In the Shadowlands, the door bearing Rudbeckia de Borgia's name opens into the grand foyer of a sprawling Italian Renaissance castle. To the discerning eye of an architectural aficionado, it would quickly become apparent that very little of it is historically accurate—but the aesthetic is, overall, historical European architecture befitting any fantasy setting.
Moving through each room soon reveals that its inconsistency is more pronounced than this. Some rooms and entire wings of the castle look to be transplanted from an entirely different place. Dark wood and tile gives way to a bright French Rococo. Even the scenery changes from window to window: a flowery courtyard, a dark forest, a sunny seaside.
Most jarring of all are the fragments of sleek modernity from some 21st Century mansion.
Architecture aside, something is distinctly wrong from the minute you set foot into the castle, beyond the usual eerie air of the Shadowlands. It's stifling. There is a chill that creeps into your heart. None of the doors have locks, and many of them won't stay closed. No matter where you go, you feel eyes on your back. For whatever reason, being in this place gives you the inescapable sense that you are under threat, and the anxiety suffocates you.
This does not feel like a home.
LOCATIONS.
RUDBECKIA'S ROOM — A lavish bedroom with a four-poster canopy bed and elegant furnishings. From inside, the view out the windows overlooks the sea; when exiting onto the balcony, it stands above a garden. The door to Ruby's room seems to be broken, as it never stays shut.
CESARE'S OFFICE — A simple yet luxurious office furnished with dark wood. There is an overwhelming feeling of pressure when standing in this room.
KITCHEN — One of the modern rooms in the castle. It even has 21st Century appliances like an expensive-looking fridge, though none of them work.
??? — A boarded-up room.
DUNGEON — Medieval dungeons below the castle. The door leading to them is locked; the key can be found in Cesare's office. If you descend, the rooms are empty, but cold and claustrophobic.
STABLES — A large stable outside the building, past the courtyard. It fills you with a sense of dread. The sound of horses can be heard, though there are none to be found inside; occasionally, their whinnying seems more like a girl's cries.
A solid gold statue depicting a freshwater turtle, small but life-sized. The shell is roughly the size of a man's palm. This tether represents the Borgias and Rudbeckia's relationship with Cesare. Currently undamaged.
wedding ring.
A simple woman's wedding ring made of gold. There are decorative engravings around the band. This tether represents Iske and Rudbeckia's relationship with him. Currently undamaged.
sodom and the holy grail.
A hardcover book with the title Sodom and the Holy Grail on its otherwise plain front. This tether represents Rudbeckia's life and identity as Rudbeckia de Borgia. Currently undamaged.
polaroid.
A printed copy of a selfie featuring two girls in modern day clothes. The girl on the left is white, with long ginger hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin; the girl on the right is Asian, with long black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. This tether represents Rudbeckia's previous life, her true identity, and her relationship with her deceased sister. Currently undamaged.
Rudbeckia's Shadow is not a strong presence. Often, she won't seem to be affected by it at all. It isn't angry, or cynical, or distrustful — all of that is Rudbeckia herself. It's Ruby who keeps the truth locked shut inside her mouth. It's Ruby who would rather crawl on the ground towards safety than reach out her hand towards anyone, for fear of them letting go.
Her Shadow only serves to remind her why she lives the way she does. It amplifies her unease and her fears, it carefully tends to the seeds of doubt that she sows in her own mind. It digs its fingers into Ruby's old bruises and tells her it keeps her safe. If she strays too close to the light, it is there to whisper in her ear with Cesare's voice: not to control her, but to caution her against any foolish hopes. The Shadow is not the witch hiding behind the veneer of a princess, because Rudbeckia knows well enough that she was already a witch to begin with.
It's only at its most extreme that the Shadow steers her with a firmer hand, leading her to darker waters to show her the worst that can happen, that will happen to her, looking to make her into what she always has the potential to become: the Rudbeckia de Borgia written of in the novel, who killed her beloved husband's sister just so he would have no choice but to raze her home to the ground and finally end her wretched life. Her Shadow asks: why shouldn't she be the witch? Let the hero come, and let him put her to rest.
It does not put words in her mouth. The words are already written for her, the final lament of a pitiful villainess: Sorry. I would've probably spent the rest of my life testing your feelings... and even in my dying moments, I would need to be assured that you were on my side.
Thoughts that are particularly influenced by her Shadow will be marked in grey.
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DOOR.
Moving through each room soon reveals that its inconsistency is more pronounced than this. Some rooms and entire wings of the castle look to be transplanted from an entirely different place. Dark wood and tile gives way to a bright French Rococo. Even the scenery changes from window to window: a flowery courtyard, a dark forest, a sunny seaside.
Most jarring of all are the fragments of sleek modernity from some 21st Century mansion.
Architecture aside, something is distinctly wrong from the minute you set foot into the castle, beyond the usual eerie air of the Shadowlands. It's stifling. There is a chill that creeps into your heart. None of the doors have locks, and many of them won't stay closed. No matter where you go, you feel eyes on your back. For whatever reason, being in this place gives you the inescapable sense that you are under threat, and the anxiety suffocates you.
This does not feel like a home.
RUDBECKIA'S ROOM — A lavish bedroom with a four-poster canopy bed and elegant furnishings. From inside, the view out the windows overlooks the sea; when exiting onto the balcony, it stands above a garden. The door to Ruby's room seems to be broken, as it never stays shut.
CESARE'S OFFICE — A simple yet luxurious office furnished with dark wood. There is an overwhelming feeling of pressure when standing in this room.
KITCHEN — One of the modern rooms in the castle. It even has 21st Century appliances like an expensive-looking fridge, though none of them work.
??? — A boarded-up room.
DUNGEON — Medieval dungeons below the castle. The door leading to them is locked; the key can be found in Cesare's office. If you descend, the rooms are empty, but cold and claustrophobic.
STABLES — A large stable outside the building, past the courtyard. It fills you with a sense of dread. The sound of horses can be heard, though there are none to be found inside; occasionally, their whinnying seems more like a girl's cries.
TETHERS.
SHADOW. —cw suicidal ideation
Her Shadow only serves to remind her why she lives the way she does. It amplifies her unease and her fears, it carefully tends to the seeds of doubt that she sows in her own mind. It digs its fingers into Ruby's old bruises and tells her it keeps her safe. If she strays too close to the light, it is there to whisper in her ear with Cesare's voice: not to control her, but to caution her against any foolish hopes. The Shadow is not the witch hiding behind the veneer of a princess, because Rudbeckia knows well enough that she was already a witch to begin with.
It's only at its most extreme that the Shadow steers her with a firmer hand, leading her to darker waters to show her the worst that can happen, that will happen to her, looking to make her into what she always has the potential to become: the Rudbeckia de Borgia written of in the novel, who killed her beloved husband's sister just so he would have no choice but to raze her home to the ground and finally end her wretched life. Her Shadow asks: why shouldn't she be the witch? Let the hero come, and let him put her to rest.
It does not put words in her mouth. The words are already written for her, the final lament of a pitiful villainess: Sorry. I would've probably spent the rest of my life testing your feelings... and even in my dying moments, I would need to be assured that you were on my side.
Thoughts that are particularly influenced by her Shadow will be marked in grey.
CHANGES, AFFINITIES, & OTHER EFFECTS.
SOULMATES.
WISHLIST.