Fountain Palace

[Nick Cousland]

The Fountain Palace, also known as the Castle of Per'Agthra was the premier royal residence of the Queen Mothers who ruled the Hapes Consortium. Situated on Hapes itself, this centuries-old fortress-palace served as an ancient symbol of royal authority for the monarchy: other royal residences such as Reef Home were places where the Queen Mothers stayed, but Per'agthra was the home of the Hapan monarchy.

Even after Queen Mother Ta'a Chume opened the borders of the Hapes Star Cluster to outsiders in 8 ABY, contact was scarce, and this, coupled with traditional Hapan secrecy, may be responsible for some uncertainty regarding the exact location of the palace. While most sources suggest that Per'Agthra stood on the crags overlooking the capital city of Ta'a Chume'Dan, New Republic Intelligence reports said that this was in fact Star Home, outwardly an exact copy of the castle, but in reality a hyperspace-capable cruiser.

Whatever the exact truth, the existence of Star Home attested to the importance of Per'Agthra to both the family of the Mothers, and the state ceremonial of Hapan political life. The Fountain Palace remained as a private residence for the court, while a second, identical castle served as a public proxy, enabling the Mothers to hold court amid the iconic towers and turrets of their ancestral seat when they visited the other worlds of the Cluster—or even, on rare diplomatic visits, foreign capitals like Coruscant.

The Hall of Masters, Royal Residence, Queen Mother's Special Salon, Royal Bedchamber, Queen's Drawing Room, and Royal Hangar were all rooms in the Palace.