Aster Keep
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| Aster Keep | |
| Leader | The Aster Regent |
| Religion | Vastar |
| Allies | The Guild of Knights |
Aster Keep is the ducal seat of the former Seleucarian Duchy of Aster Malik. It is the home of the Asteri Knights, and hosts the re-founded Guild of Knights, serving as its guild hall. The heraldic arms of Aster Keep are: Sable, a tower Or.
History and Culture
Aster Malik was created after the death of Nicator, through the marriage and joining of estates between Pannelia Malik, one of Nicator's many wives, and Pontelius Leland Aster. The Aster Dukes and Duchesses have ruled from Aster Keep ever since, guarded by the Asteri Knights who were trained by the Seleucarian Guild of Knights. Vastar is the traditional patron of the Aster family, but the Keep's chapel worships all gods in the Seleucarian tradition, (as evidenced by the Chapel of All Gods on Sapience) and can be dedicated to any god for a service.
The occultist Adchachel was a resident of Aster Keep around the time of the Black Wave, and was eventually slain there by Delosian Templar who breached his secret laboratory. His spirit returned to Sapience and the Keep in the events of 772 AF, until he was again sealed and burned alive in that same lab.
In 889 AF, with the death of Duke Pontelius Aurachias Mauvellio Aster, Eighth of his Name, without an heir, Aster Keep has passed into the control of a Regency. The day-to-day affairs are run by the Keep's cleric, Chadys, it's castellan, Ranic, and it's guard captain, Sir Jineid. These stewards remain loyal to the traditions of Seleucarian feudalism, and tend to resist new ideas that filter in from northern Sapience. Members of the Guild of Knights may freely access the Keep, but the gates are generally sealed to the public, and no outsider has been allowed to join the Asteri Knights save the Aster Regent elected by the Keep's council.
Notable Rulers
- Duchess Pannelia Malik
- Duke Pontelius Leland Aster, First of his Name
- Duchess Castomira Brangwin
- Davis Kephry
- Duke Pontelius Aurachias Mauvellio Aster, Eighth of his Name
The Aster Regency
- 889 AF (2588 IP) - Ser Aerek Ancyrion
Geography
Aster Keep stands atop the wildflower-dotted Aster Hill, an imposing fortress with tall walls and several towers, fortified inside the outer walls and moat of Aster Town. Below the Keep and inside the outer walls are the homes and hovels of the Asteri serfs, the fields and animal pens that sustain the settlement's population, and the great jousting arena. Only ruins of the Old Town remain outside the walls.