Ratustain

Ratustain is a fictional world created by the British author Mervyn Peake for his series of fantasy novels, Gormenghast. The world is characterized by a rich, gothic atmosphere, blending elements of medieval society with elements of science fiction. Ratustain is one of the grim, labyrinthine cities within the Gormenghast sequence, and is home to a vast population of diverse creatures.

The city is built into a hillside, with narrow tunnels and winding staircases making up much of the architecture. The structures are made from a combination of stone, wood, and a rare, amber-like substance found only in Gormenghast. Ratustain's landscape is dotted with gardens, greenhouses, and other peculiar structures, creating a unique, idiosyncratic landscape.

Life in Ratustain is marked by a sense of decay and disillusion. The inhabitants are a mix of noble and common-born, all of whom live in a state of resigned complacency. The city's inhabitants seem to exist in a state of arrested development, with relationships and hierarchies being maintained for their own sake, rather than serving any particular purpose. The city is governed by a series of arcane rules and customs, which add to the sense of strangeness.

Ratustain features prominently in Peake's novels, which are notable for their vivid, often hallucinatory descriptions of the world of Gormenghast. The world's atmosphere, which blends elements of myth, fantasy, and modernity, is reminiscent of a Byronic world gone wrong, and Ratustain is one of the key elements of this vision.