"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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"In London, she domiciles with a certain Shopkeeper. In Parabola, she claims she guards the battlefields. What draws her from that sacred duty to enter the political fray?"[1]
The Viscountess of the Viric Jungle is a prominent feline figure who served as the final Lord Mayor of London.
"'It's not just that Londoners are ungrateful – I'm used to that – it's that they're so... so oblivious! God! I can stand a fool, but an ignoramus is too much. And here – I'm surrounded by them.' She hisses in exasperation. 'Did you know – some of my supporters are only my supporters because they think I'm 'adorable'? It makes me spit.'"[2]
Like many other cats in London, the Viscountess leads a dual existence. In the real world, she resides with the Shopkeeper in Viric as their pet and confidant;[3] in Parabola — the dream realm behind mirrors — she serves as the guardian of the verdant Viric Jungle,[4] and appears as a majestic panther.[5] The Viscountess is known for her dignified and commanding presence, and those who dare mock her or refer to her as a mere pet have experienced vivid dreams of thorns and entanglement.[6] For her closest confidantes, however, she may allow indiscretions.[7] Like her fellow cats, she stands in opposition to the Fingerkings, serpentine entities that seek to infiltrate and manipulate the dreams of Londoners.[8]
As a kitten, the Viscountess was deceived by a powerful Fingerking under the pretense of an alliance, and became trapped within a prison of mirrors.[9] She was rescued by the Shopkeeper in Viric, a young child at the time,[10] who devised a daring plan to ensnare the Fingerking and allow the Viscountess to escape.[11] The plan succeeded, but at the cost of the Shopkeeper's real body; the version of them that now exists in London is their reflection.[12] The Viscountess and the Shopkeeper have been friends and allies ever since,[12] and the Viscountess makes the occasional pilgrimage to pay respects to her friend's original self.[13]
"As it transpires. her campaign slogan of 'Defending Your Dreams' is entirely literal. The realm of sleep in the Neath is more hazardous than on the Surface – a glance around the haggard, sleep-deprived faces of the crowd confirms her words. And, recently, dreams have been getting worse. The Viscountess flexes a claw – if elected, she promises to lead Londoners in fighting back, in reclaiming rest."[14]
In 1898, the Viscountess successfully[15] ran for Lord Mayor of London under the slogan "Defending Your Dreams." Her campaign promised to lead Londoners into Parabola to confront and combat the nightmares plaguing them.[16] Beyond this goal, she sought to strengthen the influence of London's cats, ensuring they had another ally in their ongoing war against the Fingerkings.[17] The Shopkeeper in Viric managed her campaign,[18] and performed any tasks for her that required a human.[19]
After her election victory,[15] the Viscountess investigated the fate of her husband, the Viscount of the Viric Jungle. A brilliant military leader,[20] he chose to stay behind and keep watch for the enemy during a campaign against the Fingerkings;[21] as a symbol of their enduring bond, the couple exchanged collars before the Viscountess retreated with her forces.[22] Years later, as Lord Mayor, the Viscountess traveled to Mutton Island for the Fruits of the Zee Festival, where she discovered the Viscount's collar (having lost it at some point prior).[23] Following its trail, she found her husband transformed into stone, still guarding a sunken castle in the Drowning Forests.[24]
During her efforts to contain the Fingerkings, the Viscountess witnessed them infiltrating the dreams of the Stone Pigs, the city-devouring engines of the Echo Bazaar.[25] In an attempt to imitate the dream-snakes' actions by stealing what appeared to be a weapon,[26] with the intent of using it against her rivals, she inadvertently stirred the Pigs from their slumber.[25] The disturbance caused by the Viscountess led to the events of the Grand Clearing-Out, a catastrophe in which London nearly collapsed into the ground for a second time. The Masters of the Bazaar were far from pleased with her actions, and responded by abolishing the office of Lord Mayor entirely and issuing an ominous summons demanding her appearance before them.[27] Refusing to be cowed, the Viscountess managed to strong-arm the Masters into dropping the matter entirely — likely through intimidation, wielding whatever power she had taken from the Pigs' dreams.[28]
↑Taunt the Viscountess of the Viric Jungle (The Waswood), Fallen London"You were largely ignored until you said the word 'pet'. Then a sudden hush falls […] you've gone too far. The Viscountess seems unfazed […] However, that night, you suffered through dreams of thorns, snagging and catching as you push your way free. […]"
↑Ask the Viscountess to share a confidence (The Waswood), Fallen London"She leaps into your lap and sits there, contemplating the fire. She blinks slowly, her eyes half-closed, and she rolls slightly, offering her stomach. It is no trap. She lies there purring for several minutes before, with a heavy sigh, she rolls over and leaps to the floor."
↑How was the Viscountess trapped?, Fallen London""The Sliver of Treaties brought me here to work out the terms of our grand alliance. All I had to do was step within this circle of mirrors so I might choose the gift the Sliver offered that would suit best, to seal the alliance. Of course, once I did I was paralysed. Each reflection offered me each of my heart's strongest desires.""
↑Ask how she escaped, Fallen London""The Shopkeeper found their way here through the Viric Jungle. They shattered one of the mirrors. Freed of my reflections, clarity returned. I effected my escape, with the Shopkeeper at my side." The Viscountess sighs. "Or part of them, at least.""
↑ 12.012.1Ask about the child's reflection, Fallen London"Only, the reflection was too strong. The reflection went free. The Shopkeeper did not. They remain locked away, in a sealed place in the Neath. I know not where. The Shopkeeper's Reflection helped me escape, and has been my friend ever since."
↑The Entanglement of Glass, Fallen London"[…] The Fingerking is treacherous, this is not the Shopkeeper. This is only them as they were." […] "But do I not have a duty to that version of them too? To preserve their memory?" She shakes her fur and growls. "Hatred shouldn't be this complicated!""
↑Learn more about the Viscountess' platform, Fallen London"The realm of sleep in the Neath is more hazardous than on the Surface – a glance around the haggard, sleep-deprived faces of the crowd confirms her words. And, recently, dreams have been getting worse. [...] she promises to take Londoners into Parabola [...] and there teach them how to battle the things that haunt them."
↑Choose a Target: the Viscountess of the Viric Jungle's Campaign, Fallen London"A skinny tabby boasts of having once met the Viscountess. "She's a personal hero. She's not the kind to talk and talk and do nothing. She's filled with energy and easily bored and so she gets stuff done. With her in power we'll push forward the battle in Parabola. Finally, we'll take back what's ours!" Another cat [...] chides him. "The Viscountess of the Viric Jungle does not seek battle for its own sake. But she will do what's necessary to look after her people." He cleans a paw. "She holds her title proudly and knows the proper order of things. I hear she's is a firm proponent of noblesse oblige. She merely wishes to be the good steward that her position demands.""
↑The Viscount's Tale, Fallen London"My husband was the bravest cat of our generation. Sleek, strong and stealthy as a member of the Counter-Church. He commanded our battalions in the Waswood and on the Smoking Shore. […]"
↑Ask what became of him, Fallen London"We were too few to achieve victory. My love sounded the retreat – but did not himself fall back. He meant to stay behind, hidden. He intended to stand sentinel in the Castle and maintain watch over the enemy. Should our enemy ever rise in force, he would give us warning."
↑Ask her why she is telling you this now, Fallen London"He and I made a pact when I left him, for the last time. There, among the drowned fortresses, we made a promise to each other. Symbolised through the exchange of collars – all we had to hand. We would wear them and know that we remained united, no matter what kept us apart."
↑Approach the Sentinel's Redoubt, Fallen London"What you had taken for a gargoyle opens its mouth. Its eyes are pearl, its jaw hung with weeds. Its flesh is coral and stone. But its face is unmistakably feline. The Viscount."
↑ 25.025.1Offer an explanation, Fallen London"The Fingerkings have [...] Slithered in and stolen weapons from those dreams. I thought that I could follow them and take something, too. A weapon to use against them. [...] It did not work, of course. I should have realised that." [...] the Viric Jungle seems darker than usual; foreboding, almost. Something is awake within it, and it's not done stirring."
↑Ask about the sand-choked dream, Fallen London"The Ophidian Gentleman grimaces. "The Viscountess engages in the favourite pastime of all cats: Going where she shouldn't. [...]" And what of the weapons the Fingerkings retrieved from the dreams of the Stone Pigs? Is what the Viscountess claims true? "'Weapon' is a very... feline way of thinking about things.""
↑The (Former) Lord-Mayor of London, Fallen London"This morning's Gazette announces the departure of the […] Mayor […] By determination of the Masters, the election of a replacement has been indefinitely suspended, 'to prevent a Further Tragedy'. […] The Viscountess […] is reportedly taking an extended holiday […]'"
↑Learn what has happened, Fallen London"The rumour has spread among the many factors, auditors, neddy-men, commissioners, and other hangers-on of the Bazaar: The Viscountess has brokered some quiet deal with the Masters. What leverage she has remains a mystery – but it presumably relates to her exploits in Parabola. Speculation has it that she came to the Masters not with an offer, but with a threat."
