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, are 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 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 since she was married to the future Kaiser of Germany Frederick III. The mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
• The Redundant Heir - Prince Albert Edward (born November 9th 1841), nicknamed Bertie, later Edward VII in real life, who seems to have changed into... something vaguely eldritch. Despite this, he may have remained normal enough to Surface eyes to rule Britain in this timeline as well. In the real world, Victoria blamed Bertie's carousing for the death of her husband Albert.
• The Dutiful Daughter - Princess Alice Maud Mary (born April 25th 1843), "the Serpentine Coils". In the real world, she provided comfort to her father Albert as he died and then provided moral support to her mother.
• The Brooding Captain - Prince Alfred Ernest Albert (born August 6th 1844), nicknamed Affie, formerly captain of the Galatea, who is now "the Shadow with Teeth". Historically, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14.
• 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. As the "Heartbroken" part, in our world she was considerably devastated when her father died and also started to court her father'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 would try to peruse an artistic career despite her royal status and enroll in the National Art Training School in 1863. She would end up creating several famous sculptures. Obviously, the fall of London likely prevented this.
• 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 would spend 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 which prevented clotting, leading to his poor health. Historically, he was made the Duke of Albany in 1881.
• The Playful Prodigy - Princess Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore (born 14th April 1857),  "the spider-thing with face-hands and needle-fingers". Historically, she was babied by her mother and became Victoria's companion after Albert's death. She was also due to be married to Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte in the real world, who may have became the Third Emperor of France when London fell instead.

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