The Condesce


 * This character also operates under the guise of Betty Crocker.
 * For the pre-Scratch version of this character, see Meenah.

The Condesce (pronounced /ˈkɑːn.dɛs/  kahn -dess), is also known by her full title Her Imperious Condescension. She is the Ancestor of Feferi Peixes and the current empress of Alternia during the events of Hivebent, and also held that position during the lifespans of the trolls' ancestors.

She was also the object of Dualscar's flushed ambitions, though it would seem that she did not reciprocate. It is currently unknown as to what relationship the two may have had in comparison to the relationship between Eridan and Feferi, though Mindfang stated in her journal that the Condesce "will never even know his name".

As the Alternian Empress
She was responsible for banishing adult trolls from Alternia after the rebellion of the Summoner, apparently to diminish the risk of rebellions. It is also noted that she has an extensive lifespan and contact to a "deep undul8ing monstrosity" which is later confirmed to be her and Feferi's current/future Lusus, Gl'bgolyb, for whom she competed over with other prospective heiresses that shared her blood color.

She possessed a mental connection to Gl'bgolyb that allowed her to curb the power of the Vast Glub. The farther away she was, the weaker her connection with Gl'bgolyb would be, which weakened her ability to prevent the Vast Glub and at the same time swaying Gl'bgolyb's allegiance towards Feferi.

Her longevity allowed her to live up to and beyond the time of the Reckoning, and she possessed the ability to give others the gift of sharing a lifespan as long as hers with a "touch" (probably tying with Feferi's role as the Witch of Life).

She survived both the Reckoning (due to her absence from Alternia) and the Vast Glub (due to her blood color) and travelled back to Alternia arriving 612 solar sweeps after the Reckoning. Upon her arrival she found her planet in ruins and her race practically extinct, ending her long reign over Alternia. But she would be offered a new purpose.

As English's Servant


She was chosen to replace the Handmaid as 's servant, becoming his "emissary" to the places he is unable to reach himself.

In order to do so she had to kill the adult Handmaid, who had been waiting for this ever since she started to serve English. Ironically, she may have been the one to extend the young Handmaid's lifespan in the first place.

It is very heavily implied she works under the pseudonym Betty Crocker (similar to and ). A few pages into Act 6 Act 1, the Betty Crocker logo was HS 6038 (CHANGED) to the Condesce's Imperial Cypher, therefore practically confirming Betty Crocker's identity as the Condesce.

It should also be noted that Jane as the "heiress apparent to a baked goods empire" is first introduced on "2x3prong day" which presumably relates to the Condesce's strife specibus.

Roxy Lalonde refers to the Batterwitch as a "genocidal alien overlord sea queen", soon afterward, and later as "her condescension" in HS 6389 (this conversation,) suggesting she knows about the connection somehow.



It seems that she has replaced the Black Queen in the post-Scratch kids' session of Sburb as evidenced by HS 6472 (this flash) when she directs the Draconian Dignitary to investigate Dirk Strider's dream self's activity. In that flash, her hand is shown glowing similar to the Handmaid, probably due to the influence of her master. In the said flash, her hair seems to flow much like the tentacles of her lusus. It also appears that she is in possession of the Queen's Ring, and may have killed her for it. It, however, lacks the orbs fourfold, matching Derse's lack of spires to receive prototyping data.

It is implied that her replacing the Black Queen and working under the pseudonym Betty Crocker is her way of serving.

On Post-Scratch Earth
Prior to the events of 2x3prong day, the Condesce hid on Earth between 50-100 years, secretly building up her Crockercorp empire and setting up the planet in preparation for her conquest, the start of which was seen HS 6565 (here). Once she took over, she began establishing a variety of seemingly random and nonsensical laws, such as humans reproducing through donating their genetic material to drones, or artificially changing the color of humans' blood to establish a blood caste system. This was seemingly done to restore the conditions of her rule in Alternia. Though at first the Condesce wanted to HS 6748 (rebuild the troll race), the clones she created began dying off, leading to them being fed to HS 6749 (her "pet"), who was brought on her battleship along with a number of other lusus species. It is possible that, as she bred several of the lusii in secret for a long time, she may have done so using some form of ectobiology (as she likely did with the trolls and humans). This being the case, the monstosity she controls may be a clone of the original Gl'bgolyb, as it apparently has many of its characterisitics and powers.

The Condesce gradually flooded the world through melting of the ice caps, and somehow brought Carapacians to Earth, likely through the powers of her master. Over time, she also managed to hone the psychic skills of certain members of her lost troll society for herself, demonstrating specifically HS 6758 (the symbols of Vriska,Tavros), HS 6773 (Sollux, and Aradia), which could explain her easy conquest of Derse in the Post-Scratch kids session of Sburb.

During her time as Betty Crocker, in the Post-Scratch universe, she raised Jake's grandma and Jane's grandpa. She was especially cruel to them, even rumored to have gone so far as to murder their pet dog. At some point, Grandma left to go on adventures while Poppop remained, growing up to be a comedian. This mirrors the Pre-Scratch universe, where Nanna stayed behind while Grandpa left. Jake's Grandma started her own company as a rival to Crockercorp. To remind and instill the Condesce of her greatest fear, her master, Grandma took on the surname English, and created all sorts of inventions emulating himself. In Grandma's rebellion, however, the Condesce eventually confronted Grandma and killed her for her insubordination. Little is known of the conflict, except that Grandma was wounded by the Condesce's trident and that Grandma was able to get away, only to die from her wounds before reaching home. The Condesce also destroyed Jake's house immediately after Jake discovered the corpse of his grandmother, most likely in an attempt to kill him too.

Pre-Scratch Self
It is hinted that Meenah is the pre-Scratch Condesce.

Trivia

 * The troll writing on her battleship says "Battleship Condescension", which has the same initials as Betty Crocker.
 * Nannasprite refered to Betty Crocker as "baroness", which matches the other eight-letter titles of the ancestors.
 * Mindfang calls her a witch. Feferi's mythological role is the Witch of Life, while Betty Crocker is also commonly known as the "Batterwitch".
 * "Glorious Monarch" is a title of the Black Queen (which the Condesce replaced), which so happens to start with the same letters as "General Mills".