Imperial Palace

The Spectacular Seat of the Empire's Power

We have toiled for generations, but have we seen a single cent? No! It has all gone to build the towers of the Imperial Palace higher, raising it towards the sun on our backs! But no longer! Let us sail towards Ilysium, and turn the marble red with imp blood.

— Sayles, by Sagar Pol

The governmental center of the Empire, as well as the house of the current Emperor and his Noble House. The palace is used as a symbol of the Empire as a whole, both as a goal for every citizen and colonist to work towards by the Nobles, and as a sign of the decadence that has tainted the whole of its society, by the Trade Union. Currently, House Avisong resides there, and has for roughly the past 600 years.

Purpose

While technically the center of the Imperial Government, in recent years Emperor Avisong IV has had little direct influence on day-to-day goings on. As such, the only current purpose of the palace is to house the Emperor and his family, and little besides daily shipments of food, water, slaves, and other commodities pass through the gates.
Under previous emperors, the palace was used as a gathering place for the various Noble Houses, both allowing the Emperor to have greater oversight and giving the Noble Head an opportunity for the Emperor's ear.

Architecture

Tall spires and arches made of pure white marble dot the slopes of the mountain. Of the many buildings that make up the palace, most of them are half carved into the mountainside, with long sweeping balconies that jut out to provide grand views of Ilysium. Stained glass is a common decoration, the kaleidoscope mosaics breaking up the gleaming white stone.

History

One of the oldest structures in the Blue, the palace's history can be traced back to as far as roughly 2000 IA. The buildings' form, construction, and purpose have changed, sometimes quite drastically, over the ages, but the major versions are listed here.

Ilysium Age

Before humanity set out across the Blue, the palace was much more of a housing for the entirety of the Imperial government. Noble Houses, which were very different during this time, would all work inside the palace. There are even some archaeological records that suggest that commoners lived in certain sections of the palace during this time.

Purpose

While some functions of the early imperial government were spread out across Ilysium, most tasks were done inside this proto-palace. Each House had their own building, though the majority of the House lived in the towns separate from the palace.

Architecture

A series of simple stone buildings gathered around the base of the mountain. Details are largely unknown, as only the occasional foundation remains from the structures used during this time period.

Colonial Age

During this section of history is when the Noble Houses were pushed out, as more and more space and resources were needed to manage the growing empire. After House Goldrock fell, the administrative headquarters of the Imperial Navy were moved to the palace, in order to help prevent the autonomy from reaching the extreme levels that had previously been granted to them.

Purpose

Focus in the palace shifted from management of Ilysium to management of a larger empire, and where previously decisions were made simply they now had to reference a half-dozen different statistics. The Imperial Archives was formed during this period of the palace's growth, and stored inside the walls until it too was moved elsewhere on Ilysium.

Architecture

With space on Ilysium starting to dwindle, more and more buildings were carved into the mountainside. Large and stocky stone foundations are all that remain from this era of building, but it is assumed that the stone used in the construction was mined from the mountain instead of being shipped from the colonies.

Sorcerous Age

It is during this time period that the Imperial Palace as seen today started to fully emerge, with large quantities of marble shipped from the colonies and shaped by the newly emerging Earthbloods. The last of Ilysiums farms fail during this era, and are replaced by large warehouses that would eventually for the modern day Warehouse Maze that manage the shipments of goods into Ilysium.

Purpose

As the Emperors and their family less and less frequently left the palace, possibly due to the rising tensions between them and House Glesseal, large forums were frequently held inside the walls so that the information and decisions could still reach the man in charge. After the Glesseal Imperial War, this practice was lessened, but still continued.

Architecture

With the discovery of sorcery, improvements were able to be made to the structure of the palace at a much faster and safer rate. Buildings that were too precarious to be built before were constructed, and more and more lavish alterations were made to the existing ones. Marble shipped from the colonies was shaped into seamless walls and towers, and many of the stained glass windows were added.

Industrial Age

As new industry started popping up all over the Blue, Ilysium and the Imperial Palace grew to accommodate it. Refined earthblood techniques allowed for more and more impressive structures to be built, often times on top of existing structures.

Purpose

As technology advanced, new laws were required at a breakneck pace. The Palace employed large numbers of Nobles and Commoners alike simply to keep up with the swarm of new regulations required each and every day.

Architecture

The extravagance and elegance of the previous era only continued to grow during this era, with exorbitant amounts of money spent on metals and semiprecious stones to adorn the already expensive marble that every new structure was made out of.

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General Information

Location: Ilysium
Owner: Emperor Eligius Avisong IV
Owning Organization: House Avisong

Current Notable Residents

• Emperor Eligius Avisong IV
• Queen Petra Avisong
• Princess Vedia Avisong V
• Queen-Mother Dexsia Avisong
• Coquus Avisong
• Soteris Quarto
• Felicius Quarto
• Rusonia Quarto
• Stadus Quarto
• Aelia Verullus
• Laelia Ordius
• Sulpicio Ordius
• Furia Ordius
• Didia Silesius

Famous Rooms

• Throne Room: Rarely used in the modern era, this is still one of the most lavish rooms in the Blue, and was depicted in the portraits of every single Emperor that has survived to the modern day. Its distinct curving pillars give the impression that the throne and its inhabitant are massive, towering over the others in the room.
• Caeruleum Vault: Not actually a vault, this room has been the traditional bedroom of the Crown Prince or Princess of the Empire. Many would-be assassins were stopped by the absolute security this room provides, making it more secure than any of the actual vaults in Fort Ambergard.
• Selxus Aerie: Despite not having housed any selxus in over fifty years, this room is still kept as if Emperor Pius Avisong III's prized pets might return any day. Legends say that at one point the aerie housed over a dozen of the birds, but their extreme asocial behavior makes this hard to believe.
• Sanguine Academy: It is in this room that each princeling or rarely princessling is studied for the capability of sorcery. Wild rumors abound of the things that have happened in this room, from the simple training of a tutor to the draining of various commoner sorcerors to pump their magic blood into the bodies of the Emperors-to-be. House Avisong does its best to dispel the latter rumors, but they persist despite, or maybe because of it.

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