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Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, or Sunless Skies. This may include midgame content. Proceed with caution. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here. |
"The Traitor Empress and her consort live safely in the Shuttered Palace, in the protective custody of the Bazaar. No-one is permitted to use her name anymore."
"Why is the Empress' Palace shuttered? Apparently the Empress doesn't like light. Or sudden movements, loud noises, foreigners, treason, peaches. When you're Empress, you can do this kind of thing."
The Shuttered Palace, at the very west end of London, was likely Kensington Palace but was renamed after the Fall. The Empress and her family, with the scandalous exception of the ahistorical Captivating Princess, are largely confined here.
It is a magnet for London's up-and-coming entertainers... though they have to stay quiet.
The Empress' Court
The Empress' Court is the inner sanctum of the Shuttered Palace; it is where the Empress and most of her family (the Consort, and eight of their ten children) live, and the most famed artists in London work. It is most interesting to London's more Persuasive types, who can get a little, ah, bold in their writings, compositions, and deeds. (Something something threesome on the Empress' throne something something.)
What Lies Below
While solving a murder mystery at the University, one learns that the Duchess's husband (The Cantigaster) resides in the palace cellars, along with huge collections of objects - living, dead, and inanimate alike.
Not Quite Blood
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Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, or Sunless Skies. This may include endgame or Fate-locked content. Proceed at your own risk. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here. |
After an unfortunate episode involving either gaoler's honey or badly crossbred prisoner's honey, all of the Empress' children save two have been transformed into monsters. One stayed on the Surface, and the Captivating Princess managed to reverse the effects, because she was born in the Neath and already is said to have fiery red eyes. One may see the siblings as they were before, but only in a mirror. Some intrepid players decided to link each epithet mentioned in the story to one of the Empress/Queen Victoria's real-life children:
- The Empress's Shadow - Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise (born November 21st 1840), the Princess Royal, nicknamed Vicky, who stayed on the Surface and married the future Kaiser Frederick III of Germany. Frederick only ruled for three months in 1888 before his untimely death of cancer, leaving his and Vicky's son Wilhelm II as Kaiser. This does not appear to have changed in the world of Fallen London.
- The Redundant Heir - Prince Albert Edward (born November 9th 1841), nicknamed Bertie, who seems to have changed into... something vaguely eldritch. In the real world, Victoria blamed Bertie's carousing for Prince Consort Albert's death, but Bertie succeeded her as Edward VII anyway. In the Neath... we're not entirely sure what's up with him, but something's wrong enough that he is not on the throne.
- The Dutiful Daughter - Princess Alice Maud Mary (born April 25th 1843), "the Serpentine Coils". In the real world, she provided comfort to Prince Consort Albert as he died, then provided moral support to her mother.
- The Brooding Captain - Prince Alfred Ernest Albert (born August 6th 1844), nicknamed Affie, who is now "the Shadow with Teeth". He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14, and became captain of the HMS Galatea in 1867 at the age of 22. In Fallen London, he likely brought the ship down to the Neath; in real life, he remained in his position on the Galatea until 1879 before being promoted and assigned to other ships.
- The Heartbroken Bibliophile - Princess Helena Augusta Victoria (born May 25th 1846), "an abhorrence of rusting quills". In the real world, she helped write a biography of Prince Consort Albert and translated several books from German to English. She was considerably devastated when her father died, and began to court Albert's librarian, who was dismissed when the flirtation was discovered.
- The Recalcitrant Sculptress - Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (born March 18th 1848), "the gaunt thing with a coat of glass feathers". She was known as the prettiest of Victoria's daughters and a skilled artist. In our world, she pursued an artistic career despite her royal status, and enrolled in the National Art Training School in 1863. She ultimately produced several famous sculptures.
- The Bellicose Prince - Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert (born May 1st 1850), "the weeping horse-sized grub". He was said to be Victoria's favorite child. In our world, he spent his life in the military.
- The Delicate Duke - Prince Leopold George Duncan (born April 7th 1853), "a puce, veiny blob". He had hemophilia, a blood disorder all too common among the royal families of Europe, which left him in poor health. Historically, he was made the Duke of Albany in 1881.
- The Playful Prodigy - Princess Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore (born April 14th 1857), "the spider-thing with face-hands and needle-fingers". Historically, she was babied by her mother, became Victoria's constant companion after Albert's death, and married a German prince (to Victoria's exasperation at losing her innocent baby daughter). She was originally supposed to marry Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, who may have become the Third Emperor of Francein Fallen London's timeline. This would imply that the Anglo-Zulu war, in which Louis-Napoleon died (ending the marriage plans), did not happen thanks to the Fall.
Despite their horrid appearances, the children are still pretty sane, all things considered. Just don't look too closely.