The Vicomte de V______

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"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.

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"We are so close," says the Vicomte de V_____. "I have nothing to hide. You know I need love to survive, but who doesn't need love? You have so much to give. Only the tiniest nibble, the littlest bite, and I'll be satisfied. My teeth won't hurt. I promise you: this is the final course."[1]

The Vicomte de V_____ is a foreign aristocrat, a fixture of high society[2] despite the fact that few have actually seen him.[3] He exudes an unnatural allure—one that captures attention in a way that seems almost supernatural.[4] A property speculator by trade, he buys and leases buildings across London.[5] Animals, at least the non-sapient ones, seem to loathe him.[6]

The Vicomte has no fixed appearance; instead, he molds himself to match the preferences of those who perceive him.[7] His interests are not limited to residences, and include the Observatory on Watchmaker's Hill[8][9] and a gothic bookshop.[10] His investments also extend beyond London, reaching even the Tomb-Colonies and possibly further.[11] Each of his properties is carefully curated: tenants are subtly manipulated, their minds bent toward a particular love,[12] their passions siphoned away to nourish their landlord.[13] His own official address — a townhouse rented out to rats — is a mere formality.[14]

Whatever the Vicomte is, he does not simply collect rent — he feeds (with consent, like any respectable gentleman).[15] Residents of his estates may glimpse him in a blood-red haze, seated at a small table laden with a sumptuous feast.[16] His rich voice lulls his prey into a trance, like a masterfully told story ensnares its reader;[17][18] only once they are fully enthralled does he reveal his true nature.[19] He is merely a sigil upon the property deed itself.[20]

The Vicomte is a humanoid manifestation of a parasitic law: a sigil, inscribed upon the Bazaar’s very body since its descent from the High Wilderness,[21] that both devours and inspires passion. When the Bazaar discovered its unwelcome passenger, it realized the parasite could be turned to its advantage by shaping love stories to its liking.[22] Thus, for decades, the Bazaar has entrusted Penstock with sustaining the Vicomte through various means, including stamping his sigil on property deeds.[23][24] The Vicomte, for his part, misses his time in the High Wilderness, but seems content enough as long as he can continue to feed.[25]

Historical & Cultural Inspirations[edit]

The Vicomte de V_____ is deeply rooted in the tradition of the aristocratic vampire, drawing significant influence from Dracula and its literary predecessors. His character embodies not just the physical predation of classic vampires, but also their psychological and symbolic resonance, particularly in their relationship with place, power, and identity.

John Polidori’s The Vampyre (1819) introduced the aristocratic vampire to English literature; the nobleman Lord Ruthven, both charming and destructive, infiltrates high society and corrupts those around him with manipulation rather than brute force. The titular character of Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1872) thrives on intimacy, seducing her victims and nurturing a deep psychological connection before devouring them.

But it was Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) that crystallized the image of the vampire as both an invader and a relic of the past: a being deeply tied to place and tradition, yet capable of infiltrating and corrupting the modern world. Dracula’s dependence on his native soil is one of the most distinctive elements of the novel. He cannot survive in England without the earth of Transylvania, which he transports in coffins to maintain his strength. The Vicomte de V_____ parallels this in fairly straightforward fashion, with his Soothe & Cooper Long-Boxes (coffins) filled with the Bazaar's nightsoil (dirt) as a tether to the Bazaar. The fact that the Vicomte is a living sigil, rather than a physical entity, makes that bond even more crucial; he is a fragment of an older, deeper structure of power that must be periodically renewed.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "[...] Two grand dames take it upon themselves to provide your education, regaling you with succulent details that someone less acquainted with the peerage might blush to hear grand dames repeat. Their fans beat with an increasing ardour beneath their faces. They tug at their collars, exposing bejewelled throats as they breathlessly condemn his reputation. Perhaps in whatever foreign land he calls his home, the Vicomte's behaviour is considered socially acceptable, but here in London it is also extremely desirable."
  3. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "Despite his reputation, few people have met the Vicomte in person, and none can quite agree on his appearance. He is tall. He is pale. He is taller than that. He isn't pale whatsoever. At Lady B___'s salon the other week, he wore the most immaculate cravat. Perhaps Lady B___ could describe him, if she hadn't retired to the Tomb-Colonies suddenly."
  4. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "When you are in his company, you sense that he could drain your very dregs," explains the Heiress, turning toward you. "But that is also his charm. How he moves. How he smiles. His eyes. Do you understand what I mean? His qualities are irresistible. They draw you closer, so that he may sink his teeth deeper. Wouldn't you be drawn to certain qualities?"
  5. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "He is an investment property speculator, which is more than frightening enough."
  6. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "No hidden doors. No secret rooms. Last owner? That," says Penstock, "is an interesting case. Taxidermist, if you couldn't guess. Never lacked for subjects with the Vicomte for a friend. Whatever rumours you hear, animals disliking him? Truth to that one. Not sapient animals though. Sapient animals find him charming."
  7. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "The Vicomte de V_____ does not look quite the same. "Because I never look the same. People see what they desire in me, or what they believe they desire. Everything is perception. Even love. Perhaps especially. Let us dine together, and make love the dish.""
  8. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "You didn't realise the Observatory on Watchmaker's Hill was a leasehold. Has the Vicomte de V_____ always owned this estate, or is it a more recent acquisition? Either way, the Blind Astronomers are still installed, along with a few hundred thousand eight-legged tenants."
  9. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "Religious fanatics, the lot," says Penstock. "That cult doesn't need the Vicomte de V_____ to flourish. He just saw an opportunity to tap into a passion that already existed. A passion for perception, as it were. That's why he bought the Observatory. Rewrote their leasehold agreement. So that he could encourage their superstitions. Use his influence to fan the flames a little. Bask in the warmth of their devotion to... whatever they're devoted to. Astronomy? Arachnids? Don't ask me about that part. I just file the paperwork."
  10. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "The Vicomte has an interest in language. Specifically interpretation. Two people can read the same words, hear the same speech, but imagine entirely different things. It's all in the mind," Penstock says, tapping his head with an index finger. "And in the words, of course. Have to use the right ones to suggest the right things. Some leave a bigger impact. Stick in the memory better. Keep having an impact even when you're not reading. Although it's usually the emotions that stick, isn't it? A good romance novel always has me dabbing these old eyes."
  11. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "You bought that château, didn't you?" one zailor asks. "Article in the Gazette? I remember it now. Belonged to the same taxidermist we're shipping this to in the Tomb-Colonies. Purchased more property out there before the auction. Why anyone would want to move to the Tomb-Colonies is another matter. Not enough corpses to stuff in London, eh? Guess everyone's got their own passions in life. Or in death. Not much difference around here."
  12. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "I cultivate various passions at my properties," says the Vicomte de V_____, loosening his cravat. "By bringing people together. By fostering their interests. Why do you think Penstock lent you those keys? You unlocked more than just doors. You unlocked desires – the desire to explore, to understand, to experience more – and your emotions marinated splendidly."
  13. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "Three main properties to let. He's not so different from other landlords. Installs tenants. Sucks 'em dry. But he collects more than money." Penstock looks toward the Bazaar. "Love. That's what he sucked from her, before he started sucking it from Londoners. Love for a person. Love for a pursuit. Love for an ideal or for a skill. Your château's last owner loved death. Got along well with the Vicomte on that score."
  14. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "He needed to establish himself in London. Needed a central address. Never really lived there, though," says Penstock. "Doesn't live anywhere, to be honest. Maybe you'd call that duplicitous. Hobnobbing around, introducing himself like he's landed gentry, when he's a drifter at heart. That's why the rats sympathise, I'd wager. Rats know what it's like to be driven aside, no matter how much you might want to be loved. Not that I sympathise with the rats," he says, fishing a freshly sprung trap out from under his desk. "Sneaky little b_____s."
  15. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "London is a web, and you are sitting at its centre. Now you perceive the threads that bind you, threads that no fingers can touch, that have held you in place for this meal, which is almost over. You are not bound anymore. You can do as you please. "You must always," says your companion, unhinging his jaws, "do what your heart knows is right.""
  16. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "A single blood drop falls into the pond. It spreads outward, and then the pond is red, and then the redness rises until there is no courtyard, no château, only the Vicomte de V_____ sitting at a small table surrounded by brimming crimson."
  17. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "No fire could burn this hot. No hearth could welcome you with such comfort. When the windows rattle (there are no windows), and when the storm batters the door (there is no storm) (there is no door), nothing can hurt you here. This place is where you belong. This place is wherever you are, when you remember it. When you are with the Vicomte, you remember things you never knew you'd forgotten."
  18. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "...things that soothe you from inside, and spread contentment through your very veins. Hone your awareness. Existence will open to you. Embrace it. Hold it tight. Never forget what it means to call someplace your own. What it means to come home and find waiting, just where you left it, precisely what you worried you had lost. It can never be lost. You're home now."
  19. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "You see him now for what he is: a blood-sucker indeed. His body is bloated beneath his clothing. His flesh strains from liquid inside, scarlet drops sparkling in every pore. Those aren't arms. Maybe they're legs. That face is not a face either, but those teeth are definitely teeth."
  20. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "And now you are sitting alone in the courtyard, just as you have been since this meal started. Well, not completely alone. You are holding the property deed to your château, which is leeching blood from a fresh paper-cut on your finger. Its calligraphy glistens as though it were recently inked. Its calligraphy also contracts on the page, with a few clauses smacking together like satisfied lips."
  21. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "He's a real foreigner – if you follow. The Bazaar came from very far away. She brought a few things with her. Not on purpose. Like how a dog might pick up ticks out in the wilderness. The Vicomte de V_____, well, he's just like a tick. Like a tick that finally dropped off and purchased an aristocratic title."
  22. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "One sigil differs from the rest. It oozes thick crimson fluid. "A parasitic law," says Penstock. "It doesn't just eat passion. It inspires passion. All those properties, with this legal clause worked into their contracts? Inspire passion too. Even if they nip a little. That's why she wants to spread it. London needs inspiration. You won't hold it against me, will you?" He lets out a sigh. "It wouldn't be the first time I've done something foolish for love.""
  23. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "I guess you know now that some contracts have fangs. And I might've incorporated a particularly hungry legal clause into this deed. The Vicomte de V_____? He's how an observer might, let's say, interpret such a clause. How the terms can manifest for a receptive mind. When you see him at your château, that's due to the copy you signed. But I've put the same clause into other contracts. Whatever he told you about our relationship, though, I'm not his servant."
  24. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "He needs to maintain a connection. That's what the samples are for. Nightsoil of the Bazaar. As his property agent, it's my job to move nightsoil onto his estates. Without it, the Vicomte couldn't stay at his own addresses."
  25. ↑ Caveat Emptor, Fallen London "The Vicomte de V_____ guides your gaze toward false-constellations. There is the Roving Headsman. There is the Huntress afield with her starry-eyed Hounds. "I remember the real stars," he says, and you remember them too: your mind expands as he describes the night, until you can practically feel a blazing comet brush your cheek. It isn't a blazing comet. "My heart still aches for what I've lost. But I treasure moments like these.""
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