#qmau worldbuilding

[sothequeensays]

The Pale King unseals the Void, and what he finds is... not what he expected.

Not only is one Vessel standing in wait upon the platform, but two are. Truth be told, he had not expected even the one. The path to ascension is prohibitively difficult, and purposefully so. Only a strong, Pure Vessel could have made it. By his own calculations, he had expected to run three trials at a minimum before finding his Pure Vessel. And yet, here are two on the very first trial.

"Curious," he murmurs, kneeling and taking one's shell in his hands, tilting it to and fro in examination, before examining the other as well. They endure his scrutiny without so much as a twitch of will or mind.

Pure, the both of them.

"Corvus," he calls absently, standing and straightening his robes. His lone assistant scurries forward, reams of silken parchment in his arms. The Pale King takes part of the stack, rifles through it, and pulls out a few sheets in particular before handing the rest back. One pale claw skates over the inked calculations, checking and double checking for error.

Nothing.

Of course nothing. He ran the numbers himself, twice, and even went so far as to commission one of the Teacher's mathematicians to do the same (without any variables or labels of course—just pure numbers). The twitchy little thing had done a remarkable job, even if her report to him had been full of nervously stuttered "Y-Your Majesties".

And yet…

He taps a claw against his mask thoughtfully, lingering over the probabilities section. Well, a slim probability is still a probability, he supposes. There is also the Void to consider. However much he included it in his calculation, there remains the glaring fact that he simply didn't—and doesn't—understand it. The unknowns could easily have skewed the probabilities in one direction or the other. And in the end, what does it matter? The Vessels are Pure; there is no reason to spurn good fortune simply because his calculations were slightly off.

He hands the pages back to Corvus and looks down at the Vessels, who watch him with preternatural stillness and timeless patience. "Come along, then," he says, turning away, and the Vessels trail obediently in his wake.

Despite himself, he feels a pang of regret. These lifeless shades could have been his children, had Fate been different. What would they have been like? What would they have looked like? Pale white carapaces, perhaps, and shells with branching horns that resembled his beloved Root. Instead, here are mindless automatons, stained with void, destined to stand eternal watch over a virulent goddess. He nearly regrets creating them, these empty facsimiles of children.

But of course that is pure sentiment. Their creation was necessary to save every life—every mind in Hallownest. He cannot regret it.

Corvus and the Vessels stand off to the side as the Pale King permanently seals the Void, allowing his mind to wander down a fanciful path as he works. Perhaps, once Hallownest is safe, he might convince his Root to mother a real child? Perhaps she won’t even need convincing—neither had ever brought the subject up until the Vessels' creation. His seal glows bright as he imagines such a thing, conjuring the earlier image of a pale white infant, cradled in its mother's arms. Yes, he thinks as he leads the way out of the Ancient Basin, once all is said and done he will ask his wife if she desires a child.

And he never once notices, much less thinks to question, the Vessels' linked hands.

#not an update #hollow knight #hollow knight pale king #hollow knight little ghost #hollow knight the hollow knight #hollow knight au #the queen mother au #qmau worldbuilding #qmau fic #hk oc: corvus #narrative worldbuilding #pk you big dumb idiot #qmau

[aimeelouart]

Hey you remember that one mathematician OC I mentioned in that one PK fic? Probably not, but I doodled her anyways. This is Nymeraria, Nym for short. She likes numbers, the people in the Archives, and absolutely nothing else. Mess with her data and you die instantly.

#qmau characters #character design #the queen mother au #qmau stuff #qmau worldbuilding #hk oc: nymeraria #quirrel #sketch #aimeelouart #hollow knight #my art

[sothequeensays]

Another reference I made for myself, this time on Vessel phenotype.

#hollow knight #qmau worldbuilding #the queen mother au #qmau

[sothequeensays]

I don’t have a name.

How could I? I never got to live. In fact, I’m barely a me. There are others like me, others who never got to live. My siblings, each a piece of nothingness given form. I am the one who was closest to life, the one who almost got to live. I am almost a person. There were young ones, too, who died before any of us lived. They died too soon, and the stuff that made them went away. Our stuff stayed. I don’t know why. For a long time I didn’t know anything at all.

But now—now I know something. Now I have a purpose. Mother called to us and filled the hollows within us, the empty places that could have been like her. Some of us followed Mother and our living siblings. I wanted to. I wanted mother to see me and love me. But there was another little sibling left, unborn and unnoticed except by the oldest. I tried to tell Mother and her Pale Warriors, but they couldn’t see me. I tried to tell my siblings, but I wasn’t strong enough to make them hear me. No one could see me except the ones like me.

In the end, I didn’t want my living siblings to be alone. So I stayed.

Some of the others like me stayed too. They didn’t want to leave me. They wanted to be with the living siblings who were like us. So we stayed, and followed, even though they didn’t notice us. Then our Father came, and he took the living ones with him. We kept following. Mother would have wanted us to, I think.

I don’t know where Father is taking us. I don’t know why I was made. But maybe if I follow I’ll understand. And maybe if I understand, I’ll be a person.

And maybe, if I’m a person… someone will give me a name.

#not an update #hollow knight #hollow knight shades #hollow knight au #the queen mother au #qmau worldbuilding #qmau fic #narrative worldbuilding #hk oc: no name #qmau

[sothequeensays]

Some worldbuilding/articulated assumptions about the vessels' births if you’re interested. If you don’t want to see any future worldbuilding go ahead and block the tag “QMAU worldbuilding”

Edit: I was super tired when I made this, so I wrote “binomial” instead of “bimodal.” My Stats teacher would be ashamed, but it’s fixed now.

#not an update #worldbuilding #hollow knight #hollow knight vessels #the queen mother au #qmau worldbuilding #qmau

[sothequeensays]

1 / 2 / 3

The White Lady contemplates the miniature Vessel statuette in her hand—one of ten such miniatures, crafted for placing on maps and plotting out the route they will use to bring the children home. Lily, the head of her handmaidens, sits on the other side of the planning table, busily researching old texts on the Ancient Basin in the hopes of discovering just such a route. Miniatures of each handmaiden and Queensguard member stand in neat lines beside an enormous map of Hallownest. The miniatures of Dryya, Isma, Ogrim, and the White Lady herself have yet to be completed.

She turns the Vessel in her palm, watching the light of the lumafly lanterns shift over its painted white shell. “Lily,” she says suddenly, “am I doing the right thing?”

Lily pauses, the busy scratching of her quill at last going silent. She looks up, perplexed. “My Lady?” she asks.

The White Lady’s eyes do not move from the miniature. “Am I doing the right thing? Stealing the children away?”

Lily is never one to speak rashly, and now is no different. Silence envelops the office for a long time.

“May I have permission to speak freely?” Lily says at last, her tone slow and thoughtful.

“You may.”

To the White Lady’s surprise, Lily reaches over, takes the Vessel miniature, and clasps the Queen’s hand in her own. “You are letting fear consume you,” she says, earnestly meeting the White Lady’s eyes. “This is beneath you. You need only remember how much it took for you to even consider this to know the truth of the matter. You have weighed this action against every viable alternative. If you are wrong, it will be through no fault of your own.”

“And if the children are truly hollow?” The White Lady whispers, grasping Lily’s hand like a lifeline. She looks down, feeling a tightness in her throat and heart. “If I am wrong, I will have done nothing but damn Hallownest and sow the seeds of mistrust between me and my husband.”

But Lily shakes her head so firmly that the White Lady can feel it in their clasped hands. “If you are wrong, then we will close the Void. Nothing will be lost. But my Lady, you are not wrong.” She frees one hand and gestures to the materials strewn across the planning table, the product of countless hours of research. “I would stake my life on it.”

The tense, coiled fear, like a rope of thorns wound tightly around the White Lady’s heart, at last relaxes and falls away. She laughs a little, pulling her hands from Lily’s grasp and smoothing down the front of her robes. “You are right,” she decides. “Of course you are right. My wise Lily, always blooming in hardship.”

“You flatter me too much, my Lady,” the handmaiden demurres. “Fierce Dryya would have given you the same answer.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. You are too modest.” The White Lady sighs. “Forgive the interruption of my silly fears. We still have much to do.”

“One day soon you will hold your children here, safe and sound,” Lily promises as she picks up her quill again. “And on that day, every fear will have proven itself worth the burden of carrying.”

The White Lady glances at the neat line of Vessel miniatures, each pale white shell gleaming in the light. “It already has,” she murmurs.

#hollow knight #hollow knight white lady #hk oc: lily #narrative worldbuilding #qmau worldbuilding #the queen mother au #not an update #qmau fic #queen's handmaidens #qmau

[sothequeensays]

1 / 2 / 3

The White Lady has absolute, unfailing faith in her husband. Not once has he let her down, or been proven wrong. Not once has his foresight failed. So she does not hesitate to agree when, in his desperation to contain the growing plague that threatens every life in their Kingdom, he asks for her assistance in a last-ditch scheme. If he says their hybrid offspring will have no selves to be lost, that they will never have even been truly alive, then she believes him. Her faith in him is absolute and unfailing, never once broken. And yet—

And yet.

A doubt plagues her, brought about by the pure sentiment of having any sort of offspring. Just four damning words, and she cannot rid herself of them. What if he's wrong? He can't be wrong, she assures herself. He's never been wrong before. Why would this be any different?

But what if it is?

What if he’s wrong?

Many long days pass before her perfect faith splinters and she finally considers the potential consequences. If is a damning word, and it takes only a few moments of contemplation for her to wish she had refused him.

No cost too great to save Hallownest, to keep the fetid mind-rot of a castoff goddess from spreading beyond their borders. But this? The sacrifice of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of children if his first batch is unsuccessful? The execution of babies found wanting? The sacrifice of their children? Her children?

This, she cannot abide, not even for the Wyrm. The cost is too great, and the more she watches him, observing his frenetic calculus, the more certain she is. Normally he is a scientist of the highest order. Calm, methodical, accounting for every contingency, every possible factor. But not now. Now, desperation has made him sloppy. He never even considers what he will do if he is wrong, so certain is he that his plot will work. Not because he has accounted for every factor, but because it must work.

She knows she cannot dissuade him, not now, but a more devious solution presents itself. She hesitates—the plan amounts to treason, though she doubts he would hold it against her. No cost too great, she thinks, and is resolved.

He cannot sacrifice their children if there are no children to sacrifice.

#hollow knight #hollow knight white lady #the queen mother au #not an update #narrative worldbuilding #qmau worldbuilding #qmau fic #qmau

[sothequeensays]

Please let me introduce you to my very first Child: Mote

#qmau #qmau worldbuilding #hk oc: mote #my sweet precious baby child #for whom I would die

[sothequeensays]

The Kingsguard (alternately referred to as the Pale Hand) is a group composed of five brothers dedicated to the service of the Pale King. These five are the younger brothers of the Queensguard, specially requested and partially created by the Pale King himself.

Corvus is the most trusted of the brothers, serving as PK’s assistant in research and other matters that PK personally deals with. Corvus is completely mute, and knows two forms of sign language: one secret language that only PK and WL know, and the common Hallownest dialect. Corvus strays from the palace only as often as PK does, but his brothers bring him news and anecdotes from the outside world.

Kestrel is the Pale King’s spy and assassin, and spends much of his time traversing Hallownest on one mission or another. When outside the palace, he typically sheds his pale regalia and dresses in disguise. He is the least known of the brothers, though Corvus comes in a close second.

Aquila is PK’s chief of staff, and oversees the palace guard as well as every officially sanctioned security force in Hallownest. Soft spoken by nature, there is nothing that will make a new recruit fear for their life as much as hearing Aquila raise his voice. Aquila also serves as the Pale King’s voice in the Pale Court when necessary.

Voltur is PKs emissary, both within Hallownest and without, though the latter is secret. Voltur is quite fond of attention, and spends an inordinate amount of time honing his impressive nail skills. When traveling out of Hallownest, he had a specially-made clasp that protects his mind from all outside forces.

Cicuma is the most-well known of the brothers, acting as the Kings enforcer. The mere sight of him is enough to send bugs scurrying for cover, wether they’ve done anything or not. Cicuma’s tracking skills are truly extraordinary—not once has a target evaded him.

#getting a little ahead of myself again #but here they are!!! the boys!! #qmau #qmau worldbuilding #kingsguard #hk oc: corvus #hk oc: kestrel #hk oc: aquila #hk oc: voltur #hk oc: cicuma

[sothequeensays]

Main character vessel refs in order of appearance.

#qmau worldbuilding #spoilers? #since you havent met regulus yet #hk oc: toss #hk oc: blossom #hk oc: rush #hk oc: regulus #qmau

[sothequeensays]

1 / 2 / 3

The White Lady’s private office is less of an office and more of a greenhouse that just so happens to contain records and writing materials. Nestled deep in the heart of her Gardens, the office is one of the most well guarded spaces in the entire complex—and so the perfect place to form her plot. It is here that she is sitting as she scrutinizes her husband’s reports, gathering every piece of information she can in preparation. A handmaiden stands to the side of her stone desk, transcribing the White Lady’s words whenever she reads aloud a particularly relevant passage. Dryya is absent, but fully half of the Queensguard stand sentinel at the doors.

When those doors open, around midday, she pauses and looks up from her work. Another handmaiden walks in and curtseys gracefully before announcing the visitors who trail in her wake. “My Lady, may I present the Great Knights Ogrim and Isma.”

“Excellent,” the White Lady says, setting aside the report. “Thank you, Agerata, you are dismissed.” Agerata curtseys again and departs, leaving the Knights to stand alone before their Queen.

“You have my gratitude for coming so quickly,” the White Lady says, rubbing tiredly at the space between her eyes. A mild ache has formed there over the course of the day.

Ogrim and Isma exchange a glance. “Of course,” Isma says cautiously. “No less for you, my Lady. Do you have need of us?”

“Perhaps. But first—“ she gestures to her handmaiden—“Iris, if you would?” The handmaiden pulls two records from a cubby in the wall and hands one to each Knight before returning to the Queen’s side. The office is utterly silent as they read, expressions growing uncomfortable as they realize precisely what the records outline.

Isma finishes first and looks up. “My Lady,” she says haltingly, searching for words, “what...is this?”

The White Lady folds her hand together and offers the Kindly Knight a grave look. “Has the King informed you of his plan? To contain the pestilence?”

“A limited amount,” Isma admits with a shake of her head. “He…described an automaton, a biological creation with no true life, hollowed out to contain the Light. But this…” she trails off, looking back down at the document in her grasp. “This is...unspeakable.” When she raises her face again, desperation is written across every line of her body. “Why would you show this to me—to us?”

“Because I require your assistance in preventing a tragedy,” the White Lady says quietly. “My Wyrm is no longer thinking clearly about this. There is no hope of dissuading him. But I have resolved to rescue my children when they emerge, and spirit them away to these very Gardens, where they might grow in peace and safety.”

Ogrim speaks up for the first time, sounding deeply conflicted. “My Queen...this is treason.”

She sighs at the accusation, though it had lacked any bite. “Perhaps,” she acknowledges. “But I mean no harm to my husband or to Hallownest. I only hope that innocents might be spared and in doing so I might force the King to find another way.” She bends like a burdened sapling, pressing her forehead into the palm of her hand. Her voice drops to a whisper. “Another cost to pay. Anything but this.”

Ogrim and Isma exchange another, longer glance. “Dryya supports you,” Ogrim says, and it’s not a question.

The White Lady raises her head. “Yes. As do my handmaidens—“ Iris nods, boldly meeting each of the Knights eyes— “and my Guard.”

“We stand with our Lady,” the guards at the door say in unison. “We stand with our Lady’s children.”

“Against the King?” Isma murmurs to herself. “Or…” she looks down at the document. “...against an act of ill-considered evil?”

“I will stand with you in this,” Ogrim declares suddenly, startling both Isma and the White Lady. He looks to Isma, a silent question communicated between them.

Isma’s answer comes slowly at first, then with growing confidence. “I will stand with you as well, dear Queen. I will stand with you! And I will stand with your children!”

The White Lady exhales, slumping as if a great burden has suddienly been lifted from her shoulders. “Thank you,” she says, pure relief on her face. “Thank you.”

Then her expression turns from relief to determination. “Now come. We have much to prepare for.”

#hollow knight #hollow knight white lady #not an update #qmau worldbuilding #qmau fic #narrative worldbuilding #hk oc: agerata #hk oc: iris #hollow knight loyal ogrim #hollow knight kindly isma #queensguard #queen's handmaidens #qmau

[sothequeensays]

I originally didn’t want to post my char design work here because it’s in “my” style and not the comic style, but I think that’s a moot point by now, so here’s a full lineup. Details below the cut. (Edit: I shouldn’t post things when I’m tired because I do dumb stuff like lable Lily as Tulip. It’s fixed now.)

The Queen’s handmaidens are composed of sisters born from a large clutch, eight of whom became handmaidens, eight of whom became the Queensguard, and ten of whom died before adulthood. The handmaidens operate as the Queen’s assistants, representatives, and agents, and are as likely to run an errand as they are to perform covert operations. Unlike the Pale King, the White Lady has no official livery, though the sisters have all incorporated a white piece into their adornments out of deference to their Lady.

Lily, the eldest of the entire clutch, is both the head of the handmaidens and the second-in-command of the Queensguard, under Dryya.

Agerata is bold and sharp in temperament, serving as a ‘gatekeeper’ of sorts to direct audiences with the Queen. Agerata also serves as the Queen’s ambassador to Deepnest when necessary.

Peony, naturally gentle and nurturing, is most often called upon to tend the Queen’s gardens and pets, as well as deal with children and bugs of nervous temperament.

Tulip is the diplomat of the bunch, sharing both Agerata’s boldness and Peony’s tendency toward measured speech. Tulip serves as the Queen representative in the Pale Court.

Rose is both a seamstress and an armorer, and is responsible for every article of clothing and piece of armor that members of the Queen's court have. Her skill with a needle and hammer translates into a deadly, if underestimated, ability in combat.

Belladonna is the medic, though her temperament could hardly be called gentle. Fascinated with potions and poisons, Belladonna spends much of her free time tending to a private greenhouse full of exotic plants that she uses in experimental potions, poultices, and poisons. She gets along very well with her Queensguard sister Pruna.

Iris serves most often as the White Lady’s secretary, and tends to the Queen’s records. Iris also serves as a backup representative to the Pale Court when Tulip (incidentally her favorite sister) is unavailable.

Calla, the youngest of the entire clutch, serves as a kind of “jack of all trades” among the Handmaidens, though she mostly prefers quiet jobs away from the hustle and bustle of court life.

The Queensguard operate as the White Lady’s security force, under the command of Dryya. Though they don’t have quite the same breadth of training that their handmaiden sisters have, Queensguard members can serve as handmaidens in a pinch. Members of the Queensguard wear off-white armor.

Acer is the most skilled and trusted of the Queensguard, working closely with Dryya and her older sister Lily. Acer also serves as Dryya’s left-hand woman. Loyal to a fault, Acer would even betray the Pale King if her lady asked.

Querca, along with her egg-twin Quercia, serves as the Vanguard to any procession involving the White Lady. Querca is fearless and unyielding even in the face of immense pain.

Pinna, quiet and observant as she is, serves as a forward scout and messenger. Her skills at analysis have also earned her a trusted position as a strategic advisor to Dryya, Lily, and the White Lady herself.

Pruna has a fierce but quiet temper. She is the silent blade in the night, the spy, saboteur, and assassin that Dryya employs to eliminate threats against the Queen before they can act.

Cupressa’s incredible willpower makes her a popular choice for door guard and sentinel. Rumor has it that she once stood vigil over Dryya for 168 straight hours on a mission gone wrong.

Quercia, along with her egg-twin Querca, serves as the White Lady’s vanguard. Quercia is just as fierce and unyielding as her twin, though she tends to be far quieter than Querca.

Larix is the natural-born performer of the sisters and can often be found showing off her unique weapons skills to awed guard recruits.

Cedra is an expert in non-lethal tactics, and often joins her sister Pinna in advising Dryya and the White Lady on tactics and strategy. But don’t be fooled–she’s just as lethal as any other Queensguard member.

#qmau worldbuilding #not an update #queensguard #queen's handmaidens #qmau

[sothequeensays]

I’ve been meaning to make myself a ref sheet for a while, but I also realized some of you might find it useful too, so here’s the sheet I use. I’m preeeety sure you can just use ‘save image’ to get it, but someone tell me if I need to figure out a download link. Here’s two really quick examples of how I use it as well.

#resources #qmau worldbuilding #hk oc: blossom #hk oc: rush #qmau

[sothequeensays]

#hk oc: panacea #qmau #qmau worldbuilding

[aimeelouart]

Some character design work for my comic series over at @sothequeensays

The Queen’s handmaidens are composed of sisters born from a large clutch, eight of whom became handmaidens, eight of whom became the Queensguard, and ten of whom died before adulthood. Four of the eight are pictured here. The handmaidens operate as the Queen’s assistants, representatives, and agents, and are as likely to run an errand as they are to perform covert operations. Unlike the Pale King, the White Lady has no official livery, though the sisters have all incorporated a white piece into their adornments out of deference to their Lady.

Lily, the eldest of the entire clutch, is both the head of the handmaidens and the second-in-command of the Queensguard, under Dryya.

Agerata is bold and sharp in temperament, serving as a ‘gatekeeper’ of sorts to direct audiences with the Queen. Agerata also serves as the Queen’s ambassador to Deepnest when necessary.

Peony, naturally gentle and nurturing, is most often called upon to tend the Queen’s gardens and pets, as well as deal with children and bugs of nervous temperament.

Tulip is the diplomat of the bunch, sharing both Agerata’s boldness and Peony’s tendency toward measured speech. Tulip serves as the Queen representative in the Pale Court.

Not pictured are Rose, Belladonna, Iris, and Calla.

#hollow knight #hollow knight oc #character design #QMAU stuff #the queen mother au #hk oc: lily #hk oc: agerata #hk oc: peony #hk oc: tulip #digital art #qmau worldbuilding #aimeelouart #my art

[aimeelouart]

More character design for @sothequeensays

The Queensguard is composed of sisters born from a large clutch, eight of whom became handmaidens, eight of whom became the Queensguard, and ten of whom died before adulthood. Four of the eight are pictured here. The Queensguard operate as the White Lady’s security force, under the command of Dryya. Members of the Queensguard wear off-white armor.

Acer is the most skilled and trusted of the Queensguard, working closely with Dryya and her older sister Lily. Acer also serves as Dryya’s left-hand woman. Loyal to a fault, Acer would even betray the Pale King if her lady asked.

Querca, along with her egg-twin Quercia (not pictured), serves as the Vanguard to any procession involving the White Lady. Querca is fearless and unyielding even in the face of immense pain.

Pinna, quiet and observant as she is, serves as a forward scout and messenger. Her skills at analysis have also earned her a trusted position as a strategic advisor to Dryya, Lily, and the White Lady herself.

Pruna has a fierce but quiet temper. She is the silent blade in the night, the spy, saboteur, and assassin that Dryya employs to eliminate threats against the Queen before they can act.

Not pictured are Quercia, Cupressa, Larix, and Cedra

#hollow knight #hollow knight oc #qmau worldbuilding #qmau stuff #the queen mother au #qmau characters #hk oc: acer #hk oc: querca #hk oc: pinna #hk oc: pruna #digital #character design #aimeelouart #my art