Speaking Power to Truth

Hi everyone. It's Friday and I'm hard at work on my game! Since we're still at the very early stages of the new development cycle, I'm at the point where I tend to tell more than show, as no renders have been done yet, but up top, you can see a work-in-progress of the imposing Governess's Mansion, a new explorable location for Chapter Six. (I don't really consider this a spoiler, so haven't bothered to put a warning on it.)

So today, let's dive into a bit of a lore post, and learn more about who the Governess is, what her powers are and what her relationship to the Princess and her Government is.

Rise of the Nobility

When Sapphory was first colonised, a small number of families were quick to exploit its natural wealth and grew immensely rich almost overnight. These families shaped the destiny of the island, took control of the media, and eventually brought down the first government and supplanted it, becoming the Nobility we know today. The two largest eventually intermarried and became the Royal Family, the Schiede-Rinta (Shy-ae-da Rin-ter.)

The other families, who had supported the Schiede-Rinta's accension were richly rewarded with vast, partially autonomous territories of their own. One of the largest of these, the Kisimi, have been allied to the Royal Family since the earliest days of Sapphory and were granted control of Fivaviana Province. Clementine Kisimi, the current Governess, is a descendant of that line.

Provincial Command

In each province, a large capital building serves as both the home of the ruling family's Matriarch and also the centre of local government. While the Matriarch herself will split her time between this home and the Royal Court in the capital, the building itself never sleeps, as it serves as the administrative nerve centre of the province. Births, Deaths, Slave-trades and Marriages are registered here, Tribute is collected, applications for reproduction are granted and in some of the smaller and more far-flung provinces, even the Civil and Criminal Courts may be part of it, as Sapphory has no concept of separation of powers. The Nobility controls everything.

A council chamber also allows the Governess and other noblewomen to discuss business and change local bylaws if necessary. Sapphory's constitution lays out clearly which areas of law are reserved for the monarch and which the local Matriarch may change. The Governess is expected to report to the Palace regularly and the Princess receives regular reports from each of her appointed local rulers.

The mansion is one of the largest employers and slave-holders in the province. Thousands of women work there and hundreds more are kept as slaves, doing everything from cooking and cleaning to municipal maintenance work around the town. While being enslaved at the mansion has a fearsome reputation due to the Governess's daughters, the majority of slaves will rarely encounter them.

The mansion is the place that ordinary women are most likely to come face-to-face with the Nobility. It is required that anyone doing so should curtsy to their better as soon as she sees them and should not make eye contact. Slaves must kneel and avert their eyes until either the Noblewoman leaves or dismisses them, and can be harshly punished for failing to do so.

Soon you'll be able to enter the belly of the beast, and see the beating heart of Fivaviana for yourself!

Have a great weekend!

Trinian