The Queen of Rats

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Introduction

The Queen of Rats (also known as the Queen of Hearts, The Princess of Fallen Tears etc.) is a member of The High Council, a known friend and ally of The God-Emperor since long before the War in the Dreaming (perhaps even as far back as The Age of Magic), the head of The House of the Rat and the single most powerful entity other than The God-Emperpor openly active after The War in the Dreaming - she is even more powerful than The High Queen (of equal Fae court standing) Eris according to Fae historical notes and Eris is more often than not classified a literal God. Even Lord Echo appears to give her a wide berth (it is rumoured that at some stage in the distant past The Queen actually conquered Wonderland and took control from Lord Echo during either a personal spat or as some action in a past inter-Fae war; this is not brought up in polite conversation or at court and so cannot be confirmed). She is currently the ruler of both The Endless City and The City of Hearts at the behest of The God-Emperor having "relieved" The Raven of his dominion of The Endless City by rescuing him from a large assault on the city by Rebels and then simply never leaving (he vowed allegiance on sight as it happened, it was a deal done "in the moment" he first laid eyes on her - a not uncommon reaction to the presence of a Sidhe High Queen).

She appears to have arrived in The War in the Dreaming at the same time as The God-Emperor. It is unknown which Fae court she was aligned to, if any, prior to The War in the Dreaming. Given that The Raven and Lord Echo were well-known supporters of The Shadow Court and were not aligned to the Queen during The War in the Dreaming it is probably that her allegiance was with either The Seelie Court or the Unseelie Court - we may never know for sure. The Queen was aligned to The Treaty during the later days of The War in the Dreaming but was conspicuously absent at all the major (recorded) battles. She is however credited with defending Wonderland during a prolonged siege with the aid of many hero's including Alice which may explain her late entry to the war, and her absence on the battlefield.

Description

"A vision in the fog of fighting

late in the day

a terrible arrival comes

with beauty unmatched


Darkling


Flanked by monstrous

legions of blind devotion

unholy shapes of unnatural massed

biological form


Advancing


Use my body to climb down

enchant my imagination

to climb up

are we to be one or pass in the night?


Queen of Rats"


The Queen currently takes the form of a slim, short, but iconically beautiful human woman with short black hair (although doubtlessly has taken many other forms during her time, and may well continue to do so). She is very quiet in demeanour (although it is rumoured she does have both a wicked sense of humour and a compassionate side) and usually speaks through various nameless emissaries (even when physically present). The Queen rarely interacts directly with anyone - although she can assert herself through The Fae hive mind-like psychic "communication network" with alarming strength when she wishes to speak to someone directly "without talking". Her army consists of horrific "rat cubes" (literal cubes of live rats which can reach 20m in height - 'Biomass' being a common term for such manifestations) and more standard forces too (armed and equipped appropriately for whichever realm they are currently occupying). As far as The Fae historic records (those that have survived at least) show, The Queen is undefeated in battle (or indeed, single combat) for as long as she has been important enough to record. She currently resides in The Endless City and is previously believed to have made a home in the City of Hearts deep within the Wonderland realm. It is of note that she was never seen in The Forest City of Lorean before its destruction and was not present at the Battle of Lorean (unlike so many other important figures). Where she was, and what she was doing at that time is a mystery.

On the known history of the Queen of Rats, little is known, however one story has emerged in recent years. In the veiled chapters of yesteryears, where the essence of magic breathed life into the tapestry of existence, a saga unfolded—a tale of unparalleled conflict between the enigmatic Queen of Rats, shrouded in the allure of darkness, and the luminous Queen Ozma of Oz, the embodiment of purity and grace. This chronicle birthed from the depths of the Age of Magic, or perhaps an era even more ancient, narrates the storied clash that forever altered the destinies of realms unseen and known.

The Queen of Rats, poised to later ascend as the formidable Queen of Hearts ruler of Wonderland, ventured forth from the abyssal recesses of the Umbra Deep. With her, a legion unlike any other: the Rat Priests, cloaked in shadow and mystery, wielding dark magics as ancient as the realms themselves and commanding the hideous Rat Cube biomasses. They served not just as spiritual leaders but as conduits of arcane power, bolstering the ranks of the Queen of Rats with eldritch energies.

The assault on the verdant utopia of Oz was met with formidable resistance from the mechanical marvels of Ev. These mechanical beings, allies of Oz and marvels of ingenuity stood shoulder to shoulder with Ozma's forces, a testament to the alliance of magic and machine which would define Faetech from henceforth. Their presence on the battlefield was a stark contrast to the dark legions of The House of The Rat, showcasing the unity of Oz and Ev in the face of encroaching shadows.

Amidst this grand tableau of war, the Witches of Oz, guardians of the realm's mystical heritage, rose in violent defiance against the Queen of Rats and uncharacteristic support from the ruling house of Oz. Their powers, vast and varied, clashed with the dark sorceries of the Rat Priests, weaving a complex tapestry of magic that lit the skies with arcane fire. Their battles, epic in scale and fury, underscored the titanic struggle that enveloped the land.

The pivotal moment in this epoch-defining conflict came not from the clash of armies but from the cunning and valor of Queen Ozma. With the aid of her Fox spies, embodiments of stealth and guile, Ozma infiltrated the heart of darkness itself. There, amidst the encampment of the Queen of Rats, she discovered and seized a mystical object, the source of the Rat Queen's formidable power. This act of daring shifted the very foundations of the conflict, draining the Queen of Rats of her strength and turning the tide in favor of the light.

Despite her legions and the dark magics at her command, the Queen of Rats found herself diminished, her conquest halted not by the edge of a blade but by the loss of her arcane anchor. The war, marked by the valor of Ozma and the defiance of the Witches of Oz against the dark machinations of the Rat Priests, ended not with the clamor of battle but with a gesture of peace. Ozma, in returning the mystical object, extended an olive branch, one that saw the Queen of Rats recede into the umbra before turning her attention to Wonderland, her ambitions for Oz forever quelled. She never returned. Not even in The War in the Dreaming or the Age of Concordia.

This tale, etched into the memory of the realms, serves as a beacon of the enduring power of courage, wisdom, and the unyielding light of goodness against the depths of darkness. It is a saga of alliances between the realms of Oz and Ev, of magic and machine, of the enduring spirit of those who stand guard over the light. Queen Ozma and the Queen of Rats, each a paragon of their essence, remain immortalized in this story — a testament to the battles that shape the fate of realms, bridging the chasm between light and shadow, and heralding the triumph of unity over division.

Foreshadowing for The Treaty and the Grand Empire of Concordia.

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