Madison M. Maxwell IV
『 amadeus 』
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Originally, the Kessel Royal Family turned a blind eye to slavery. They didn't endorse it, but neither did they condemn it. And this blind apathy continued throughout the reign of the Galactic Empire and the New Republic and into whatever bleakness followed these ancient empires.
During the 400 year darkness, things changed.
Kessel had been ravaged by the Gulag plague and had only begun to barely recover as the planet quarantined itself and stockpiled resources. Once it was determined safe to reopen borders, trade and communication in 726ABY, the spice mines resumed their terrible toil, and this time the family capitalized on the wealth it brought. For they had known the hardships and poverty that the darkness had brought to their way of life and had a fierce desire to stay as far away from that as possible. History would not repeat itself on Kessel.
This is how the palace came to be. It was born out of blind passion to escape any semblance of an impoverished living, to wipe away the state of decay that the plague birthed onto Kessel. This began what some might consider a golden age, and what others might call the Netherworld incarnate. With the mines working overtime to produce the valuable spice, The Royal Palace of Kessel was constructed by Queen Hana Kess, with the building commencing in 727ABY directly after Kessel's government officially reopened. It required extensive overhauls to the landscape in order to accommodate the Queen's desires for a fantastical atmosphere of decadence and vice.
Built on the backs of slaves and financed by the spice they brought, the palace took over 10 years to finish construction to the Queen's liking. By that time her son was preparing to take power, having come to the age where Kesselian princes and princesses become regents. King-Regent Keldor Kess was crowned in the throne room of the Royal Palace in 737ABY, marking the usage of the palace as an official place of state affairs.
Over a hundred years later and the Royal Family is still going strong and their palace is as well, having embraced their role as slavers and miners wholeheartedly and enjoying all the riches such trades brought. Unfortunately for these degenerates, a wrench was thrown into things -- The Sovereignty approached the family seeking to make an agreement for control of the planet in exchange for protection. One of the clauses in this agreement was the immediate end to any and all slaving being conducted planetside, which was egregiously unacceptable to the current monarch. It was eventually decided that such decisions could be made without the Royal Family in the picture, and the Sovereignty staged a coup; taking the Palace for themselves, and all the riches within. With the former-ruling family of Kess scattered to the wind and a new monarch to be named to Kessel as a ruler of the new Sovereign vassal, the palace sits empty, awaiting new residences to grace it's hallowed and gilded halls.
- Intent: To provide the Kessel Royal Family with a palace; to serve as a landmark on the planet Kessel that will be critical to Sovereignty operations in the area; to flesh out some of the new lore that's been written into canon surrounding Kessel & give it some well-needed and well-deserved TLC.
- Image Credit: Jupiter Ascending Concept Art by Dominic Lavery
- Canon: N/A
- Links: Kessel, Kessel Royal Family, SOV Dominion of Kessel
- Structure Name: The Royal Palace of Kessel
- Classification: Castle
- Location: Kessel, Southern Hemisphere
- Affiliation: The Kessel Royal Family (Formerly), The Sovereignty (Currently)
- Accessibility: The castle is nestled among the almost oasis-like locale of the southern provinces of Kessel, built into and around a valley's sheer cliffs. As a result, it's easily defended and hard to reach without proper clearance or knowledge. Closed to the public, it's only open to members of the Royal Family & their associates.
- Security: Defended by a privately-funded sect of the Kessel military, the castle houses what amounts to a private military company within its walls, who are sworn-- and, paid handsomely --to protect the Royal Family and their riches at all cost. The castle itself doesn't have anything as improper as gun emplacements or AA weapons, but the constant garrison is enough to ensure that security is extremely tight.
- Description: One of the most striking features of the Royal Palace is that it relies heavily on the landscape around it and that it uses water liberally as a decoration. Not naturally occurring water, mind you -- The Royals can afford to pump vast amounts of it into their valley to make beautiful artificial waterfalls that come from valves built into the walls. One should expect to receive a fine misting whenever you are invited to attend the palace, and one should wear especially grippy shoes. The stonework and tiles are always somewhat damp from the water overflow, which can lead to slippery conditions. Built of stone and reinforced with a durasteel 'skeleton', the original architects of the palace used things like transparisteel windows and lead-lined doors to provide as much protection as possible against attack for both residents and potentially inflammatory visitors.
- The Throne Room: Located in the centre of the palace, Kessel's throne room is a combination of tropical paradise and lap of luxury. The throne was constructed to mimic a peacock, which is an invasive species to Kessel. The windows offer spectacular views of the terraformed, lush valley that surrounds the palace. Flanking the throne are stylized statues of two Diathim, who were said to be lovers of an old Kesselian king, speculated to be King Keldor, who first used the palace officially. The statues are considered to be out of taste these days especially due to the connotations they bring, but they harbour a secret that secures their safety; within the statues themselves (Which are hollow and lined with neuranium) are two large caches of impervium hoarded by the Royal Family over generations, moved there following the addition of the statues. The cache extends a few miles underground, and it would take serious excavation to remove it all. It's quite the nest egg for those clever enough to find it...
- Sunward Landing Pad: Built into the top of the castle, near where the valley meets the stonework, is a rather secret landing pad used exclusively by the Royal Family. Hangers are carved directly into the rock and store spice laundered through the Royals alongside swift transports in the event evacuation from the palace is required. It also offers stunning views of the valley, for those not interested in the criminal side of things.
- The Vault: The name of this particular wing of the palace is wholly misleading, as the Vault is, in fact, a library. It's said to harbour many secrets in the form of actual books instead of data caches or servers, dating through Kessel's history on topics covering information some scholars would kill to know. This is also where records of all the Royal Family's spice dealings are kept, on paper instead of on digital files as to ensure that they are protected from electronic infiltration.
Originally, the Kessel Royal Family turned a blind eye to slavery. They didn't endorse it, but neither did they condemn it. And this blind apathy continued throughout the reign of the Galactic Empire and the New Republic and into whatever bleakness followed these ancient empires.
During the 400 year darkness, things changed.
Kessel had been ravaged by the Gulag plague and had only begun to barely recover as the planet quarantined itself and stockpiled resources. Once it was determined safe to reopen borders, trade and communication in 726ABY, the spice mines resumed their terrible toil, and this time the family capitalized on the wealth it brought. For they had known the hardships and poverty that the darkness had brought to their way of life and had a fierce desire to stay as far away from that as possible. History would not repeat itself on Kessel.
This is how the palace came to be. It was born out of blind passion to escape any semblance of an impoverished living, to wipe away the state of decay that the plague birthed onto Kessel. This began what some might consider a golden age, and what others might call the Netherworld incarnate. With the mines working overtime to produce the valuable spice, The Royal Palace of Kessel was constructed by Queen Hana Kess, with the building commencing in 727ABY directly after Kessel's government officially reopened. It required extensive overhauls to the landscape in order to accommodate the Queen's desires for a fantastical atmosphere of decadence and vice.
Built on the backs of slaves and financed by the spice they brought, the palace took over 10 years to finish construction to the Queen's liking. By that time her son was preparing to take power, having come to the age where Kesselian princes and princesses become regents. King-Regent Keldor Kess was crowned in the throne room of the Royal Palace in 737ABY, marking the usage of the palace as an official place of state affairs.
Over a hundred years later and the Royal Family is still going strong and their palace is as well, having embraced their role as slavers and miners wholeheartedly and enjoying all the riches such trades brought. Unfortunately for these degenerates, a wrench was thrown into things -- The Sovereignty approached the family seeking to make an agreement for control of the planet in exchange for protection. One of the clauses in this agreement was the immediate end to any and all slaving being conducted planetside, which was egregiously unacceptable to the current monarch. It was eventually decided that such decisions could be made without the Royal Family in the picture, and the Sovereignty staged a coup; taking the Palace for themselves, and all the riches within. With the former-ruling family of Kess scattered to the wind and a new monarch to be named to Kessel as a ruler of the new Sovereign vassal, the palace sits empty, awaiting new residences to grace it's hallowed and gilded halls.
