Gouache Brush, Requiems, 1787, Oil on Canvas
Reverence|Liturgy|Psalm|Soranus|Elegy|Somber
The following information is publicly available upon request to the Feverfew Historical Society.
The Requiem family were the previous owners of Requiem castle prior to its purchase by Princess Celestia and subsequent refitting into Starswirl’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The school was not the first to bring change to the island, but were only another chapter in it’s ever evolving architecture. The Requiems purchased the western island and added to the castle faux ruins, various imported furniture, several paintings, as well as the the western manor (and with it the historic greenhouse and observatory that are now Lunar and Nocturnal Houses respectfully)
Somber Requiem, her husband, and her five sons inhabited the castle after inheriting it from the patriarch’s side of the family. The family made fast work to bring life and culture to the hamlet nearby. The family was known to contribute to Feverfew Village with the new additions to the castle, especially the gardens, prompting tourism and encouraging commerce. Reverence and Soranus engaged more directly; Reverence a lawyer and judge to Feverfew with Soranus acting as town physician. From what little is known of the Requiem patriarch, he was a collector of artifacts and proudly displayed them in what is now known as the Hall of Memories.
The Requiem family all passed under unfortunate circumstances, presumably leaving no heirs.
A note from FHS: While there are no known documents containing the Requiem patriarch’s name, what little mentions of him that do exist allow us to infer a few things about him. This pony was a collector of artifacts, and was known to store a number of them in what is now known as “The Hall of Memories” within SSSfGU castle.
Various newspaper excerpts can be assembled for a rough timeline in which the youngest twins, Liturgy and Psalm perish with cause unknown, followed by the execution of Soranus for “unspeakable” crimes, Elegy dying by his own hoof after murdering an unnamed mare, and the death of Reverence being announced as the death of a tyrant. Their graves exist within the Lunar Gardens to this day, but the actual family remains entombed within the Requiem Cemetery (née Feverfew Cemetery) at the edge of the island.
Before her death in 1786, Somber Requiem made a number of renovations to the Requiem castle including the construction of her own mausoleum and memorial statue. It’s believed that Somber Requiem constructed the tunnels below the castle that were uncovered by Starswirl’s students in 1863.
A large portion of the Requiems history remains unknown, due largely in part to Judge Reverence Requiem’s crusade to wipe the memory of his father from history. Information is largely scattered, with the most being gathered from information about their relation to Feverfew Village.
“...have deſtroyed the evidence of father’s folly, and have ſcorched his name from Equeſtria with a might perhaps rivaling Celeſtia herſelf. It will be ſeen that none ſhall repeat what he has wrought upon our family, and that the foul taint of the magic will never be allowed to thrive in Feverfew. It is perhaps time to renew again the cruſade of our forefathers, and purge the corruption from the very ſtones of this village. Many proteſt this deciſion, but I have already ſet upon my path. Fire may deſtroy, and many may turn away for fear of the flame, but ultimately, fire cleanſes; I do not fear being burnt.”
-An excerpt of a letter from Reverence Requiem to Somber Requiem
As would be expected, Feverfews relationship with the Requiems had become strained after the rapid descent of the family from being favored members of society into ponies afflicted by a most horrible and murderous madness. Following the prosecution and execution of Soranus by Reverence, the reason being practice of necromantic experiments upon his patients, Reverence rose to judge and began a witch hunt for those suspected of using dark magic in Feverfew, keeping the town in his vicelike grip. It was mid-trial the ponies of the village rose up and murdered the judge, putting a stop to his rampage. Somber remained isolated on the island.
This fear of dark magic continued into Somber, who spent the remaining years of her life using her wealth and exceptional magical prowess to build the castle into a practical fortress of enchantments. Following her death, a large amount of the Requiem's possessions (including paintings) were sold off to a number of different wealthy ponies, though no locals would dare purchase any of the 'cursed' goods. Feverfew largely tried to forget the Requiems, and left the island to waste away until Starswirl’s arrival.
Taking into account the recent discoveries of 1863 and 1864, some have theorized the cause behind the family’s rapid descent was the purchase of a crown for the patriarch’s collection. Said crown was discovered to be hidden underneath the school in 1863 and stolen by Golden Virtue, and witnesses report that it contained an entity pulsing with dark magic. Given the drastic personality shifts within the family members, the theory lends itself credibility.
Exploration of the catacombs showed that the same dark magic present in the remains of what is presumed to be Soranus Requiem. Invigorated by recent events and student curiosity, research has begun into piecing together more of what occurred nearly a century ago. The Feverfew Historical Society have requested documents from the Canterlot Museum of Antiquity detailing the purchase of the crown, but it appears the documents have already requested and lent out to an unknown third party.
