Virginia: Difference between revisions
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<blockquote>''"Virginia's followers don't preach abstinence, nor even restraint. They advocate exercises, physical and spiritual, and spread the twin practices of penitence and callisthenics wherever they go."<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Card)|Virginia (Card)|Fallen London|}}</ref>''</blockquote>Virginia successfully ran for [[Mayor of London]] in 1897, under the slogan ''"Good for the Soul''."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Choose_your_Candidate_1897)|Virginia (Choose your Candidate 1897)|Fallen London|}} ''"An intrepid archaeologist, fortune-hunter and devil, Virginia has a rigorous plan for London, a program of spiritual calisthenics. She declares herself 'Good for the soul'."''</ref> Despite her status in [[Hell]], the [[Brass Embassy]] quickly disavowed any involvement with her candidacy and stated to the press that she had "Nothing to do with us" and "She's your problem now."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Learn_more_about_the_Candidates:_1897)|Virginia (Learn more about the Candidates: 1897)|Fallen London|}} ''"Virginia's candidacy was followed by an immediate disavowal by the Brass Embassy. 'Nothing to do with us,' the ambassadors were quoted in the Gazette, 'She's your problem now.'"''</ref> Virginia's platform promoted the concept of a "Clean Bill of Health,"<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Learn_more_about_the_Candidates:_1897)|Virginia (Learn more about the Candidates: 1897)|Fallen London|}} ''"The devil's rejection of Virginia may have something to do with her planned programme for London: 'Virginia's Clean Bill of Health.' It is a policy of public works designed to improve the health of the average Londoner. She has termed it 'callisthenics for the soul'."''</ref> and promised to nourish the collective [[soul]] of [[London]] with the help of innovative treatments<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Learn_more_about_Virginia%27s_campaign|Learn more about Virginia's campaign|Fallen London|}} ''"...Dr Orthos is on hand to answer any questions you might have. "Metaphysically speaking, London is a cess-pit [...] a spa is just the beginning. We are modern people! Through modern medicine, we can improve the moral – and aesthetic – timbre of London's people.""''</ref> and the opening of a public spa for the "honing of the self."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_Virginia%27s_plans_for_London|Ask about Virginia's plans for London|Fallen London|}} ''"...I shall open a spa. Bodily health, and spiritual needs, will be catered for. The Neath offers so much opportunity for glory, but so many Londoners seek out smallness and dullness. I offer improvement; a honing of the self, like a knife on a whetstone.""''</ref> Her strategies were frequently referred to with terms like "spiritual calisthenics."<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Card)|Virginia (Card)|Fallen London|}} ''"Virginia's followers don't preach abstinence, nor even restraint. They advocate exercises, physical and spiritual, and spread the twin practices of penitence and callisthenics wherever they go."''</ref> | <blockquote>''"Virginia's followers don't preach abstinence, nor even restraint. They advocate exercises, physical and spiritual, and spread the twin practices of penitence and callisthenics wherever they go."<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Card)|Virginia (Card)|Fallen London|}}</ref>''</blockquote>Virginia successfully ran for [[Mayor of London]] in 1897, under the slogan ''"Good for the Soul''."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Choose_your_Candidate_1897)|Virginia (Choose your Candidate 1897)|Fallen London|}} ''"An intrepid archaeologist, fortune-hunter and devil, Virginia has a rigorous plan for London, a program of spiritual calisthenics. She declares herself 'Good for the soul'."''</ref> Despite her status in [[Hell]], the [[Brass Embassy]] quickly disavowed any involvement with her candidacy and stated to the press that she had "Nothing to do with us" and "She's your problem now."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Learn_more_about_the_Candidates:_1897)|Virginia (Learn more about the Candidates: 1897)|Fallen London|}} ''"Virginia's candidacy was followed by an immediate disavowal by the Brass Embassy. 'Nothing to do with us,' the ambassadors were quoted in the Gazette, 'She's your problem now.'"''</ref> Virginia's platform promoted the concept of a "Clean Bill of Health,"<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Learn_more_about_the_Candidates:_1897)|Virginia (Learn more about the Candidates: 1897)|Fallen London|}} ''"The devil's rejection of Virginia may have something to do with her planned programme for London: 'Virginia's Clean Bill of Health.' It is a policy of public works designed to improve the health of the average Londoner. She has termed it 'callisthenics for the soul'."''</ref> and promised to nourish the collective [[soul]] of [[London]] with the help of innovative treatments<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Learn_more_about_Virginia%27s_campaign|Learn more about Virginia's campaign|Fallen London|}} ''"...Dr Orthos is on hand to answer any questions you might have. "Metaphysically speaking, London is a cess-pit [...] a spa is just the beginning. We are modern people! Through modern medicine, we can improve the moral – and aesthetic – timbre of London's people.""''</ref> and the opening of a public spa for the "honing of the self."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_Virginia%27s_plans_for_London|Ask about Virginia's plans for London|Fallen London|}} ''"...I shall open a spa. Bodily health, and spiritual needs, will be catered for. The Neath offers so much opportunity for glory, but so many Londoners seek out smallness and dullness. I offer improvement; a honing of the self, like a knife on a whetstone.""''</ref> Her strategies were frequently referred to with terms like "spiritual calisthenics."<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Card)|Virginia (Card)|Fallen London|}} ''"Virginia's followers don't preach abstinence, nor even restraint. They advocate exercises, physical and spiritual, and spread the twin practices of penitence and callisthenics wherever they go."''</ref> | ||
Despite their archaeological rivalry, her fellow scholar Dr | Despite their archaeological rivalry, her fellow scholar [[Dr Orthos]] supported Virginia's campaign as a spokesman,<ref name=":2" /> perhaps because her victory would lead to reduced interference in his work. Virginia gained a motley crew of support from society figures, doctors, devils<ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Learn_more_about_the_Candidates:_1897)|Virginia (Learn more about the Candidates: 1897)|Fallen London|}} ''"Despite her difficulties with the Embassy, she is amply supported by devils on the street. Her supporters skirt the edge of good taste. Several posters have had to be confiscated by the Ministry, depicting Virginia as a new Elizabeth, emblazoned with the words 'Rex Virginia.'"''</ref> and [[Goat-Demons|goat-demons]] (even though the Embassy had snubbed her), and even some members of the clergy<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Virginia_(Card)|Virginia (Card)|Fallen London|}} ''"Virginia's supporters include doctors, barbers, worried Society matrons, devils, goat-demons and a surprising number of clergy. This disparate coalition can be found leafleting gin shops, student lodgings and the favourite dining establishments of Ministry auditors. Their backgrounds are diverse, but their message is the same: 'Don't we all have room for a little improvement?'"''</ref> — but much of her funding came from an even more surprising source. While advocates for the temperance movement were nervous about her strategies, they found that their views aligned with her agenda of well-being.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Reach_into_a_secret_memory_of_Virginia|Reach into a secret memory of Virginia|Fallen London|}} ''"A tip-off […] clues you into the source of Virginia's support […] Temperance campaigners. […] The ladies are delighted by Virginia's promises, but are unsure about her strategy […] Still, they hope her message will win out in the end. […]"''</ref> Some of Virginia's more fervent devilish allies put up posters depicting her as a new Queen Elizabeth, emblazoned with the caption "Rex Virginia;" these posters were quickly confiscated by the Ministry.<ref name=":3" /> | ||
After Virginia won the election, the [[Jovial Contrarian]], in his final act as Mayor, stated that his own office was "corrupt, shambolic and altogether unfit for purpose," and declared that he had abolished it. In its place, he created the new title of Lord Mayor,<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Election_1897:_The_Victor_is_Announced Election 1897: The Victor is Announced, ''Fallen London''] ''"We all know the office of Mayor is corrupt, shambolic and altogether unfit for purpose. Therefore, as my last act, I have abolished it. I have put in an appeal to Her Majesty. From now on, London shall have a'' Lord ''Mayor instead."''</ref> and announced that Virginia would be the first person to hold it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Election_1897:_The_Victor_is_Announced|Election 1897: The Victor is Announced|Fallen London|}} ''"He brandishes a piece of paper authoritatively. "London's first Lord Mayor shall be ... Virginia.""''</ref> | After Virginia won the election, the [[Jovial Contrarian]], in his final act as Mayor, stated that his own office was "corrupt, shambolic and altogether unfit for purpose," and declared that he had abolished it. In its place, he created the new title of Lord Mayor,<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Election_1897:_The_Victor_is_Announced Election 1897: The Victor is Announced, ''Fallen London''] ''"We all know the office of Mayor is corrupt, shambolic and altogether unfit for purpose. Therefore, as my last act, I have abolished it. I have put in an appeal to Her Majesty. From now on, London shall have a'' Lord ''Mayor instead."''</ref> and announced that Virginia would be the first person to hold it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Election_1897:_The_Victor_is_Announced|Election 1897: The Victor is Announced|Fallen London|}} ''"He brandishes a piece of paper authoritatively. "London's first Lord Mayor shall be ... Virginia.""''</ref> |
Latest revision as of 21:10, 12 March 2025
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"Virginia is a deviless of particularly refined tastes, and particularly elaborate cunning."[1]
Virginia is a fashionable, knowledgeable, and high-ranking deviless, and a former Lord Mayor of London.
Infernal Archaeology[edit]
"You sweat in the fierce heat and plush chairs of Dante's Grill. Before you is a plate of chops, drowned in white gravy. Virginia is laughing. "I'm afraid you're out of luck. My country is free, our oppressors are buried, and I have endless diversions. I am a problem for you: I am content."[2]
Virginia has a taste for the souls of scholars;[3] she has an interest in the Correspondence,[4][5] and can often be found conducting research in the Forgotten Quarter.[6] She has lived long enough[7] to know of all the previous Fallen Cities,[8] but was only assigned as an envoy to London immediately after the Fall.[9] Despite mutual distrust,[10] she met with Mr Pages to lay the groundwork for the establishment of the Brass Embassy.[11] By this time, she had already come up with the ideas she would include in her mayoral campaign over three decades later.[12]
Virginia is a player of the Marvellous,[13] and her heart's desire is laconic: "sanctuary."[14] She was a heroine of Hell's Season of Revolutions,[15] performing a crucial role in the deposition of a Prince of Hell[16] after having an affair with him.[17][18] The exiled prince, who still has an interest in Virginia,[19] is imprisoned in solitary confinement on Corpsecage Island.[20] For her part, Virginia is disdainful about love, thanks to her experiences as well as the influence of the Masters of the Bazaar.[21]
Mayoral Campaign[edit]
"Virginia's followers don't preach abstinence, nor even restraint. They advocate exercises, physical and spiritual, and spread the twin practices of penitence and callisthenics wherever they go."[22]
Virginia successfully ran for Mayor of London in 1897, under the slogan "Good for the Soul."[23] Despite her status in Hell, the Brass Embassy quickly disavowed any involvement with her candidacy and stated to the press that she had "Nothing to do with us" and "She's your problem now."[24] Virginia's platform promoted the concept of a "Clean Bill of Health,"[25] and promised to nourish the collective soul of London with the help of innovative treatments[26] and the opening of a public spa for the "honing of the self."[27] Her strategies were frequently referred to with terms like "spiritual calisthenics."[25][28]
Despite their archaeological rivalry, her fellow scholar Dr Orthos supported Virginia's campaign as a spokesman,[26] perhaps because her victory would lead to reduced interference in his work. Virginia gained a motley crew of support from society figures, doctors, devils[29] and goat-demons (even though the Embassy had snubbed her), and even some members of the clergy[30] — but much of her funding came from an even more surprising source. While advocates for the temperance movement were nervous about her strategies, they found that their views aligned with her agenda of well-being.[31] Some of Virginia's more fervent devilish allies put up posters depicting her as a new Queen Elizabeth, emblazoned with the caption "Rex Virginia;" these posters were quickly confiscated by the Ministry.[29]
After Virginia won the election, the Jovial Contrarian, in his final act as Mayor, stated that his own office was "corrupt, shambolic and altogether unfit for purpose," and declared that he had abolished it. In its place, he created the new title of Lord Mayor,[32] and announced that Virginia would be the first person to hold it.[33]
"Rex Virginia"[edit]
"Is this what London does to its mayors? Jenny's term was only three years ago. Did anything last? ... It doesn't matter. I refuse to be measured by the work of my predecessors. What I shall do will stand so high above them that it will not be necessary."[34]
Virginia immediately started working on her spa; she bought and renovated a townhouse for the purpose[35] and made an agreement with the Dynamite, a revolutionary faction of devils, to hire a group of devil "physicians" of sorts.[36] Visitors were often surprised by the odd treatments offered;[37] they might be asked to "read a range of dreadful 'improving' works of literature,"[38] or "lie still and think of anything – anything at all – other than a Rubbery Man."[39] Needless to say, these novel ideas were ineffectual.[38][40]

Months later, as it became clear to all that Virginia's spa was a failure,[40] she made an announcement out of the blue that overshadowed her prior goals: a deal had been struck with Hell. Regardless of the efficacy of her original plan, electing a devil as Lord Mayor had made Hell's attitude toward London more relaxed, allowing Virginia to negotiate the opening of the Hinterlands between the two cities to Londoners.[41] She created the Ministry of Upper River Development, leading to the foundation of the Great Hellbound Railway, which constructed a second rail line between London and Hell.[42]
References[edit]
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