Her Imperial Highness Salonia Imperation
The Empress of Turelion & Kelbonnar
The Empress of the Empire of Turelion, Her Imperial Highness Salonia Imperation is the wife of the currently ruling Emperor Belliotrix IV. Never content to be an Emperor’s spouse in the old model of the role, Salonia is renowned for her forthright opinions and active participation in the cut and thrust of politics. Her open interest in statecraft has often brought her into conflict with her husband and it is whispered that she is even the rallying point of opposition against many of the Emperor’s policies within the Imperial Court.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Unsurprisingly for one who would grow up to be the Empress of the Empire of Turelion, Salonia Mortiana Vespasianii was born into a life of privilege. Her early upbringing was similar to that of many children of aristocratic families in the Empire of Turelion and she along with her four brothers existed in the never ending rotation of visits they were led on by their parents between the various estates across Turelion Province and Ultaru Province that the extended Vespasianii Family family called home.
Though it was identified early that Salonia had a quick and sharp intellect, the tutors who accompanied the family on their travels found her hard to control and reported that she had a natural disdain of authority and structure. She became even more difficult to manage whenever her immediate family stayed in one of the Vespasianii’s many country estates, as she was forever skipping lessons to go out horse riding and hunting for birds and small game. Matters came to a head, however around Salonia’s 14th birthday, when her mother, who had clear political and marital ambitions for her only daughter decided that Salonia needed a firmer hand in her educational life.
For the next four years, Salonia was sent to live with the Daughters of Astartes in their monastery nestled deep in the foothills of the Spears of Astartes Mountains. There she was subjected to a rigorous curriculum of physical activity, study, military training and an unending procession of religious services dedicated to the patron deity of the Empire. These were dark days in Salonia’s life and she deeply resented the loss of her freedom, which initially led her to fight back against the oppressive system imposed by the sisters, which led to even greater curbs to her independence being enforced. However, eventually she learned the most important lesson that the Sisters of Astartes never intended to teach her, that through feigned compliance and even feigned embracing of a system, one can be given the freedom and find the means to twist it to one’s own ends. Having entered the order as one of its most reviled, she left at the age of 18 and her coming of age as one of its most celebrated students.
Instead of returning to the itinerant life of her early childhood, Salonia was taken to be based permanently in the Vespasianii's palatial compound in the city of Meltaro, where it was hoped that she would find an appropriate suitor amongst the eligible bachelors of the Imperial Court. After two years of parading around the high aristocratic social circles, with its tea parties, theatre trips and state banquets and after many rebutted proposals by unworthy men, she hit the jackpot and received a proposal from Belliotrix , son of the then Emperor Annunziata II.
The two married and welcomed a daughter, Belladonna six years after Belliotrix was crowned Emperor of Turelion following his mother’s untimely death at the hands of assassins from the Nova Norgantho. However, there’s has not been a happy marriage. As with many aristocratic betrothals in the Empire of Turelion, marriages of politics have many problems. Whilst for the most part Salonia and Belliotrix remain civil towards one another they have had rather spectacular clashes, with Salonia, safe in her position as Empress able to forcefully express her opinions on matters that displeased her, often vocally challenging the political direction and policies of the Emperor. As the years move on and Bellotrix’s health wanes, the amount of times when Salonia chooses to see her husband outside of official events has dwindled as she focuses her attention on securing the political future of her daughter, who will eventually become the next incumbent of the Imperial Throne.
Education
As a daughter of one of the most influential families in the Empire of Turelion, Salonia was educated to a high level, both by private tutors and by the Daughters of Astartes, a religious order dedicated to the Divines Astartes, the god of war, who also provide a rigorous militaristic education to young ladies of upstanding families, who are regarded as being too wild, uncouth or undisciplined.
Social
Family Ties
Salonia’s family, the Vespasianii as one of the most wealthy and influential families in the Empire of Turelion give her key connections to all manner of influential people within the Imperial system and beyond the Empire’s borders. Her maiden name also allowed her to enter the Imperial Court upon her marriage to His Imperial Majesty Belliotrix IV with a substantial amount of political cache, to which she has only added over the years.
Obviously, Salonia’s marriage to the Emperor of Turelion Belliotrix IV gives her a direct link to the Imperial Family and the important persons of state who are part of it. Primarily this includes her brother-in-law His Holiness Marcus Imperation, the current Arch Priest of Astartes and her sister-in-law Her Grace Juliana Caesarii who provides a connection through marriage to the powerful Caesarii Family, and the Imperial Order of Knights through her husband who has been appointed the Knight Commissar. There is also a direct, though less advantageous connection through Belliotrix to His Grace Gaius Imperation, her husband’s youngest brother, though there is no love lost between them and Salonia is highly vocal in her opinion of Gaius as an expensive waste of space.
It is believed that soon, Salonia will gain another branch of important family links. As Belladonna, her daughter has recently come of age, the time for Salonia and her husband to search for a suitable marital match is upon them, a task that Salonia will doubtless give very careful thought to, hoping to ensure the most advantageous political outcome for her and her daughter as possible.
Religious Views
Like all members of the Imperial Family, Salonia is an active participant in the services and ceremonies that the Imperial Church of Astartes runs throughout the year, though no one would be tricked into thinking that she is a particularly devout adherent.
In fact, she is an open adherent of the Divine Wresmella and the Empress often goes out hunting expeditions with her retinue that lead her far from the capital Meltaro, sometimes even beyond the borders of the Empire of Turelion in the name of and in worship of Wresmella. Salonia’s divergence from the expected norm in this regard is tolerated by the fact that the Divines Astartes and Wresmella are husband and wife, which therefore makes it hard for the Imperial Church to condemn such worship without potentially drawing the ire of their patron deity.
Social Aptitude
Unlike her husband Belliotrix's calm and careful manner with words, Salonia is renowned for being a passionate and forceful orator a skill that she puts to regular use arguing for or against political campaigns as she sees fit. Her fiery oratory is coupled with a bravery, which some would call foolhardiness, allowing her to stand up and speak her mind to anyone, including the Emperor himself. On one notable occasion she is recorded as having told King Lucian Dalathan of Thaleros, in no uncertain terms how unacceptable the recent agreed trade deal between the two nations was, an event that narrowly avoided becoming a diplomatic incident.
Wealth & Financial state
As a member of the Imperial family and spouse of the Emperor, Salonia is in the fortunate position of not having to concern herself with the minutiae of budgeting as everything that she could wish for is provided for her and she is able to access the vast funds made available by the Imperial Bureau for the use of her husband and his family. Salonia is also fortunate in that as the daughter of a wealthy aristocratic family, the Vespasianii she is able to access substantial sums of money through her family as well. Whilst she does not make use of this additional source of capital regularly, it is a useful avenue to go down when the Empress wishes to make certain payments for goods and services harder for the accountants in the Imperial Bureau to trace and potentially report back to the Emperor on.
Species
Ethnicity
Currently Held Titles
Date of Birth
34th of Trelltal
Year of Birth
531 DW
43 Years old
Birthplace
Family
Children
Current Residence
The Grand Imperial Palace
Gender
Female
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Black, afro hair
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Mid to dark brown with a clear complexion.
Height
Around 6’1”
Weight
Around 120 lbs
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Comments