| The Palaces of the Jewel Cluster
The Palaces of the Jewel Cluster, shining icons of the people and prosperty of their age, were not built by woman or man. They "grew" from the planets themselves into place and formed the chambers, passages and other requirements for human living by themselves. They are very much alive, and operate on a level far far beyond human understanding. Humans may reshape them using tools, and modify them, but they are not things or possessions, merely wise caretakers who act as liasons between the human world and the spirits of their planets. The Imperial Palace is the seat of the Jewel Cluster Imperial Government and the center of the Cluster itself. It is actually the second Imperial Palace, the first, called Castle Lio, having been destroyed in an incident some forty-one years previously.The current one is much bigger, and is more like an arcology than a castle, with an entire city inside it. At it's base there is a city called Ishigara Atol, built on a connected series of islands, which is inhabited by staff members, their familes and various others who have moved there over the years. It's quite a city, with a vibrant artistic and cultural life as well as several leading universities and their accompanying nightlife. Note: Each Palace also acts as the seat for the senate and as the center of beaureaucractic activity. In effect, they are political cities in the form of giant crystaline Castles. Imperial Palace: Ishigara Atol, Sapphire Lio Central Spire is 7km tall, and 4.9km in diameter at it’s widest. 21,000 Staff and Personel 700 Levels, 4900 Sections. Other Palaces: Sapphire Palace: New Wellington, Sapphire At’tei Diamond Palace: Mount Vanda, Diamond Jade Palace: Isle of Three Rivers, Jade Topaz Palace: Location changes yearly, Topaz Amethyst Palace: Flies a circuit route, Amethyst Ruby Palace: Lightbridge, Ruby Emerald Palace: 12 Daughters, Emerald |