Four Pillars of Heaven

The Four Pillars of Heaven or Pillars are the descendants of the three elder brothers and nephew of Makonnen, the Unifier. They hold the highest nobility ranks of those not in the Imperial Family They ruled their respective quarters of Exum, with little input from the Emperor of Exum.

"My brothers and my niece. You shall now be known as the Four Pillars of Heaven, for as long as you and your children remain by the side of me and mine, heaven shall never fall on this land."

— the Unifier

Structure

The Four Pillars act as supreme military leaders responsible for the defense of their region in the event of foreign invasion. In times of peace, this prestigious title is purely honorary. Tradition holds that each title is hereditarily given to the chief of a certain family, but the king retains the right to award it to another of his choosing. This typically only happens if the traditional holder dies and his heir is not yet of age, although in times of turbulence the office may be offered to those holding a monarch's favor.
The four major directional wardens are currently:

• Eastern Pillar, held by Tsion, Pillar of the East.

• Northern Pillar, held by Negasi, Pillar of the North.

• Southern Pillar, held by Gedyon, Pillar of the South.

• Western Pillar, held by Adebola, Pillar of the West.

History

It was the end of the 4th Age of the Gods when the earth split under and lands south of the Godlands, now known as Exum was split into 12 Chiefdoms and many numerous tribes that decided not to fall under a larger clan.
To those above the the Old Godlands, this land was called the the Land of the Twelve Doors. The great historian, Mensah coined the phrase, saying “To conquer the lands south of the Godlands, one would have to conquer each of the twelve clans and that after conquering one clan, he would have to break through all twelve doors to claim the whole land.
Of the Enegua People, their king, whose name was forgotten through time, had five sons, the youngest being Makonnen, the Unifier. Makonnen was prophesied to be a great conqueror, but many thought the prophecy was wrong when the boy couldn’t walk until he was seven years old. But when he did gain use of his legs it was too late. One of his elder brothers was on the throne and out of fear of the prophecy, Makonnen and his mother were exiled out of their family lands. It wasn't until the Wild King conquered four of the clans, including the tribal lands of Exum that the king's advisors came and begged for him to return and aid in the fight against the Wild King.
Makonnen with his four brothers, and their armies at his back, fought and took back Exum. Although he lost his brother that was sitting as King during the battles, his three other brothers said that Makonnen should be King, as prophecy stated. But he refused. It wasn't until he stood in front of the the twelve High Chiefs as they stated that they and their armies would only submit to his command that he sat on his father’s old throne.
The twelve kings stood lined in front of Makonnen who was flanked by his three brothers and his niece. The twelve kings stabbed their spears into the ground before the throne and relinquished their kingdoms and their lands to him.
Makonnen looked at his three brothers and his nephew and named them his Four Pillars of Heaven and gave them each a quarter of the country to rule in his stead.

Type

Geopolitical, Great house

Parent Organization

Imperial Family

Location

Exum

Controlled Territories

• Northern Pillar
• The City of Southern Pillar

Notable Members

• Adebola
• Gedyon