Many a junction spans that gap between one world and the next. There is such a crossroads here or hereabouts: A pentagonal junction, where five roads meet and where a river -- a liminal place in its own right -- the tracks of a trolley bus, and an ancient grave site -- the bone yard -- a cemetery, occupy the same crowded space. In the off-world, they call it a corner...

The Gateway

... From here, you can enter a parallel world: Hellsborough. In many ways, this world is similar to yours. You'll recognise many of the buildings, the shops, the bars -- the ones at ground level at least. But you'll also notice things that differ -- it's like going back in time, somehow, yet not. It's not the dark ages, it's far darker than that.

And when you look up, you'll see a whole new world.

You've heard of Dark Matter, right? Sure you have. Dark matter doesn't absorb, reflect, or emit light; it cannot be seen. But it exists. Dark matter effects things around it. That's why at places like the crossroads -- if you visit it, in the off-world -- occasionally you'll see things leaking through -- things trying to escape the pull of the darkness. Like a flutterby can't see its own wings, you can't see this dark matter world that surrounds you. But it's there...

Reminiscent of a previous age of industry, the epoch there is the same. What you thought were long dead chimneys now spew warmth into the air, raising humidity, blackening the sky and obscuring natural light -- breathing life into the murk, a filthy, oily, all pervading fog that shrouds much to yet be discovered.

Don't think that this is some backwards place though. The technology here is sufficiently different to anything you have ever experienced -- you would consider it advanced, magical even -- and there is magic here, of sorts. Mysticism rather than maleficium, but magic all the same.

Folk go about their business here the same as you do in the off-world -- but they're content in a way that you're not. When I say content, maybe I mean distracted. Much like you might be distracted by the comings and goings of daily life, by the pressures of work and family, so the residents of Hellsborough are distracted by the chitter-chatter of the hive mind -- an internal world that they carry on their faces, that services their every biological, physiological and psychological need.

They're not the only ones you'll meet here though. There are many familiar creatures. There are marauding bands of humans. There are races that developed eons ago from insects and crustaceans. All are the legacy of Dunlockslyn, as this world diverged from your own -- after the illimitable cleavage.

Hellsborough. A dark alternative reality, waiting to be discovered on your doorstep.

The World

• Setting: An industrial-era landscape with advanced, seemingly magical technology
• Atmosphere: Shrouded by "the murk," a pervasive fog from functioning chimneys
• Inhabitants: Humans, insect/crustacean-derived races, and other creatures descended from a being named Dunlockslyn
• Culture: Residents appear "content" yet distracted by a "hive mind" interface worn on their faces

Explore

• The Curated Guide - Pip's guide book to Hellsborough and The Dark Peak
• Pip's Diary - Field observations from the parallel world
• The Dark Peak Calendar - Explaining things like spit-hoverwing
• Van Hallam's Chronicles - Adventure narratives
• Bestiary - Creature documentation
• Origin Story - World genesis
• Urban Myths & Hymns - Folklore
• The Hellsborough Heretic - Resistance newsletter

About Pip Rippon

I'm an anthropologist and folklorist. I started learning about people and their stories at the University of Oxford, and later got a PhD from the University of Hallamshire, focusing on folklore.

I've spent my career exploring how cultures and their stories affect us. My research has helped me understand different communities and how their stories can shape their world. I think I'm good at paying attention to details and understanding different cultures -- that's my hope anyway.

Outside of school, I wanted to connect what I learnt in research with real life -- I want to share stories that aren't often heard, and I care about preserving cultural traditions -- I believe that studying anthropology and folklore can help people understand each other better. I want to work with others to make the world a more connected and friendly place -- and that, in a round about way, is what brought me here to this place -- to Hellsborough.

Now that I am here, most of the time at least -- I still have to return to the off-world now and then -- I have taken it upon myself to document as much as I can about this fascinating place, starting with a travel guide that I call The Curated Guide -- I created it as much for my benefit as yours, to try and get my head around the place. Please do have a browse, it'll make this place make more sense -- I hope :)

My current project, is trying to get the bones out of the stories of a local character called Van Hallam, who (many, many years ago in his youth), spent a lot of time in The Dark Peak proper, and had encounters with many of the denizens that make this place so different to the off-world. You can read some of that for free here (also available as ebooks in the library), or read the first book in full.

As a result of problems with The Hinge, I came to Hellsborough permanently. I can still go back to the off-world, should I need to, but I decided to chance my arm and see what happened. It's a capitalist world here, I found I can make money -- not just to survive, but to prosper, so it turns out that I've been getting on pretty well. I've been documenting my experiences, to show you, how you can do the same -- since using the advanced technology of The Dark Peak, I am able do exactly the same things that you can in your world. Read all about it here -- I call it: "Stranger in a Strange Land".