The Recalcitrant Sculptress

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She rarely leaves the Palace Cellars where, by means of high-pitched glassy ululations, she assures you she is quite comfortable. But occasionally you receive a small ornament, fringed with glass feathers at your lodgings. A token of her esteem.[1]

The Recalcitrant Sculptress is the sixth child and fourth daughter of the Empress and her Consort. A gifted artist and surprisingly adept codebreaker,[2] she has since withdrawn into the cellars beneath the Shuttered Palace, alongside her siblings.

Her form is avian and unsettling: a gaunt figure cloaked in a mantle of glass feathers,[3] tipped with red-spotted talons and crowned by a razor-edged ruff.[4] Since her transformation into a monster thanks to the effects of red honey, her sculptures have taken on the appearance of horrifying and warped humanoid shapes.[5] She rarely emerges from the Palace’s cellars. But on Hallowmas, she walks the streets, disguising her fearsome visage as nothing more than a festive masquerade.[6] Normal speech has long since left her; she utters only high-pitched, glassy ululations. When words are needed, she communicates through ink and paper.[7] She once wore a ring, a gift from her mother, but it was lost. It now rests in a display case at the Brass Thistle, in the Hinterlands.[8]

Historical Inspiration

Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (Louisa Caroline Alberta; 18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939), was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Known for her intelligence, artistic talent, and progressive views, she led a life that often defied the conventions of her royal status. Born at Buckingham Palace during the revolutionary upheavals of 1848, Louise was raised under the strict educational regimen designed by her father. She exhibited early aptitude in the arts, particularly sculpture, and was allowed to study at the National Art Training School (now the Royal College of Art), making her one of the first royals to receive professional art education.

In 1871, Louise married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne (later the 9th Duke of Argyll). This union was notable as it was the first marriage between a daughter of a British monarch and a non-royal subject since 1515. The marriage was initially harmonious but later strained, partly due to childlessness and the constraints of royal life. From 1878 to 1883, Louise served as the viceregal consort of Canada while her husband was Governor General. Her time in Canada left a lasting legacy, with several places named in her honor, including Lake Louise and the province of Alberta.

A strong advocate for the arts and women's education, Louise supported institutions like the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science, serving as its first Patron from 1891 until her death in 1939. She was also involved in the feminist movement, corresponding with prominent figures such as Josephine Butler and Elizabeth Garrett. After Queen Victoria's death in 1901, Louise became part of King Edward VII's court. Following her husband's death in 1914, she gradually withdrew from public life. She passed away at Kensington Palace on 3 December 1939 at the age of 91, remembered for her contributions to the arts and women's rights.

References

  1. ↑ Recalcitrant Sculptress, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Enlist expert assistance, Fallen London "A few notes smuggled from your library to the Palace cellars, written over candlelight in indecipherable code. She'll have cracked it by elevenses."
  3. ↑ The Gift, Fallen London "[...] a gaunt thing shivers in a coat of glass feathers. [...]"
  4. ↑ Reveal an artistic truth to the Smiling Jester, Fallen London "[...] Her talons are long, and red-spotted. And, moving closer, you spot the stubble of vestigial feathers, emerging through the ruff."
  5. ↑ The Gift, Fallen London "Before each step, you nudge the feathers aside with your toe. The glassy sounds are shrill in the cellars' hush. There are shapes in the dark: statues. The Recalcitrant Sculptress was gifted when she still had hands. Now, her works are crude; as twisted as dying oaks. This one has a set of stubby, vestigial arms protruding from the sides of its head. Another, further in, has a narrow torso covered in mouths. You pass between the monstrous statues as swiftly as you dare."
  6. ↑ Reveal an artistic truth to the Smiling Jester, Fallen London "The reveler's costume is exquisite: an Elizabethan gown of glass feathers, complete with a razor-sharp ruff. Servants surround her, tweaking individual shards with long tongs, at which the reveler lets out an occasional amiable squawk."
  7. ↑ Reveal an artistic truth to the Smiling Jester, Fallen London "[...] The Sculptress would be pleased to embark upon a correspondence with you. The servant winces as the Sculptress lets out a hollow chime as punctuation to his invitation."
  8. ↑ Misplaced Ring, Fallen London "On the inside there are two inscriptions. The first reads 'To L., from your Dear Mother.' The other, in the Correspondence, reads 'AN ALTERATION MADE TO THE WORLD WHICH IS MIRRORED IN THE SELF.'"
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