Queen


 * Not to be confused with the 255th Queen of the Sacred Bird Cosmos.

The Queen (女王, jō-ō) is a title and story concept in the Angelique and Neo Angelique series. Queens are emphasized as imperative figures within either series's lore with some key differences between them.

Once a woman is anointed as a Queen, she is commonly addressed as "Her Majesty the Queen" (女王陛下, jō-ō heika) or "Her Majesty" (陛下, heika) by her followers. People close to her may call her by her given name.

Role in Games
Every cosmos begins in a lifeless void. As time passes, the cosmos will someday develop a "great will", an omnipresent desire to create life. This great will may gradually take the shape of a sentient guardian spirit. Spirits born with a loving heart cannot and will not interfere with humanity's development. It will instead pass on its desire to protect its creations to a single woman. The woman it chooses is the only one who is able to hear its words. People commonly dub this phenomena as the "Cosmic Will" (宇宙意志, uchū ishi).

As the receiver of the Cosmic Will, the Queen uses its advice to govern as the leading physical authority. Her Sacrea is unique and entrusted to her by the cosmos itself. She often uses it to stabilize the other nine Sacrea and the cosmos's structure, working with the Cosmic Will to lead a prosperous reign. Queens are often worshiped as divine and legendary deities —in legends, art and literature— yet they are not immortal; even with the cosmos's powers, she is not immune to injury or death. The Cosmic Will offers an isolated realm, or Holy Land, to protect her and directly hear its judgment.

While the main series often focuses on a cosmos ruled by a Queen, there are countless cosmoses which may have no Queen. The civilizations living within these sectors will not be as harmonious or as productive as those with a Queen's protection. People struggle to coexist with one another and often wage endless wars. In extreme cases, their hatred reaches the darkest regions of a cosmos and manifests into an evil presence.

Angelique
Although it is possible for a queen to maintain a cosmos's Sacrea by herself, the task could be considerably strenuous as the cosmos grows. The complexity of maintaining the cosmos's structure and controlling the nine different Sacrea may immobilize her to the point she is bedridden. Nine male avatars, or Sacred Guardians, are provided to aid and serve her. Once he has pledged himself to nurturing the cosmos, the Queen uses her powers to graft the mystical seal of Sacrea into the Sacred Guardian for his inauguration. A Queen and her guardians work together for sustaining the cosmos's longevity. Whenever the Queen is placed in danger, her Sacred Guardians are bound by duty to protect her.

Each time a new cosmos is born, the Cosmic Will deigns two woman with the mark of a future queen. Both woman share the desire to help others and have equal potential of bearing the responsibilities as Queen. They are called "Queen Candidates" (女王候補, jō-ō kōho) and are brought to Holy Land to undergo a trial (女王試験, jō-ō shiken) given to them by a Queen currently ruling a cosmos. Tests may vary, yet their main objective is to decide which Queen Candidate is truly worthy of being a Queen or her successor. The ruling Queen is the presiding judge for the examination; her Sacred Guardians evaluate which woman has the proper qualities.

Once a united decision has been reached, the Queen is anointed. The second Queen Candidate can serve as her closest confidant, or the Queen Aide (女王補佐官, jō-ō hosokan). When the Queen is not making public rulings she is often locked in prayer within her private dimension, giving her blessings to her realm and awaiting the Cosmic Will. The Queen Aide alone can telepathically hear and declare her proclamations due to the mystical mark given to them as Queen Candidates. She uses her knowledge to judge conflicts which arise in the Queen's absence. The Queen Aide's Sacrea is just short of the Queen's, mainly bridging the gap between the Queen and her lands.

Neo Angelique
After Arcadia broke away from the Sacred Bird Cosmos and Sacred Beast Cosmos, it was left without the two cosmos's protection. Annihilation would have been the normal course for the drifting microcosm, but the Sacrea cultivation it received from the past kept civilization intact and nurtured the beginnings of a sentient cosmos spirit. The Cosmic Will fell into stasis and took the form of a silver tree to await a new birth; it became what is known as a "Cosmic Egg" (宇宙の卵, uchū no tamago). Thanatos, a name for surreal monstrosities, terrorize Arcadia's people while the Cosmic Will lies dormant.

Arcadia's culture experienced radical changes in the eons without a Queen, but legends of the Queen remain in the minds of its people. According to prophecy, a young maiden will one day hear the Cosmic Will and emerge as the cosmos's Queen. She will be reborn once the evils plaguing the people has been vanquished, hatching at the same time as the Cosmos Egg. The maiden is fabled to be the "Queen Egg" (女王の卵, jō-ō no tamago). A girl resembling a long worshiped portrait of the resurrected Queen has been found during the game's setting.

Known Individuals
Listed as Queen first and Queen Aide second.
 * The Queen / Dia
 * Angelique Limoges / Rosalia de Catargena
 * Angelique Collet / Rachel Hart
 * Tian Shi

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