The Shuttered Palace

"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously." Beyond this point lie spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include midgame or minor Fate-locked 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, largely confined here.

It is a magnet for London's up-and-coming entertainers... though they have to stay quiet.

The Empress' Court

Art from FL

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

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?" Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. 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 have been transformed into monsters, save for the Captivating Princess, who managed to reverse the effects (plus, 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, Princess Royal, who stayed on the Surface since she was married to a Surface prince
• The Redundant Heir - Prince Albert Edward, later Edward VII, who stayed on the Surface to rule Britain, but attended the dinner with his monster siblings
• The Dutiful Daughter - Princess Alice, "the Serpentine Coils"
• The Brooding Captain - Prince Alfred Ernest, formerly captain of the Galatea, who is now "the Shadow with Teeth"
• 'The 'Heartbroken Bibliophile - Princess Helena, "an abhorrence of rusting quills"
• The Recalcitrant Sculptress - Princess Louise, "the gaunt thing with a coat of glass feathers"
• The Bellicose Prince - Prince Arthur, "the weeping horse-sized grub"
• The Delicate Duke - Prince Leopold, "a puce, veiny blob"
• The Playful Prodigy - Princess Beatrice,  "the spider-thing with face-hands and needle-fingers"

Despite their horrid appearances, the Children are still pretty sane all things considered. Just don't look too close.