History

The Celruelian Kingdom maintained its name throughout recorded history under a myriad of different tongues due to the color of the skies above it. Precipitation and cloud cover throughout the year is rare, and so striking, it became the region's namesake. Hundreds of generations Celruelians have persisted in the region with relative autonomy. This is evident from the earliest known settlements in the land Celruel dating back to ruins belonging to a precursor civilization. These ruins date back all the way to the early Mythria era. Oral traditions suggest that human activity was present in the region during the Canaan age, suggesting at least 3,000 years prior, but no actual evidence exists to support such a claim. Perrsolis, the kingdom's capital, is built upon ruins dating back 6,000 years which now lay deep within its catacombs and attract scholars and archeologists to this day.

Celruel remained a minor independent kingdom for thousands of years until the Vandein dynasty 1,100 years ago years ago. 956 years before present, Tylous I lead a series of campaigns and the small kingdom rapidly expanded into the Celruelian Empire. Later this would become the Empire in the chaotic years following the defeat of the 6th Greater Monster Lord. For just over 800 years the Celruelian Empire has persisted. For 713 it has existed as 'The Empire'.

Geography

Celruel is situated on top of a grassland south-west of the Couhrraine continent. Boarded by the Pemberry forests to the west, Keldriar mountain range to the north and east along with the Daemonbane Marsh to the south. The small kingdom occupies approximately 18,000 square kilometers, secure beneath the Keldriar mountains, but never overextending to the flat defenseless lands to the south, or venturing into the woodlands to the west. It is a land dotted with small tributary rivers, underground aquifers and rich black soil. The climate is temperate and stable with little rainfall. Despite this lack of rainfall, a great deal of moisture from the land's many fresh water sources means it has seldom experienced drought. It is situated about 300 meters above sea level.

Perrsolis is situated at its center upon seven great hills. These waterways and hills provided the peoples of this land with natural defenses against incursions throughout history. If it were not for this city, and the seven hills it was built upon, the flat plains of Celruel would have proven too easy a target for invasion from all sides, and it is unlikely the people living there would ever have coalesced into a proper nation.

Politics

Celruel is ruled directly by the Emperor, but much of its actual administrative duties have been distributed to local governing bodies. The city of Celruel, for example, is ruled over by a mayor and the surrounding plains by a regional governor. The Emperor holds sway directly over the Imperial Crown, one of the seven hills of Perrsolis. It is also one of the most fortified locations in the whole Empire and garrisons its own small army of elite praetorian guards. Situationed atop is the Imperial Villa where the Emperor resides nearly yearlong. At his leisure he may sojourn at one of many other locations across the continent, but this is the seat of his political authority. During the time of the Celrulian Kingdom, it served as the private residence of the King, so its purpose has not changed to any great degree.

Economy

Prior to becoming the central hub of the Imperial Railway, the Kingdom of Celruel made its riches off being a major hub of the southern Couhrraine trade along with the agricultural output of its black soil. It alone could feed nearly half of all the south-eastern corner of the continent. Some minor mining operations took place in the north and east, but before it became the Empire it relied on exporting food and offering safe passage along its many rivers and waterways to traveling merchants.

Today, the city is the center of the whole world. Tribute and tithes flow from all corners of the globe and their final destination is Perrsolis. It also boasts some of the largest libraries and magical academies within its walls, so it attracts all manner of people interested in not just wealth, but also learning and the arts.

Demographics

The people of Celruel have not changed over thousands of years and rebuffed many migratory groups over the same period of time. It has integrated many culturally similar peoples, but the core has remained unchanged since time immemorial. This has only begun to change as Perrsolis has become the center of human activity while it serves as the defacto capital of the world. The city has expanded far beyond its traditional limits, which have become multicultural and multi-ethnic slums. The inner city has remained virtually unchanged as it grows out of the skeletal remains of previous iterations of Perrsolis which date back millennia.

Today some twelve million call the city home, despite only four million reside within the old city while the remainder sprawl in its outer spheres. Approximately 80% of the population of Celruel resides within the metropolis of Perrsolis. A unique situation as the world had never seen such urban development before. Much of its farmlands have become vestigial to a degree as a result.

Culture

The coat of arms for the Kingdom of Celruel is the Celruelian Tulip, a resilient and beautiful flower with a rich cerulean hue and latent magical properties. Much like a phoenix, the flower never failed to sprout in spring and blossom in the summer. This has instilled a degree of resiliency in the populace who believe deeply in the principle of 'as above, as below'. The heavens above remain a near constant blue and on the ground below the flower, which shares part of the nation's namesake, is likewise eternal. This has bled into an optimism that the people of Celruel are well known for. To say nothing of the pride which has persisted in knowing it was their ancestors who conquered nearly the entire continent and led the world to defeat the greatest threat humanity had ever faced.

Celruel is the primary demesne of the Imperial family and acts as the center of The Empire. It is also the holy city of the Almighty's Church (which houses its Grandest Cathedral) and with the Imperial Rail Network it is the political, religious and center of trade for the whole Empire. It is thus a pious place, rich with both material wealth and art in all forms. True Celruelians may be optimistic, but are also derided for their arrogance and navel gazing as well. While immorality teems beyond the inner city, the Celruelians play.