Other London

There are two Londons. The one we know, full of people and places and buses and rain. And the one we know less of, full of myth, legends, magic, mystery, and nightmares. This ‘other’ London lives between the cracks of the first, and all manner of things have fallen through these cracks.

Desk 17

You are a member of Desk 17, a secret corner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. Desk 17 deals with unusual threats, and operates partly in the strange world of Other London…

Led by the mysterious Nathan Pearce, Desk 17 is underfunded, mostly forgotten and populated by misfits, fae, undead and other outcasts: the PCs.

Other London: Desk 17

Other London: Desk 17 is a modern-day urban horror setting that uses Fate Accelerated Edition. The 71 page pdf includes:

Introduction - an overall introduction to Other London.
Desk 17 - details about Desk 17, and character creation - including using player input to tailor Desk 17 and pre-generated characters.
Magic. Factions. Folk. - The types of magic encountered in Other London, along with various factions (fae, vampires, tuberunners, dragonspeakers and more), and folk that your players may encounter.
The Bone Swallower - A short investigation.
Afterword - including the inspiration for Desk 17.

A short history of Desk 17

Desk 17 was formed in 1640 by Charles I and was charged with hunting witches in Great Britain. It was known then as the Witch Hunters Council, and one of its founders was lawyer Matthew Hopkins. Hopkins later became better known as the Witchfinder General and, in his enthusiasm, put over 200 ‘witches’ to death – many of them innocents.

Hopkins was charged with being a wizard in 1647 and put to death. Without Hopkins’ sensationalist approach, Desk 17 thrived, out of sight. In time, Desk 17 became absorbed into the London Metropolitan Police, even though it continues to report directly to the Palace. Few know of Desk 17’s existence, which is how the section likes it.

Desk 17 is headed by Nathan Pearce and consists of him and four or five roving agents. Desk 17’s recruits are rarely drawn from the police service; Pearce has complete autonomy in selecting his team, and it has included witches, warlocks and even a vampire.

Desk 17 and Other London

Desk 17 stands between ‘real’ London and Other London. While its original mandate was to hunt down and destroy witches, it is now as likely to enlist cooperation from witches and warlocks. Although Pearce runs Desk 17 as he sees fit, he attends weekly briefings at the Palace.

These days, Desk 17 has two main objectives. The first is to prevent too much ‘Other’ stuff from leaking into ‘real’ London, and the second is to deal with any Other London threats that may arise.

Factions

Whom you owe allegiance to affects where you can go and how others react to you. The following list is not exhaustive.

The City of London: The City of London is ruled by a shadowy cabal of powerful sorcerers. It is guarded by dragons, which are tended to by dragonspeakers.

The fae: The many-factioned fae inhabit the untended parts of London and the fabled wildwoods.

Vampires: Even a great city such as London can support only a few vampires. London’s vampires are old and established in positions of power.

Raven and her Court: The Lady Raven is a bird witch with agents across London. She has forged close links with the fae and Lord Slyke, the vampire. She and Lord Boston were once betrothed.

Templars: The remnants of the once-powerful Templars have a presence in Other London. Their true agenda is unknown, although they present themselves as soldiers for hire.

The Golden Dawn: Following the disastrous events of 1939, when the Golden Dawn was nearly wiped out, the order went underground and has been heard of only occasionally since.

Children of Hecate: The Children of Hecate declare themselves as the ruling council of witches. To an outsider, they spend their time sharing biscuit recipes and knitting patterns.

The Host: The Host is Heaven’s angelic representative on earth. According to them, the Angel of Death is trapped somewhere in London.

Miniaturists: Dolls house fanatics, railway modellers and diorama builders. Builders of elaborate tiny worlds for inscrutable purposes.

Independents: As well as the factions, there are uncountable independents owing allegiance to nobody.