The Celestine Empire

The Celestine Empire is infamous for being the most ostentatious of the Core Empires, and is the only empire ruled directly by a woman.

History
Legend has it that the ancient Yatu druid tribes made contact with celestial beings from beyond the tides, making with them foul pacts to become powerful warlocks. These warrior priests led their people up until the Caelestus Wars of 6,500 BCE, when the Old Empire began their crusades against them led by the legendary Legate Ionus. Each tribe was crushed individually and made to betray their former kinsman with promises of amnesty; the cheifs of these "traitor" tribes became new Clerics and Lords from which many current Celestine nobles claim to descend.

During the reign of the Old Empire, Celestine territory provided a great deal of wealth and culture, with their Bard's Colleges famous even today for their Avant-Garde music, songs, stories, and art. As allies and servants they proved unreliable; the Celestines were always suspected by Tanis of playing multiple sides and tended to favor action that was most politically convenient. However, they contributed a high number of documented Frumentarii in addition to many advanced seige technologies, such as their famous rockets.

In 2,000 BCE the Old Empire partitioned itself, and the Celestine Clerics used every ounce of political captial they had to ensure their large territory and secure influence. Even so, the Celestine partition was especially active during the Partition Wars on all sides of every conflict, profiting in any way it could. The armies of the Celestine Clerics played a key role in the final assault on Tanis, and they were quick to declare independence as well as dissolve into infighting.

When the Age of the Core Empires began, the Lord of Chateau recognized that Celestine infighting would lead only to ruin and domination at the hands of the Barons and Kesh. He called upon all the Lords, Kings, Princes, and Clerics of the land to join him in a specially built palace to present and argue their family bloodlines. Here, at the modern Maison d'Aieux, or the House of Ancestry, the hierarchy of the Estate and the Celestine Empire was born.

United by their confidence after the successful Partition Wars, and profiting greatly from the fall of the Old Empire, the Celestine Empire spent over 1,000 years expanding their borders and successfully waging wars against all of their neighbors. However, the Alfax people of Huss had grown massively discontented over the millenia, and the wealthy Zechshelm family led them in multiple revolts that eventually toppled the local Dumat governor. This lead to the Alfax Wars of Independence, from which the Celestines lost Ostburg, and eventually Chateau was itself under seige. The Emperor and the Estate agreed to the Alfax terms, and as a final embarassment, the new Kaiser declared himself Emperor and Protector of the Alfax people on the battlefield outrside the Celestine capitol.

Culture and Society
The lands of the Celestine Empire are famous for flowery language, poetry, art, song, and romance. Chateau is widely regarded as the world leader in fashion, and hungry artists from all over the Core stalk the streets night and day waiting for one of the legendary Bard's Colleges to convene. The nobility's unending lust for the latest and greatest trends fuels creativity, and even the savvy Kaiser Zechshelm struggles to keep up.

Celestine noblepersons claim to be descended from Gods, so they must act and dress the part. Ostentatious outfits and constant peacocking ensure the peasantry don't understand or relate to the upper class one bit. Peasants cherish tall tales and enjoy an occasional bout of one-uppsmanship in storytelling. The merchant and middle class happily pay a premium to see the latest and greatest stage plays, comedies, operas, and symphonies.

Celestine-made goods can usually be counted on the be of a good quality, but have a reputation for being form-over-function.

Government and Structure
Local mayors and lords are under the jurisdictions of magistrates, who in turn are appointed by more regional counts and viscounts, who report to powerful urban-based governors, who in turn swear direct fealty to their emperor, currently Empress Zurie. The Empress technically enjoys complete control over all aspects of government, but only occasionally exercises it- virtually all decisions made by any official are wrung out by gossiping nobles and overly politicized newspapers. Most duties fall to directly appointed advisors drawn from the upper echelons of the nobility known as the Estate.

Military
Drawing from a population of 80,000,000 the armies of the Celestine Empire are capable of fielding a maximum of 7,000,000 troops. Conscription notices are sent out when needed across the empire, and volunteers are sought aggressively. Celestine recruits are put through lengthy training and taught the finer points of war and soldiering, and are considered to be of good quality.

Celestine military doctrine emphasizes offense, rapid deployment, and movement. Musketeers are taught to fire and move aggressively with little regard for supplies. Heavy infantry and cavalry are used extensively to breach enemy lines, with skirmishers and light, faster forces expected to race through gaps and cause routs.

The border between the Celestine Empire and the Alfaxmos Imperium is one of the most violent in the Core Empires. Soldiers are constantly rotated out of the near daily skirmishes to maximize the army's overall battle experience.

Economy
The Celestine Empire is mostly agrarian, with more farmland and orchards than any of the other Core Empires. Celestine colonies produce large quantities of gemstones, essentium, precious metals, saltpeter and gunpowder, and many exotic chemical ingredients. Culturally, the Celestines have touched every corner of the Core with song, stories, architecture, and other forms of art. Celestine chefs in particular tend to be household names. Celestine food, wine, cutlery, cookware, paintbrushes and other artisan tools, musical instruments, clothing and textiles, muskets, medium armor, and heavy weapons are renowned for quality and are highly sought after.

Average salary is ~900g per month.

Diplomatic Relations
The Celestine Empire enjoys strong trade ties and warm relations with its allies Kesh and the Barony.

Because of the distance between the two powers, the Kingdom of Dumat is of little concern to Celestine nobility, although they are technically enemies.

The Alfaxmos Imperium is the Celestine Empires historical rival and enemy. While not officially at war, diplomatic relations are hostile. Celestine diplomats fill their condescending missives with smarmy insults and aggressive Celestine generals encourage constant skirmishes and harrassment of Alfaxmos border guards.

Post-Coalition War
The Celestine Empire was hit hard by their loss in the war. The city of Jobert was nearly leveled in the last few months of the war and most of the heaviest fighting happened well within the borders of their territories. The ever bitter rival of the Imperium, the loss was not been taken well, and the country has been covertly meddling in their colonies for unknown reasons since.

As the Imperium has been feeding aid to Tethar, the Celestines have been funneling resources to Ashburn Sound, forming a proxy war, to temporarily sate their resentment.

It has also been noted that the Celestines are fortifying their shared border with the Imperium and people worry that the Celestines are readying to strike back to reclaim their lost honor and out of sheer spite.

Major Cities
Chateau

Castille

Jobert

Port Au Jean

Characters
Empress Zurie

Pierre