The Selvestine Family

The Royals of the Heartland

"The Selvestine Dynasty had humble beginnings along the banks of the Stin, but they quickly grew to rule over the Heartland: from the Koldovack Mountains to to the South all the way to the Frozen North. After the Unification of the Heartland, Emperor Sampson declared the Selvestine line the only pure royal line in all the Heartland. The Sagens and Quills quickly fell out of favor with the citizens they once ruled over when the Selvestines enacted the Citizen's Charter and today are only mentioned in the Heartland Histories."
-from The Heartland Empire

Structure

The Emperor

The highest position in the family is of course the Emperor, the patriarch of the family, who claims rule over all three provinces of the Heartland Empire.

The Empress

The chosen life partner of the Emperor. This can be anyone the Emperor deems worthy of their affection. With the disbandment of the other royal families of the Heartland following the Unification Wars, royal ties became a thing of the past.

The Highborn

This Highborn is the firstborn son of the Emperor, who is destined to inherit the throne.
Since none of the Emperors wish to break tradition, the Selvestine daughters cannot inherit the throne. This usually leads to the Royal family having children until they have a son who can inherit the throne.

Public Agenda

The Selvestine Family wishes to better the Heartland as a power in Kalder. This includes bolstering military might and strengthening the Heartland economy. However they also work hard to stay in power in the Heartland Empire, constantly tracking down subversive movements within the Empire

Assets

A large portion of taxes in the Heartland go to sustaining the Selvestine Family while the rest go towards maintaining cities and services throughout the Empire. The Selvestine Family also holds the loyalty of the Heartland Military and the Chaotic Academy, which both provide security for the Family and the Heartland as a whole.

History

Pre-Unification

The Selvestine family started out as wealthy land owners in the Western portion of the Heartland. Their influence grew as more and more people flocked to their lands to live and work. When the Selvestine homestead was fully settled by serfs, the City of Stalkeep was established on the shores of the Stin River. Named after the first known patriarch of the family, Stal Selvestine, Stalkeep became the a major social hub for those who lived under the Selvestine rule and also for those who lived in the neighboring kingdoms of Sagen and Quill.

The Unification Wars

By the onset of the Unification Wars in 549, the Selvestine Family, headed by Emperor Sampson, had become a force to be reckoned with; ruling over two cities and commanding nearly 500,000 soldiers in Selvestine Army. King Harlan Sagen felt the wrath of the Selvestine Army first hand when the first part of the Unification Wars began.
By the end of the Wars in 562, the Selvestines were the only Royals left in the Heartland since the Sagens and the Quills were subsequently purged after the wars ended.

The Imperial Golden Age

Emperor Gerard followed in his father's footsteps and led the new Heartland Empire into its Golden Age. The Empire saw multiple advances in weaponry for the military and energy production in cities and small communities with development of Moldavite Power Pylons and The Moldavite Compression Apparatus.

Imperial Southern Conflicts (modern)

When Emperor Dekard assumed the throne, the Sinsain threat in the South had grown more and more pressing and tensions eventually erupted into the Border Wars, which were fought mainly in the frozen lands of The Welderheim Pass in the Koldovack Mountains.

Type

Political, Family

Related Ethnicities

• Heartlandian