Rigelian History

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Imperial Palace of Rigel was begun approximately 950 years before present. Through a succession of centuries and expansions, the current palace now consists of 743 rooms. The Palace contains the residence of the Kaiser, his household, the Ladies in Waiting, and the high ranking staff that makes the palace run. There are countless courtiers and guests habituating this palace.

The first Rigelian Emperor was Wulfric I. He selected Festungsmauer as the site of his capitol city. His reign was actually very short lived at 17 years. He managed only a wooden and partial stone structure as his castle. It was a turbulent time and he had risen to the top amidst a pack of nobles with the same ambitious goal. Wulfric did sire four sons. Primogeniture had not been well established and his eldest son was not of age when Wulfric was slain in the Battle of Rottenberg. Ulfric was 14 years of age, and the Baronial Council established the Earl of Hannover as Ulfric’s Regent. But when Ulfric turned 17, considered to be ‘of age’, the Earl refused to step aside and allow the heir his rightful place.

This exacerbated the already tumultuous council. When Ulfric turned 19, the Baron’s council was poised on the verge of anarchy. Ulfric led 10 barons and their households against the Earl of Hannover. The battles were mostly skirmishes where there were brief and bloody before the sides split apart and rejoined their battles in another place at another time. The war begun by Ulfric lasted 3 years before the Earl of Hannover was slain and the supporters of the Earl disbanded, acceding to Ulfric’s ascension to the throne of his father.



(In real life, this is Fontainebleau Castle in France. Photo is public domain.)
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Ulfric ruled for 26 years and began construction of the Imperial Palace. He incorporated much of the stone used in his father’s castle, and began having his grand idea erected in the sixth year of his reign. Ulfric sired 6 sons, and 3 girls. His first child was a daughter, which provided no end of disappointment for him. He set aside his first wife and remarried the daughter of the Earl of Chimsee to solidify one of the southern territories. She managed three sons before dying in child birth with another daughter.

Ulfric quickly married the second daughter of the King of Prussia to form an alliance on his eastern borders. She gave him two more children before Ulfric was slain in a territorial dispute along his northern borders with the Norsemen.

Ulfric’s oldest daughter was betrothed at the age of 6 and fostered out to the King of Saxony and was wed to his second son at the age of 15. She died in child birth the following year.

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The oldest son was called Constantine. He was 22 years of age, married and had 3 girls when he ascended to the throne. Constantine was aggressive, and spent little time in Festungsmauer. He left the running of the castle to his Seneschal and his wife as he expanded the holdings of his new empire. Constantine ruled for 41 years, and the first 30 of those were spent in conquest and battle.


(In real life, this is another view of Fontainebleau in France, also public domain photograph.)

The first phase of the Imperial Palace was completed while Constantine was conquering the Dacians. He never spent longer than a month or so inside the walls. He spent the last decade of his rule traveling from city to city in an effort to consolidate his holdings. He never sired a son, but instead chose to marry his oldest daughter to the oldest son of Emperor Maurice in Constantinople. The negotiation documents took years, and in the end, the agreement between Emperors allowed that the first issue of the marriage would be the rightful Emperor of Rigel, and the second issue would inherit the Empire of Maurice.

When Constantine died, his grandson was 4 years old. The next emperor had the Baron’s Council as Regent for the next 13 years. No expansion of the Imperial Palace was done during these 13 years.

At the age of 17, Wulfric II was crowned in the St Saturnin chapel on May 1. His empire was now 104 years old, and well established. The Baron’s Council was growing complacent. Wulfric drew around him a core of advisors tasked with the challenge of determining the next wave of expansion. Where, how, what was needed had to be carefully planned and evaluated because all of Rigel’s neighbors were powerful entities with longer histories and stronger alliances.

The advisors determined that the first course of action must be for Wulfric to marry and get his heir, and perhaps some daughters to use as bartering chips. He was dutifully married to the oldest daughter of the little known King Methodhios of Moravia. She was beautiful, but fragile, and she died within the first year of her marriage to Wulfric.

The search for Rigel’s next Empress began, and she was found in the daughter of Emperor Rhomanos Dhioyenes of Greece. She was the Empress for 52 years. She gave the Empire 7 sons and 4 girls. Wulfric betrothed his second, third and fourth sons before they were 7 years old. His daughters were betrothed and fostered by age 5. His alliances made Rigel one of the strongest powers known at that time.

Wulfric ruled for 49 years. During that time, he gained provinces and land through shrewd marriages and politics rather than by force of arms. His longevity was highly unusual for that time period.

His first born son was 35 years old when he came to the throne. Ludwig had already lived more than half of his life within the walls of the Imperial Palace. His interests were more along the lines of art and music than along managing the vast holdings of his sire. He engaged in a huge construction project, expanding the Imperial Palace by nearly 50%.

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The imperial palace is situated on the bluffs that overlook the city of Festungsmauer. This entrance is the first addition made by Ludwig. The Tethys Sea provides the backdrop for a spectacular view from the Imperial Palace grounds, and Ludwig took special pains to be sure that his expansion played to the beauty of the sea. The palace consumes nearly 70% of the bluff, and from the sea or the lower areas of the city forms an impressive image of strength and defensive commitment to the people of Rigel.

A visitor to the palace is normally admitted through the primary front entrance. This entry is little changed from when Kaiser Ludwig had it constructed.



(In real life, this is the main entrance to Fontainebleau lit up at night. Image is public domain.)

Ludwig was married at the age of 19. When he ascended the throne, his oldest son was already 19, and father and son battled continually. The Heir Apparent was killed under questionable circumstances in a hunting accident. Ludwig’s second son had been promised to The Religion, but at the age of 22, Geoffrey was summoned back from the Arch Bishop’s household to be placed into the fold as the next Emperor. Ludwig reigned for 22 years.

Geoffrey never adapted to the demands of Court Life. He longed for the quiet contemplation and unearthly beauty he had found in The Religion. When Ludwig died, Geoffrey reluctantly was crowned on a snowy day in late October. There are conflicting records whether it was the 27 or the 28th.

Geoffrey refused to marry, citing it a crime against his beliefs to take to his bed a wife. The Council was scandalized by this monk turned Emperor’s views, and several of the nobles began secret discussions how to resolve this problem.

Geoffrey spent his time planning the renovation of some of the older sections of the Imperial palace. He imported his architect and artists from the eastern realms and brought with him a very ornate look which is seen in much of the original palace as the Geoffrey Renovations. He favored blue, and the first transverse hall inside the Ludwig entrance demonstrates Geoffrey’s love of Eastern baroque architecture.

This begins at street level and the doors open into a large, transverse hall. Looking to the left after entering, you see a long, highly vaulted hall leading to high level officials and their offices. The ceiling is predominantly blue. The corridor lined with large urns set on marble pedestals. The floor is wooden marquettry that has never been improved upon for detail and sheer intricacy.



(This is in real life from The Hermitage, in St. Petersburg Russia; the Gallery for the History of Ancient paintings. Image is from the official website of The Hermitage.)

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Geoffrey’s influence is everywhere in the original Palace. Looking to the right once inside the palace, the view is another arched length that terminates in a set of doors that leads to the working areas of the castle. Only servants to the Kaiser’s household go beyond these doors now. However, when Kaiser Geoffrey lived in the Imperial Palace, these doors led to the rooms reserved for his monastic brethren. Now, a series of windows looks out onto the main road in front of the palace, and chairs allow guests to wait outside the precincts of the main palace.



(In real life, this is from The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is simply called The Picture Gallery. Photo is from the official website of The Hermitage.)

Geoffrey reigned for 33 years. He died in his sleep in a simple monk’s pallet rather than the Imperial suites. His cause of death was ruled natural causes. He left no heir, and the Baron’s Council did something completely unheard of in the 186 year history of the Empire. They raised Ludwig’s oldest daughter, the Czaritsa Katherine to the throne.

Katherine had been negotiated to the Eastern Empire when she was 5 years of age, and she had not been in Rigel since that time. Festungsmauer was as foreign to her as it could possibly be. She returned with a 7 year old son and a 5 year old daughter and a sullen, black haired man who was the Heir Apparent to the Russian throne. The Tsarevitch did not speak any of the Germanic language spoken in Rigelian lands, and he spend many months in Festungsmauer in sullen silence. At length, he returned to his native lands, leaving Empress Katherine behind.

She set herself to work familiarizing herself with the people and the political status of her homeland. Two years later, a courier arrived with word that the Tsarevitch had died in a skirmish with a nomadic group that had ravaged the Steppes. The Tsar’s second son would inherit the throne, and Katherine reigned as regent for 8 years until her son was crowned.

Katherine’s influence on the Imperial Palace was profound. She followed in the footsteps of Geoffrey’s Eastern baroque preferences. She was responsible for the construction of Saint Vladimir’s Hall and Saint Alexander’s Hall. The opulence of these halls set new standards for future Emperors to follow.

Kaiser Nicholas ascended to the throne amidst an historic expansion in technology. Rigel was undergoing a huge shift in manufacturing and technological advances. Nicholas was fascinated with new things, and proved to be a strong patron in experimentation and developing technologies.

At age 24, with the assistance of his mother, the marriage to the French King’s daughter was negotiated. This turned out to be a love match unlike any the Empire had ever seen. Nicholas and Eleanor traveled the length and breadth of Rigel’s holdings and where ever they went, they inspired people. Their support of the working class to grow and create new creations that improved life and efficiencies brought not only the adoration of the people, but increased revenues to the Empire.

They had 11 children together, and are responsible for the grand ballroom of the Imperial Palace.

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Passing through a set of doors leads visitors into the Grand Ball Room. The red carpet allows either a descent into the Ball Room, where most of the grand entertainments occur, or ascent to the second floor of the palace. For royal balls, the guests are announced at the top of these stairs and descend to the Ball Room after they have been introduced.

Kaiser Nicholas ruled Rigel for 62 years with Eleanor right beside him.


(This is in real life the Grand Staircase at Windsor Castle in England. The image is public domain.)

The Ball Room, commissioned by Empress Eleanor, is the largest single room within the palace walls. There is a large fireplace at the far end of the ball room with a raised dais for the Emperor and his family alone to use. When the ball room was completed, Nicholas and Eleanor would hold court from the dais. The main dance floor is central to a series of columns that are ornately decorated with paintings by several masters of the oil genre. There are many alcoves for guests to pause from dancing to talk and socialize, but none so private that they temp anyone into saying anything against the Emperor or his policies. At least not openly.

Eleanor loved to be surrounded by beautiful things, and the Grand Ball Room shows her recherché tastes in stunning magnificence.



(In real life, this is the Grand Ballroom of Fontainebleau Castle, France. Image is public domain.)

The Crown Prince, Louis was crowned while his father lived. Nicholas abdicated his throne at the extreme age of 72. Kaiser Louis I was 51 years old when he became the Emperor. Louis reigned for 4 years before dying on a channel crossing during a storm. He left 3 sons behind.

Louis’ first son had died in childhood, and thus the second son, Louis II was crowned at the age of 28 in the Saint Alexander Chapel of the Imperial Palace. He would send Rigel into one of the worst wars ever experienced by the people. Famine, disease, death would plague his reign.

Louis II was married to Joan of Steyr for six years, and in that time, no children were conceived. The Baron’s Council urged him to set aside Joan and remarry. In the year that he did set Joan aside and sent her to live in the Nunnery of Rottweil was the year disease and famine struck in Rigelian lands.

Initially, the deprivation struck the serf class, but as things worsened, the merchants began to suffer as well. Nobility had insulated themselves from disease, many closing and locking their castles to keep out all strangers and stragglers. Some escaped to other lands, ostensibly for ‘noble’ purposes. Louis’ new wife was not beloved of the people as she reserved the best of everything for the nobles and left little or nothing for the people of Rigel.

Louis and his new wife fled Festungsmauer and the Imperial Palace. They went on a sailing voyage designed to get them away from the “cursed” air. They spent the next three years on the seas, visiting ports only after a small row boat had gone ashore to determine the health of the city. If there was illness or shortage, the row boat was left behind and the Emperor’s vessel sailed to a new location.

The new Empress delivered two children while they were living this nomadic existence. Both were female children. The oldest was killed on board the ship during a ferocious storm.

Louis and Johanna returned to Festungsmauer with Johanna enceinte again. The capitol city was in chaos. Louis’ return brought hope to the aristocracy, but Louis was not a strong leader, and things progressed from bad to worse. Ten months after Louis’ return, he succumbed to the disease that had taken nearly 30% of the population. His third daughter was born and died, along with her mother, leaving only the second daughter of Louis II and Johanna.

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The times were so terrible, there was no chance that the Barons and Council would have approved an infant girl as the next Empress, and so it was that Louis I’s third son came to the throne. Wilhelm was crowned in a small ceremony in the Imperial castle to avoid exposure to disease. He was as unlike his older brother as could be, and quickly set about establishing order in the chaos.

Wilhelm spent the first five years of his reign re-establishing order and basic systems and services to the capital. He married Maria of España when he was 34. To celebrate the return of life and prosperity, he had the musician’s chamber constructed to honor his wife, who was a great lover of music. Marie was a great patron of music and traveling musicians. She brought life and joy back to the city and its inhabitants.

The musician’s chamber, to support such grand events is to the right of the Ball room. This room does serve dual purposes, and allows the musicians to set up according to orchestral needs for events, and also serves as additional space for Imperial events where the size of the Grand Ball Room is insufficient for the masses who must come for State events, such as Fealty swearing.



(In real life, this is the Singer’s Hall at the Neuschwanstein castle in Fusen, Germany.)

Wilhelm and his wife Maria had 8 children. All four daughters were betrothed to Spanish nobles and fostered at the age of 8. The four sons were all schooled with the future of the Empire in mind. Wilhelm did not want his sons to be unprepared should the empire need any one of them. The travails of the ravages of disease had taught him to count on none of his sons seeing their maturity.

Wilhelm reigned for 37 years. He died in his chambers with his family surrounding him of old age. His oldest son Mikhail ascended the throne in the 294th year of the Empire’s existence. Mikhail reigned for 11 years and left no heirs. He was too interested in expansion of the realm, and was killed during the winter of the year when his ship was sunk in the volatile Nord See.

Mikhail’s brother Stephen was crowned at the age of 41. He was married to Cassandra of Pelopenesia, and had 5 children. His oldest son was already 18 years of age, and showing promise as a capable commander in the military.

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Stephen was not as ambitious about expanding Rigelian territories, and soon had treaties signed with the northern territories that Rigel had been at war with for the last several years. To celebrate peace again in the realm, he had the chambers of St. Vladimir and St. Alexander refurbished as he and Cassandra began to age and matters of the soul took more precedence.

Climbing the Grand Stair Case rather than descending it leads to the second floor. Going to the right side leads to the chapels and the refectories. Here Stephen and his wife spent much of their time. The Religion was crucial to them both, and they chose to focus on the salvation of souls rather than expansion of realm.

The first grand chamber is called St. Vladimir’s . Services are not held here in recent times, but it is a staging and waiting room for those who will attend religious ceremonies with the Kaiser and his family. In the time of Stephen however, after the refurbishment, he preferred to hear the Arch Bishop speak in this room.



(In real life, this is in the Kremlin in Moscow, and is called St. Vladimir’s Hall.)

Saint Alexander’s Hall is through the doors on the opposite side of Saint Vladimir’s Hall. The current Kaiser was baptized in this hall. This chamber was not finished being refurbished until 90 years after it had been initiated by Kaiser Stephen, who never got to see the ecclesiastical splendor he initiated.



(In real life, this is Saint Alexander’s Hall in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia.)

Stephen reigned for 27 years. He was succeeded by his oldest son Philip, who was 34 years of age at the time of his coronation.

Philip had the Royal Chapel constructed as his tribute to his sire. It took 36 years to complete, and Philip was buried in the Chapel the same year it was completed. Philip wanted grandeur without being too busy and too distracting.

The Royal Chapel is a study in white and gold. When this chapel was constructed, the brilliant colors and distracting influence of stained glass was deemed too much of a temptation to take away from the sermons of the Arch Bishop. Therefore, the primary chapel in the Palace retains a sense of “simplicity”. Philip is documented as having paid the architect a handsome bonus for this project at completion.

Philip was a very capable Emperor, and under his reign, Rigel added 11,000 hectares of land taken from the eastern territories. He did not suffer a single defeat during his expansion of Rigelian lands.


(In real life, this is Kungahuset Royal Chapel in the Stockholm Royal Palace.”

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The transept of this chapel, this is where the former Kaiser lay in State for 21 days after his assassination. It remains the primary Royal Chapel more than 600 years after its completion. Nearly every Kaiser has laid in State in this portion of the Royal Chapel.


(In real life, this is St. Georges Hall, in the Kremlin, Moscow Russia.)

Philip's second son Carsten was crowned on All Saint's Day. He was 31 years old, and destined to be one of the greatest Emperor's Rigel has ever seen. Carsten began a program of expansion that was founded in excellent planning and preparation, and followed through with genius.

Rigel's holdings doubled in the next decade. It was under Carsten that the stage was set for the first steps toward space exploration. He fostered mandated education for the masses, and a selection program to segregate the brilliant from the merely intelligent. Those chosen were sent for further testing, evaluation, and cultivation at state universities. Those who successfully complete the sponsorship are placed in government research facilities to go on with careers designed to further Rigelian technology.

Carsten had four sons, and three daughters. All of his children were used as pawns in the master game of alliance and partnerships. His own heir was betrothed at the age of 10 to the only daughter of King Nestor of Thrace. The children were housed in the Imperial Palace for 5 years, at which time Carsten forcibly had the marriage ceremony performed between his 15 year old heir and the 14 year old princess.

Ariadnea inherited Thracian lands when King Nestor died, but the girl herself died at age 17 in child birth. Kaiser Carsten did not wait a year for the official mourning before he had once again negotiated for a new spouse for his heir. Gerulf objected, and was of age, but that made little difference to Carsten.

That year, Carsten negotiated the marriage of King Hemfring's oldest daughter to Gerulf. It was not a happy union for Gerulf.

There is a small chamber off the Royal Chapel for intimate members of the Royal Household. The portraits are former Kaisers and their spouses. Anyone memorialized here was a strong patron of The Religion. Carsten had his father memorialized in this chapel.



(In real life, this is also part of Kungaset Chapel in the Swedish Royal Palace.)

The Chapel of Saint Saturnin was completed during the first phases of palace construction. It has remained a little used holy room due to the highly 'distracting' nature of its decoration. However, some of the Peers still attend services here that are led by one of the Cardinals who remain in the Palace as support staff for the Arch Bishop.

Kaiser Carsten was fond of the pomp and pageantry of this chapel. At the end of his reign, he was eulogized here daily for the 21 days that he lay in State. Carsten ruled for 40 years. Many claimed due to technological advances, but the records did not record any such artificial tools if they had been used.



(In real life, this is the Chapel of St. Saturnin in Fontainebleau.)

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Along another wing of the second floor is the Imperial Throne Room. The current throne room was built by Kaiser Gerulf, the second son of Kaiser Carsten. All formal State Occasions begin here. Most official audiences with the Kaiser are conducted in the throne room. This is probably the most public room in the entire palace.

The throne is at the top of these stairs. Gerulf had spent 6 long years in the forced marriage arranged by his sire, and had become an angry man. This raised throne platform was designed to cause distress for the Empress and her retainers. The supplicants, including the Empress, must wait below until they are summoned into the Emperor’s presence, and must ascend the stairs to kneel. The tricky part is that it is not permitted to turn one’s back upon the Emperor, and to leave the royal presence, one is obliged to walk backwards down this very same set of stairs.

In the long gowns of women, these stairs resulted in more than one fall. Men faired little better because the treat width is an unusual distance and did not flow in a natural stride length for most people.


(In real life, this is the throne room at Neuschwanstein, Fusen, Germany)

A smaller audience chamber with Imperial throne is across the hall from this main throne room. This was constructed by Kaiser Ivvanus. Ivvanus grew up in a very unhappy household, and found his refuge outside the Palace walls. The starkly diverse decoration and furnishings reflect the years he spent traveling outside of Rigel.

This room has usually been used for Imperial strategy meetings, or entertaining foreign dignitaries on a more relaxed atmosphere by Kaiser Joachim III and Kaiser Peotre II. The current Emperor does not like this chamber, and so far during his reign, has not made use of this throne room.



(In real life, this throne room is in Miramar Istria in Austro-Hungary.)

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Ivvanus was summoned home when his father, Kaiser Gerulf was 83 years of age. Ivvanus was crowned at his father’s death bed by the Arch Bishop. War was brewing for Rigel, and the Baron’s Council did not want the throne empty for any reason.

Ivvanus married the second daughter of the Duke of Brandenburg, but the impending hostilities with the western alliance prevented him from ever getting to know the girl. He got her with child and immediately departed the capital city to march on the Alliance forces. Ivvanus never knew that he was a father.

The Baron’s Council was in absolute turmoil, and it was deemed crucial to have Carsten’s son Peoter as Kaiser rather than the infant sired by Ivvanus. Peoter accepted, but with the agreement that when the child came of age, he would abdicate the throne in favor of the rightful Kaiser.

The newly born heir was named Peoter II by the Empress, Ivvanus’ widow.

Peoter I pulled off a stunning victory over the Western Alliance. He imported all of their best scientific minds, and in the 12th year of his reign, space flight had become a reality. The first flights to the Rigelian moons had taken place, and several manned flights as well. Peoter focused the empire on possibilities and established exploration of space as a priority for the Rigelian people.

The Royal Suites are to the left when ascending the Grand Staircase. This hall was constructed by Peoter I right before he stepped down. It was designed to remind Peoter II that destiny and grandeur await he who takes initiative. These apartments include 51 private quarters and spaces, all initially contracted by Peoter I.

The gallery leading to the private quarters of the Imperial Family.



(In real life, this is the Francois I Gallery at Fontainebleau, France)

Through the doors at the end of the gallery, there is another staircase that leads to the Imperial Residence portion of the Palace. This begins the Imperial Suites.

Peoter II came of age in a golden era in Rigelian history. Peoter I had turned Rigel into THE power to be reckoned with on the planet, and then he’d gone a step further and turned Rigel’s ambitions to the stars. Nothing seemed impossible when Peoter II was crowned, and he intended to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.

Peoter II married a woman out of legend. She had been married to the Emperor of Galati, and been set aside for another woman after having been married to the elderly Emperor when she was 15 years of age. Jasmina had failed to provide the Emperor with an heir, and in frustration, he set the beauty aside in hopes of getting an heir on a younger girl. Jasmina had been a ruler in her own right. Her courts at Galati were renowned for culture and art. She had been on Crusade, and traveled the planet. The people of Galati were shocked and saddened when she was cast from the Emperor’s side as their rightful Empress.

Peoter was 12 years her junior, but he had found the audacity to walk right up to her and claim her for his Empress. The chemistry had been instant between Peoter and Jasmina. The tall, dark skinned, dark haired former Empress exchanged her title to the lands of Galati for the Realm of Rigel.

For 35 years, Jasmina and Peoter rewrote the Rigelian histories. Galati was the first empire Peoter laid claim to before sweeping across the eastern lands virtually unhindered. Jasmina was usually at his side as they conquered territories previous Emperors could only have dreamed of conquering.

Jasmina gave Peoter 8 sons, and no daughters. Speculation circulated that the deaths of the female children was no accident, but never could it be proven that Jasmina was involved in their deaths.

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When Jasmina was unable to be in the field with Peoter, she was in the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Apartments are attributed to her tastes and her desire to glorify the Rigelian Empire for all to see.



(In real life, this is at the Palace of Versailles, France.)

The Empress’ suite is done in gold and crimson and white, reflecting her native homeland of Galati.


(In real life, this is the King’s Suite at Versailles.)

Leading to the Emperor’s wing, Jasmina set the tone in shades of cool green and gold, the favorite colors of Peoter II.



(In reality, this is from the Royal Apartments in Versailles.)

The fireplace in the Royal Apartments was constructed to impress. The size and grandeur are unrivaled anywhere else within the Imperial Palace.


(In real life, this is considered to be THE fireplace at Fontainebleau.)

The Queen’s sitting Room was designed by an architect from the Eastern territories, but Jasmina hated the closed in, heavy feel of this room. She never spent any time here. This room was however the favorite room of the Empress Bettina nearly 90 years later.

Empress Jasmina died abruptly during a trip to the Eastern Territories. She and her escorts were buried in a rock slide on the Kishinev Pass. Peoter was summoned, and the Imperial Palace was in mourning for 45 days.

Peoter became despondent and began refusing to eat. One morning, his valet found him in his suite, dead of self inflicted poison. The Palace went into another 45 days of mourning before their eldest son, Raganald could be crowned.


(In real life, this is the Sitting Room in the Hermitage, in St. Petersburg, Russia.)

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Raganald was 20 years old at the time of his father’s death. He left the University to take up his father’s work, and had the good sense to retain his father’s advisors.

The space program had captured Raganald’s imagination, and it was under his watch that the first long distance probes were sent into space.

Raganald did not marry until he was 26, and only did so when his next brother was killed in a racing accident on the Tethys Sea. The Baron’s Council convinced him that he needed an heir. The search was on for the next Empress.

Anne of Scottland was brought to the Imperial Court. She fascinated Raganald with her strawberry blonde hair and pale complexion, but it was her green eyes that truly captivated him. They were wed, and she was crowned 12 months to the day from Peoter’s death.

Anne shared Raganald’s love of science and space. The pair worked ceaselessly to expand the empire’s knowledge, and to find a way to add the moons above them as part of Rigelian territory. It was Raganald and Anne who initiated the space race for Rigel. It is to them that the Empire owes it’s expansionistic policies regarding space.

Their tireless efforts resulted in the first station on the smaller moon above Rigel, and proved that Rigelians could live in space. Their focus remained on growth in the heavens above them, and neither one made any significant contributions to the Imperial Palace itself.

Anne gave Raganald two sons, and 4 daughters. They ruled Rigel for 57 years.

Kaiser Joachim I was crowned on December 5, just 45 days after his father had died of a heart attack. He was 34 years of age and of frail health himself. His wife of 16 years had given him one son, and one daughter, but the daughter had perished in a diving accident in Antilles.

Joachim was content to remain within the Palace walls, and the only lasting contributions he made were the gallery that lead to the King’s apartments was built and the King’s dressing room. No other laws, expansions, or construction projects can be attributed to Joachim I or his Empress. His presence was felt however by the military of Rigel. The presence of such a weak figure at the helm of Rigel invited the dogs of war to test Rigel’s strength. It was as though every conquered land now sought to test the resolve of this emperor.

Gallery leading to the King’s apartment, separate from the Queen’s apartments transitions from the French influence into the Russian influence. The Palace was built over a period of 900 years and has undergone extensive additions and renovations. Each one a unique expression of the resident Kaiser of that period. This preponderance of white was favored by several Kaisers over time, Joachim I among them.


(In real life, this is the Chesma Gallery in the Gatchina Palace, Russia. This image is from a water color painting done in 1884. The present day corridor was destroyed by fire during the revolution, and was never rebuilt.)

The King’s Dressing Room


(In real life, this was the dressing room of the Royal Apartment at the Gatchina Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia before the Revolution, when this too was destroyed.)

Joachim died at age 38 of a fever. His 8 year old son was also feeble, and the Baron’s Council was faced with a dilemma. Crown the boy King and place a strong regent in place, or find a strong and able commander to take the Rigelian reins?

Five days elapsed in the Imperial Palace before a maid servant went running from the Royal Chambers screaming hysterically. When the palace guards arrived at the doors of the Royal chambers, they were met with a gruesome scene. The six men stood in the doorway in shock.
The young heir lay in 8 pieces. Each segment of the heir’s body had been labeled with one of the continents currently held by the Empire. His blood soaked the carpeting beneath him.

At the opposite side of the room lay the former Empress. Her throat had been slit, and her blood captured in a fine porcelain container. Written in her blood upon the walls……”New Blood for the Empire lest we perish!” The bodies were found in the Golden Tzarina room of the royal apartments. Since the murders here, none of the royal family has used this room.


(In real life, this is the Golden Tzarina room inside the Kremlin, Moscow.)

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Hrodebert, Earl of Westphalia emerged from the Council’s deliberations as the clear favorite to take the reins of the empire. A period of unease and suspicion followed. Rumors spread like wild fire that the murders had been accomplished using magic. Dark, frightening hints spread, and they were to Hrodebert’s benefit. The heir and the Empress were not the last of the mysterious murders. Any of the males of the former blood line with a close enough tie to lay claim to the throne turned up dead or missing. But as the weeks progressed into months, the disappearances became less frequent until they nearly stopped.

Hrodebert immediately set about teaching the territories that had risen against Joachim strong lessons in the price of civil disobedience. He drove the military hard, and he struck in places he was least expected. The slave markets were overflowing with new blood as many territories felt the lash of their masters. It took the new Emperor four hard years to undo the damage Joachim had done. He spread fear and terror, reinforced with stories of magic and deviants using sorcery.

Hrodebert had been married when he ascended to the throne of Rigel. His twin sons were about to turn 20 years of age. The Emperor recalled them from the University to begin serving as Ambassadors for Rigel. It proved to be a stroke of genius.

The Empire never learned to ‘love’ Hrodebert. He was simply feared beyond adoration. But in his sons, the people learned how to appreciate the strength that had returned to Rigel.



(In real life, this giant oven used to heat the room, and is in the Museum Room of the Zurich Palace)

It was in this room that Hrodebert was assassinated after ruling Rigel for 18 years after the murder of the Heir and the Empress. No one was ever charged with the murders, and a new blood line took control of the Empire.

He left behind twin sons to battle for the crown. Waldhar and Wolfgang had been in service to the Realm for nearly 16 years. Waldhar had no interest in being Kaiser. He enjoyed the liberties of being part of the aristocracy, but did not want the demands of being the Kaiser. Wolfgang was crowned in the summer and immediately set Rigel’s course to the heavens. The first long range exploration of neighboring stars was launched by Wolfgang.

Wolfgang reigned for 46 years. He sired 16 children with three wives during his rule. The new dynasty was in place for the next 300 years.

[Azjah von Drachen Walde]

The realm took great strides forward from here into space. The next century saw a boom in exploration and focus in the University on the technology required for extended space travel. Wolfgang's oldest son spent 10 years in the program, traveling to all of the closest moons and planets before he was recalled to Rigel.

His father was dying, and Emmerich needed to shift his focus from traveling toward governing. He also needed to marry.

Emmerich was married to the second daughter of the King of Flanders. The following week, Emperor Wolfgang passed away. He left his son a legacy of greatness that Emmerich expanded by adding other worlds to the Rigelian colonization program. Emmerich sent his brothers to the far reaches of Rigelian holdings to begin bringing other worlds into the system. Initially the expenditures were tremendous, but within 10 years, the holdings began paying substantial sums into the treasury.

The added income was fed into the exploration and technology programs at prodigious rates. The payback has been felt ever since.

Emmerich sired 2 sons, and 5 daughters in his life time, and true to Rigelian politics, used each of them as negotiation tools. Two of his daughters were wed to off world humanoids that had become property of Rigel.

To commemorate his sire's achievements and the beginning of extraterrestrial colonization, Emmerich had this grand salon built at the Imperial Palace.




(In real life, this is from Versailles, France)

Emmerich died at age 88, leaving his oldest son in charge of the largest empire in any of the surrounding systems. Sifridus inherited more power than he knew how to handle. At age 57 he ascended a throne he was incapable of managing.

His wife of nearly three decades took full advantage of her new position, and within a year, the merchants and the nobles had begun to grumble. She pestered and nagged Sifridus relentlessly, irrespective of who was around to hear her. The situation grew from bad to intolerable in a matter of 30 months. The Empress' demands touched nearly everyone on Rigel in one way or another, and were always very negative in their impact on the victims.

On a shuttle trip to the nearby colony on Rigel gamma, an unexplained 'accident' killed the entire Imperial family and their immediate retainers and the shuttle flight crew. Rumors swept the planet that the accident was no accident, but the subsequent inquiry found no evidence of foul play.

[Azjah von Drachen Walde]

Emperor Emmerich's youngest son was crowned on May 15 at the age of 51 Rigelian years. Theodemar was a shrewd politician, and quickly set about appeasing the nobles first. Once the temper of the nobility had been cooled, Theodamar began a series of trips to visit some of the far flung colonies. From those trips, he devised the next expansion project, but due to his age, he would never see come to fruition. But, he trained his son well, and the glorious goals set forth by Theodemar were carried out by his son.

Theodemar ruled for 21 years. He was succeeded by his only son, Willahelm, who was 46 Rigelian years of age when he was crowned.

Willahelm faced two internal obstacles immediately. His mother had been a strong advocate of women's rights, and believed that her oldest daughter should sit upon Rigel's throne. And his sister, who felt Willahelm had 'unfairly' taken her birthright away from her.

The laws of Rigel did not explicitly state that only a son could inherit the throne, but the feudal laws of primogeniture had many times passed by older daughters in favor of the oldest son, no matter where that son fit into the chronology. The family feud began quietly enough, but as the months progressed into Willahelm's reign, the friction began to spill over into more public venues.

Princess Edel became very outspoken about women's rights, and her actions began to drive a wedge into Rigelian society. Those who felt that the throne belonged to a male heir, and those who felt it should be the first born, irrespective of that child's sex. In two years time, Edel raised her own forced and marched upon the Imperial Castle, intent upon taking what she felt belonged to her.

The rebellion was squashed when the Baron's Council backed the Kaiser and the military, well trained and well funded met the attackers with the full might of the Empire. Edel was killed in the attack, as were two more of Willahelm's sisters. The former Empress never forgave her youngest child for unleashing the military against his own blood, and she was exiled to a small colony on Lacerta.

Willahelm's rule saw a bloody suppression of women's rights, but it also so major growth as Rigel reached further into the stars for new lands and new revenues. The Kaiser died at age 75, and passed the torch to his oldest son Raimer.

Emperor Raimer was crowned at the age of 49. His wife of 14 years committed suicide the day after his coronation. No reason was ever given for her actions, but speculation was that she could not accept the new role she was expected to live. She may have sympathized with the women's rights activists and felt that Raimer's older sister would have ascended to the throne, but Rigelian nobles were not ready to allow women to rule the empire.

Raimer remarried the Arch Duchess of Voronezh, who had been widowed during one of the campaigns in Scorpius. No children came from this union, but from all accounts, this was a match of the heart more than a match of political expedience. Raimer added an entire wing to the Imperial Palace for his new Empress.



(In real life, this is the Room of Coins, in The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.)

The Empress loved art, and she proved to be a great patroness for artisans across the realm, whether they lived on Rigel proper, or from one of the many colonies. Her collection was housed in this new addition upon completion of the rooms.



(In real life, this is the Italian Artists room in The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.)

The favorite room of the new Empress was this one, called The Faceted Room. She often entertained in this wing, and preferred to use this room for most of her personal guests.



(In real life, this is The Faceted Chamber in The Kremlin, Moscow)

Raimer did not travel to most of his off world colonies, preferring instead to rule from Festungsmauer. But his signature touch was long ranging, and he added several entire star systems to Rigel's colony base. He died unexpectedly at home at the age of 73.