In nature there's no blemish but the mind
None can be called deformed but the unkind
None can be called deformed but the unkind
The Unquiet Grave is a web novel by VineLightnote , and the fifth entry in the Lonely Dreams Cycle. It can be read here
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In London, the 19th century, the city is rocked by terrifying murders as Hardestadt Delac, Eliza Cortly and Grete Ravenhallow race to uncover a mystery while keeping perhaps all of London from suffering a horrific fate worse than death at the hands of the mysterious Scarlet Saint.
Tropes present in this work:
- Affably Evil: Akhenaten is impeccably polite despite being a life-draining mummy compelled to drain the lives of others to keep his own intact, even to the point of repeatedly apologizing for his actions and (rather forced) alliance with Ruthven.
- All the Other Reindeer: John Blake, the Creature, is disliked by most due to his patchwork, undead appearance.
- Artificial Human: Or Seer, rather: John Blake, or Adam Caliban, is a patchwork of human bodies bound together by the brain of a deceased Seer, a condition that causes him no shortage of misery. He ends the story fully overcoming this trope, with his body destroyed and his mind essentially one with the Nocturne's.
- Big Bad: The mysterious Lord Silas Ruthven, the uncle of Carmilla Karnstein is the primary antagonist of the story.
- Birds of a Feather: Grete and Carmilla are both lovers of poetry and drama, being quite kindred spirits.
- Body Horror: Ruthven's master plan is built entirely off of this. To fuel his ritual to transform Hardestadt Delac into a god he calls the Scarlet Saint, Ruthven intends to twist every person in London into a living cathedral of agonized, merged human beings, the agony of which will fuel his deification spell. He attempts similar experiments earlier in the novel, to disturbing effect:The humans before them, living beings of flesh, bone and blood were stitched together, their bodies stretched and pulled beyond all mortal limits, threaded until none could not tell where one screaming, agonized being ended and another began. They had been pulled all around the room, forming a macabre tent of flesh, bound by stitching of shadow that seemed to pierce them all through. Spires of shadows rose, bodies of the teachers suspended, impaled so the inky black spikes jutted from their mouths, the eyes seeking help as the bodies vainly twitched.
- Call-Back: The Consultant delivers this to Ruthven as a parallel of what Nyarlathotep told Coyte in Sangue Serenissima.All I want is to hear you scream.
- Calling the Old Man Out: John Blake seeks to give a denouncement to his 'father' Wulfenheim.
- Contrasting Sequel Protagonist: Lord Silas Ruthven serves as first to the villain of Sangue Serenissima, Eliphas Coyte, even to the point of pointing out as such in-story. The two of them both harness monsters from the City for their plans (the Writhe for Coyte, and the Nocturne for Ruthven), but while Coyte keeps the Writhe and its sub-realm literally tethered to his hideout Ruthven merely "borrows" the Nocturne. Both seek the power of gods, but while Coyte intends to become one, Ruthven intends to create one, and while Coyte has degenerated to something less than human Ruthven is a fiend in human form. The ultimate parallel comes in their final fates; Coyte makes the mistake of pissing off Nyarlathotep, who neglects to save Coyte from the Ending Eye at a crucial moment. Ruthven pisses off Nyarlathotep's thematic counterpart, the Consultant, resulting in him being dragged off for a horrible fate.
- Disposable Sex Worker: The Ripper's victims are prostitutes, but subverted in that their deaths are treated with gravity, horror and Eliza vows to remember them as the women as they were rather than just sensationalized victims. Their spirits also assist in Ruthven's final defeat.
- Dragged Off to Hell: Ruthven's final fate is dragged into the depths of the City by the Consultant of Shadows for a horrific end.
- Due to the Dead: Hardestadt and Eliza ensure the victims are treated with respect and buried properly.* Eldritch Abomination: The Nocturne is a beast of the City Of Never, and one of the most powerful, being a gigantic batlike monstrosity.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Akhenaten is a life-devouring mummy who was willing to sacrifice many to create a god of his own, but he's revolted by Ruthven.
- Fate Worse than Death: Ruthven ends the story trapped in the City of Never and caught by the Shadows' Consultant who drags him off for 'entertainment' purposes.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Despite working with vampires and mummies, Wulfenheim does not believe in the supernatural to any great degree, deciding that all must have some logical explanation.
- Foregone Conclusion: Grete falls in love with a mysterious woman named Carmilla during this story, which takes place during the 1880s. Grete's soulmate ends up being the kitsune Kasumi from A Conspiracy of Serpents onward. Unfortunately, this in the end entails Carmilla's death.
- Grave-Marking Scene: Grete's final scene is visiting the grave of Carmilla, referencing the song, 'The Unquiet Grave' and promising to remember her lost love.
- Greater-Scope Villain: As Nyarlathotep serves as this to Sangue Serenissima, the Shadows' Consultant is this to The Unquiet Grave. While it stays out of the story's affairs directly, its and the City's influence can still be felt overhanging the story through the Nocturne, a City-beast Ruthven nabs. At the end, the Consultant drags Ruthven off for some "entertainment" for having nabbed the beast to begin with.
- Happily Married: Hardestadt and Eliza have a cover of being married nobles, even though they are not legally married. Despite this, they are a committed and loving couple.
- Heel–Face Turn: Both Akhenaten and Carmilla resolve to work against Ruthven behind his back, and the two of them manage to secretly ally with the heroes to screw over Ruthven at a crucial moment.
- Her Heart Will Go On: Grete is devastated by losing Carmilla but ends the story promising to go on and never forget her.
- Heroic Sacrifice: John Blake seems poised to make one, guiding the Nocturne's sub-realm from crashing into London at cost of his body, though he projects his mind into the Nocturne's as it escapes.
- I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Inverted. Ruthven had Carmilla transformed into a vampire by paying another vampire. he proceeded to grind her will down until she was dependent on him before he had her turn him once he had perfected certain spells to deal with vampiric weaknesses.
- Interspecies Romance: Carmilla, a vampire, in love with Grete, a werewolf.
- Jack the Ripper: A major villain in the story is Jack himself and the mystery behind his killings. He's a patsy of the real Big Bad, a tragic soul named Sir Aubrey whom Ruthven turned to his own service.
- Lesbian Vampire: Carmilla Karnstein, of course, is a vampire who only has eyes for women. Unlike the original novel, however, her care for Grete is portrayed as genuine and not predatory.
- Life Drinker: How Akhenaten's powers work, sustaining his life by feeding off the lifeforce of others.
- Mad Scientist: Edgar Wulfenheim is an Expy of Dr. Frankenstein who experiments on corpses to conquer death.
- Magic Music: The Nocturne's song has magical properties, compelling others and blotting out Seer powers.
- Redemption Equals Death:
- Akhenaten dies as price for turning against Ruthven, but he is allowed to pass onto the next world during his judgment for his actions.
- Carmilla sadly fades away to ash without Ruthven's protection after she breaks free of her uncle's influence and helps to destroy him with Grete and Eliza.
- Serial Killer:
- Jack the Ripper, of course, is loose in London in 1888 and the killings scandalize Victorian society.
- Silas Ruthven is as wicked a killer as they come, frequently ingratiating himself to victims and killing those around them.
- Even Carmilla is compelled to kill those she cares about more often than not, often draining her victims to death.
- Shout-Out: There exist numerous to contemporary Victorian literature and theater in the time:
- Grete is in the leading role of Theatre/Othello, and the story ends with a quotation from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- Atop repeatedly quoting old English poetry, both Grete and Carmilla express a mutual love in the writer "Michael Field" (which becomes something of a historical bonus considering Grete and Carmilla's relationship).
- The circumstances of the creation of artificial Seer John Blake is a clear homage to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
- Many characters borrow their names from contemporary novels, such as Aubrey and Ianthe, and Carmilla herself from Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. Silas Ruthven is a twofer; he borrows his name from The Vampyre, and his first name, Silas, references Uncle Silas'', Le Fanu's previous novel.
- Poetry, especially from the romantics, frequently features, and Eliza, Blake and Carmilla quote John Clair, William Blake, John Keats and others.
- The Soulsaver: A dark example. Ruthven seems to turn Hardestadt into his god, the Scarlet Saint, so that Hardestadt will save his soul from damnation, allowing him to commit murder and atrocity to his heart's content.
- Tortured Monster: Akhenaten is a mummy who despises his undead nature and sucking the life from others. Carmilla is a vampire tormented by the lives she's taken, but fears damnation too much to stop her actions.
- Tragic Villain: Carmilla herself is a blood-drinking monster by no want of her own. Ruthven twisted his niece into a monster on a seeming whim, forcing her to drink the blood of innocent men and women and even forcing her to devour those she loves. By the events of the story, Carmilla is almost at the point where she thinks she's beyond saving.
- Turned Against Their Masters: Both Akhenaten and Carmilla contrive a plan to help bring Ruthven down.
- The Vamp: Carmilla is a tragic deconstruction of this. Carmilla has used her looks and her wiles to sneak into the hearts of her victims—except Carmilla doesn't want to kill anyone and is being forced to do so by Ruthven, who himself has a predilection for getting close to his victims before dealing the killing blow.
- Wealthy Philanthropist: Hardestadt and Eliza are loaded beyond measure, but use most of it to help others. Eliza runs a soup kitchen for people who need it, even if not all of them are grateful.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Strangely, Akhenaten refuses to hurt children when it would be in his advantage to do so. This trait turns out to be the major deciding factor that allows him to pass on into the afterlife.
