"In London she's a slim torbie with a preference for mackerel. But behind the mirrors she is sleek and dark as wood-smoke, and final as arsenic."[1]
The Parabolan Panther is a tortoiseshell-tabby with a ragged ear in London,[2] but in Parabola, she is something else entirely—a sleek, dark panther, her coat as smooth as wood-smoke and as final as arsenic.
Marchioness of the Falling Sky Desert
"A panther, her shoulder blades gliding like pistons, prowls past you and into the undergrowth. "Come on!" she commands, briskly. "Exile, my left paw!"[3]
The Parabolan Panther moves between London and the mirrored jungle of dreams with uncanny ease. Her knowledge of Parabola is extensive—she knows where the mirrors lead and how to go through them.[4] She is not above using the methods of the Fingerkings[5] or other unconventional means, even those unbefitting a cat,[6] to traverse Parabola.
Once, she held the title of Marchioness of the Falling Sky Desert, a noble among cats.[7] She waged dream-wars alongside the Marcher-lords, standing against the treacherous Fingerkings. She knows the Dome of Scales' history intimately; she fought there, nearly lost beneath a fallen column. An enemy spared her that day[8] —likely the Ophidian Gentleman, who harbors a lingering affection for her. She, however, does not return the sentiment.[9] This act of mercy cast a shadow of doubt upon her loyalties. Accused of treason, she was stripped of her rank and exiled from her dreams.[10]
Before her disgrace, the Parabolan Panther met a sinewy leopard—her mate, the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Seven Dead Cities. Their love was whispered of in scandalized tones. Their bond was forged in battle at the the Smoking Shore, where she saved him from the Ophidian Gentleman.[7] Exile has torn them apart, but she continues to seek him in the mirrored jungle of dreams. At the Smoking Shore, where the Peerage of the Marches once repelled the Host of the Heart-Takers, the Panther walks among the memorials of her kind. The inscriptions mark the names of fallen cats—those who gave their lives in battle. It is here she searches for his name, the only one that matters to her;[11] to confirm that it has not yet been etched into stone.[12]
The Parabolan Panther is also the sister of the tiger-count[13] with whom the Lady in Lilac had the affair that produced Maybe's Daughter.[14] This makes her Maybe's Daughter's aunt; or, if one wanted to have some fun with it, Maybe's Daughter's Father's Sister.
References
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "The tortoiseshell-tabby with the ragged ear has a favour to ask. 'I must visit the other place. However, due to my present circumstances I'm forced to use the back way in. And for that, I need you."
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London ""This is the one. In we go. Chop chop." You reach out a hand. The surface yields like butter. As you push through, the cat tangles between your feet. You stumble into an abrupt, moist heat. Sleepy green light washes over you. Trees rise on every side. Jungle ferns unfold their waxy leaves."
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "She looks around thoroughly, paying particular attention to the chimneys and window-sills. "If my honourable peers caught me using our enemies' tricks... Well. It would be unfortunate.""
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "Your companion twitches her whiskers as if she's about to do something distasteful. She nudges you towards the surface of the shield. Together, you pass through it. There is a reeling, vertiginous sensation. A flurry of thick leaves batters you. The air fills with restless light. A heavy jungle heat replaces the Neath's comfortable chill. The park's solemn meres are gone, and hulking trees rise around you."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "Before her exile she was the Marchioness of the Falling Sky Desert. He is the Minister Plenipotentiary for the Seven Dead Cities (a very lowly position in the grandiose peerage of cats). Even before her disgrace their relationship was a scandal. They met during the battle of the Smoking Shore, where he earned his limp and she saved him from an Ophidian Gentleman."
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "We fought them here, you know," your panther tells you, conversationally. "Myself and the other Marcher-lords. I got pinned under this column when it fell. It would have been the end of me, but an enemy showed an uncharacteristic moment of weakness."
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London ""There is no need for violence, Marchioness. I only came here to tell you that I missed you." He leaves."
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "You pole your way across the lake as the panther trails a dreamy paw in the water and tells you of her exile. How she was accused of consorting with the enemy, stripped of her titles and banished from her own dreams. "The Duchess' justice is not kind," she murmurs."
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "A statue stands at the jungle's edge, looking out over the sea. A sphinx? No, a lioness. Between its paws, a plaque reads "Here, the Peerage of the Marches cast back the Host of the Heart-Takers. Many were lost, but how we feasted! Our maws ran red; our bellies grew round.""
- ↑ Parabolan Panther, Fallen London "The statue is covered in names and titles. Most are old, but some are freshly engraved. It's these your panther pays close attention to. "He's not there," she says, with relief. "Good. Good. Let's go home, shall we?""
- ↑ Invite her to dine with you, Sunless Sea "(I know my father. I'm a countess on his side, actually.)"
- ↑ Speak with the tiger, Sunless Sea "I understand you've become involved in my daughter's intrigues. (And my sister's. Is she really serving as a mascot?)"
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