Pelghain

Pelghain
Location	Cold Isles
Government	Thalassocracy
Ruler	Empresses Mehrwen and Ksathra
Capital	Pelghain
Status	Defunct

Pelghain was a maritime empire that spanned across the Cold Isles and beyond, to parts of northern Sanctuary. Its capital was the largest island of the isles, also called Pelghain

Lore

Sister empresses of Pelghain

Pelghain was a thalassocracy ruled by sister priest-empresses who had the power to command oceans and wind. The empire was ethnically diverse and cosmpoliton, incorporating architecture from places such as Xiansai and other locations in Sanctuary's north. At its peak, the empire's strength was based on both its mastery of maritime trade and its centers of learning.

History

Pelghain was born of seafaring and trade that reached as far as the western coasts of Xiansai, exchanging rich dyes extracted from ocean creatures for the lumber and iron that would build their domain. It traded with Xiansai and other northern cultures in its early years. Their trade made them welcome in far lands, but at Arreat, they were swiftly rebuffed by the Barbarians. As the empire expanded, it became more cosmpoliton, and incorporated elements of the cultures it encountered/conquered. At its peak, the empire was a hub of not just maritime trade, but of learning. Universities were constructed which attracted the best minds from across Sanctuary.

The empire falls into civil war

The empire collapsed when violence erupted between the empire's sister-priest empresses; Mehrwen and Ksathra. As their power winnowed, they argued the best step to take for their people. Ksathra suggested uplifting a few so that they could shepherd their fellows, which Mehrwen said that it would be better to provide a small amount of power to all, that none may claim dominion. It is widely believed that Ksathra struck the first blow in anger. The battle roiled sea and sky, drowned their mainland cities, and left only their island capital standing, beset by permanent deluges and hurricanes, and surrounded by Maarozhi which attacked from above and below. A once-proud people were reduced to living in ruins and clinging to the vestiges of their empire. Over the following centuries, Tempests were used to keep storm and beast at bay, but it became increasingly clear to many Tempests that they were only delaying the inevitable.

Trivia

This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.

• There is evidence that Pelghain may have originally been a nephalem civilization, or at least, inspired by the nephalem. As the Tempest class is said to harken back to the nephalem mythos, this may indicate a nephalem connection.

Development

"We said, basically, 'what if the chief architects of that empire had two very different perspectives on what they were here to do? And what was important? Was it the legacy of the human beings who were within your empire? Or was it the legacy of the history that you would create?' That's when, obviously, we deviate from historical Phoenicia and we start to make something new."

- Ryan Quinn^(src)

• Development of the lore for Pelghain was mostly done by Ryan Quinn. His primary inspiration was Phoenicia. In early story development, the idea of 'taking Carthage and transporting it to Antarctica' was pitched. From this, the developers read about the development of real-world naval empires and how they expanded. A divergence from real-world inspiration was the idea of the empire's architects having different perspectives on their roles. This was the point where the developers diverted from historical Phoenicia and began making something new.
• Pelghain was designed to be a cosmopliton empire, as according to Quinn, empires of the ancient world were more cosmopoliton than often assumed.

References

Locations in the Diablo universe

Astral Realm • Burning Hells • Deluged Plane • Ether • Fractured Plane • High Heavens • Limbo • Mirrored World • Nephalem Rifts • Obliterated Realm • Pandemonium • Realm of the Banished • Realm of Shadow • Realms of Fate • Spirit Realm • Void • Wastelands

Sanctuary — Ancients' Cradle • Aranoch • Bakuli Jungle • Bilefen (Valostre, defunct) • Cold Isles (Pelghain, defunct) • Dreadlands • Dry Steppes • Eastern Steppes • Fractured Peaks • Greyhollow Island • Hawezar • Ivgorod (defunct) • Kehjistan (defunct) • Marshland • Nahantu • Samauren Empire (defunct) • Scosglen • Shassar Sea (Fahiran Empire, defunct) • Shimmering Tropic • Skovos Isles • Stormpoint • Uie • Western Kingdoms (Entsteig • Khanduras • Westmarch) • Wojahn • Xiansai
Related — Towns