I'm hopelessly behind on Lore24-entries. While starting off strong in January, home stuff and work stuff intervened and slowed down my posting. So this week, expect a few larger articles to appear on this blog to make up for that loss.
Looking back on the entries for January, all these posts are kind of "foundational", laying the groundwork for the worldbuilding to come. I have been calling it "Genesis January". Entries on the various cultures and peoples of Aedes (the name of the world), some historical background on the origin of the Sovereignty (the name of the federation/empire of humankind dominating the campaign area), and a smattering of religious lore. As this project continues, eventually I will compile the entries in a sort of encyclopedia or index page.
If last month was "Genesis January", this month will be "Faction February", with details on the various groups, organizations and blocks vying for power and influence both in plain view of and behind the Golden Throne, as well as the people that comprise them.
So as we head into Faction February, let's start off with that centuries-old institution itself:
The Golden Throne
When humankind fled the Fallen Lands, their former Paradise, in the Exodus, the central gathering point for their people was the colony of Aurora. Rising from the eastern shores of mostly untamed land, this city was already a refuge for adventurers, explorers, hustlers and outcasts. Now, the best and the brightest, the heroes of humankind, led their followers here, guided by the Word of Phaeton.
The wisest and most influential of these was Claudus, a devout ecclesiarch of Phaeton and a self-proclaimed visionary. He and his followers claimed a complex of villas on a high hill overlooking the eastern bay and set about restructuring it as a fortified palace. In these dark times following the Exodus, humans from all across Aedes looked for sanctuary, which they found in and around Claudus' palace.
It was there that Phaeton himself appeared to Claudus and his nine most faithful fellow ecclesiarchs. The golden angel radiated law and order, proclaiming that "From this day, to the Last Day, a King of Kings shall rule over these lands." The golden one vanished, and in the place where a moment ago He spoke from, a golden throne now stood. That moment, a millennium ago, marks the start of the Sovereign Calendar.
It is Ecclesiarchic Doctrine that the one seated on the Golden Throne is the direct representative of Phaeton to humankind, His archpriest and His regent. Claudus was the first such Sovereign, and his nine faithful went on to found the first new kingdoms of humankind, each paying respect and homage to the Golden Throne.
Ever since, with the rise and fall of kingdoms, ecclesiarchic principalities, duchies and independent realms, the Golden Throne has stood at the center of an ever-expanding and increasingly complex web of dependencies, fealty, loyalty and might. It is the literal seat of power, granting legitimacy to not only the Sovereign of Aurora but all kings across the Sovereignty. It is the apex of the feudal pyramid, the source of law and the seat of the King of Kings.
In addition to this, the throne itself is believed to be a powerful artifact, imbued with the power of Phaeton Himself. Though none can agree on what kind of spells are woven into it, it is a fact that when seated on the Golden Throne, the Sovereign of Aurora is wreathed in a celestial aura unparallelled elsewhere.
As such, the Golden Throne is a highy coveted prize, the greatest in the land. Kings, High Ecclesiarchs, warlords and wizards have vied for the right to sit upon it. The Sovereignty has had its fair share of insurrections, palace revolutions and court intrigues. The latest resulted in the overthrow of a dynasty, placing Sovereign Rauxes, King of Kings, on the Golden Throne and at the center of Sovereign politics.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten