Vesture
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"The tapestries are luxurious. Patterned backdrops enrich foregrounds in lustrous carmine, lush verdure and luminous cerulean. Unicorns vie with spiders for dominance of web-haunted forests, while weavers enter spider-shrouded palaces with torches to draw out new silk. A coat of arms of three spiders on a burning field appears on each tapestry."
"The same coat is emblazoned on the woman's mail. Seeing your interest, the Injurious Princess introduces herself. She is the exiled heir to the throne of Vesture, the kingdom represented in the tapestries. She's in London to raise the capital and information required for a successful invasion of her homeland."[1]
Vesture is a kingdom in the Elder Continent that provides silkweavers for the Presbyterate, as the name might imply. Its capital is called Vestment, and its coat-of-arms is three spiders on a burning field.[2]
A Kingdom of Silk
Weaving is a prominent facet of Vesture's society; each palace in Vesture specializes in a very specific form of weaving, and duplicates are not allowed. If a palace's weavings are not up to code, that palace is torn down unless it can improve in time.[3]
As might be expected of a kingdom centered upon silkweaving, enormous spiders play a huge role in Vesture's textile industry. These spiders are brought to Vesture as larvae by the royal family, and each palace in Vesture has its own arachnid matriarch, with the exception of the royal palace.[4][5] That's not to say the spiders appreciate having their larvae stolen; venturing into the forests can be quite dangerous, as the spiders are distrustful of humans for obvious reasons.[6]
The House of the Loom is the oldest building in Vesture; it serves both as a burial ground and the place where new weavers create their first looms.[7] Every year, the palaces gather together to offer their silks for the Presbyterate and royal house to judge and take as tribute. Notably, tapestries depicting flattery or human forms are forbidden.[8]
Investiture was an ancient city that was devoured by spiders. Its relationship with the modern-day Vesture is currently unknown.[9]
Political Turmoil
Recently, Vesture fell victim to a coup, and the rightful heir to its throne, the Injurious Princess, was deposed and exiled.[10] A skilled player of chess and a force to be reckoned with,[11] she now seeks to regain her lost seat, either by force or by sheer cunning.[12]
Before the coup, the queen of Vesture, the Injurious Princess's mother, loved indulging in royal luxuries, leading to a populist uprising known as the Bakery Riots.[13] Meanwhile, the Princess's cousin, her former regent, was able to exploit a disagreement amongst the weavers to plunge the city into civil war and claim the throne for herself.[14]
References
- ↑ The Season of Sceptres: A Visitor to London, Fallen London
- ↑ The Season of Sceptres: A Visitor to London, Fallen London "A coat of arms of three spiders on a burning field appears on each tapestry. [...] infiltrate the capital of Vestment..."
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "Every palace specialises in one type of weaving or another. The royal house will not allow duplicates. Samples are brought to us to adjudicate. The losing palace must find a new methodology or else be torn down..."
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "When a spider matriarch is ailing, it falls to the royal house to find a replacement. We hunt in the shrouded woods in the east, until we have found a larva of suitable size."
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "The royal house of Vesture sits on the banks of a river as red as loathing. It is the only palace in Vesture with no matriarch to attend it."
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "...where the spiders run wild. They do not trust us. [...] I had never stolen of their young so I was granted safe passage"
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "The oldest place in Vesture is the House of the Loom. There, new weavers go to fashion their first looms. It is where we bury those few of us unlucky enough to die."
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "Once a year, each of the great palaces brings its finest silks [...] the royal house, the College and the Prester stand in judgement. Flattery is forbidden, as are representation of human figures. A tithe of only the very best is claimed..."
- ↑ Convince the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem to train you, Fallen London "Of Arbor stolen by roses, and Investiture devoured by spiders."
- ↑ The Season of Sceptres: A Visitor to London, Fallen London "She is the heir to the Kingdom of Vesture, the silkweavers of the Prester. Her throne was lost in an uprising and a usurper sits in it now."
- ↑ The Season of Sceptres: A Visitor to London, Fallen London She produces a handsome chess set made from chert wood. [...] Her stratagems are sudden and without quarter. [...] "Please don't try to rob me. I'd hate to break a third arm before noon."
- ↑ The Season of Sceptres: A Visitor to London, Fallen London "The Princess is in London hoping to raise enough capital to bring the unpleasantness to a swift conclusion."
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "My mother was queen before me. [...] Her reign ended in the Bakery Riots in the capital. The city starved while the provincials dined on marzipan and sponge."
- ↑ Listen to stories of Vesture, Fallen London "My cousin who was once my regent holds the throne now. She exploited a division amongst the weavers. [...] Vesture was soon in civil war. "
