Imperators
The Imperators are the celestial gods of the Welkin. They do not believe in holding power over others in any fashion, therefore they do not have a set leader of their pantheon. Instead, they rely on each other to perform the tasks needed to keep the Welkin running smoothly and help each other out when necessary.
Many of the Imperators often find themselves at odds with planar law, wishing to intervene when their followers within the material plane are suffering. There are rarely cases grave enough that demand their intervention, so the Imperators will have their followers act on their behalf.
On Phoenix, imperatoran worship and temples are quite common. They can be found in all four nations, various Wasteland settlements, even some Cryptlands outposts and city states. Followers of the Imperators are likely to take up wandering and adventuring to seek out those in need and offer aid wherever they can.
Structure
The Imperators are all equal in power and authority. Each is responsible for a different portion of the Welkin.
Imperators Athval, Ephion, Naaos, and Ullith watch over the holy realm of Paradise. They keep Paradise pristinely organized. Everyone who lives there having a set task they must perform. Imperator Athval keeps a record of the goings-on within the realm. Imperatrice Ephion is the architect of Paradise and ensures that its structures will always stand tall. Imperator Naaos offers counseling and medical treatment to any celestials that have been injured. Imperatrice Ullith maintains Paradise's communications with the rest of the Welkin.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Respite which is under the protection of Imperators Allara, Azotl, Hikuni, and Invicta. There are no set roles in Respite as it is a realm based on a balance of independence and teamwork. Each resident of Respite knows to look out for their fellow residents without expecting anything in return.
In between the two is Sanctuary, a realm of introspection and meditation. Unlike Paradise and Respite, Sanctuary has five guardians: Imperators Kagio, Lovara, Olah, Shenfu, and Zita. Members of this realm are more likely to get involved with extra-planar issues than the other two. They believe strongly in redemption and are the most patient of the Imperators.
After an election amongst each of the realms, Imperatrice Olah was given the duty of serving as ambassador for the imperators for the other planes.
History
After the Thousand Year Flood, pantheons across the planes struggled to rebuild their previous homes which were shattered from the war of the gods. The original upper planes were one of the many casualties. As the dust of combat settled, a group of gods decided to work on rebuilding the upper planes together, these gods would become known as the Imperators. They formed the remnants of the previous upper planes into a new plane, the Welkin. This new celestial plane stands as a monument to those who were lost and a reminder of what is possible when others work together.
Once the Welkin was built, the Imperators reached out to their fellow nascent pantheons to offer aid in the creation of their new homes. They were met with mixed reactions. Some appreciated the aide whilst others adamantly denied it. The Imperators learned that not every deity that survived the Thousand Year Flood wanted to band together. Many still harbored a deep resentment towards one another. Though their offers weren’t accepted, the Imperator’s kept them open in case their fellow gods changed their minds.
As time marched on, the Overseers implemented several rigid rules regarding planar interactions. The most important of these laws was the Golden Decree: a law which states that most forms of direct intervention with the affairs of other planes is forbidden unless approved by an agreement from all planar representatives. This meant that the gods could only influence other planes through their followers and indirect actions. Once the Golden Decree was passed, manifestations from the gods on the material plane became few and far between.
In more recent years, animosity formed between the Imperators and the Dominion. This was sparked as a response to Archdominus Serallus who used his vast knowledge of planar law to bend the rules of the Golden Decree. He guides his followers to harm others across the planes without consequence through his loyal praetors and dreadknight orders. The Imperators, angered by this injustice, began guiding their followers to strike back against the Dominion. This has led to a centuries-long cold war between the two planar opposites. Most of the fighting is done through battles in other planes with imperatorans attempting to stop dominites from bringing more cities under their thrall. These constant battles are a source of anxiety to those outside of the conflict, for they fear another planar war and with it another disaster on par with the Thousand Year Flood.
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