DLC for Fallen London
An addon for Fallen London. The Premium Story for the seasonal event of Sackmas in December, 2016. Can be started from the Seasonal storylet during Sackmas, or from the Fate page.
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The Empress' Shadow is a story released for the Sacksmas seasonal event, Christmas 2016. Unlike most of the others, it isn't holiday themed. It is mostly remembered for opening up permanent access to Sinning Jenny's Finishing School to those who play it. Adding permanent areas is not unheard of from Exceptional Stories, but the Finishing School stands out for staying relevant. It allows grinding for some favors you normally have to wait for opportunity cards to raise. The monetary rewards are less relevant than they used to be due to inflation, but otherwise effort has been made to keep the school relevant. There are special options there opened up by most seasonal event (including Whitsun, which is considerably newer than the Empress' Shadow), and the credit you accrue with Jenny for handling classes as she likes can be used in the deep endgame that I am nowhere new unlocking. I bring this all up at the start because I think it is often how people hear about the Empress' Shadow, and I would agree that even from a purely mechanical perspective the story is worthwhile.
The plot, especially in summary, is relatively short. The titular Empress' Shadow is Victoria, Princess Royal. She is the daughter of the Traitor Empress who is her namesake, as well as the Queen of Prussia and German Empress. She is also the mother of one of the most controversial historical figures of the Victorian Age, Kaiser Wilhelm II. She has come to Fallen London, in very hush-hush circumstances and for undisclosed reasons. Everything about the visit is secretive, but she is hiring, for short periods, outside servants. That's a way in, and by becoming a teacher at Sinning Jenny's Finishing School you can create a graduating class ideal to serving her needs, while also giving you an in to learn more information.
You alternate between prepping a new class tailor made to the Shadow's current needs and actually spending a day serving and spying. Who was in the class will open up different options to learn more about the younger Victoria's mission. If you've got some historical knowledge of the period, the situation is perhaps less surprising than you might expect. Despite the upheaval of London's fall, it seems like tensions are still building towards the first world war and the end of the aristocracy as a major force in politics. Things are somewhat more dire for the Shadow herself though. With London in the Neath, it's role in surface politics has become more distant, and stranger. That aspect of her leverage in the Prussian court is basically gone, and her already strained relationship with her son is at the breaking point.
The culmination of your espionage efforts is an opportunity to shape the Shadow's role, and surface politics as a result. Possibly because the Surface is always at arms length from the usual setting of the game, you have a fair bit more freedom here to make big changes than you often get. Like a lot of Emily Short's work, it deals heavily in power dynamics and agency. The Empress' Shadow has a lot of power in theory, but it has been limited by factors outside her control. Deciding what to do to help conclude her visit helps you engage with those questions. What does gaining agency mean in a context like this. What is likely to help or hinder her? And will the power actually be better used in her hands than another's?
I'd say The Frequently Deceased is my favorite of the premium offerings from Emily Short, but this is a solid story with some nifty long-term rewards, and is worth enjoying too.
The plot, especially in summary, is relatively short. The titular Empress' Shadow is Victoria, Princess Royal. She is the daughter of the Traitor Empress who is her namesake, as well as the Queen of Prussia and German Empress. She is also the mother of one of the most controversial historical figures of the Victorian Age, Kaiser Wilhelm II. She has come to Fallen London, in very hush-hush circumstances and for undisclosed reasons. Everything about the visit is secretive, but she is hiring, for short periods, outside servants. That's a way in, and by becoming a teacher at Sinning Jenny's Finishing School you can create a graduating class ideal to serving her needs, while also giving you an in to learn more information.
You alternate between prepping a new class tailor made to the Shadow's current needs and actually spending a day serving and spying. Who was in the class will open up different options to learn more about the younger Victoria's mission. If you've got some historical knowledge of the period, the situation is perhaps less surprising than you might expect. Despite the upheaval of London's fall, it seems like tensions are still building towards the first world war and the end of the aristocracy as a major force in politics. Things are somewhat more dire for the Shadow herself though. With London in the Neath, it's role in surface politics has become more distant, and stranger. That aspect of her leverage in the Prussian court is basically gone, and her already strained relationship with her son is at the breaking point.
The culmination of your espionage efforts is an opportunity to shape the Shadow's role, and surface politics as a result. Possibly because the Surface is always at arms length from the usual setting of the game, you have a fair bit more freedom here to make big changes than you often get. Like a lot of Emily Short's work, it deals heavily in power dynamics and agency. The Empress' Shadow has a lot of power in theory, but it has been limited by factors outside her control. Deciding what to do to help conclude her visit helps you engage with those questions. What does gaining agency mean in a context like this. What is likely to help or hinder her? And will the power actually be better used in her hands than another's?
I'd say The Frequently Deceased is my favorite of the premium offerings from Emily Short, but this is a solid story with some nifty long-term rewards, and is worth enjoying too.