Whiskers in the Wind: The Scandal Sheet of Stars and Scoundrels
Darlings, if you think the only bona palaver in Elysium or Erebus happens in the streets, you haven’t been listening at the right keyholes! The air’s thick with whispers, and your favorite Catfolk chronicler has been trolling salons, markets, and more than a few secret nooks. Here’s the juiciest gossip about the movers, shakers, and heartbreakers who keep the Victoria system spinning, whether the rest of us are ready or not.
Nova Aurora’s Glitterati
High Councilwoman Marcelina Smirnova (Colonial Alliance)
Word on the cobbles is that the ever-polished Councilwoman’s “midnight meetings” aren’t all about policy, luvs. More than one dapper gentleman (and at least one notorious sky-pirate) has been seen leaving her fancy riverfront drum at dawn, looking a bit rumpled and more than a bit smug. Is she striking secret bargains, or just enjoying her options? They say her office tea set knows more secrets than half the council.
Mayor Olivier Hawkins (Nova Aurora, Colonial Alliance)
The mayor’s hat collection is legendary, but the cackle is about his ongoing “chess rivalry” with Don Bolivar Sangrino. How much city business is sorted over a midnight game, and who’s really losing their dinari? Word is, the mayor’s been spotted with a certain gnome clockmaker after hours, and the hats might be hiding more than a receding barnet.
Don Bolivar Sangrino (Businessman, Nova Aurora, Colonial Alliance)
The Don’s red scarf is as famous as his temper, but tongues are wagging about his latest protégé, a mysterious fetchling palone known only as “Shadowlace.” Is she his new enforcer, or is the Don finally going a bit soft? The Don’s private booth at the Blood Ledger has seen more drama this month than the entire City Council.
Salon Whispers & Society Rumblings
Cecilia Ravenshade (Socialite, Nova Aurora)
The “Queen of the Velvet Salon” is rumored to be hosting secret Thelema gatherings in her penthouse. Last week, a scandalous poem appeared lampooning half the city’s elite, some say penned by Cecilia herself. She denies it, of course, but the midnight laughter from her windows is hard to miss, my dears.
Thaddeus Pike (Sky-Whaler Captain, Annwyn)
Annwyn’s most notorious whaler has been seen slipping out of Perseverance’s Market Hall with Sable Morraine, the timber baroness. Is it trade, tryst, or a plot to corner the oil market? Either way, Pike’s stews have a lot more eavesdroppers these days.
Lady Nikoline Visconti (Dueling Aristocrat, Volantes)
Rumors of a brewing rebellion in Liathor have grown since Lady Nikoline’s “friendly” duel with the Prime Minister’s nephew. Some say it was all a coded message; others natter she’s been spotted chin-wagging with foreign mercenaries in the Skybridge gardens. Her automaton bodyguard, Varric, has been seen at the locksmith’s late at night, what’s he really after?
Erebus: Shadows Behind the Steel
General Gregor Volkov (Astraea Security, Agartha)
The head of Security Operations is famed for his midnight sweeps and iron discipline but lately, he’s been clocked at Agartha’s most exclusive teahouse with a mysterious new pal. Some say Volkov is being wooed by reformers in Astraea, while others reckon he’s on the hunt for an internal traitor. The only thing sharper than his uniform is his patter.
Dr. Min-Jae Hoshino (Vitatech Laboratories, Mictlan)
Dr. Hoshino’s “adaptation project” is all the rage (or terror) among Erebus’s upper crust. But is it true she’s been experimenting on the nippers of rival executives? A certain fleshwarp “nanny” was seen entering her drum last week, and hasn’t been clocked since.
CEO Victor Sheng Falkenrath (Astraea Corp, Agartha)
The Supreme Director’s chilly exterior hides a web of intrigue, kittens. Multiple sources claim he’s been getting “unofficial” shipments from Elysium; maybe rare books, maybe something a bit more naff. Meanwhile, his chief rival Linnea Zhang is rumored to have her own cackle of spies in the Bastion. The last Directorate dinner ended with three resignations and a missing dessert trolley.
Final Pawprints
So there you have it, my beaus and bona omis, the latest from the parlours, alleys, and airship decks of the Victoria system. Who’s plotting a coup, who’s falling in love, and who’s about to have their secrets spilt in the next Cat’s-Eye View? My lips are sealed (for now), but my whiskers are always twitching.
Stay scandalous, Victoria.
– Milosh Cheshire, Catfolk Chronicler, Nova Aurora Daily News