It is geographically opposite the Iron republic, and the venturer specifically says he will come back with the currency of heaven.
The Iron Republic isn’t Hell, though. Hell simply liberated the Republic.
Unless we’re saying the Elder Continent leads to Hell, which I am doubtful of.
I don’t think its a gate to Heaven in any case, I don’t think The Venturer is being literal, what would there be to trade in Heaven, and why would angels want stygian ivory, zzoup, and outlandish artefacts and the like? Heh.
Kind of, sort of, in the right direction - but no. The doorway we come across in Avid Horizon is a connection to the Void in all likelihood - basically, Space. If by "Heaven" you mean "The Heavens", meaning the cosmological landscape beyond the grasp of our plane of existence (Earth) then I suppose you would be looking in the right direction.
The total undisguised existence of Hell and Devils in Fallen London has always been a sharp contrast to the total absence and silence of Heaven and its Angels. If the Devils know more on the matter they certainly seem intent on not telling anyone else. Failbetter has alluded to deeper mysteries for the players to unravel. For the moment, Avid Horizon and the purpose of its gate is an enigma.
The Venturer had his theories, and he has no doubt gone to where the Messenger would have in time gone as well. The identity of the Messenger is one of some contention however, and there are others here who could better explain it’s identity
edited by Owen Wulf on 1/22/2015
The Spheres of Heaven from Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s quite likely whatever lies beyond the Gate are greater beings, but ones that can also be bargained with; a common theme in Goetic esoterica.
edited by Tyrone on 2/6/2016
Beyond the Avid Horizon lies the High Wilderness, with "black and starry kingdoms." Possibly it could be considered Heaven… but certainly not in any conventional sense. One has to consider the cosmology of this world; the highest powers we know of in the Great Chain are the stars–Judgements-, whose light dictates and enforces the Law.
These blazing, inscrutable entities are perhaps the closest thing to angels; their overwhelming, coruscating brilliance that mere Man cannot bear to look upon is reminiscent of Seraphim, in particular.
Another interesting note is that "angel" means messenger.
Quite probably there are more bazaars and masters. The one on Earth is considered rogue after all.
edited by Tyrone on 2/7/2016
If the Masters resembled the Biblical angels with the heads and wings and eyes all over, well, it’d certainly explain why there’s talk of them wearing hats on their fists and stockings with eyeholes.
Doesn’t the Presbyterate_Adventuress fight an unrobed Master at the Abbey if you choose to?
She sure does. We can fight the same one in Bag a Legend, too. We don’t get the best look at it in either case, but the bits we do see are all wings and teeth.
Indeed. But elsewhere I have found a description of what I believe to be another of the… species: "[…]like an ink spill pushed into a batlike silhouette. It glides on silent, unmoving wings[…]the shape contains tiny pin-pricks of light, like distant stars."
Sorry it’s just fragments, but it’s from a fate-locked story.
Yeah, I believe you’re right. Might even be the same one again. Suffice to say, they’re thoroughly weird - somewhere in the vicinity of “beyond mortal ken”, even.
Well, that one, probably not, since I’d just created it.* But the similarly-described creature on the roof of the Foreign Office is almost certainly the same one we are avoiding naming.
*Unless, of course, the flow of time has gotten exceptionally stranger in the Neath.
edited by Alexander Feld on 2/7/2016
Ah, yes, that’s what I thought you were describing. The Neath is weird!
[li]While I don’t believe the Avid Horizon leads to Heaven (too cold) I do believe there is one out there, somewhere, since Hell exists. Gotta be a balance ;)
I thought the “messenger” was the Bazaar, and that Judgments were gods. As I see it, the role of angel match the Bazaar better.
Are winged supernatural beings who work for angels themselves angels? I mean, canonically, there’s a hierarchy of angels, right?
It honestly reminds me more of a stargate that leads to all sorts of places than a specific one.
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Are winged supernatural beings who work for angels themselves angels? I mean, canonically, there’s a hierarchy of angels, right?[/quote]
Judgements also work for other Judgements at times so who knows.
Well, to quote the Bishop of St Fiacre’s: ‘The thing is, we know the devils. But when did you ever see one of the Host? Their absence is nothing less than an embarrassment.’
Funnily enough, I can’t recall any other time someone in-game has actually mentioned this little theological conundrum.
It seems we know very little about the Judgements themselves, and most of that was conveyed in the form of interpretive dance.
[/li]
Maybe the angels used to match our expectations before their shapely disgrace.