The Empyreans were the inhabitants of the legendary
Empyrean Empire who were said to be
descended from the gods themselves. Until recently not much was known about them apart
from the fact they were powerful enough to survive wars with the Demon Empire and
the Empire of Kelnore. The
Empress Keva, however, has much lore concerning
Empyreans which she learnt from her mother Gilraen.
Many of us from other worlds are familiar with the idea of a 'celestial', someone with some
divine ancestry in their distant past. The Empyreans of Oerth are very similar to celestials
but more powerful since they interbred with each other rather than other mortals. For similar
reasons they are more long-lived than the celestials we know. The original Empyreans were
brought together by the Olympians gods to form a community to act as a bulwark against
the Demon Empire (apparently the original
Amazons were created at the same time by Demeter for a similar
purpose).
Although for thousands of years the Empyreans fulfilled the plans of the gods admirably and kept
the Demon Empire at bay there existed a tension within their community. Some wished to also
act as teachers and protectors to the proto-civilizations in the lands to the north but the rulers
of the Empyreans were loath to let such individuals leave the Empire and if they did they were
banished for life. This did not stop individuals sailing north from time to time although they
tended to disguise their true heritage. They did, however, spread the Olympian religion in the
rest of the Wilderlands as well as giving rise to many heroic myths and legends.