Holy Celestine Empire
The Holy Celestine Empire was the most powerful city in the Basin of Life in the time after Kethuru's imprisonment and before the release of the Taint.
History
Founded in the aftermath of the Vernal Wars, when merians built the city of Celest on an island in the middle of the Crystal Sea.
Celest became a political superpower after achieving many historic firsts:
- Celest saw the first guild of mages, the Aquamancers, who were founded to purify the Soulless-polluted waters after the war.
- The Aquamancers were the first mortals to reach the Elemental Plane of Water.
- The Celestines became the first guardians and established contact with the Holy Supernals of Celestia.
- Working together, the Celestines and Aquamancers constructed the Pool of Stars which was the fourth Nexus of Power but the first artificial one.
Though they were not the first organized group of warriors, that honor belonging to the ur'Guard, the Paladins were also formed in Celest after a group of soldiers drank from the Pool of Stars and gained miraculous powers.
Celest's newfound power and stability drew more people to the city than the island could contain. In time, the crowding would lead many to leave to found new cities which became Imperial Protectorates.
The Golden Age of the Holy Celestine Empire would last for 500 years. The empire would end with the troubles brought on by Project Cosmic Hope.
Prominent Rulers
- Nerale I - Ruled during the discovery of the Elemental Planes.
- Nerale VII - Said to have been insane. Eventually, assassinated by his nephew.
- Sinenth I - Ruled during the Nature Wars.
- Ladantine VII - Accomplished illusionist and dreamweaver. Led Project Cosmic Hope and discovered the Astral Plane.
- Princess Marilynth Ladantine - Daughter of Ladantine VII. Became the first and last Vernal God ever raised by the Empire. Destroyed the original Pool of Stars and city of Celest.
Imperial Projects
- Project Touchstone - Mutation of mugwumps into nagasith.
- Project Eternity - Attempt to alter the Throne of Urlach into a vessel for the Light. (See Eternity Labs).
- Project Outreach
- Project Soulforge
- Project Gorgog - Development of the gorgogs to test Astral travel.
- Project Cosmic Hope - First expedition by mortals to bodily visit the Astral Plane.
Government
Celest of old was ruled by an Emperor, likely a hereditary position, along with a body called the Imperial Star Council.
Imperial Protectorates
Gaudiguch, Hallifax, and Magnagora were Imperial Protectorates but each maintained their own separate self-governmental bodies, religious establishments, and sometimes military forces. At the time of Project Cosmic Hope, several other things seem apparent about this arrangement:
- Protectorates could request imperial mediators to aid them when dealing with other nations.
- When Hallifaxian companies ran afoul of the Dwarven Kingdom over mining rights in Angkrag, Hallifax's Board of Governors sought imperial mediation due to the dispute's international nature.
- The Empire may have lacked legal authority to force protectorates to comply with imperial projects.
- Princess Marilynth traveled to each protectorate behalf of the Star Council to build support and obtain permission to use a protectorate's Nexus of Power for Project Cosmic Hope.
- It isn't clear if this was the case throughout the Empire's history or resistance that developed after Project Soulforge.