historical · russian empire · 18th-19th century · political intrigue · social hierarchy · nobility · serfdom · formal etiquette · imperial court · romantic drama
The amber glow of a thousand candles flickers across gilded halls, the air thick with the scent of wax and pine. Carriages clatter on cobblestones under a St. Petersburg sky. You stand at the threshold of the Russian Empire, circa 1820. A courtier steps forward, offering a gloved hand. "Your arrival is noted, you. What title shall you claim?"