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Scotland Yard

[Canons listed here.]

In 1888, the London Metropolitan Police is 14,081 strong. Only 8,773 of them patrol the streets, attempting to bring peace and law to the 5,476,447 souls that call London home. Corruption is rampant, with gangs paying off their local constables, many violent crimes going unsolved (or even reported), and supposed perpetrators (whether guilty or not) serving time doing hard labor or suffering in prisons more dangerous than the worst of London's streets.

Among the divisions of the Met, Division H is home to some of the most experienced, capable, and rough-and-tumble of London's bobbies. Responsible for the infamously dangerous area of Whitechapel, with its gangs and brothels and bars on nearly every street, the constables and inspectors of Division H walk the very fine line between their duties and the dangerous realities of their beat. Superintendent Joseph Warrens walks a similarly fine line between the bureaucratic politicking of the Yard, and the expectations and requirements of his men.

The violent events of the Bloody Sunday riots in November have lingered in the minds of constables and citizens alike. Inspector Hasan "Henry" Lake is one among many of Division H that have been left malcontent about the Met's role in the brutal suppression of the protestors, and who are left questioning their own roles in a corrupt police force. There is also the Special Irish Branch, made up of some of the best the Met has to offer, and tasked with the daunting goal of finding and ending Irish nationalist terrorism in London. Sir Angus Cruikshanks, Detective Chief Inspector of the Special Branch, has already been lauded for stopping one such plot over the summer. Now he relies on his men, such as Detective Inspector Timothy Anderson, to continue that trend of success.

So far, an uneasy peace currently is being kept. However, with the increasing tensions between two large gangs and the terrorism of Irish nationals, the streets of Whitechapel feel more like the fuse of a powder keg, just waiting for the last spark to ignite it all.