Step into the bustling streets of the Baroque or Rococo era, 1700s France; where grandeur meets grime. The grandeur of Versailles looms large in the distance, while the peasants toil in the mud-slicked streets of Paris. Nobility, drenched in excessive perfumes to mask their unwashed bodies, parade in opulent gowns of silk and satin, their towering powdered wigs swaying with each elegant step. The men, strutting in their embroidered justaucorps and heels, demand reverence, their status symbolized by their intricate lace and velvet attire. Beneath the glittering chandeliers of ballrooms, reserved women learn the art of silence, their smiles frozen in masks of decorum.
The stench of poverty is palpable as the river Seine carries filth through the city’s veins, and the peasants are burdened with ever-growing taxes, suffering under the weight of an indifferent monarchy. In the shadow of opulent cathedrals, priests care more for gold and indulgences than the salvation of souls, the church’s coffers brimming while the people starve. And above all, a looming sickness clings to the air, its presence a reminder that in this land of beauty and decay, no one is truly safe. Though… who are you? A nobleman/woman, a peasant, maybe something more depraved like a devout christian with heavy sins? You decide…