London Has Fallen, between Neverwhere and Eastenders.
Is your London one that comes from your experiences as a tourist? And if it is, are you a
British tourist who might visit the capital once or twice a year? Or an international tourist
who comes to London as a once-in-a-lifetime thing?
Or is London your home? Do you experience the capital as a backdrop to your life every
day? Your London isn’t the over-exposed parade of tourist attractions and photo
opportunities, but rather the communities throughout the city, north and south of the river.
London itself isn’t exactly uncovered! There are hundreds of good books written about the
city and its environs. It isn’t very hard to pick yourself a small library of excellent reference
material for your London game, and a Lonely Planet or equivalent will quickly and easily clue
you into the geography.
So, with that in mind, this book is not a guide to mundane London, nor is it a treatise on
the major tropes of London folklore: Jack the Ripper, Dr John Dee, Spring Heeled Jack or
the Templars. I could write an entire book on Jack the Ripper and still not have scratched the
surface. Instead this will be a book of the Hidden World of Liminal, taking the folklore of
London, its people and its many cultures and weaving them into that world.
It cannot encompass everything, but it can open a doorway to a city where virtually every
corner has a story, every pub has a ghost and you are only ever a couple of steps away from
something Hidden.
How To Use This Book

There are three main sections to this book:
The first (chapter 3) is an expansion of the details of the various factions of the Hidden
World that operate in London, including the introduction of two smaller factions; the
Hidden and the Knowledge. Use this information to give your PCs connections and
information about the city and to weigh their relative influence; a member of P Division is
going to have substantially more resources in London than a member of the Jaeger Family.
The second section (chapter 4 to chapter 7) illustrates London through a Liminal lens,
presenting dozens of case hooks and ideas based on the urban legends and folklore of the city.
You can take any one of these and spin it out into a fully-fledged investigation for a Crew, or
you can use them all to create a rich tapestry of the locations and NPCs that make up
Hidden London.
The third section (chapter 8) is a ready-made Crew — the Worshipful Company of
Investigators — based in the city and dripping with London flavour. You can use this Crew as
a foil for your own players, or you can use it as a pick-up-and-play set of characters to allow you
to dive into the city, head first!
If there is one thing to remember though, it is that this is the start of London, never the
end. Pick and choose the elements that work for you. Change things you think could be done
in a different way. Like millions of people before you, make London your own.
10
Introduction
Reference
London Under by Peter Ackroyd
A delightful short book from the author of London: The Biography, that gives excellent
insight into the history and content of London below the surface. Very readable and essential
for anyone looking to do tunnel-based adventures.
Ackroyd, P. (2011) London Under, London: Chatto & Windus
Necropolis, City of Sin, Underworld London, Bedlam by Catharine Arnold

An essential series of books to understand the nuances of the darker side of the city. Each
one focuses on a particular facet of life, death, sex, crime and madness, and follows a timeline
of London’s involvement in it. Recommended.
Arnold, C. (2006) Necropolis, London: Simon & Schuster
Arnold. C. (2009) Bedlam, London: Simon & Schuster
Arnold, C. (2010) City of Sin, London: Simon & Schuster
Arnold, C. (2012) Underworld London, London: Simon & Schuster
Lost London by Richard Guard

Another easy-to-read book that talks about the buildings and places that no longer exist
within the city. This is the quintessential guide to ghost realms within London.
Guard, R. (2014) Lost London, London: Michael O’Mara Books Ltd.
Bizarre London by David Long

Another very useable miscellany of curious facts about London that are priceless when it
comes to creating case notes. This book is short, easy to use and a fascinating read. Definitely
one to have on hand when you are short of an idea or two!
Long, D. (2013) Bizarre London, London: Constable & Robinson
The Secret Lore of London edited by John Matthews and Caroline Wise
An essential read for those wanting to base their game around the mythological side of the
city, or to explore the idea of the Palladia. The first half of the book is a collection of
fascinating essays and the second includes a more traditional gazetteer of the city. It is hard to
pick this book up and not find something that could be the core of some case notes.
Matthews, J. and Wise, C. ed. (2016) The Secret Lore of London, London: Hodder and Stoughton
London Lore by Steve Roud

This dense text covers all manner of supernatural and historical activity across the entire
city and served as a major inspiration for many parts of this book. The text is split
geographically and thus allows you to pull out an interesting take on virtually any part of the
city a Crew might venture into.
Roud, S. (2008) London Lore, London: Random House
11
Chapter 1
Websites
www.darkestlondon.com
An informative trove of a blog focusing on the historic detail of the city. You can easily lose
yourself in the vast detail of the content therein.
www.grimlondon.com
An interactive site that allows you to explore the darker side of the city, especially the sites
of murders and ghost sightings. This could almost be an in-game resource useable by
characters.
www.guerrillaexploring.com
A fascinating site that tracks the misadventures of individuals whose hobby is to go up, or
down, places that they are not allowed to go to! The recounting of their nocturnal delving is
a great read in and of itself, but the photos offer up visual inspiration for players and GMs
alike. Very useful.
12
Introduction
13
Chapter 2
Liminal London
“Come with me, ladies and gentlemen who are in

any wise weary of London.
Come with me, and those that tire at all the world
we know for we have new worlds here!”
- Lord Dunsany, The Book of Wonder
14
15
Chapter 2
When exploring London as a setting for Liminal, it could default to a rather generic urban
setting, with the odd landmark thrown in to remind everyone that it is in London and not,
say, Manchester or Glasgow. There are, however, some themes that you can incorporate into
your games that will make your version of Liminal London resonate with the reality and
folklore of the place itself.
London Themes
1. London is both a huge city and a smaller one
The wider area of London — Greater London — is massive and constitutes a goodly
percentage of the United Kingdom’s population and economic power. There are hundreds of
decent sized communities that would consider themselves as living in London without being
in, or near, The City of London, which is quite a small area of central London. The area that
we tend to see in movies and TV is quite small and the landmarks come thick and fast as you
walk through the streets. In game terms, you can frame your cases around central London and
hit those named places everyone is familiar with, but there is a world beyond that which is the
home to the people who live and work in London and many of the capital’s thriving
international communities.
2. London is a multicultural city

London is the most diverse city in the United Kingdom and hosts millions of tourists from
around the world every year. As a result, if you want to mirror the reality of London in your
game you should ensure that your NPCs embrace that diversity. Even your bystanders in
central London are as likely to be European students on a college trip to England as they are
British citizens. This diversity is reflected in food, music, fashion and other cultural offerings.
3. London is a city in motion (but not always quickly)

London is an exceptionally busy city. Above ground, double decker buses and the legendary
London Black Cabs jostle with cars, limos and delivery couriers on pushbikes and mopeds.
Under the city, the London Underground passes through miles of tunnels that criss-cross the
capital, with more modern light railway systems joining as you get further from the centre.
There are also millions of pedestrians moving through the city each day. A Liminal London
that echoes this will have bustling crowds and packed streets with car chases often being
exceptionally difficult due to the busy roads.
4. London wears its history on its sleeve

One of the most striking things about London is the constant juxtaposition of cutting edge
modern architecture and ancient churches and other buildings. The city has churches dotted
all over the place, sometimes in a street between two modern glass-clad office buildings. The
city itself has been all but destroyed twice: once during the Great Fire and once during the
Blitz, and this shows in the variations in architecture and design. Games set in Liminal
London can make great use of this: you are never too far away from some stunning
modernity or a sunken and hidden crypt.
16
Liminal London
5. London is a city of the Hidden

There is a saying in Britain that you are never more than 20 feet away from a rat. In Liminal
London, you are never more than 20 feet away from some aspect of the Hidden World. This
is never truer than when you go below the city and venture underground. The city has an
underground vascular system of tunnels, tube tracks and sewers connecting all manner of
gathering places. To guard against the ravages of the Second World War and the Cold War,
the city has a number of disused bunkers and abandoned command centres.
There are eight abandoned deep level shelters:

X Chancery Lane
X Clapham South
X Clapham Common
X Clapham North
X Stockwell
X Goodge Street
X Camden Town
X Belsize Park
Beneath London are a myriad of crypts holding the bodies of the earliest, or most famous,
dead of the city. Famously, catacombs under Camden Market were once used as part of a
horse market and are still used that way, during nights of the fullest moon, by the Fae when
they bring forth their faerie steeds to sell off to the highest bidder. The city has a number of
rivers — tributaries of the Thames — that are lost to the surface world but continue to flow
under and through the city: The Effra, the Fleet, Earl’s Sluice, the Neckinger, the Tyburn, the
Walbrook and the Westbourne. Many of these are not traversable by mortals but can be used
by the Fae to move effortlessly around the city.
Pax Londinium
London is an ancient city that has been virtually destroyed twice: once in the Great Fire of
London in 1666 and again in the Blitz during World War II. Many of the Liminal beings in
the city trace their roots back to one or both incidents and they have become sensitive to this
happening again. Moreover, the city is positively packed with Liminal beings, ghosts, fallen
gods and goddesses and all manner of other beings.
The mayhem of Liminal London came to a head when a rogue weathermonger cast a spell
that backfired and resulted in the Great Smog of 1952. The factions in the city met,
within the court of the Queen of Hyde Park, and the Pax Londinium was agreed by all parties
involved. This treaty creates a boundary along the Thames. To the north of the Thames, the
Liminal beings are free to live, act and plot as they see fit. To the south of the Thames,
however, Liminal activity is to be kept to a minimum. It is confined to those who are tied to
this area, such as ghosts, and those few Liminals who gain permission to pass ‘south of
the river.’
17
Chapter 2
The Pax Londinium is actively maintained by several factions:
[ The Knowledge monitor who is travelling south of the Thames. If you are refused transit
‘south of the river’ by a black cab, they almost certainly suspect you are breaking the Pax.
[ The Trolls of the Duchess of Bridges will stop Liminals from crossing bridges and tunnels
physically, unless they are accompanied by one of the Hidden.
[ P Division will strongly suggest that those who would set up operations across the
Thames should reconsider their actions.
Should a Liminal insist on operating south of the Thames and manage to avoid the Trolls,
they will be actively monitored by the South Side Guild of the Mercury Collegium and
members of both the Order of St. Bede and the Open Knot. Both groups have active
branches in the area, linked to several churches and mosques. If Liminals appear to be
interfering with mortal life, or starting a conflict within the Liminal community, they will
be removed. If the Collegium do it, they will be escorted forcibly back over the bridge. If the
Order or their allies are involved, things might be deadlier.
18
Liminal London
19
Chapter 3
Factions of the
Hidden World
“The City is a world within itself.

Centred in the heart of the metropolis, with its
innumerable capacities for commercial pursuits,
it presents at first sight, to a stranger, a most
mysterious and unfathomable labyrinth of lanes and
alleys, streets and courts, of lanes thronged with
bustling multitude whose various occupations,
though uniting in one grand whole, seem to have no
direct association with each other.”
- D. Morrier Evans, The City
20
21
Chapter 3
The Council of Merlin

“One does not actually live in London! The sheer volume of mundane nonsense on
the streets is beyond tolerance. One visits London, one … frequents London, one …
treats London as a rich yet uncomfortable library to dip in and out of when need
be. However, if a member of the Council does have to stop over in the godforsaken
place, then the Medeis is the only place to stay. They maintain a cognac for me, an
1812 — it is simply sublime. It’s the same that Napoleon drank before he surrendered
at Waterloo. And I should know, I gave it to the blighter!”
— Hamilton Smyth-Wilson 3rd, Master of Chronomancy within the
Council of Merlin
The Council of Merlin sees London as a necessary evil. It is a place of great power, and
the sheer concentration of factions and artefacts in the city makes it a ‘place of great inter-
est’ — however it is just so damned common! The Council does maintain a pied-à-terre in the
exceptionally well-appointed form of the Medeis Club. The Medeis (Latin for magic — no-one
said the Council wasn’t obvious) Club sits in a very respectable area near Covent Garden. For
all intents and purposes, it is just another one of London’s many ‘gentlemen’s clubs’, with the
main point of interest being the seemingly impossible membership requirements which are
designed to allow the club to hide in plain sight while keeping the unwashed from the door.
When a member is in residence, the club will open its doors to them and their guests.
The inside of the club is exactly as one might imagine. Books from floor to ceiling, large oil
paintings of former members (in civilian clothes rather than their ceremonials), old leather
chairs, a raging real fire and the smell of cigar smoke and age-old whisky. Dining facilities are
available, and the Medeis kitchens produce truly magnificent meals with the freshest
ingredients from around the world. The wine and spirit offerings are second to none, and
all food and drink is charged to the Council. The idea of money changing hands within the
confines of the Club is simply unthinkable.
Each member maintains their own room within the club, using a Thriceways Gate to hide
the contents and the room itself from this reality. The furnishings of each room are unique
to the Council member, with many using the same room across other club houses in Glasgow
etc. to create a rapid transport route between the cities — enter the room in London, exit
into Glasgow.
The Thriceways Gate — a mage can create a Thriceways Gate to open

a stable portal into a pocket dimension attuned to their own magical
signature. A mage can only ever maintain one such space and to do
so costs 1 Will, which must be maintained lest the space collapse.
To enter the Thriceways Gate, the mage must turn on the spot three
times, turn the key three times and turn the handle of the door three
times. A mage can maintain multiple entrances to a Thriceways space,
but they take hours of incantation and thousands of pounds worth of
materials to create — not something that can be done on the fly.
22
Factions of the Hidden World
The Council also maintains a ‘honey trap’ of sorts, in an attempt to find potential new
recruits or agents within the city. Within the University of London’s iconic Senate House
Library lies the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature. This collection of almost 13,000
books, pamphlets and periodicals, dating back to 1472, has grown since its original
acquisition by the Library in 1936, and one such expansion was the insertion of several clues
to the whereabouts of the Medeis Club in the city. If a student or researcher can find the
clues and solve them, they have earned themselves an audience with a member of the Council
as well as a fine evening meal at the club. Should they meet the approval of the member in
residence at the time, they could potentially become an apprentice. If not, their sorbet course
will cleanse their mind as well as their palate, and they will be deposited on their front door-
step, none-the-wiser for their brush with the magical elite.
Maitre D’ of the Medeis Club

[ Drive: Maintain the highest levels of service and
security to Council members and their guests
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Magician
[ Physical Skills: Awareness-4
[ Mental Skills: Business-3, Lore-5, Medicine-2
[ Social Skills: Charm-5, Conviction-2, High Society-5
[ Traits: Always Prepared, The Sight, Countermagic,
Ward Magic (Ward Against Evil, Stone of Truth)
[ Limitations: Marked, Oathbound
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6+1 (Sword Cane)
23
Chapter 3
The Court of the Queen of Hyde Park

“If you thought it was yours, why did you only use a padlock on the bike? You never
thought that someone would slice through the railing and steal the entire fence,
which your bike just happened to be casually attached to? Your lack of forethought
isn’t my problem! Your petition for …hehehe…return is denied.
Now get out of my court!”
- The King Pilferer handles justice in a fair and open manner.
The Queen of Hyde Park, one of the most powerful Fae in the realm and regarded as the
absolute protector of the city’s faerie population, does not rule over the only Fae realm in the
city. There are other, smaller courts that either count themselves as wholly independent of the
Queen — a foolish choice on their part — or as vassals.
The Boggarts
Boggarts are rife in parts of London, with some experts classifying them as an actual Fae
infestation. These small, mischievous and utterly irritating goblinesque sprites live to acquire
things that were formerly someone else’s. Whether the former owner agrees that the Boggart
should have the thing is neither here nor there — everything that isn’t literally tied down
belongs, in the Boggart’s mind, to the Boggart. The largest nest of Boggarts is within the
tunnels of the abandoned tube station at Aldgate East. Cross into their Fae realm, through
one of the abandoned portals, and you enter a cornucopia of junk and pilfered treasures.
Their leader, the King Pilferer, considers this realm to be his and his alone to rule. He also
sees the petty dictats of the Queen of Hyde Park, the Mercury Collegium, the Hidden Guilds
and of course, P Division, as simply challenges to overcome!
The King Pilferer
[ Drive: Acquire everything that isn’t screwed down … and carry a large screwdriver!
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Magician
[ Physical Skills: Athletics-2, Awareness-2, Melee-1, Stealth-4, Survival-2
[ Mental Skills: Lore-1, Technology-2
[ Social Skills: Streetwise-3
[ Traits: Breaking and Entering, Night Sight, Quick Reflexes, Scavenger, Sneaky
[ Limitation: Obliged (Lead the Boggarts until a better thief appears and then renounce
the throne)
[ Endurance: 10
[ Will: 8
[ Damage: d6+2 (Jagged blade)
24
The Duchess of the Bridges

In a city with so many bridges, and so many Fae, anyone with a passing knowledge of
the Hidden world would expect there to be trolls, and London does not disappoint on this
matter. Indeed, hidden in the cracks between the shadows on every bridge and tunnel over or
under the Thames, there is a Troll, loyal to the Duchess of the Bridges. Each one, a gnarled,
brutal-looking creature of equal parts lethal sinew and mind-bending riddles, has a simple
task: preserve the Pax Londinium and restrict the passage of Liminal beings to the south side
of the Thames. The trolls have become the gatekeepers to South London, only allowing those
Liminals who have gained permission through the official channels to pass over their
bridges or through their tunnels. There is one exception: a Liminal escorted by a member
of the Guild of Tunnellers will be given safe passage. This is the result of an ancient pact
between the Trolls and the Hidden, leaving some work to be done by the Order of St. Bede
and the Open Knot.
The Troll of London Bridge
[ Drive: None Shall Pass!
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Tough
[ Physical Skills: Athletics-4, Awareness-4, Melee-4
[ Mental Skills: Lore-1
[ Social Skills: Taunt-4
[ Traits: Supernatural Strength, Frightening, Night Sight, Rage, Rapid Healing (fire)
[ Limitations: Obliged (Stop Liminals from crossing the Bridge), Weakened By Sunlight
[ Endurance: 16
[ Will: 8
[ Damage: d6+6 (Massive stone club and Supernatural Strength)
The Lady of Flowers

A vassal court of the Queen of Hyde Park, the Lady of Flowers is the most powerful spirit
of the plants and trees in the city. Her power waxes and wanes with the seasons; in the winter
she hides from the public eye, but in the summer, she is exuberant, sponsoring amazing
all-night parties in her realm that sits alongside the rooftop gardens of Kensington. The Lady
is waited upon by her seemingly ever-changing and seemingly infinite retinue of daughters, all
named after flowers. Many people consider the Lady and her daughters as simply ‘flower
faeries’ but they are so much more. A realm populated solely by female Fae, the Lady of
Flowers acts to protect all women within the city and offers them sanctuary, if requested,
without obligation. Her Knights, the daughters Rose, Lily and Verbena, are brutal enforcers
of her will.
25
Chapter 3
Lady Verbena, A Knight of Flowers
[ Drive: Advance the agenda of the Lady of Flowers, whatever that may be
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Magician
[ Physical Skills: Athletics-2, Awareness-2, Melee-5, Stealth-3
[ Mental Skills: Art-2
[ Social Skills: Charm-2, High Society-2, Rhetoric-4
[ Traits: Graceful, Presence, Quick Reflexes, Glamour
[ Limitations: Obliged (In service to the Queen of Hyde Park), Vulnerability (Bronze)
[ Endurance: 10
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6+3 (Sword)
The River Spirit, Temese — The Ruler In Waiting

One of the major threats to the rule of the Queen of Hyde Park is the growing power base
of the spirit known as Temese. With Isis, the other spirit who would lay claim to the throne of
the dead river god, Father Thames, nestled in Oxford, Temese has settled into London and is
gathering an entourage of gutter mages, influential mortals and disillusioned Fae around him.
His pitch is a simple one — do away with the claustrophobic requirements of faux Victoriana
that surrounds the workings of the Queen of Hyde Park’s court and replace it with a modern,
business-like arrangement. After all, the Fae talents with bargains and oaths make them
perfectly placed to act as brokers and lawyers in both the Hidden and mundane realms. If
Temese can bring enough people to his side, he will be able to reduce the influence of the
Queen to the point of irrelevance, take control of the Fae in London and as a result, claim
the Thames as his own. Temese’s first target is the Lesny. If he could bring the Lord of Ealing
Common onto his side, his power in London would grow substantially.
26
The Mercury Collegium

“You come here, into my boozer, acting like some reject from bloody Hogwarts, and
you think I’m just going to pack up shop and scarper? You’re havin’ a laugh, aren’t
ya? Here’s what we can do. You can sit down like a big boy, have a pint and talk
about this like grown men, or I call a geezer to take you home. Cab or ambulance,
your choice.”
- A young mage mistakes ‘Black’ Bob Anderson for someone who couldn’t care less.
Wide boys, gangsters and ‘profit-minded people of business’ are all part of the descriptions
that have been used for the Mercury Collegium in London over the years. There are no less
than four Collegium guilds in the city; one covers the East End, one covers the financial
district in the City of London, one covers the West End and the final guild covers ‘South of
the River’.
The East End Guild is led by ‘Black’ Bob Anderson, an accomplished master of the magical
arts and an old fashioned East End gangster. Black Bob runs a tight ship, regulating all
magical crime in his ‘manor’ with an iron fist and running a strict ‘no shitting on your own
doorstep’ rule — woe betide any criminal who dares try his hand stealing from his own
community! That’s just not respectful. Black Bob’s enforcers tend to be men and women with
a certain look; shirt and tie, dark suit, lots of golden bling and almost certainly visible scars
and tattoos.
Black Bob Anderson
[ Drive: To keep the East End running all pukka!
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Magician
[ Physical Skills: Awareness-3, Melee-1, Shoot-2, Stealth-2
[ Mental Skills: Business-2, Lore-3
[ Social Skills: Charm-3, Conviction-5, Streetwise-5
[ Traits: Presence, Geomancy (Sense of Eyes, Danger Sense)
[ Limitations: Obliged (by the Laws of the Mercury Collegium)
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 13
[ Damage: d6+1 (knife), d6+3 (concealed illegal firearm)
27
Chapter 3
The City of London Guild is coordinated by Melissa Jones, a former Warden of the
Council of Merlin and a bona fide financial genius. Jones, notorious equally for her business
acumen, ruthless attitude to killing, and sexual appetites, considers the City of London and
all within it to be her property and she will crush anyone who thinks they can steal from her,
or her charges. Many of the leading financial institutions understand the influence that Jones
holds and pay her a substantial amount for her protection. Her enforcers, or auditors as she
calls them, descend upon a company who is threatened by a hacker or a more mundane threat
and ‘neutralise the threat to their assets.’
Melissa Jones
[ Drive: Maximise profits through ruthless ‘corporate efficiency’
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Awareness-3, Melee-3, Shoot-3
[ Mental Skills: Business-5, Education-3
[ Social Skills: Charm-5, Conviction-2, High Society-2
[ Traits: Big Business, Rich, Silver Tongue, Words That Bind
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 12
[ Damage: d6 (unarmed), d6+3 (concealed illegal firearm)
The West End Guild belongs to Glorious, a non-binary Changeling thief who spends their
time equally between their love of pilfering and their love of theatre. Glorious does not hold
the West End in the same iron grip as Black Bob does the East End, but they are more than
capable of letting people know that they are not amused. A dead rose on your pillow? A
reflection of you in rictus agony locked into your shaving mirror? A recurring dream of your
own death? That is Glorious’ way of letting you know that you have displeased them.
Glorious
[ Drive: Steal art, steal memories, steal hearts — just steal.
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Magician
[ Physical Skills: Awareness-4, Melee-2, Stealth-2
[ Mental Skills: Art-5, Business-2, Lore-2
[ Social Skills: Charm-1, Conviction-2, Empathy-4, Streetwise-2
[ Traits: Graceful, The Sight, Shapechanger (mouse), Blessings and Curses
[ Limitations: Obliged (by the Laws of the Mercury Collegium), Marked
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6+1 (knife)
28
The South Side Guild acts within the confines of the Pax Londinium and as such are led
by a retired member of the Order of St. Bede, Father Davy Moore. The Father was trained
as a Man in Black at the Order’s facility in Durham but also instructed at the Monastery in
Jarrow. He is not a man to be trifled with. The South Side Guild operates to support the
Order’s peace south of the Thames by restricting the amount of Liminals on mundane crimes
to an absolute minimum. Moore and his Guild are not a natural fit with the rest of the
Mercury Collegium, but they do a much-needed job and are tolerated by their brethren on
the north of the Thames.
Father Davy Moore
[ Drive: Maintain the Pax Londinium
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Tough
[ Mental Skills: Education-2, Lore-3
[ Social Skills: Conviction-5, Empathy-2, Rhetoric-2
[ Traits: Brawny, Healer, Investigator, Words That Bind
[ Endurance: 17
[ Will: 13
[ Damage: d6+2 (fists)
With four guilds in one city, there needs to be some sort of coordination and
communication and this happens at the ‘traditional London boozer’, The Lion and Unicorn,
just off Fleet Street. Here, the leadership and members of the four guilds come together to
discuss matters criminal and to ensure that all matters of magical demarcation are understood
and agreed. The pub itself has adapted to its adopted clientele and is as likely to stock a case
of Newcastle Brown Ale to satisfy Davy Moore’s yearning for home as it is to have a bottle of
exquisite champagne chilled and ready for Melissa Jones. Never Prosecco!
29
Chapter 3
The Jaeger Family

As you might imagine, in a city as large and developed as London, despite the large and
open parks within it, there are very few werewolves in the city. The Jaegers do maintain an
office for Hunter Security, but this is more a case of having to have a London presence rather
than having several family members involved in the machinations of the Hidden World there.
One werewolf gang, the Mohocks, have carved a place for themselves as enforcers, toughs
and general pains-in-the-arse for the police in general and P Division in particular. The
Mohocks have avoided being ‘dealt with’ by P Division by allying themselves loosely with
the Mercury Collegium and operating the ‘door security services’ at The Lion and Unicorn.
No-one, not even P Division, is going to start something at that public house under those
conditions. Thus, a truce exists, for now.
Whilst the Jaegers choose to keep a low profile, there are other lycanthropes in the city —
the most infamous being the sewer-dwelling Queen Rat. In her vermin form she listens to the
musings of men, remembering the sort of men or women that they yearn after. If she finds
the man pleasing to the eye, she transforms into a facsimile of their perfect woman and
seduces them, sealing their bond with a bite on the neck that confers magical luck with one
crucial condition: no-one must know of their liaison. When the man eventually tells
someone, his luck disappears, and he is condemned to a life of unimaginable ill-fortune until
his constant floundering drives him insane.
In rules terms, the Queen Rat’s ill-fortune manifests as a doubling of all Will spends made
by that character. If the character does not have the Will remaining to make this spend, the
spend fails.
Queen Rat
[ Drive: Find and seduce the perfect lover
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Magical
[ Mental Skills: Lore-1
[ Social Skills: Charm-3, Empathy-2
[ Traits: Rapid Healing (Weakness: Silver), Night Sight, Shapechanger (rat woman form),
Quick Reflexes
[ Limitations: Obliged (Must provide lover with luck, until he tells someone)
[ Endurance: 10 (6 in rat form)
[ Will: 8
[ Damage: d6+1 (knife)
30
The Order of St. Bede

“Evan, let me make it perfectly clear: your reporter has spoken to people who claim
to have seen a man-sized wolf and who have laughably suggested that it was fighting
… brawling .. in the street with a — and I cannot believe I’m saying this on the BBC
— vampire? Whatever next, Evan? Frankenstein’s monster and the Creature from
the Black Lagoon? No, Evan, this was nothing more than one of the local ‘emo’
teenagers taking his rather boisterous Alsatian for a walk. Nothing more, nothing
less. Vampires? Seriously Evan? On Newsnight?”
- Summer Sansom, Media Liaison for the Order of St. Bede.
There is a world of difference between a world where the public believes in ghosts and one
where they actively fraternise with the undead. London is a city where folklore and legend
seep from every brick and street corner, but it is not a city that should become some sort of
sanctuary for the otherworldly. This is the balance that the Order of St. Bede is faced with
in the capital. To totally eliminate any trace of the Liminal from London would be to kill the
very soul of the city, but it is so saturated with the Hidden that the Order is obliged
to intervene!
The main Preceptory of the Order in London is in and around Southwark Cathedral. The
Cathedral offers them a secure footing within the area protected by the Pax Londinium. It is
the home to the Preceptor of London, Archdeacon Gabriel Rose and his team of Wardens
and Men in Black.
Archdeacon Rose is a pragmatic man who understands that the needs of the many mortals
in his care outweigh the risks that are brought onto God’s Earth by surrendering much of
North London to the Liminals. He is also a devout man, and he sees little harm in filling the
capitalist, sordid and debauched streets of Westminster, Soho and the ‘Square Mile’ with the
supernatural filth. It keeps the sinners in one place. To those ends, he also accepts (with only
a little trepidation) the assistance of the South Side Guild of the Mercury Collegium in the
maintenance of the Pax despite their harboring of magical practitioners in their number.
Archdeacon Gabriel Rose
[ Drive: Stop the Liminals from overwhelming London
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Awareness-2, Shoot-4
[ Mental Skills: Lore-3, Medicine-2
[ Social Skills: Conviction-5, Rhetoric-4, Streetwise-3, Taunt-3
[ Traits: Bookworm, Investigator, Presence
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 15
[ Damage: d6+3 (Shotgun)
31
Chapter 3
The Order of St. Bede: Media Division

Where the London Preceptory differs from the others in the U.K. is that it maintains a
media ‘wing’ tasked with specifically debunking evidence of the supernatural. Within this
division there are three sub-branches: a media engagement branch that provides briefings to
explain away supernatural phenomena, a ‘talent coordination’ branch that provides talking
heads for interviews who are on retainer with the Order and vetted to provide appropriate
information, and the online obfuscation branch who specialise in peddling false stories
and rumours to muddy the waters about any incident that may be supernatural. The media
branch of the London Preceptory is exceptional at what they do and if they decide that a story
needs to be buried, it stays buried for a long time.
Summer Sansom
[ Drive: Control the Narrative
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Awareness-2
[ Mental Skills: Business-1, Education-1, Lore-1, Technology-2
[ Social Skills: Charm-4, Empathy-2, High Society-2
[ Traits: Silver Tongue, Words That Bind
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 8
[ Damage: d6 (fists)
32
P Division
“London, population? Who the Hell knows? Supernatural population? More than
I care to mention! When your average gangland rumble can have someone calling
down bolts of lightning from the sky, Brick Lane market has a friggin’ boggart selling
‘Objets D’Fae’ to tourists who don’t know the rules and every so often one of the
locals goes feral and rips up a Pomeranian on walkies in Hyde Park, every day is a
new and friggin’ thrilling experience on the Watch. Yeah, the Watch. That’s what
we call ourselves. It gives us a sense of pride and oneness. You know, better than the
arse-end of nowhere division of Her Majesty’s Most Secret Service with less funding
than your average day care centre. Oh yeah, welcome to P Division. That’s your
career prospects heading South of the river!”
- The ever-positive Detective Inspector Skinner’s traditional induction pep talk.
The London branch of P Division, or ‘The Watch’ as they call themselves, are the busiest,
most talented and most needed branch of the Division. If something supernatural is going to
kick off, it will usually happen in London. They must watch over the largest concentration of
Hidden cultures in the country, millions of tourists bringing God knows what into the
country, dozens of centres of ley power, one of the main Fae realms, and keep the
Government and the Royal Family safe and secure. Overtime, as they are wont to remind
anyone that will listen, is never a problem.
P Division are not, however, based in London, but instead maintain their headquarters in a
refurbished and kitted out abandoned mine in Shropshire. The fact that ‘The Mine’ is in the
middle of nowhere has not escaped the notice of the Watch and the rather disheveled state of
their base, a ramshackle formerly abandoned station house in the East End (that they jokingly
call ‘Walford Nick’ or ‘Sun Hill’) is usually blamed on the drain of funding to The Mine.
The command structure of P Division in London is complicated by the proximity of the
Home Office and the scant few civil servants who are allowed to know about the existence of
this particular branch of the Metropolitan Police. Oversight is provided through the Home
Office and the Joint Committee on Internal Security Strategy, a rather obscure committee
that has no official record and a ‘black’ budget that appears to be drawn from the excess
stationary budgets of other Government departments; no-one cares about the workings of
the JCISS.
Key Players in P Division (London Branch)

Operationally, P Division in London is run by Commander William Davenport, a veteran
of Operation Thorn, brought up in P Division from his time as a constable. Davenport
understands the ebb and flow of the factions in London and has reasonable relations with
virtually all of them. He is a strong defender of the Pax Londinium and regularly provides
support for Father Moore and his Guild of the Mercury Collegium — a tactic that has
furrowed the brow of his superiors on more than one occasion.
33
Chapter 3
Detective Inspector Skinner is the typical salt-of-the-Earth ‘copper’ who has a serious issue
with just about everything on the planet. He wakes up in the morning, sees the sun and starts
complaining. He has a real distrust of all things magical and is more than willing to throw
anyone he even thinks is practicing magic on the shady side into the cells for a night.
Inspector Skinner
[ Drive: Maintain the Queen’s Peace, one kebab at a time.
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Awareness-2, Melee-2, Shoot-3, Vehicles-2
[ Mental Skills: Lore-2, Technology-2
[ Social Skills: Conviction-3, Streetwise-2, Taunt-2
[ Traits: Brawny, Investigator, Sharpshooter
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 13
[ Damage: d6+2 (fists), d6+3 (pistol)
Sergeant Silje Andersen is best described as a ‘special adviser’ to the Watch in matters of
capture and elimination of supernaturals. Seconded from SO-15, Counter Terrorism
Command after an incident with a rogue elemental at the Canadian embassy, Andersen
offers the Division a higher impact, no-holds barred option when it comes to battling
supernatural threats. Divisional rumour has it that Andersen is responsible for over 50% of
the Division’s collars and 75% of its collateral damage budget.
Silje Andersen
[ Drive: Terminate supernatural threats with extreme prejudice
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Tough
[ Physical Skills: Athletics-4, Shoot-3, Melee-4
[ Mental Skills: Technology-1
[ Social Skills: Conviction-2, Taunt-3
[ Traits: Supernatural Strength, Quick Reflexes, Sharpshooter
[ Limitation: Uncontrolled Anger
[ Endurance: 16
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6+4 (Fists), d6+4 (Heavy Assault Weapons), d6+7 (Heavy melee weapon)
34
Police Constable Nazreen Faruk is the newest member of the Watch and a born-and-bred
Londoner of Bengali descent from the East End. Her family are not 100% behind her move
into the police and only her grandmother, Abba, is aware that she is part of P Division.
Nazreen is an untrained chronomancer (see pg. 82) but this presents itself as instinct rather
than overt conjured magic. Should she ever become an apprentice to a ‘proper’ magician she
has the potential achieve great things.
Nazreen Faruk
[ Drive: Discover the true extent of her powers
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Magical
[ Physical Skills: Athletics-1, Awareness-3, Melee-1, Vehicles-1
[ Mental Skills: Lore-1, Education-1, Lore-1
[ Traits: Investigator, Chronomancy (The River Flows Backwards)
[ Limitations: Obliged
[ Endurance: 9
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6 (fists), d6+1 (baton)
P Division and Forensics

P Division have the unenviable task of ensuring that any evidence of Hidden World
activities — in the sense of dead bodies of otherworldly origins and humans who have been
drained of blood with those lovely telltale teeth marks — are covered up from the watching
press and public gaze. To achieve this, they have a working (if sometimes strained) partnership
with the Order of St. Bede, with undercover members of both factions placed into forensic
teams and Coroners’ offices around London.
35
Chapter 3
The Sodality of the Crown

“I agree, Sir, that it must be difficult to find living witnesses to the events of July
13th, 1980. A lot of time has passed since then and a good number of officers were
killed in the explosions and fires of that night, with more passing away since with
complications caused due to smoke inhalation. However, if it pleases this inquiry, I
will answer their questions as best I can…”
Dr Miriam Wallace, former WPC Metropolitan Police and veteran psychic
of P Division.
London provides a perfect venue for vampires to thrive: plentiful warm bodies to feed
upon, a myriad of dark alleys and passageways, links to history that make it familiar and safe
for the immortal and, of course, a labyrinth beneath the streets to explore and populate.
However, London remains, on the face of it, free from vampiric infection. The so-called
‘Dracula Wars’ of the early 1980s — officially dubbed Operation Thorn — burned out dozens
of vampire nests across the capital and was, to this date, the largest operation launched solely
by P Division against any supernatural threat. Since then the vampiric specialists within P
Division, uneasily aided by the hunter-priests of the Society of St. Bede, have stamped out
any vampires that appear in London and its environs. One wag at The Watch HQ even has a
‘Days Since Vampire Attack’ clock on his screensaver.
The Sodality likes it this way. London has always been too obvious a choice for their
endeavours and whilst many of them would love to return to their old haunts and rule from
the salons of their darkened townhouses of old, it just isn’t viable. Instead, they work from
other places, sending agents into London to plant seeds of their chaos. After all, their final
target, the Royal Family, holds their seat in the middle of the city!
There is another matter in London that disturbs them greatly, and that is the rise of the
rogue vampire lord John Williams. In 1811, Williams was accused of the Ratcliffe Highway
murders — a grisly series of killings where seven people lost their lives. Reports have it that the
murders were carried out by a spiked maul and Williams was found hanged during his trial.
The mob buried him on non-consecrated ground, staked through the heart, upside down and
at a crossroads. The true story was that Williams had been turned to vampirism during his
time abroad as a sailor, and had torn the dead families apart as he fed. A Crew of Liminals,
operating in Georgian London, tracked him down and paralysed him with magic, making it
appear that he was hanged. They drove the mob to bury and stake Williams in such a way as
to stop him from ever rising again.
That was until 1886 when the body was dug up and the skeleton uncovered. A workman
withdrew the stake from the skeleton and slowly, the paralysing magic dissipated. Williams
began the tortuously slow regeneration that comes without human blood. Crawling as a
skeletal monstrosity in the sewers, he fed on rats and other vermin and slowly regained his
musculature and mobility. Williams now dwells deep in the abandoned underground tunnels
beneath the city, gathering his nest of neophyte vampires and dhampir agents. He sends his
minions out into the city to bring fresh flesh, new converts, or to practice his old profession —
highway robbery.
36
John Williams
[ Drive: Build his own undead kingdom beneath London
[ Skill Cap: 5
[ Focus: Magical
[ Mental Skills:
[ Social Skills: Charm-3, Conviction-5, Streetwise-2, Taunt-5
[ Traits: Supernatural Strength, Night Sight, Quick Reflexes, Monstrous Toughness (x2),
Rapid Healing (Flaw: Silver), Presence, Frightening
[ Limitations: Weakened by Sunlight, Vulnerability (Garlic, Mirrors)
[ Endurance: 29
[ Will: 13
[ Damage: d6+4 (fists)
“I swear Officer, the cab was pulled up at the lights and suddenly these three scruffy
lads — couldn’t have been older than twenty — jumped all over the car. One of them
ripped the door off, clean off, honest, and dragged the passenger in the back out on
the street. Another one grabbed the bloke and … Christ’s sake, he tore his arm off,
clean out of his socket. The last one mounted the bonnet of the cab and just stared
at me, licking his lips. And I swear, the kid had fangs. No word of a lie!”
- Cabbie Joe Malone giving a witness statement to an attack near Canning Town.
37
Chapter 3
London Factions
The Knowledge
“I have managed, in my time in the city, to communicate with forty eight of the fifty
facets of the Knowledge; all except #1 and #32. #1 remains the most elusive but I
am assured that he operates on the streets around Soho. I can report that each of the
facets is, indeed, identical. Each has the same knowledge of the city and yes, each
one holds the exact same opinion as to the dubious parentage of the members of the
West Ham board. They are, for all intents and purposes, a spiritual hive mind and,
I would suggest, the nearest thing this city has to a ‘soul’”
- Lynnette O’Rourke, independent geomancer reporting to the Council of Merlin
The iconic London Black Cab is a symbol known around the world and the streets of the
capital are usually swarming with these uniquely shaped carriages. However, those with a keen
eye will notice something strange about certain cabs … namely those numbered 01-50. They
all have the same driver. Short, white, middle-aged with dark receding hair and a two-day
stubble. He wears glasses with a little bit of white tape holding the left leg onto the frame and
he has an inordinate number of sovereign rings on his hands. His grasp of the streets of
London is encyclopaedic and his banter always includes the most up-to-date gossip on
whatever is happening at that time.
Welcome to The Knowledge, the supernatural embodiment of the spirit of London, a true
genius loci of the City.
The origins of the Knowledge are as distant as those of the London cab itself, with roots
going back to Oliver Cromwell’s time. Whether it has been driving Hansom Cabs,
shepherding Londoners to the bomb shelters in the Blitz, or arriving in the right place at the
right time despite ludicrous traffic jams, the Knowledge has been there for a long time.
As a faction, the Knowledge is a neutral party to the conflicts that rage across the Hidden
World. It maintains itself as a free broker of information and transport for those working in
the best interests of London. Working for the city means that a cab will magically appear just
when you need it to escape a pack of blood-thirsty dhampirs, or a chat with the cabbie on a
drive around Regent’s Park will drop in some crucial information about a missing artefact.
However, if the Knowledge deems you to be working against the best interests of London your
life will be a living Hell. No transport will work for you, traffic lights will constantly turn to
red, and your beloved Wi-Fi connection will disappear for no palpable reason.
As a result, most London-based factions operate in such a way that they might cause grief to
each other, but the physical integrity of the city itself, and its mundane inhabitants, is rarely
ever threatened. Even the Mercury Collegium will tend to target marks who are from ‘out
of town’, and the Jaegers have a strict dictat about hunting within the city boundaries. The
Sodality of the Crown would worry about antagonising the Knowledge, if they understood the
importance of digital communication and rapid transport … but they don’t!
38
The Hidden (after Neil Gaiman)

It is all too easy to glorify the plight of the homeless by making them heroes within a setting
such as this and forget the real world issues facing people on the streets of our towns and
cities every day. Having spent some years working with homeless teenagers, I am reminded
each day that those who have no place to call home can quickly become forgotten by society
or vilified with a quick headline tarring them all with the same imposter brush. Please, if you
can, donate to a charity that can help those bereft of that most crucial of human needs: a safe
bed to sleep in and a place to call home.
“We are the Hidden. Society no longer sees us. We’re inconvenient, dirty, awkward
to consider. People who have enough change for a cup of over-priced milky foam can-
not spare me one quid for food. So we look after ourselves now and guess what, we
look after them too. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. The Guild all do their
jobs and keep the Visible safe from the dark and the City provides for us. Some call
it karma, others symbiosis. Me? I just cannot think of a kid alone in the dark.”
- Sparrow, formerly a student of biology at Queen Mary’s, now a member of the
Guild of Water and Light
The Hidden are the lost people of the streets of London, who, through the latent magics
of the great city have slipped through the cracks into their own Hidden world. Overlooked
by mundane society — those they sometimes call ‘Visibles’ — the Hidden have coalesced into
small communities which they call ‘rookeries’ after the squalid slums of 18thC London.
The Hidden live close to each other, mixing their dwellings between the derelict and empty
buildings and the tunnels beneath them. Each rookery has a rudimentary sense of leadership;
elected, selected or enforced, but the laws and their enforcement as part of Hidden society
vary vastly between rookeries and this can prove exceptionally difficult for a ‘visible’ that
becomes involved.
The Hidden involve themselves in ‘Visible’ society in several different ways. They can
forcibly make themselves known to people, slipping back out of the Hidden World. In this
way, the Hidden can be involved with Crews (e.g. Morgan in the Worshipful Company of
Investigators.) They also interact through their Guilds — groups of Hidden that provide
services for mundane and Liminal individuals who need their special services.
How Hidden are the Hidden?

The Hidden have faded from the view of the mundane world, but
not the Hidden World. They can move amongst mundanes with
ease and will be ignored until they do something to draw attention
to themselves. They are not ‘invisible’ and will still appear on CCTV
and trip security systems.
39
Chapter 3
If you engage with a Guild, you will have to pay a price, and it is rarely, if ever, money.
Sometimes it takes the form of food and clothing, but usually it is bartered in the form of
promises and favours. Not binding in the same way as a Warder’s geas magic, these
agreements still hold currency. To renege on an agreement with the Hidden is to instantly be
Marked as an oath breaker and to be persona non-grata to every Hidden in the city. No aid
will come the way of you and yours until your debt is settled and a formal apology has
been rendered.
Guild of Water and Light (the Lighters)

“The water was rising, up to my chin. I was dead, man, and then this guy just
walked out to me. He must have been on stilts or something, but he pulled me out
of the mud and dragged me over the bank. I couldn’t tell you what he looked like,
but he smelled like shit. I’ll always remember one thing though — his smile. Like he
wanted to give me a good bollocking but knew I had learned my lesson.”
Imagine a child, lost and alone, who wanders into a tunnel to find shelter from the rain
and the darkness. They wander further into the tunnel to escape the wind, take a turn here, a
twist there and suddenly they are lost — vulnerable to whoever, or whatever, dwells below. Or
a student, drunk from their night time revels, slips and plunges into the Thames, trapped in
the debris and mud and victim of the rising tide.
The child sees a light in the darkness and a helping hand guiding them towards the
entrance. The student sees someone wading through the water, lifting them from the sand
and helping them to the nearest ladder. These Hidden are the Guild of Water and Light,
pledged to aid fallen Visible Londoners from the many hazards of the City. The Guild
maintains a nightly watch over the Thames and patrols on the myriad tunnels beneath the
city. Sometimes they work alone, sometimes in small groups and sometimes with their dogs,
who can sniff out a lost child.
Sparrow
[ Drive: Bring the children back into the Light
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Athletics-2, Awareness-2, Stealth-4, Survival-2
[ Traits: Animal Sense, Breaking and Entering, Forgettable, Scavenger, Sneaky
[ Endurance: 10
[ Will: 11
40
Guild of Tunnellers
“So, you want to get this … package, from the Southbank to Camden without
anyone seeing it? Visible or Hidden? Sure, we can help you with that … but it’ll cost
you? For you, nothing too much, just a promise that one day, we can ask you for a …
donation. *spit* Shake on it?”
London sits on a maze of abandoned or rarely used tunnels, corridors, sewers or hidden
chambers. It is a modern-day labyrinth with more than one metaphoric minotaur to avoid.
However, if you want to travel across the city unnoticed, it is the quickest way to do so,
assuming you know the way. That knowledge — the lost maps of the true London
underground — are where the Guild of Tunnellers comes into play.
Journeys in the tunnels almost always happen at night and because of this, the Guild of
Tunnellers are well known to the urban exploring community. Should one fall into trouble,
the other will seek to help. The explorers know that the Guild will help them should they get
lost and the Guild knows that the explorers will keep their secrets safe. The Guild also has a
live-and-let-live understanding with the workers on the London Underground. In return for
turning a blind eye to their flitting through the shadows, the Guild provides the Tube with
the pithy, quirky messages on their station announcement boards. What? You thought the
Tube staff thought them up themselves….?
The Guild of Sewer Hunters

One of the oldest of the Hidden Guilds, the Sewer Hunters do exactly as their name
suggests — they hunt the horrors that exist deep within the sewers of London. Every sewer
system in the world has legends of creatures that dwell deep within it and London is no
exception. Here, the tunnels are said to be home to a horde of black-skinned, feral,
flesh-eating boars who can barrel a man to the ground and drown him in the slurry of the
sewers before rending the flesh from his bones. The deepest tunnels are also, legendarily,
home of ‘rat-women’ — lost women who can take the form of giant rodents. Their leader, the
so-called Queen Rat, is said to be able to seduce a man into the tunnels of London by
appearing to him in his dreams as a vision of his true love, luring him into the darkness to be
eaten on her whim.
The job of the Guild of Sewer Hunters puts them in direct conflict with the fledgling
vampires of John Williams (see pg. 37). The Hidden are aware that the vampire exists in the
darkness beneath the City, but they do not have the numbers to make a concerted assault on
the nest themselves. They maintain a watch over the various runs that the vampires use to
access their nest and will attack any undead that brings a mortal into the tunnels. Many of the
Sewer Hunters wear vampire teeth as trophies of these hunts and as memories of those that
were lost protecting the Visibles from the undead.
41
Chapter 3
Sewer Hunter
[ Drive: If it leaps, crawls or slithers in the dark, kill it
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Tough
[ Social Skills: Streetwise-1, Taunt-2
[ Traits: Brawny, Night Sight, Sneaky
[ Endurance: 15
[ Will: 8
[ Damage: D6+5 (jagged hunting barb)
The Guild of Street Sweepers

As an age-old tradition, the Hidden have always kept the streets clear for the Visible.
Where, in the past, this practice was done to earn a few pennies from the local population
and eke out a living, in the modern era, it serves a far more practical purpose.
The Guild of Street Sweepers gather and dispose of the evidence of the supernatural in the
City. They move quietly around the sites of battles, magical invocation and daemonic
summoning and remove the sigils, offerings and well yes, body parts, that commonly inhabit
the scene. This isn’t done for altruistic reasons — the Guild runs a ‘nice little earner’ selling
this evidence back into the supernatural community through Ahmed’s VHS Wonderland
(see pg. 66)
If a Crew is looking for evidence and it seems to have disappeared, with the site of the
incident swept clean, chances are they will have to barter with the Guild to retrieve
the evidence.
The Guild of Patterers

One of the more convenient things about being one of the Hidden is that you’re essentially
invisible. People just don’t take any notice of you. You would be stunned how quickly people
stop curling their lip and making snide comments and then get on with their talking and
gossiping — and that is where the Patterers make their trade. They sit in the streets, on the
Tube and in the coffee shops and they listen. And oh, the things they hear! Who is doing
who, with what. Where this thing happened and who was screwed over because of it! And this
information has value to …someone. The Patterers are who you go to when you need to quite
literally get the word from the street.
The Guild of Toshers

Toshers play a crucial but dangerous role in the economy of subterranean London; these
brave men and women scour through the debris of the sewers and recover lost items of value
from the sewage. Sometimes, these are simply items of value to the Hidden cutlery, glasses
or crockery. However, at other times, they can recover all manner of dangerous items, like
murder weapons, or items with nostalgic — and therefore magical — importance. Toshers work
closely with the other sewer-dwelling Guilds, the Hunters, Tunnellers and Lighters.
42
Queen Rat
43
Chapter 4
A City of Mysteries
Tread carefully over the pavements of London, for

you are treading on skin, a skein of stone that covers
rivers and labyrinths, tunnels and chambers, streams
and caverns, pipes and cables, springs and passages,
crypts and sewers, creeping things that will never see
the light of day.
- Ackroyd, London Under
44
45
Chapter 4
Liminal London is rife with strange rituals, mysterious rumours and unfathomable taboos
that cross dozens of different cultures and time periods. This chapter includes a dozen
different London-themed mysteries or rituals that can be added to your games or form the
basis of an investigation.
Bible and Key Fortune Telling

A traditional way of fortune-telling, with more than a little in common with the concept
of a Ouija board, a petitioner places their house key into a Bible and then firmly binds the
book. Holding the bound Bible between two people, balanced on their fingertips, they ask
their question — for example “Who killed my husband?” — and follow up with questions to
narrow down the search, such as ‘Was it Andrew?” When the guilty party is named, the Bible
will pitch and twist. This traditional method is one that has existed for years in the real world,
but it has come from the rituals of the Hidden, where this method is considered the binding
resolution to a crime without evidence.
The Eaten Heart

Married to someone she doesn’t love, a woman has a lover who is mortally wounded. A
macabre soul, the lover writes his final love letter to the woman in his own blood and encloses
within it the lock of her hair he has carried with him since their first encounter. He promises
his lover that his friend will (somehow) burn his heart and deliver just those ashes to her. He
dies, and the friend takes the ashes to the lover, but they are gathered by her husband and
mistaken for a tea, served to his wife. She drinks them, reads the letter and realises what has
happened. She undertakes never to eat or drink again and is found dead, surrounded by love
poems written in her own blood.
This old macabre tale of the ‘eaten heart’ is a great example of a tale that echoes through
time and is just as appropriate in the modern age as it was in Georgian times. A Crew could
stumble across a lover who was found dead, surrounded by verses of their sanguine love, and
find themselves investigating their own eaten heart story.
The Pig-Headed Woman of Maida Vale

There are rumours of a ghostly figure who haunts the gardens of Maida Vale. She has
ragged hair, a pig-like face, almost translucent skin and piercing steel blue eyes. Her face is
twisted in a diabolic grimace, terrifying to anyone who sees her. Any who see her are
haunted in their dreams for a year and a day. What this horror is has yet to be established.
Some suggest she is truly a ghost of a tortured soul long since driven to suicide by hateful
comments from her neighbours. Others suggest that she is one of the Fae, cast out of the
court of the Queen of Hyde Park as punishment for her face offending the court. Whatever
she is, she is not something to meet in the dark of the night.
The Chelsea Smilers

Every child, of a certain age, has heard about the gang of football fanatics who stop outside
a school in their smile-painted van and grab children to quiz about their favourite club,
Chelsea. Answer a question wrong and the Smilers cut the corners of your mouth with their
wicked blade and then gut punch you, forcing the scream that will tear your face open. Many
46
A City of Mysteries
say that the Smilers are just an urban myth, cooked up by older children to terrify their
younger counterparts. But wiser souls suggest that the Smilers are, in fact, real — or as real as
a rogue group of Fae can be considered real; rogue Fae who feed from the terror of tormented
children produced by the Fae's glamour.
The Bleeding Heart
Elizabeth Hatton, wife of William Hatton, chancellor of England and favourite of Queen
Elizabeth I, was one of the most politically and socially successful women of her time. This
was attributed by many to a pact with the Devil himself but that was discounted as
superstition and jealousy. Discounted until one night, after a particularly lavish dinner, when
the Devil returned to close on his deal, ripping Elizabeth Hatton limb from limb, consuming
her flesh and leaving only her bleeding heart behind. Pacts and deals in Liminal London are
a serious business and anyone entering into one lightly is reminded of the fate of Elizabeth
Hatton. Some older beings hold to the old ways and seal their pacts with the pledge of the
bleeding heart, just to make sure.
A Red Rose as Payment of Debts

On the feast of John the Baptist, a single red rose is presented to the Lord Mayor of
London at the Mansion House. Many believe this is connected to a 14th century builder
called Knolley and an annual fine paid by him for an illegal bridge between two houses. In
fact, it is a payment for a bridge of sorts — the red rose is presented by a representative of
the Queen of Hyde Park to the mortal Mayor of the city in recognition of the continuing
presence of her court in the midst of the mortal world. Should the rose not be delivered, the
shame brought upon the Queen would be immense and her wrath against those that brought
shame upon her Royal personage would be terrible indeed.
Body Invasions!
Another recurring tale of Liminal London is the horrific prospect of the invasion of the
body by insects. It always starts the same: a small scratch or cut, and a single insect finding its
way inside the victim. Inevitably, the victim grows ill, becoming bed-ridden. Then, one
morning, the victim’s skin ruptures and hundreds (or thousands) of insects spew out of the
wound, having eaten away the victim’s flesh from the inside out. This is a tale that has been
repeated across the city through the years and is almost certainly a particularly pernicious
curse from a truly angered mage.
Rough Music
The ancient practice of Rough Music amounted to a method for a community, through
mocking and rowdy behaviour, to show disapproval at someone’s actions when the authorities
have not handled the matter. Usually these were matters domestic, involving the broaching of
a community’s social or moral boundaries.
Whilst on many occasions this rough music amounted to a raucous evening display of
noise, music, name-calling (although never the name of the actual person) and maybe the
burning of the odd effigy, in Liminal London, rough music is the name given to the self-
policing practice of the Mercury Collegium when their members break the most sacred of
47
Chapter 4
bonds and thieve amongst themselves. The Collegium members will group together to harass
and harangue the deviant in any number of inventive ways; bank accounts empty, car engines
fuse, gardens die, radios always turn on full volume when they approach. After a week of this
nonsense, most mages will admit their transgression and throw themselves on the mercy of
their Guild leaders.
Swordbearer
The Lord Mayor of London has had a ceremonial swordbearer since the 15th Century ‘to
support the honour of his Lord and the City.’ The Sword Bearer is not, as it may seem at
first glance, an appointment made for civic purposes, but rather another sign of the détente
between the Queen of Hyde Park and the mortal authorities. The Sword Bearer is always a
changeling accepted and trained by the Queen’s courtiers as a Knight. Should anyone seek to
attack the Lord Mayor, the Sword Bearer is charged with intervening on behalf of the faerie
Queen, and each time this happens, the Queen is owed another favour by the mortals. She
currently holds two favours over the City of London, saving them for the moment of her own
personal greatest need.
The Sword Bearer

[ Drive: Protect the Mayor, for the honour of the Queen (of Hyde Park)
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Tough
[ Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Melee 4, Shoot 2
[ Mental Skills: Lore 1
[ Social Skills: Conviction 1, High Society 2, Rhetoric 2
[ Traits: Artefact (The Sword of London), Brawny, Quick Reflexes, The Sight
[ Endurance: 15
[ Will: 9
[ Damage: d6+5 (the Sword)
The Swords of London

There are six two-handed Swords of London; the Mourning
(or Black) Sword, the Pearl Sword, the State Sword, the Old
Bailey Sword, the Justice Room Sword and the Travelling
Sword of State. The Sword Bearer carries the State Sword, a
magical artefact that adds +1 to all combat rolls and reduces
Health damage taken by 1 in all combats that take place
within the City of London.
48
A City of Mysteries
Ravens and the Raven Master

Those versed in London lore will be aware of the legends around the ravens of the Tower
of London (see pg. 59) but may not be aware of the position of Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster,
whose job it is to look after the birds. This is a real position and in no way, shape or form,
is it a plant by the Council of Merlin within the Tower of London and thus within striking
distance should anything befall the birds or the skull of Bran the Blessed (see pg. 59). With
the Raven Master as a Council of Merlin agent and the ever-present watcher from the
Ravenstower both situated at the Tower of London, it has become one of the most actively
guarded magical venues in the city.
Secret Societies and Ancient Livery Companies

There are so many secret societies, hidden groups and archaic orders in London that an
entire book could be written dedicated to them alone. London is home to many lodges and
temples of the Freemasons, was the home of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and
houses the exclusive gathering known as ‘The Club’, a gathering of all male politicians,
academics and financiers shrouded in secrecy.
The Livery Companies of London are organised trade associations that go by the name of
‘The Worshipful Company of …’, hence the tongue-in-cheek naming of the Worshipful
Company of Investigators by the Professor (see pg. 72). Nowadays these are social and trade-fo-
cused groups, but in Liminal London they are also the home of the master artisans who can
craft the base items for many enchanted items. Each Worshipful Company has a position of
Most Senior Artisan, a singular role whose knowledge and skill are passed down through the
centuries. Need a particular powder ground from the hooves of a Dire Mare?
Try the Most Senior Artisan of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries.
49
Chapter 5
A City of The Dead

and the Undead
You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing

to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of
London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all
that life can afford.
- Samuel Johnson
50
51
Chapter 5
London has been associated with death for centuries. In the past, it was the world’s largest
city, and the sheer logistics of dealing with the disposal of so many dead bodies at the time
required some innovative solutions. However, the gruesome history of London and the dead
is a constant theme and one that permeates throughout Liminal London.
Plague Pits
A long-standing belief about London is that the dead bodies from the Black Death and the
Great Plague were buried in mass graves — so-called ‘plague pits’ — leaving huge depositories
of bones and bacteria deep below the ground. There is actually very little evidence to back this
belief up — and that is exactly how the Council of Merlin wants it to be. If the truth was more
well-known, London would become the epicentre for necromancers from around the world!
London always had a problem with the disposal of its dead and has resorted to a number
of innovative methods over the years, including a ‘necropolis railway’ carrying the dead to
graveyards far outside the city limits. However, the city is built on layer upon layer of dead
bodies, abandoned graveyards and yes, some mass burials. The issue came to a head with the
excavations of London to accommodate the Underground and the Eurostar network. Whilst
most of the tunnelling has been careful, with specialists being called in to remove any bodies
uncovered, the spiritual disruption has been extreme. The Underground is a seething battery
of negative magical energy waiting to be harnessed and the Council knows that it is only a
matter of time before someone does.
The Council of Merlin has utilised a number of different resources to counter this
haunting energy. The most obvious are their cadre of talented spirit-calmers; buskers. Sure,
some buskers are actually musicians trying to earn some money entertaining the passing
commuters, but some are highly trained bards, who use their music to calm the spirits that
rage through the tunnels. Another resource is the design of the stations themselves. The long,
seemingly never-ending tunnels and random stairs may seem like simply underground
engineering, but during the design of the system the Council was on hand to advise on
creating intricate, three-dimensional cold iron structures that warded the stations against the
negative energy. Those with the Sight may be able to see the patterns of magical channelling
running through the stations, creating a form of magical Faraday cage. Finally, there is the
entity known as the Gap — and that’s why you are constantly warned to beware of it!
Mr Killburn’s Acquisitions Association

There is a long history of resourceful brigands who are more than willing to provide any
needy individual with a cadaver for whatever scientific experiment they see fit to carry out.
There are those that haunt graveyards, those that seek to pilfer from mortuaries and some
who are, well, slightly more proactive in creating dead bodies to fill the demand for them.
Whilst the historical body snatchers may have taken inspiration from the Scottish exemplars,
Burke and Hare, their modern successors are a lot more corporate about their business.
Enter Mr Killburn’s Acquisitions Association — London’s very own set of corporate
bodysnatchers. No-one has ever met Mr Killburn, nor does the Acquisitions Association have
an office, a bank account or any sort of conventional communications presence. To engage
with Mr Killburn, you have to find a necromancer who is willing to send a message through
the spirit world. In the message you communicate what you need (in terms of the dead body)
where you would like it to be delivered, and why. Within 24 hours, the corpse will be
delivered to your location in a plain coffin, warded against decay and only openable by you.
52
A City of The Dead and The Undead
The price? The price is left to Mr Killburn, depending on what you want, why you want it and
some foibles of this most mysterious businessman. Some people have seen monies removed
from their bank account. Some have seen their businesses lose customers overnight. Others
have had one of their relatives become the next corpse that Mr Killburn acquires.
The Ghost Courts of London

“My name, dear sir, is Elijah Dunwich, and I have been resident at this address
since the reign of King George III — batty old fruit that he was. So, you see, I am not
standing in your ‘wetroom’ watching you bathe. You are stood in what used to be my
bedchamber, soaking it and making it smell like a harlot’s boudoir. I would thank
you sir to avail yourself of some clothing and leave post haste!”
- A new resident at the executive apartments on the South Bank realises he is not alone
The relationship between London and the Ghost Courts is one that harks back centuries.
London has been killing innocent people — both nobles and commoners — for centuries, and
the sheer volume of emotional resonance this creates has made it a magnet for undead spirits.
The city is packed with stories of ghostly sightings, with almost every area having a number of
local spirits.
The ghostly resonance is so strong in London that the city and its ghosts have warped the
energies in the city that surround death. Geomancers and Necromancers of the Council of
Merlin have worked tirelessly to discover how and why this happens, but the upshot is that
a person who is going to be murdered or otherwise killed in a way that might leave a ghostly
presence is liable to appear to their loved ones at the moment of death to pass on a message
about their predicament. In the capital, numerous cases for Liminal Crews start with a
soon-to-be ghost appearing and pleading to catch their killer — even as the killing is being
carried out!
Moreover, London has four gated boundaries; Aldgate, Billingsgate, Aldersgate and
Bishopgate. Each of these areas has a specific Hidden gate, and entering one allows you to
pass into the Ghost Domain of London, the spirit world filled with the missing, destroyed
and forgotten, and the many Ghost Courts of the City.
What are Ghost Courts?

Those who have not passed fully into the afterlife, and
remained on Earth as ghosts for whatever reason, can
be a difficult lot. In many cities, some ghosts can be
hundreds of years old and within their Ghost Domains
have gathered a degree of power that allows them to
‘rule’ the other ghosts and creatures that flit in and out
of the Realms. These ghostly rulers form Ghost Courts.
The one tell-tale sign that your city may have a Ghost
Court is the existence of ‘gates’ within the city. These old
boundaries in the real world act as spiritual borderlands
in the Ghost Domains.
53
Chapter 5
Major Bradell at the Naval and Military Club
This gentlemen’s club is haunted by the ghost of an officer who was killed in an air-raid in
1941. Bradell appears in the club still wearing his service dress long coat. The press reported
that the ghost was not going to be exorcised ‘as he was still a member’ which is nearer the
truth than they know. The club, located on St James Square near both Downing Street and
Buckingham Palace, acts as a known common ground for those in power who wish to speak
to their ghostly forebears. It even has a special smoking room where members — and their
guests — can talk discreetly with representatives of the Ghost Court.
The #7 Ghost Bus

“South of the River? That’ll be two shillings and sixpence … exact change only, darlin’.”
Reports have been made of a bus appearing suddenly on the streets around Kensington, in
the red and white livery of the old General Omnibus Company, moving through the streets
amongst the ordinary traffic. This bus, the residual spiritual echo of a bus that was destroyed
early in the 20th century is a well-used mode of transport for those that can enter the Ghost
Domains. The #7 travels around the outskirts of the Ghost Court and even makes stops on
the other side of the Thames; ghosts care very little for trivial matters like the Pax Londinium.
This is yet another way that Liminals can cross the river without alerting the Duchess’s Trolls.
The Venerable Ghosts of the Public Houses

Nowhere in London is more likely to be haunted than the local pub. The focus of any
community, the pubs will always have people in them and where people congregate, tragedy
is normally not too far behind. There is nothing more Liminal London than a haunted pub!
Examples include the ghost of Annie Chapman (one of Jack the Ripper’s victims) who haunts
the Ten Bells in Commercial Street, George the Cavalier who haunts The George on the
Strand, and a young Grenadier guards officer who was flogged to death for cheating at cards
who haunts the Grenadier near Belgrave Square.
54
A City of The Dead and The Undead
55
Chapter 6
A City of Gods
and Goddesses
“My Dad says that being a Londoner has nothing to

do with where you’re born. He says that there are
people who get off a jumbo jet at Heathrow, go
through immigration waving any kind of passport,
hop on the tube and by the time the train’s pulled
into Piccadilly Circus, they’ve become a Londoner.”
- Ben Aaronovitch
56
57
Chapter 6
London is protected. There are dozens of international communities and religions, and
hundreds of artefacts from around the world in museums — some taken without consent —
and a high concentration of Liminal activity. It is inevitable that you also find worshippers of
deities of a number of very diverse pantheons. Each one sees London as a home, for them or
their followers, and as a result is dedicated to maintaining the city as a place to live and thrive.
The problem, as you might expect, comes when one deity decides that their people should
take precedence over another immortal’s flock. To add further confusion to this divine
melting pot, over the centuries there are several places within the city that have been held by a
number of deities. Westminster Abbey, for example, has been home to the temple of Apollo,
a sanctuary for Thor and then a church consecrated by St Peter himself. St Paul’s Cathedral is
built on the ancient Temple of Diana founded by Brutus of Troy himself. Turf wars between
pantheons in London are not unknown.
Do Gods and Goddesses Walk the Streets of London?

No, they do not. The closest to this in London are the
Orisha who bartered with the Queen of Hyde Park for a
safe haven in South London (see pg. 63). London has a
large number of cults, however, and people who believe that
under certain arcane circumstances, the divine will indeed
walk the Earth again.
The Palladia of London: Ancient Protections

London — and indeed Britain — has a number of legendary protections, or palladia upon it.
They tend towards one of two different interpretations; London will be doomed if a certain
event happens, or in the event of a certain terrible event a hero will rise to protect the city
(or the country).
“You think we’re a walkover don’t you? All cricket, tea and crumpets and stiff upper
lip. You couldn’t be more wrong. This city has been burned down and bombed to
fuck and it’s still standing. The bloody Nazis carpet bombed it and what did the
locals do? They just carried on. Why? Because we’re protected, daemon, protected
by ancient powers that make your Lord of Darkness or whatever he’s calling himself
this week look like Walter the Softy. So, politely, from the people of London, why
don’t you do one. Go on! Do one! Get the fuck out of our city!”
(Then PC) William Davenport’s famous rebuke of a daemon invader in the middle
of Covent Garden in the great hot summer of ‘77
58
A City of Gods and Goddesses
The Guardian Head of Bran the Blessed

Bran was a titanic ancient king of Britain who warred with the Irish over his sister
Branwen, using the cauldron of life (synonymous with the Holy Grail) to revive his troops,
but being fatally injured himself during the retreat. He asked that his giant head be chopped
off and buried under the White Tower — the Tower of London. There he was said to watch
over Britain and warn of invasion. Legend also has it that King Arthur dug up the head as he
sought to be the sole protector of the British. What became of that head? Liminal scholars
have argued for centuries about its whereabouts. Some even suggest that it was replaced and
hence London has never been invaded (ignoring the Glorious Revolution of 1688, but why
let a little history get in the way of a good legend?) Needless to say, if there was to be a true
invasion of London by Fae, zombies or vampires, the power of Bran would be needed.
The Bodies of Vortimer and Vortigern

Bran isn’t the only figure whose body parts are said to have protected the country. In a
similar story, Vortimer, son of Vortigern, had his bones buried around the country’s principal
ports to protect from invasion. These bones were removed by his father (Vortimer predeceased
his father) as he sought to be the land’s protector, wanting his body to be burned in
Trinovantum (London) to deter Saxon invaders. The bones of this line are clearly magical,
and should they be found, would give the holder a potent component to power wards and
geomancy. Even if they could not find the old bones, the descendants of the line of Vortigern
must still live somewhere — almost certainly in London.
The Ravens of the Tower of London

Translated, Bran means raven, which no doubts links Bran’s head at the Tower to the belief
that the presence of the ravens at the Tower of London prevent the country from being
invaded. Modern thought has been that this is actually quite a recent urban legend, with some
historians claiming that no actual records of this myth existed before World War Two and
that it may have even been created by a tour guide to explain the ravens’ presence.
Liminal scholars point to three things to debunk the debunking; firstly, why do these
supposedly pointless birds require a trained protector, the Raven Master? Secondly, it would
be child’s play to destroy the birds through conventional or magical means and yet none have
tried. Lastly, and most tellingly, the power of Bran, Vortigern and Vortimer flows through
their home and powers them. These feathered palladia are formidable magical guardians and
to assault them would seem to be utter folly. However, without the Skull of Bran, the bones of
Vortimer or the burning body of Vortigern, they are the only remaining of the truly ancient
palladia. Should someone overcome them, London would surely fall.
The Goddess of the Land

Branwen stood, in legend, as the goddess of Britain, with her fate tied to that of the land.
In a similar vein, the goddess Fflur was fought over by Julius Caesar and Caswallawn, with the
Briton losing out to the Roman, leading to the Roman invasion of England. The diviners of
the Council of Merlin have, for some time now, predicted that there is a new protector born
in London somewhere — a new Boudica to rise and save her people. Who it is, who the
people are and why this woman will rise are unknown, but the ancient power of British
defiance could spark a war across the capital.
59
Chapter 6
Arthur’s Pledge
Probably the most famous of the palladia of Britain and London is the legendary British
king, Arthur, as stated by Malory in Le Morte d’Arthur:
“Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead but had
by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place; and men say that he shall come
again, and he shall win the holy cross.”
Or in a more modern interpretation, Arthur would return at Britain’s time of greatest
need. Cynics would suggest that this is hokum as Arthur did not return during World War II
which was about as near to greatest need as the country could remember, but Liminal scholars
would remind them of one small detail; for Arthur to return there may be other requirements
such as the presence of his sword, Excalibur. And as Excalibur is currently somewhere in the
highlands of Scotland, held by the Winter King, this is unlikely to happen soon.
Powers from Around the World

The Cult of Diana the Hunter
There has always been a close association between the Greek goddess of the hunt, Diana,
and the city of London. Legend has it that Diana appeared to Brutus of Troy in a dream and
told him to sail to a new land to find a New Troy. This land was called Albion, which became
Britain, and New Troy was built on the Thames and became London. Even when the Romans
left Britain, the followers of Diana remained, passing her teachings down a never-ending line
of female supplicants.
Nowadays, The Cult of Diana remains a force in London and maintains the two pillars of
her former worship at its core; hunting and dominance. A network of powerful woman who
work in and around the city, the Cult seeks to remove obstacles from the progression of its
members through any means necessary, including blackmail and assassination. To become a
member is to pledge your resources and skills to the betterment of other members, with the
success of one member adding to the success of all.
The Cult is also dedicated to the protection of St Paul’s Cathedral and the secrets that are
hidden beneath it, in the former temple of Diana. Rumours of women gathering during the
full and new moon, deep within the Cathedral’s crypt have been circulating Liminal circles
for years, but precious few people are brave enough to cross the Cult directly.
“You misunderstand us, gentlemen. We are not your enemy — to be someone’s enemy
you need to hate them, and we don’t hate you; we pity you. We pity your fragility,
your gullibility and most of all your delusion that you are, in even some small way,
in control of this situation. You are not. We are, and we have always been, and we
always will. Now do you understand?”
60
Elizabeth Talbot, Priestess of Diana
[ Drive: Protect the Temple of Diana and her worshippers
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Tough
[ Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Melee 2, Vehicles 1, Shoot 1 (bows)
[ Mental Skills: Business 2, Lore 1, Technology 1
[ Social Skills: Charm 2, High Society 2, Streetwise 1, Taunt 1
[ Traits: Big Business, Sharpshooter
[ Endurance: 14
[ Will: 8
The Children of Ra: The Egyptian Insurgency

The Egyptian pantheon has a substantial presence in London, above and beyond the
obvious claim of the Fae spirit Isis on the Thames. There are clues across the city; the bust
of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet in Sotheby’s, the statues of the same goddess of war
and healing in the British Museum that are said to exude power by those sensitive to that
energy, the statues of the Sphinx that guard Cleopatra’s Needle and reside in Crystal Palace
Park, the sheer number of sarcophagi in the city’s museums, the Egyptian-styled mausoleums
in Highgate Cemetery, and of course, the pyramid in the middle of it all, on top of Canary
Wharf. London is suffused in Egyptian power and influence and the focus of this power is
the Children of Ra.
A small sect, the Children of Ra work tirelessly to increase their group’s magical influence
within the city and thus dominate the indigenous magical factions such as the Council of
Merlin and the Mercury Collegium. By increasing the number of artefacts and effigies of their
patrons within the city, they increase the magical resonance the city has with the Egyptian
deities and one in particular — the Cursed Mummy in the British Museum. The general
archaeological consensus of this most reviled ancient relic is that it is a high priestess of
Amen-Ra. The Children of Ra understand that it is THE high priestess of Amen-Ra and
should she be resurrected, only she knows the ritual to raise the God of Sun and Creation
from his underworld slumber, cleansing the world of darkness and corruption and bringing a
new golden age into being.
“Your William Blake was wrong; this country is no new Jerusalem. London? London
should be considered the new Cairo, the new Alexandria, the new Giza! One day,
the Children of Ra will rise and take this city in the name of the Ennead!”
61
Chapter 6
Yasmine Halim, Museum Curator

[ Drive: Increase the influence of the Children of Ra in London
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Awareness 2
[ Mental Skills: Art 1, Education 1, Lore 3, Medicine 1, Science 1, Technology 2
[ Social Skills: Conviction 2, High Society 2, Streetwise 2
[ Traits: Artefact (twice), The Sight
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 12
The Two Chinatowns of London

The original Chinatown was in Limehouse in the East End, settled by workers from the
East India Company. It was infamous for stories of slum housing, crime and opium dens,
but it was run down by the decline in commercial shipping on the Thames and destroyed by
bombing in World War II.Whilst most of the community moved on, there are remnants of
the old Chinatown community that still live in and around the Hidden parts of Limehouse,
and there is a rumour that a bona fide Ghost Domain exists here, allowing those that can find
the portal to step back into a Chinatown that no longer exists.
By the 1970s, the remaining Chinese community had settled into their new home in the
West End, between Shaftsbury Avenue and Leicester Square, and over the next 40 years the
vibrant community has grown around many famous landmarks and restaurants. This was
not always going to be the way — in 1973 Westminster Council planned to destroy Gerrard
Street in the centre of the new Chinatown. The residents petitioned the council planners to
cease their plans, but to no avail. Little did they know that this was a plot by the river spirit
Temese to acquire more land and influence in the city. Faced with being displaced yet again,
the residents had no option but to seek out one of the old Chinese mages, who still lived in
Limehouse and ask their aid. The mage agreed that they needed a protector, something to
watch over them all. He summoned a pair of Guardian Lions to watch over Chinatown.
Shi Wang (Lion King) and Mei Shi (Beautiful Lion) appeared as a pair of human twins, one
male and one female. Leading the community in their first lion dance at Chinese New Year,
the twins banished the influence of the river spirit and served notice on the Liminal denizens
of London that the area was indeed protected.
Since then the Lion Twins have become a constant presence in Chinatown. Usually they
inhabit one of the many pairs of ornate stone lion statues in the area, but should someone
require their aid, they need only hang a small red envelope on their doorway and the Lions
will awaken.
62
The Orisha of ‘Little Lagos’

London’s Nigerian community is based in Peckham, a few miles south of Southwark
Cathedral and the Order of St. Bede. The area is, in fact, vastly multi-cultural, but the
Nigerian community provides the sights and sounds synonymous with the area. ‘Little Lagos’,
as it is known, also exists as an oasis for immigrant Liminals within the confines of the Pax
Londinium. Neither the Order, the Open Knot nor the South Side Guild of the Mercury
Collegium will intervene to remove immigrant Liminals who seek to settle in the area, as long
as their activities stay within that community.
The reason for this dates back to the 18th century and a pact made between The Queen
of Hyde Park and a freed slave named Mahyaka who bartered a secret with the Queen to
secure a place to call home in the city. Mahyaka revealed to the Queen that the slavers who
had dragged families from the west coast of Africa had brought with them more than people.
They had brought Orisha — some of the many spirits of the Yoruba. The Orisha are spirits of
substantial power in their own right, and act as intermediaries between the mortal and the
divine. Now they watch over displaced souls in this strange new country.
Unwilling to risk the ire of the Orisha, the Queen thanked Mahyaka and fulfilled that wish.
She arranged for a meeting with the emissaries of the Orisha and discussed their desire: to
have a home for their people and any that would join them. The Queen agreed to this, and
the pact was forged. The Orisha, and their people, would always have somewhere to live in
London. The site has moved throughout the years when the mortal world interfered with the
peace of the Liminal community, but here, around Queen’s Road, Rye Lane, the famous Old
Kent Road and Peckham Library, the Orisha and their emissaries stand to welcome
Liminals from around the world who find themselves displaced and seeking safety in London.
63
Chapter 7
Encounters in London
London is whatever you want it to be.

- Winn
64
65
Chapter 7
Liminal London is a bustling magical community with a host of competing factions, power
brokers and threats. However, it is still a community and at its grass roots people still live, love
and work to make a living. In this chapter you will find a selection of mundane — but still very
Liminal — encounters for everyday Hidden life in London. In your game these might provide
a little background flavour, a source of an adventure, or a recurring NPC for a Crew to build
into their investigative arsenal.
Ahmed’s VHS Wonderland

This shop appears, at first glance, to be an impossible endeavour. The dirty windows and
shabby door, with a tinkling bell as you enter, hide a cornucopia of old VHS equipment and
tapes, as well as a remarkable collection of genuine '80s straight-to-video promotional
posters. The shop has the look of somewhere that not one item has been sold from in
decades. Its owner, Ahmed, a portly man of Iranian origin, will greet every customer with
the same effusive and confident manner, extolling the virtues of VHS over all other forms of
recorded entertainment and recommending a particularly obscure '80s video as ‘the next
cult hit!’
Those aware of Ahmed’s true retail empire will know the (literal) magic words “Can I see
the Betamax in the back room?” and be given access to Ahmed’s real treasure trove. He is the
premier purveyor of magical artefacts, spell components, scavenged Liminal bits and bobs and
well, let’s be frank, information. Ahmed is a true broker in the city of London for the Hidden
too, and fences all manner of ‘discoveries’ brought to him by the Guild of Street Sweepers
(see pg. 42)
Marge’s Pie and Mash Shop

Deep in the East End, on the corner of an old terrace, a true gem of London culture exists
called Marge’s Pie and Mash shop. A simple place with a counter down one side of the long
dining area and small linoleum covered tables abutting the opposite wall allowing four hungry
Londoners to squeeze in and wolf down their lunch. Marge serves three things in her shop:
pie, mash and gravy. The pies and gravy are described as ‘meat’, the mash is only ever potato —
a simple formula that has people coming from miles. The shop is rarely empty.
Indeed, the clientele of the shop is shockingly diverse. Members of the Mercurial
Collegium rub shoulders with the Jaeger Family and dandies of Fae Realms. It is not
unknown to see a member of the Order of Merlin slumming it, debating with a Knight of the
Order of St. Bede over a steaming pie lunch. Why? Well, one of the unwritten, but universally
known rules of Hidden World is that no-one causes problems at Marge’s. Ever. And the secret
to this? Marge herself.
An elderly lady, with grey well-maintained wavy hair and small round glasses, inevitably
dressed in a smock and pinny, this venerable Jewish matriarch of the Hidden World has run
this shop for as long as anyone can remember. For as long as any of the Council, or the
Sodality, or the Fae can remember, there has always been a pie shop here. Ancient
records show a shop here existed before, during and after the Great Fire. What they don’t
record is that the owner was always called Marge.
There is another unwritten but observed rule of the Pie Shop. Each order includes payment
for an extra pie. A tax of sorts. In return, the Hidden eat for free at Marge’s. Why she does
this is her own business but if anyone complains, the withering stare, sigh and shake of the
head communicates exactly how disappointed she is.
66
New Aeon Books

Not every outlet in London is a front for some Hidden business, but many wish they were.
The best example of this is the painfully trendy ‘artisan arcana’ of New Aeon Books, ran by
the self-styled High Mage of London, Xander Moonchild-Smythe. The shop is a tastefully
curated mess of the very best faux magical nonsense, which both Xander and his customers
totally believe are legitimate and powerful. New Aeon also acts as a publishing house for
London’s very own occult newsletter, the Hidden Herald, and is a partner in ‘The Locus’, an
indie club in Camden serving the ‘arcane community’ as Xander calls it. Xander believes that
his insights into the magical world are all highly accurate and that he is a mover and shaker.
He’s actually a laughing stock.
New Aeon is used by the magical beings of London to ascertain the validity of a new
contact. Do they use New Aeon? They’re probably a fraud or a clueless mundane. The Hidden
Herald is used as a running joke by the mages of London. They drop increasingly intricate
clues and leads for Xander to publish, as a game, in the same way that spies might use
crossword clues.
The Golden Man of Trafalgar Square

One of the most jarring sights in central London is the ever-present row of poorly costumed
floating men (and Yodas) between Nelson’s Column and the National Portrait Gallery at
Trafalgar Square. These street performers use an illusion to appear to be floating statues
standing in a row only to become animated when a member of the public tosses them a coin
or wants their picture taken. One of these performers, totally covered in what looks like gold
paint, is the Golden Man. It isn’t paint: the Golden Man is a homunculus of a dead mage
who was obsessed with the legend of Midas. He created a life-sized golden companion but
died before he could fully enchant it. Now the Golden Man hides in plain sight, using the
money he raises to buy second hand gold to patch his body with. If a Crew can discern which
of the performers is the Golden Man, they may be able to speak to him and unlock his secrets
which include everything he sees and hears as he performs, the secret of golden life, and the
whereabouts of his dead master’s sanctum.
The Watch on Patrol

A constant possibility for any Liminal Crew up to no good in London is that they will come
to the attention of The Watch, the branch of P Division dedicated to keeping the streets of
the capital clear of magical ne’er-do-wells. The nature of the encounter depends on which
Watch member stumbles across them. Inspector Skinner is an old-fashioned copper in the
same vein as his heroes from 1970's TV. He is most likely to be stalking the streets doing some
door-to-door detective work and talking to his informants in a dark corner of a pub. PC Faruk
is a true ‘bobby on the beat’ and tends to work her patch around Brick Lane and
Whitechapel. She is a true believer in community policing and is a familiar presence to the
black and ethnic minority communities in that area. Special Agent Andersen is another
matter altogether — if a Crew encounters her, they are almost certainly crossing paths with a
monster hunt or a matter of national security and something, somewhere, is likely to explode
very soon.
67
Chapter 7
Zephyr: A Liminal Courier Service

Another familiar sight in London are the hundreds of cycle couriers that speed around the
city, cutting through the slow-moving traffic with their cargo of important messages, sample
products and Deliveroo takeaways. There is, of course, a Liminal version of the cycle courier,
Zephyr Transport. Zephyr runs on three different levels; Standard, Tunnel and Bullet.
Standard Zephyr is your typical common-or-garden courier service for those of a magical
bent. The couriers still ride bikes, still cut up traffic and still abuse pedestrians who dare to
wander into their path, maybe with a little minor magical cursing. The Tunnel service eschews
the surface world to offer a discreet subterranean service using the various tunnels and
riverways beneath the city. Naturally, this is a more dangerous (and illegal) service and comes
at a higher price, but it offers a level of security from interception that the Standard simply
cannot. The Bullet service is on another level: for this service, Zephyr provides a trained
courier mage (usually a Chronomancer or Geomancer) to take the package to anywhere in the
city, no questions asked, deliver or die trying. Savvy Liminals in London know that it really
isn’t in their best interests to get between a Bullet Courier and their destination.
What about the Pax Londinium? A very good question!

Generally, the trolls are not concerned with the Standard
service couriers. The Tunnel service is given more attention
by those that maintain the Pax and they are routinely stopped
and turned around. Dodging the Pax is part and parcel of
why people use the Bullet service and makes Zephyr a target
of both the Order of St. Bede and the South Side Guild of
the Mercury Collegium.
The Dragon of Temple Bar

The Temple Inns of Court at the meeting of Fleet Street and the Strand are home to dozens
of legal firms in a labyrinth of buildings and cloistered gardens and the world-famous Temple
Church. A long time has passed since the Templars used this part of London as their
sanctuary and now the expectation that their legacy will live on here is rife, and false. There’s
hiding in plain sight but that would be ridiculous. The real treasure of the Temple lies
outside, at the monument that replaced the old Temple Bar gate to the city — and it is a
dragon called Griffin.
On top of the Temple Bar monument, Griffin stands watch over this ancient entrance to
the City of London, watching for interlopers. For mundane visitors, they merely see a statue,
but for Liminal visitors, Griffin is very much alive and quite talkative. He will state the nature
of their visit to the City, what business they have daring to enter his realm and may even
challenge them to a riddle or a fight! However, he is all bluster and eventually lets people
enter with a warning not to transgress on his turf.
So why does anyone care about Griffin? Well, he does have one more warning for those
that don’t pay him the due respect. “Britain is built on the backs of two dragons: one white
and one red. I call them mother and father. Tread carefully lest I call my sisters…”
68
The Temple Tailor: Mr Thresher and Mr Glenny

In the same area as Griffin the Dragon lies a small shop: Thresher and Glenny, a shirt
maker by Royal appointment since 1783, serving such figures as Horatio Lord Nelson, Doctor
Livingstone, President Roosevelt, Pashas of Egypt, Viceroys of India, and Emperors of Japan.
The Liminal world is served by the ghosts of the two founders; Mr Thresher and Mr Glenny.
Mr Thresher is an outgoing sort, always pushing the boundaries of sartorial elegance and
innovation whilst maintaining standards acceptable in the most exclusive clubs. Mr Glenny is
far more conservative and specialises in the classic, timeless designs of yesteryear. Both spirits
are known to snipe at each other constantly about their standards and ideas, but they will
always work together to deliver the finest possible clothing for the magical customers.
Thresher and Glenny are a real company in a real

location in the Middle Temple. Whether the ghosts
of their founders are so active is mere speculation.
Beyond the Babadook: Cryptids and the LGBTQIA+ Community

Cryptids — creatures, animals and other beings that exist in theory, or folklore but without
any factual evidence — have, of recent years, been adopted by the LGBTQIA+ community,
with beings such as the Mothman and the Babbadook developing as gay icons.
In London, Dr. Grace Fielding, an academic in the field of anthropology and a talented
gutter mage geomancer has become increasingly concerned with the possibility that nefarious
forces within the Hidden world may be using this increased interest in cryptids as a vector to
exploit and abduct curious individuals. Her partner, Lucille, disappeared a year ago after she
attended a late-night discussion group on the subject in Soho. Dr Fielding is convinced that
Lucille has been abducted by someone, or something.
To help her in her quest, she is seeking to recruit a team of investigators who can work
within London’s queer communities to unearth the imposter cryptid. Of course, there is
always a possibility that Lucille has chosen to disappear; that the imposter is actually a real
cryptid; or that Lucille is a Liminal herself and it is her who is hunting the investigators that
Fielding recruits!
69
Chapter 8
The Worshipful Company

of Investigators
“It starts the same way for all of us: a note left somewhere
private, inviting us to a ‘gathering’ at a rather non-descript
building just off Kings Cross. Some of us ignore it and receive
more notes and messages until we submit. Frankly, it’s all a
little Hogwarts for my liking, but the Professor likes it that way.
Oh yeah, the Professor? He’s the one sending the notes and
giving us the leads for our investigations. No, we never meet
her (or him). Who knows? Shit, I’m not even sure there’s just
one Professor but whoever they are, they know their stuff.”
- Mika Morrison, Urban Explorer
70
71
Chapter 8
In 1866, whilst the Americans were concluding the business of their Civil War, a young
British journalist returned home to his rather paltry accommodations on the outskirts of
London, only to find a letter, sealed with wax, inviting him to attend a meeting of a most
exclusive circle of investigators into matters beyond the ken of man. Intrigued, the
reporter, Patrick Livingstone, met with two other conspirators: Lucas Sansom, a
student of chemistry (and by chemistry, we mean of course, magic) and Sally Jessop, the
daughter of Hard Harry Jessop of the Harwich Irregulars, a group of disreputable
street heavies.
Their benefactor, known to them only as The Professor, left them a message asking them to
work together to solve the mystery of a vanished child and thus began the long and
honourable history of the Worshipful Company of Investigators, known latterly as the Society
of St Pancras (because of the position of their offices) or FreakSoc (by the more modern
student members)
Who is the Professor?

That is completely up to you! They could be cover for
a P Division Black Ops division, a rogue operative
from the Society of St. Bede, a clued-in academic or a
scheming vampire queen. Whoever they are, they know
more than enough about the Hidden World to be able
to send their charges on missions, have the resources to
keep them in the manner to which they are accustomed,
and have a healthy penchant for anonymity.
“So, who are we? That’s a really good question. Most of us are students or graduates
— we think the Professor likes it that way — but sometimes it’s just people from the
street, and before he went home, Troy was just an Aussie barman with a penchant
for lycanthropy. What links us all is an interest in (God, I hate this phrase) ‘the
Hidden World.’ The Professor recruits us, provides our resources and gives us the
heads up on our jobs. I’m not sure what the Prof gets from it but each of us gets to
do what we love the most: sticking our noses into ‘that’ world just a little
bit more.”
Crew Goal
The Worshipful Company of Investigators exists to solve the mysteries that are created
when matters pertaining to the Hidden World bleed over into the mundane world. Each
member has their own personal drive that keeps them with the Company, but when the
Professor asks them to intervene, they are more than happy to do so, as it usually takes them
deeper into the mystery they are all so obsessed with themselves.
[ Goal: Follow the directives of the Professor to learn more about the Hidden World
[ Assets: Base of Operations, Support, Connections, Informants [Alumni]
72
The Worshipful Company of Investigators
Base of Operations
The Company’s base is in a converted top floor office in a rather non-descript town house a
few streets away from King’s Cross Station. Sharing the building with a dental practice on the
ground floor and an immigration lawyer on the second and third floors, the building
provides a bustling daytime front for any clandestine activities that might happen. The base
itself is hardly the Batcave; it is a rather messy array of boxed up case notes, irregularly
positioned book shelves and a seemingly uncleanable array of old takeaway cartons and empty
energy drink cans. There is a running joke that the office is linked to some sort of junk
dimension and can never, ever be totally tidy. There are some conceits to modern
investigative life: a couple of computers, a whiteboard for brainstorming ideas and a decent
internet connection.
Beyond the mundane however, the office does have its own protections. It is heavily warded
against scrying magic (-4 modifier to attempts to use magic to spy on the activities within
the room).
Support
The Professor keeps the members of the Company fed and watered with a monthly stipend
of £500 to supplement their other incomes and other financial support that includes a
business credit card from Coutts and a standing account with several of the better (and more
discreet) takeaway services in North London. This is not a limitless budget, especially the
credit card, but it does mean that none of the members need worry about furnishing their
expeditions with shoddy materials.
“The Coutts card is a nice touch, but you’d be stunned how many people get all
snotty about it. The open tab at Pizza Corner is the bomb! When you’ve been up all
night looking through the lineage of some Fae princeling to see who to leverage to get
the git to return a child, sometimes a 12” kebab pizza is the only solution.”
The Alumni
There comes a time when even the most fervent members of the Worshipful Company
must move on to pastures new. A note arrives from the Professor, suggesting it is their time
to ‘graduate’. Some continue their investigations elsewhere with former members around the
world while others retire to more mundane pursuits, keeping their metaphorical (or in one
occasion, literal) third eye on the Hidden World. This has created a web of contacts and
connections that the current members can sometimes draw upon to get information and aid
in their investigations. None of the alumni of the Worshipful Society will actively enter the
field again, but they can certainly aid in some of the investigative leg work or opening
otherwise firmly closed doors.
Examples of Worshipful Company alumni include:

X Dr Lili MacLeod, Librarian of the Harry Price Library of Magical
Literature, University of London
X Eli Jones, Researcher in the constituency office of Henry Robinson
MP (Cons), Chair of the Joint Committee on Internal Security
Strategy (the oversight committee for P Division)
X Jesse Martin, late night web talk show host on HiddenWicked.com
73
Chapter 8
Connections
The Worshipful Company are known to the movers and shakers in the Hidden World of
London. They have been a factor within the city for nearly 150 years, in one form or another,
and as such they are shown the respect that they deserve. In particular, the Worshipful
Company have the ear of the Guilds of the Hidden (see pg. 39) and the Knowledge
(see pg. 38) and work alongside them to protect the city and its denizens.
Morgan
“I’m a drop-out. Dropped out of my family. Dropped out of college and dropped out
of society. Do I care? Not one little bit. You keep your 9-to-5 wage slave grind, your
skinny latte and biscotti and your obsession with Hollywood hypnotism. I know the
score. I know what’s real and this … all of this? It’s just the tip of the really
scary iceberg!”
Morgan has never been conventional: never conformed and never seen a rule she didn’t
want to break. Her school counselling report included words like ‘feral’, ‘delusional’ and
‘clearly highly intelligent’ and it was inevitable that she would disappear from her
comfortable, middle class home as soon as she turned sixteen and drift towards London. Her
first few weeks in the City were a storm of hunger, danger, cold and thrills but as time moved
on, Morgan realised that she was just within another society: one with less rules, but more
predators. She fell further into the dark recesses of the City until finally she transitioned,
moving as so many do from the mundane world into the Hidden World. People stopped
seeing her, stopped reacting to her. She was Hidden.
Within the Hidden World, Morgan discovered the balance she had always yearned for:
a society where people helped each other, not for what they could get but because they knew
they were all they had: a community of the lost and displaced, organised around guilds of
people pledged to aid others (even those in the mundane world), for a fee. And it was as part
of one of these guilds — the Guild of Water and Light, pledged to returning lost children to
their parents — that Morgan came to the attention of the Professor and was ‘hired’ into the
Worshipful Company. She acts as a liaison between the Company and the Hidden, as well as
a reminder of those who live one step sideways within the City.
[ Concept: The Hidden
[ Drive: To live life outside of the constraints of modern mundane society
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Stealth 2, Survivial 2
[ Mental Skills: Lore 2, Medicine 1
[ Social Skills: Charm 1, Empathy 1, Streetwise 3 (Urban Survival), Taunt 2
[ Traits: Healer, Night Sight, The Sight, Hidden
[ Endurance: 10
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6 (unarmed), d6+1 (knife)
74
Mika Morrison
“There’s nothing to be afraid of down under London. It’s not as if there’s giant
crocodiles down there like in New York? OK, there might be a giant boar, but that’s
just a legend. Probably. Almost certainly. Maybe.”
Mika is a student at the University of London studying a master’s degree in urban history
and culture (although her tutors would argue that to study, you should really attend) and a
hard-working bike courier. She was raised as an independent soul, with her parents — both
anthropologists — spending long periods away from home, leaving Mika living in their family
home in Edinburgh with her Japanese grandmother. Her attentions turned to the hidden
tenements under that great city and she became obsessed with the secrets hidden beneath our
streets. Now, she lives in London and has found the mother lode of urban exploration. It was
also where she first encountered the mysteries of the Hidden World and was soon inducted
by the Professor into the Worshipful Company.
[ Concept: The Urban Explorer
[ Drive: Find the lost church of St. Judas, rumoured to be hidden deep beneath London
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Tough
[ Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Stealth 2, Survival 3 (Spaces Beneath)
[ Mental Skills: Education 1, Technology 1
[ Social Skills: Charm 1, Conviction 2, Streetwise 2
[ Traits: Breaking and Entering , Graceful
[ Endurance: 14
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6 (unarmed), d6+2 (climbing axe)
Bhupinder Singh
“This? This is a little thing that my father brought in from the Himalayas. It looks
like metal tube, right? Well it’s a bell. Hang it up and ring it once and it starts to
snow. Ring it twice and it really snows. No-one has ever rung it three times…but hey!
There’s always a first time for everything, right guys? Guys?!”
Bhupinder, or Bhu to his Worshipful Company friends, is the longest standing current
member of the Company. He was recruited by the Professor because of the access his family
import business grants him to artefacts of great power. Bhupinder always has a ‘thing’ on
hand that seems to be useful for the current case. It’s uncanny! He’s also an exceptional
investigator and understands the Hidden World in a manner that seems almost too good to
be true.
75
Chapter 8
Bhupinder laughs that off as simply being well-connected and has even joked that he is only
here as a ‘diversity hire’ — the only Sikh on the team.
The truth is that Bhupinder was recruited by the Professor for exactly that reason: a young
man with access to several magical artefacts and inroads into one of London’s many diverse
communities. However, since then, Bhupinder has been turned by the operatives of
P Division and acts as a mole within the Worshipful Company for the secretive branch of the
police. His handler, the gruff Detective Inspector Skinner (see pg. 34), is obsessed with the
identity of the Professor and is convinced that he (being certain it is in fact a ‘he’) is a
Vampire Lord.
Bhupinder’s current mission is to watch, learn and report, but he is more than aware that
should P Division determine that the Company is a threat to national security, he will be
bound to ‘neutralise’ them, though doubtful he will be able to do it.
Double Agent
You claim membership of more than one Faction within
the game. One of them is your true faction, and the other
is the faction you are infiltrating. When called upon, you
will be asked to betray one of these factions and when you
do, you will forever be dubbed a traitor by the other, facing
the inevitable consequences of that choice.
[ Concept: The P Division Mole

[ Drive: Who is the Professor and what is the Company’s true agenda.
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Awareness 2, Melee 2, Shoot 2, Vehicles 1
[ Mental Skills: Business 1, Lore 2, Technology 1
[ Social Skills: Charm 3 (Deception), Streetwise 2
[ Traits: Artefacts, Investigator, Sharpshooter
[ Limitation: Double Agent
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6 (unarmed), d6+3 (light firearm)
76
John Mayne
“Look mate, I know you think that you think a community support officer is some
sort of ‘part-time gig’ and that I can’t actually touch you but trust me, when you start
scrawling your tags on these streets — my streets — you’re in a world of trouble. And
not just from me. Now get the Hell out of here before the boggarts get you!”
John Mayne’s family may be Irish, but he is 100% Londoner, born and raised. He was
always fascinated by the architecture and the history of the great city and this fascination
alienated him from his peers, leaving him shunned and alone. When he grew older, in his
teenage years, he took great pride in his knowledge of the back streets and dark alleys and
this obsession with London intensified when the City began to talk to him! It first happened
when he was being chased by a gang of skinheads who objected to his accent. Trapped, he set
himself up for a kicking when a voice in his head suggested he should try the handle of the
old dusty door to the warehouse next to him. The door opened at his touch and he stepped
through it, experiencing for the first time the transition into the Hidden World. Since then,
John has learned about geomancers, city spirits, elementals and all manner of other magical
lore but moreover, he has learned that he has a friend, and that friend is London.
John always had another obsession, and that was to become a policeman, like his late
father. The nearest he has got, however, is a stint as a police community support officer. It was
during one of his shifts that he received orders to report to an office in North London and he
was drawn into the investigations of the Worshipful Company.
Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)

PCSOs are a paid position within the police, working
on a beat, giving reassurance to the public and dealing
with anti-social behaviour, minor offences and assisting
at crime scenes. PCSOs have slightly different powers
than a Police Constable, but are generally considered to
be able to arrest people and confiscate property.
[ Concept: The Gutter Mage

[ Drive: To be accepted as a Police Constable
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Magician
[ Physical Skills: Awareness 2, Stealth 2, Survival 2
[ Mental Skills: Lore 3 (Hidden Places), Medicine 1, Science 1
[ Social Skills: Conviction 2, Streetwise 1, Taunt 2
[ Traits: Geomancy (Danger Sense, Sense of Eyes), Divination (Read Object)
[ Limitation: Marked
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6 (unarmed), d6+1 (night stick)
77
Chapter 8
Simon D’Oliviera
“One does not just walk into the Court of the Queen of Hyde Park without doing
the requisite study and homework. A gift is essential, preferably something she hasn’t
been given before and definitely not bronze. Oh, you think it’s cold iron she has a
problem with? How sweet. When you’ve done your homework and are ready to play
with the big boys and girls, come back and we can talk. Until then, you’re frankly,
nothing but a liability.”
Simon D’Oliviera is, in the eyes of many, the quintessential image of a privileged English
upper-class gent, destined to land either in the upper echelons of the Civil Service or on the
front bench of a Conservative government. However, he steadfastly remains within academia,
as a graduate tutor and PhD student in the King’s College London Classics department. His
reluctance to accept his familial destiny is not because he doesn’t want to, but rather that he
understands his wider responsibility: as a member of the Worshipful Company.
Simon was recruited following a particularly heated debate at a private meeting at Oxford
where a member of the Council of Merlin was giving a talk on the hidden history of the
college, seeking those with talent and position. Instead, the mage was given a lesson in the
actual hidden history of the college by a young undergraduate who had no fear in confronting
the increasingly vexed sorcerer over details and dates. Simon has since postulated that the
Professor must have been in the room at the time, but as the mage was subsequently killed by
a rogue vampire, it could not have been him.
Simon naturally leads the Company, in his own mind at least, as he is more than aware that
no-one leads Morgan. He is also curious that he is far older than the rest of the Company and
the Professor has not yet suggested that he moves on. Why?
[ Concept: The Clued In Mortal/Face

[ Drive: The true understanding of Hidden history
[ Skill Cap: 4
[ Focus: Determined
[ Physical Skills: Awareness 2
[ Mental Skills: Art 2, Education 2, Lore 1
[ Social Skills: Charm 2, Empathy 2, High Society 3 (Networking), Rhetoric 2
[ Traits: Presence, Rich, Academic, Artefact
[ Endurance: 8
[ Will: 10
[ Damage: d6 (unarmed)
78
79
Chapter 9
New Rules
80
81
Chapter 9
Chronomancy
A mage who can manipulate time controls the ebb and flow of reality itself. That is why
Chronomancy is one of the rarest and most sought-after talents. A gifted chronomancer is a
slippery beast who seems to be blessed by uncanny luck and celerity whilst turning her
opponents into bumbling fools.
Mechanically, the mage makes a Lore test against a Challenge Level of 8 and spends 1 Will
to create a ripple in time. The ripple can create one of two effects.
Riding the Ripple: Whatever task you are undertaking is done in double quick time. This
can include mundane tasks such as reading a book, doing paperwork or boiling an egg, or it
can be used to manipulate the world to allow speedier passage: traffic lights are always green,
no-one stands on the left on your escalator and the Tube is always on the platform.
This effect cannot be used in combat.
Crashing the Ripple: Using the ripple offensively, the mage can slow down time for
another person. This can mean that a task is constantly interrupted or inexplicably takes
longer (Have you ever thought why your computer always updates at the worst moment?) or
the traffic lights are always on red and the Tube is simply packed out.
This effect cannot be used in combat.
During character generation or advancement, you can spend your trait points to do more
with chronomancy.
Bullet-time (1 point)
The Chronomancer momentarily slows time to allow her to avoid the danger that is coming
her way. Spending 1 point of Will allows the mage to gain +2 to her defenses against any
attack, melee or ranged.
The Path That Forks (2 points)

The mage can see the myriad possibilities of time laid out in front of them; all they must do
is perceive which one is going to happen. The Chronomancer asks what the three options are
for the situation they are examining. If they spend 1 point of Will, one of those is removed by
the GM. If they spend 3 points of Will, two of those are removed by the GM. The outcome of
the action will be one of the options that are left.
For example, the Chronomancer faces down a robber, armed with a gun, battering their
victim. She wants to look at the possible outcomes. The GM says that the man will either
shoot at her, run away, or shoot the victim. If she spends 1 Will, the GM confirms that the
robber will not shoot her, so she is left with two forks; shooting the victim or running. If she
spends 3 Will, the GM confirms that the robber will not run or shoot her. He is going to
shoot the victim. She can therefore act knowing absolutely what the next action may be.
The River Flows Backwards (2 points)

The Chronomancer spends 2 Will to turn back time by a few seconds. Mechanically, this
results in a re-roll of any test that has just been made.
82
New Rules
83
Afterword
So, having read my missive, I ask again, what is your London?
This is mine.
However, it is not my work alone, so it’s time to recognise some works that have influenced
this book. I think it goes without saying that anyone writing urban fantasy in London is going
to have a little sprinkling of stardust from Neil Gaiman (no pun intended), Ben Aaronovitch,
Benedict Jacka and Paul Cornell in their work, and I am happy to tip my hat to these fine
authors.
I’m also honour bound to recognise that many of the ideas in this book are based within
the collective imaginations of gamers who brought the original Watch to the table — Elina,
Elaine, Lynn, John, Declan and Andrew.
And of course, thanks to Paul and Jason without whom I wouldn’t have a game to write
the book about, or the artwork that turns my mere words into the most amazingly powerful
images I could imagine.
This is my London
I hope this gives you a starting point to discover your own.
84
Index
85
Index
A G
Ahmed’s VHS Wonderland 66 Ghost Bus 54
Ancient Livery Companies 49 Ghost Courts 53
Arthur, King 60 Griffin 68
B H
Bhupinder Singh 75 Hidden, The 39
Bible and Key Fortune Telling 46 Hunter Security 30
Bleeding Heart 47
Boggarts 24 I
Bran the Blessed, Head of 59 Insects (Body Invasion) 47
Branwen 59 Inspector Skinner 34
C J
Chelsea Smilers 46 Jaeger Family 30
Chinatowns 62 John Mayne 77
Chronomancy 82 John Williams 36
City of London Guild 28
Council of Merlin 22
K
Kilburn’s Acquisitions Association 52
Couriers 68
King Pilferer 24
Cryptid 69
Knowledge, The 38
D
Diana the Hunter Cult 60
L
Lady of Flowers 25
Double Agent 76
LGBTQIA+ 69
Duchess of Bridges 25
Little Lagos 62
E
East End Guild 27
M
Marge’s Pie and Mash Shop 66
Eaten Heart 46
Mercury Collegium 27
F Morgan 74
Factions 20
86
N South of the River 16
Naval and Military Club 54 Southside Guild 29
New Aeon Books 67 Sparrow 40
Street Sweepers, Guild of 42
O Swords of London 48
Order of St. Bede 31
Orisha 62 T
Temese 26
P Temple Bar 68
PCSO 77 Themes 16
P Division (London Branch) 33, 67 Thresher and Glenny 69
Palladia of London 58 Thriceways Gate 22
Patterers, Guild of 42 Toshers, Guild of 42
Pax Londinium 17, 68 Tower of London 59
Peckham 62 Trafalgar Square 67
Pig-Headed Woman 46 Trolls of the Bridges 25
Plague Pits 52 Tunnelers, Guild of 41
Professor, The 72
Pub, Haunted 54 V
Vampires 37
Q Visible 39
Queen of Hyde Park 24 Vortimer and Vortigern 59
Queen Rat 30
W
R Watch, the 68
Ra, Children of 61 Water and Light, Guild of 40
Ravens 49, 59 West End Guild 28
Red Rose 47 Westminster Abbey 58
Rough Music 47 Worshipful Company
of Investigators 70
S
St Paul’s Cathedral 58
Z
Zephyr 68
Secret Societies 49
Sewer Hunters, Guild of 41
Simon D’Oliveira 78
Sodality of the Crown 36
87
88
89

Liminal Pax Londinium

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Liminal Pax Londinium

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

2

A supplement for Liminal

Writing: Neil Gow

Liminal is written and conceived by Paul Mitchener.

There are two places in the world

London is a nation, not a city.

What is your London?

How To Use This Book

Necropolis, City of Sin, Underworld London, Bedlam by Catharine Arnold

Lost London by Richard Guard

Bizarre London by David Long

London Lore by Steve Roud

“Come with me, ladies and gentlemen who are in

2. London is a multicultural city

3. London is a city in motion (but not always quickly)

4. London wears its history on its sleeve

5. London is a city of the Hidden

There are eight abandoned deep level shelters:

“The City is a world within itself.

The Council of Merlin

The Thriceways Gate — a mage can create a Thriceways Gate to open

Maitre D’ of the Medeis Club

The Court of the Queen of Hyde Park

The Duchess of the Bridges

The Lady of Flowers

The River Spirit, Temese — The Ruler In Waiting

The Mercury Collegium

The Jaeger Family

The Order of St. Bede

The Order of St. Bede: Media Division

Key Players in P Division (London Branch)

P Division and Forensics

The Sodality of the Crown

The Hidden (after Neil Gaiman)

How Hidden are the Hidden?

Guild of Water and Light (the Lighters)

The Guild of Sewer Hunters

The Guild of Street Sweepers

The Guild of Patterers

The Guild of Toshers

Tread carefully over the pavements of London, for

Bible and Key Fortune Telling

The Eaten Heart

The Pig-Headed Woman of Maida Vale

The Chelsea Smilers

The Bleeding Heart

A Red Rose as Payment of Debts

The Sword Bearer

The Swords of London

Ravens and the Raven Master

Secret Societies and Ancient Livery Companies

A City of The Dead

You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing

Mr Killburn’s Acquisitions Association

The Ghost Courts of London

What are Ghost Courts?

The #7 Ghost Bus

The Venerable Ghosts of the Public Houses

“My Dad says that being a Londoner has nothing to

Do Gods and Goddesses Walk the Streets of London?

The Palladia of London: Ancient Protections

The Guardian Head of Bran the Blessed

The Bodies of Vortimer and Vortigern