The Old Empire

Common name for the Great Celestial Empire which at its height covered pretty much all of Ettrea plus lands south of the Celestial Sea and lands north of the Caltsee . The name Old Empire is used to distinguish the Great Celestial Empire from the The Great and Holy Celestial Empire (the New Empire).
The Old Empire lasted for thousands of years, and its origins are shrouded in mystery. Conventional scholarly wisdom holds that the empire was founded by High Elves with the help of the Celestial Pantheon shortly after the New Gods came to Ettrea.
The Old Empire ended in the chaos following The Ruination - the cataclysm that destroyed its capital city, Tanurel and killed most of the empire's ruling class. After the thirty year Anarchy that followed, the New Empire emerged, claiming to be the revival of the Old.
The Old Empire was dominated by High Elves for its entire history. In its earliest times, only Elves could be citizens. All of the emperors were High Elves, and most of the nobility, at least until the coming of Humans into Ettrea late in its history.
Major conflicts involving the Old Empire include Mountain War and The War of the Elves and the Giants.