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The nearly-undisputed masters of the Empire of Dominia are none other than the members of House Keeser, its royal family and the former ruling family of the Imperial Alliance — one of the two entities which willingly made up the Empire at its founding. The head of House Keeser is the autocratic ruler of the entire Empire, and the family is said to have the blessing of the Goddess — Our Lady of Moroz — to rule. The royal family is revered and loved by many in the Empire and is a unifying force for its people and society, with Emperor Boleslaw himself viewed as second only to the Goddess in terms of import to most Dominian citizens. It is unthinkable for many in the Empire to imagine a future without a Keeser ruling over it.
History
The Keeser family has its roots in Landing Site Ofassel, where they were the leaders of the colonial expedition and, over time, became the monarchs of it through clever political maneuvering and strategic dominance of the colony’s resources. Eventually, they would turn the colony into the Imperial Alliance: a militaristic and monarchist society dominated by House Keeser and their close allies, and former colony security staff, House Strelitz. The family was quick to adopt Tribunalism when it first arrived in the Imperial Alliance and secured an alliance with the Holy Kingdom through declaring the Caladius and Zhao families houses of their own, effectively uniting both proto-states into an early version of the Empire.
The family, under King Theodore Keeser, would begin a brutal war in 2355 against the Confederated States of Fisanduh to unify Moroz under their leadership, and this War of Moroz would end in an Imperial victory in 2384 under the leadership of King Godwin Keeser — the first Emperor of Dominia. The war to unite Moroz had turned the Imperial Alliance from a single planet to a multi-system empire and had brought it into distant contact with the Solarian Alliance, which regarded it as little more than a distant curiosity. By the time Godwin died in 2437 the Empire had expanded greatly, adding much of the modern Imperial Frontier to its control and establishing itself as a regional power equal to the Republic of Elyra.
Having reigned since 2437, Emperor Boleslaw’s rulership has seen more troubles than that of his father. Fisanduh, subjugated by Emperor Godwin, remains a troubled area, and the Coalition of Colonies has repeatedly interfered in its rivalry with the Republic of Elyra while the Alliance has looked on with nothing more than curiosity. Already old when he took the throne, Emperor Boleslaw has long been of ill health and could not be genetically treated as his children were. As the Emperor grows sicker it seems his children, particularly Crown Princess Priscilla, may soon become the next ruler of House Keeser and the Empire
The Royal Family
Boleslaw Keeser
Date of Birth: 17 December 2405
His Imperial Majesty Emperor Boleslaw Keeser the First is the absolute ruler of the Empire of Dominia, and has seen its continued success under his reign. However some wonder if he truly lives up to the legacy of his dearly departed father, Emperor Godwin Keeser — United of Moroz, Savior of Novi Jadran and Sun Reach, Hammerer of the Pirate Lords, and Emperor of Dominia. He has invested greatly in improving the infrastructure and lives of Morozians at the cost of the less influential Imperial Frontier, and is popular amongst the masses and the nobility as a symbol of unity for the Empire. The Emperor has also seen the Empire through the phoron crisis and the aftermath of the Solarian Collapse, which saw the Imperial Fleet encountering far more piracy in the Badlands and Sparring Sea — an issue which brought it closer to the Solarian Alliance through informal anti-piracy treaties with Solarian actors in the Southern Reaches.
But the Emperor is not a young man and is not geneboosted as the Crown Princess is. Time has not been kind to him and he, sickly from birth, had found himself increasingly ill as the 2460s have continued. This has caused the Crown Princess and the Imperial Cabinet to slowly assume more and more responsibilities during his increasingly frequent bouts of ill health where he is cared for by the Empress, Lei Keeser. Many believe he will not survive until the end of the decade, and it is common for those in the Empire to pray for his health and longevity. But prayer can only go so far and the Empire nervously awaits when the Emperor shall pass into the arms of Our Lady of Moroz, leaving the Empire to Crown Princess Priscilla — who the Emperor is said to disfavor over his only son, Crown Prince Alexander, despite Priscilla’s status as the heir apparent.
Lei Keeser
Date of Birth: 22 November 2406
The Empress of Dominia, Lei Keeser is a well-loved figure throughout the Empire — and beyond — for her charitable work. A medical doctor by training one of the most prominent followers of the Scholar aspect of the Goddess, the Empress is deeply involved in her husband’s efforts to improve the lives of Morozians. Her charity extends to trusted Ma’zal populations within the Empire and she is well-regarded by many for her efforts to lighten the Mo’ri’zal on citizens from the Imperial Frontier. A large statue of her helping a Ma’zal out of his chains is featured in front of the Holy Cathedral of Our Lady the Goddess, the largest Tribunal church on Moroz. She is also the founder of the Empire’s largest contemporary fencing society, Her Majesty Empress Lei's Royal Fencing Society.
But behind this public face lies a woman with deep experience in the intricacies of Imperial politics who is not afraid to dirty her hands by proxy if it is for the good of the Empire — and for House Keeser. Lei is rumored to often visit the office of Alojzia Molnarova, Director of His Majesty's Imperial Intelligence Directorate, for unknown purposes. The Empress is closest to Crown Princess Priscilla and is a major force behind her eldest daughter’s status as the heir apparent to the throne.
Priscilla Keeser
Date of Birth: 13 May 2429
The heir apparent of the Empire and eldest daughter of the Emperor and Empress, Priscilla Keeser is one of the most powerful figures in the modern Empire. She is poised, elegant, a prominent scholar of the natural sciences who holds a doctorate in biochemistry, and one of the highest-ranked fencers in the Empire in addition to being a polyglot who understands High Morozi, Vulgar Morozi, Tau Ceti Basic, Elyran Standard, and commands a passing grasp of Freespeak she uses to surprise Coalitioners. The crown princess has been extensively geneboosted and towers over other humans at over two meters tall, surpassing even other Primaries, with a gaunt frame. Priscilla is known to prefer more masculine dress and is typically seen clad in long greatcoats in the style of the Imperial Army, which she is a great advocate of, designed to accentuate her imposing height.
The crown princess draws much of her support from the Imperial Army and House Strelitz — who have long issued her an adjutant, Elfriede von Sinzendorf, who is at Priscilla’s side at nearly every moment. Her connections to the Imperial Army have made her into an advocate for the Empire’s Ma’zals, who make up much of its lower ranks and do a great deal of its fighting and dying. This advocacy has seen her tour the Imperial Frontier many times and she is known to possess an estate on Novi Jadran staffed solely by Army veterans and their families — individuals who are paid more than most on the world and who are unfailingly loyal to the crown princess. The crown princess frequently meets with High Lord General Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz and the head of the Army’s Special Operations Group, Angelika-Lina Strelitz. Her interests have taken her abroad to view the Tau Ceti Armed Forces as part of the Empire’s diplomatic mission to the Republic of Biesel, along with von Sinzendorf.
Priscilla is known throughout the Empire as more liberal than her father, and frequently has spats with Prince Alexander over policy and matters of the military. While never occurring in public the arguments between the two are rumored, if one is to believe the bar gossip of Nova Luxembourg, to become very heated, featuring long screaming matches between the two siblings which are only silenced by the intervention of the Empress herself. Empress Lei favors Priscilla and has provided her daughter with extensive amounts of training, and information from Director Molnarova, regarding the great houses and other notable families of the Empire. While she has never indicated so in public the Crown Princess is rumored to have the ability to destroy any noble family’s reputation in a day, and some whisper that those nobles declared synthetics are almost always opposed to her goals.
As the Emperor grows more and more ill in his old age Crown Princess Priscilla is undoubtedly the heir apparent, and is indeed officially such per his majesty. But her younger brother has not ceased his attempts to gain influence for his conservative allies, and her younger sister is both fickle and influential over the Fleet — meaning she must be swayed to Priscilla’s side to prevent significant headaches once she is crowned Empress.
Alexander Keeser
Date of Birth: 23 November 2431
The middle child of the family, Alexander is both doted on by his father due to being the only son and frustrated by how distant the Empire's throne seems from him. Though as poised and elegant as his sister is, Alexander has always preferred more martial pursuits over Priscilla’s favoring of the sciences and philosophy. He is regarded as perhaps the single-best fencer in the contemporary Empire, an adept pilot, and serves as the honorary commander of the Royal Morozian Regiment — though its true commander is a noble of House Strelitz. Alexander has been extensively geneboosted and is as tall as his sister, though his frame is less gaunt than hers. He often wears the uniform of a Commander of the Imperial Flying Corps — his most favored branch of the military. He is one of the only contemporary holders of the Royal Fencing Award with Diamond Oak Leaves and Crossed Swords, an exceedingly high honour within the Royal Fencing Society.
While unlikely to ascend to the throne Alexander has long enjoyed the support of the more conservative elements of the Imperial nobility, and is a great patron of the Imperial Flying Corps who often pays social calls to its Chief Commissioner, Annaliese Strelitz. Perhaps unsurprisingly Alexander’s adjutant is a fellow pilot, Yusheng Zhao of the Imperial Fleet. Alexander is known to not be overly fond of Yusheng, who was selected by the Empress to aid him, and more favors Régis Caladius, a Commander of the Imperial Flying Corps who the prince often discusses aviation innovations with — and who is favored by the Corps themselves.
Alexander holds a dim view of the Empire’s non-Morozians and is often brought into conflict with his sister over this view. The bickering of the royal siblings is the subject of much gossip in Nova Luxembourg and across Moroz, but many are worried it will continue after Priscilla becomes Empress. A divided cabinet, after all, would only truly serve Elyra.
Hai Keeser
Date of Birth: 05 March 2338
The youngest of the royal siblings, Hai Keeser is often more a naval officer than a royal child and is most regularly found accompanying Grand Admiral Zhao. Poised and elegant, if somewhat prone to impish behavior at the expense of her siblings, Hai is third in line for the throne and significantly less concerned about it than her older siblings. To her, the Imperial Fleet is a much greater concern, and she is often found on Zhurong or on the bridge of the HIMFS Moroz alongside some of the Fleet’s highest-ranking officers. While geneboosted like her siblings Hai is not nearly as tall at roughly six feet in height, and is rumored to hold some bitterness towards her taller siblings regarding this.
While she is unbothered by the line of succession Hai’s support is valuable for her older siblings due to her influence in the Imperial Fleet and connections to House Zhao, the masters of the Fleet and much of the Empire’s machinery of war. Uninterested in politics and in the bickering of liberals and conservatives within the Imperial nobility, Hai has long been aligned to Priscilla but has — perhaps due to the influence of House Zhao and the conservatives of the Fleet — taken a more conservative stance than her older sister. While not as conservative as her older brother Hai’s stances regarding Ma’zals are more traditional than those of her sister, reflecting the attitudes of the Imperial Fleet. Despite this she is a great patron of the Empire’s non-great House nobility, and is frequently seen upon Zhurong meeting with the minor houses which run much of the Empire’s military industry. Her adjutant, Nobuko Kaneko, is one of these minor nobles and is next in line to become Countess Kaneko once her father, Count Yoichi Kaneko, passes into the arms of the Goddess.
Hai holds a positive relationship with both her mother and father, but has grown more distant from them in her adulthood as she has spent more and more time on patrols with the Imperial Fleet or conducting business upon Zhurong. This is a rumor to greatly grieve her mother and father, and may have had a role in pushing them towards Priscilla and Alexander respectively.
Adjutants of the Royal Family
Elfriede von Sinzendorf
The adjutant of Crown Princess Priscilla and a minor noble from a family affiliated with House Strelitz, von Sinzendorf has spent most of her twenty-eight years of life alongside Priscilla. She is an accomplished duelist and known through the Empire for often serving as the public face of the crown princess during interviews and conferences. Wherever Priscilla travels, von Sinzendorf is alongside her and ready to provide whatever may be required — though she is rumored to be an utterly dreadful cook. Due to accompanying Priscilla wherever she travels von Sinzendorf is a minor celebrity in some niche circles of Mendell City’s gossip magazines, where her prominent High Morozi accent and omnipresent Royal Morozian Regiment officer’s uniform is both adored and mocked.
Despite her somewhat comical reputation in these magazines von Sinzendorf has always been steadfast in her loyalty to Priscilla and is the Crown Princess’ most trusted friend. There is little reason to doubt that von Sinzendorf would do anything Priscilla ordered her to do — even if it would result in her own demise.
Régis Caladius
A gifted pilot and duelist, Régis Caladius is not the de jure adjutant of Prince Alexander — this title belongs to Sir Yusheng Zhao — but is a close confidant of the royal. Régis is known as a daring and pioneering aviator throughout the Empire but has only recently become acquainted with the prince, with many suspecting he has been hand-picked by conservatives within the Empire’s nobility to represent their interests. Regardless of his intent, Régis is viewed by the prince as a close friend and one of the few duelists capable of holding his own against him. To Yusheng, Priscilla, and the Empress he is regarded as a bothersome individual who has meddled in the relationship between Prince Alexander and his actual adjutant.
Despite this troublesome reputation Régis has continued to serve at Alexander’s behest, and will likely remain until Priscilla ascends to the throne as the current Emperor has shown no interest in removing his favored child’s chosen aide.
Nobuko Kaneko
The adjutant, and close friend, of Hai Keeser and the heir to House Kaneko’s estate, Nobuko is a gifted engineer who is the same age as the youngest royal child. While von Sinzendorf serves as a bodyguard and Régis serves as a political operative, Nobuko and Hai’s relationship is the closest to conventional friendship, though she does advise the princess on matters of industry and advocates for House Zhao’s interests. Nobuko and Hai have known each other since they were very young, and the young heiress was selected to be Hai’s adjutant before both were ten years of age. Over the intervening years Nobuko has become an impressive engineer in her own regard while Hai has pursued more naval studies, but this friendship has not waned.
While a close friend of Princess Hai, Lady Kaneko has her own interests which she vouches for and whispers to the princess. Many of these interests are those of House Zhao, but some belong solely to House Kaneko — though these are always presented as mural interests of Houses Zhao and Kaneko.