At the north end of Caelester's main square is a 12 foot bronze statue of
Rhille the Swift, the founder of Caelester, built to memorialize her victory over the undead tyrant
Kalshazzak Aesymnetes, last emperor of the
Asurian empire. She is depicted standing tall and proud, sword raised, depicted as a general rallying her troops in defiance of an unseen enemy, standing atop a carved marble plinth.
History
The statue was originally conceived as an ensemble, depicting not just Rhille, but all 8 heroes who ultimately defeated Kalshazzak, comissioned by Rhille herself in her later years in rememberance of friends who had passed on or returned to their homelands in the north. However, progress was slow at first, and only the plinth had been constructed by the time of her passing, and the project was abandoned.
About two centuries later, Rhille's line of descendants failed, and a new dynasty came to power. In order to legitimize his claim to the throne, the new king comissioned several works intended to honour Rhille the Swift and her legacy. Of these, the statue is the last remaining on public display. It was this focus on Rhille that led to the change in design from an ensemble of all 8 heroes to just one larger than life statue of the founder herself.
The statue has come to symbolize the resiliance of the city of Caelester. It has twice been engulfed in flame that swept through the city, surviving unscathed aside from some minor soot stains, and similarly withstood the recent earthquake with only minor damage, which has since been repaired. Some people say the city of Caelaster will survive as long as the statue does.
Secrets
A chamber within the plinth supporting the statue, locked behind an intricate puzzle lock, contains the relic Rhille herself wielded in the final battle, used as one of the 8 foci of the seal binding Kalshazzak away.
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