Matthew Palmer

**Matthew Palmer**is a main character in *War.* He returned as a featured character in "A Bell Cast In Iron."

In terms of the series narrative, Matthew Palmer is a soldier of Vulpus during the War. He is the unknown brother of Crown Princess Victoria Vixen, serving as a page in her charge until her death, after which he was left in the Vixen Queen's employ. He was then drafted into the War and became a soldier intent on stopping the unstoppable Vulpus army. He was instrumental in the destruction of the Vulpus Dam, and helped lead the first organized resistance to Vulpine rule in Cartonia.

## Appearances

### *War*

Matthew debuted in the premiere episode "Winter of Discontent" as a page to Queen Vixen VII. He had come to Vista, Vulpus, in 706 as a young fox in service to Crown Princess Victoria Vixen. After her death in December 707, Matthew was retained at the Rook of Vulpus as a member of the Vixen Queen's staff. He could instantly see something sinister within the Vixen Queen, and abhorred working for her. In "The Lamps Are Going Out," Matthew watched the Vixen Queen present newborn Violetta Vixen as the Crown Princess of Vulpus. Months later in February 709, the Harmony Crown as an institution was dissolved but the Crown itself went missing. Matthew had secretly smuggled the Crown out of Vista.

By 711, Matthew had been drafted into the Vulpine army. In "In the Trenches of Despair," Matthew was stationed in Capet, Mallardia. Abhorrent to the Vulpine cause, he did not share the zeal of his fellow soldiers. He requested a furlough to care for his ailing mother and traveled to his hometown of Verdant Cliffs. His parents, Tom Palmer and Sunny Palmer, lived alone after the death of their daughter and their son's move to Vista. It was in his hometown that Matthew stashed the Harmony Crown, unbeknownst to everyone.

Matthew continued to rise through the ranks of the Vulpine army, achieving Captain status by 716. In "Lest We Forget," Matthew was stationed in Yefoxerinburg in the House of Intended Design. There, he helped supervise the captivity of the Mus Royal Family. He sympathized with the captured royal family, and tried to ameliorate their stay. However, he was unable to halt their execution. He purposefully avoided the House that night, disagreeing with the actions of Vulpus.

Matthew became a Sergeant in the army by 722, and was deployed to the marshes of Phantine during the siege of "Blood for Blood" to assess whether or not the fight could continue. Having already decided to steamroll the Summer Sun at every opportunity, he was finally able to use his influence to give the Granite Bloc time to recover. He called off the siege and ordered a full retreat from Phantine.

Lieutenant General Matthew Palmer, now second-in-rank in the Vulpine Army, merged the northern and southern Summer Sun fronts in 725 in "Pro Patria Mori." His outlook on life had only become bleaker over the years and he wondered in reflection if he had done more harm than good in trying to stop Vulpus alone.

Matthew returned home to his parents in July 725, now promoted to General. His parents detested his army service, but understood the necessity behind it. Matthew reminisced inside his sister's room, and revealed that his sister was Victoria Vixen. His parents were in actuality Vora Vixen and Brock West, who had fled Vista on the day of Victoria's birth. They had gone to hide their daughter from the turmoil of the royal family. This in effect made Matthew a Prince of Vulpus. Matthew had dutifully served at his sister's side when the two went to Vista after Victoria was proclaimed Crown Princess. Her death had caused a great loss for the family. During Matthew's visit home, he showed his parents the buried Harmony Crown, hidden over a decade prior. On their orders, he reburied it. Only the three of them knew of its location. His mother read him a letter to Vora from Jacquetta Lazoy, who knew that the family had survived. She warned of an escape from Cartonia and begged for Matthew's help in ensuring its success. Matthew agreed, and returned to Vista.

Matthew realized the foretold escape was occurring in "Bless My Homeland." A report of unlicensed vehicles traveling near the Vulpus Dam was delivered to his desk on November 10, the night before the escape. Matthew deduced the group would attempt to flee through the bell-mouth spillway of the Vulpus Dam. Despite Matthew keeping this information to himself, the report was also sent to other high-profile figures, who tipped off the Vixen Queen to a potential act of sabotage at the Dam. Matthew went to the Dam with the Vixen Queen and headed to the control room, where he stopped foxes from slaughtering Diana Loudoun, the only member of the five-person control room team not to die in the attack. As the Vixen Queen and her army slaughtered the passengers, Matthew convinced Diana to open the Upper Dam, which would flood the Lower Basin and kill the Vixen Queen and her army. Together, Matthew and Diana split the Upper Dam, which caused irreversible structural damage to the Middle and Lower Dams. The entire Dam complex collapsed and one of the waste receptacles escaped on the flood. The deluge killed the Vixen Queen, her army, and any passengers remaining in the Dam basin. Diana and Matthew left as the only survivors. Together, they formed the first organized resistance to the Vulpus Empire.

Matthew became the #1 Most Wanted Fugitive in the Vulpus Empire, but he was never captured. His fate is unknown.

### "A Bell Cast In Iron"

Mathew returned for a surprise featured appearance in the 2021 Christmas Special "A Bell Cast In Iron." He was credited as **The Stranger** in the episode's trailer as well as on the episode's page. In the episode, set during Christmas 776, Matthew Palmer had been on the run for over fifty years. He remained the most wanted fugitive in Vulpus, along with Diana Loudoun who had unknowingly died two decades prior. Matthew was still in possession of the Harmony Crown and had converted it in some way, bequeathing the Crown and its secret to Hamish McRory, a fellow revolutionary. Matthew's appearance had been drastically altered over the years to avoid detection. He left Hamish with the message that he was heading to Vista to build a resistance to the Vixen Queen. His ultimate fate remains unknown.

## Character

### Namesake

Both of Matthew Palmer's names were randomly selected at the time of writing. His real surname, Vixen, is a female fox.

## Trivia

* Matthew was created to be the brother of Victoria Vixen, as the author thought the reveal would be a surprise to readers. Matthew's character expanded during the writing process and eventually became one of the author's favorites.