House Pelagia was a union of aristocratic houses, or coalition of noble families, that governed the Pelagia Province within the Tapani sector. In the Expanse, House Pelagia valued honor and dignity more highly than other houses. Actions like assassinations were heavily frowned upon, and dishonesty was looked down upon. Consequently, Pelagian nobles were often skilled at manipulating situations and twisting the truth to their advantage.
The initial settlers from the Core established a colony on Pelagon around 13,000 BBY. Initially, governance originated from Pelagon, the capital, through the Pella Compact, the original council that guided the colony ships. As colonization expanded to more worlds, power gradually shifted from Pelagon to the capitals of individual clans.
House Pelagia once stood as one of the Tapani sector's most influential houses, frequently influencing the power balance within the Great Council, alongside their long-standing rivals, House Mecetti. Several Pelagian families possessed strong connections to the Force through their bloodlines, with some members joining the ranks of the Jedi Order. House Pelagia sided with the Jedi against House Mecetti and the Mecrosa Order during the Cleansing of the Nine Houses, approximately 4000 years before the Battle of Yavin (8,720 in the Tapani sector Calendar). During this era, the Pelagia Duplex Command Assault Gunship was introduced to defend the Tapani sector amidst the turmoil of the Great Sith War.
When Palpatine accused the Jedi of betraying the Republic and initiated Order 66, marking the beginning of the Jedi Purge, House Pelagia's Jedi bloodlines were systematically hunted down and eradicated.
Around 16 BBY, driven by anxieties about Imperial retaliation and fueled by envy of House Pelagia's strength, the other houses, in collaboration with their old adversary Mecetti, launched a military campaign against House Pelagia for the first time. The initial battles were intense, and for a time, it seemed House Pelagia might withstand the combined might of the opposing fleets. However, Mecetti operatives managed to disable Pelagon's planetary shield, leading to the downfall of the once-powerful house. House Cadriaan intervened, preventing Mecetti from completely destroying House Pelagia, but it only retained three of its original eleven systems, while the other eight were transferred to House Calipsa. Pelagon, its capital world, suffered severe devastation. Almost all of Pelagon's massive platforms were destroyed, and its oceans were contaminated due to the bombing. Only a small fraction of Pelagon's species avoided extinction. Consequently, the house lost a significant portion of its voting power on the Great Council.
Following the Mecetti Purge, House Pelagia had to dedicate all its efforts to survival, and with assistance from House Cadriaan, it managed to do so. House Pelagia exercised caution, avoiding any overt political actions, recognizing that another assault would likely lead to its demise.
In the aftermath of the purge, numerous noble Pelagian families sought refuge in the Freeworlds Territory to rebuild their lives, while others were integrated into different houses but were treated as second-class aristocrats. Secretly, some of these families maintained their allegiance to the fallen house, operating as a clandestine network that funneled information and resources to Pelagia.
During the Mecetti Purge, the House Pelagia starship Regal Destiny vanished. Rumors circulated that it carried treasures from the fallen house. However, the treasures were revealed to be the long-lost brother and sister of the Pelagian High Lord Theux Paddox, who were betrayed by a Mecetti spy disguised as a crew member. The spy poisoned the ship's air supply with a bio-agent, compelling the children's governess to place them in stasis. The Regal Destiny, along with the two hibernating members of the Theux family, was later discovered by the crew of the mining survey ship Bright Seeker shortly after the Battle of Hoth.
Following the death of Emperor Palpatine, House Pelagia began the slow process of recovery.
The Mecetti Purge reduced the Pelagian Province to just three systems: the Bethal system, the Obelia system, and the Pelagon system, which included two habitable worlds, Bethal and the capital world Pelagon. Eight systems—Betolio, Grella, Lorenz, Kamper, New Javis, Setolio, and [Netolio](/article/netolio_system]—were transferred to House Calipsa during the downfall.
After the fall, Pelagia's assets were greatly diminished. Many businesses left the house after its defeat, seeking more stable conditions. However, the Pelagon Aquatic Components Corporation remained headquartered on Pelagon.
Pelagia's most valuable asset was the Shapani Bypass, the quickest hyperroute to Cadriaan. Pelagia made sure that its adversaries, including House Calipsa, had to pay significant tariffs to use it. Calipsa was once forbidden from Pelagian territory, which cut it off from the Shapani Run.
House Pelagia managed to preserve some of its Jedi legacy after the purge, including a collection of Jedi holocrons. This secret was closely guarded and only known by a select few trusted individuals. During the Great Jedi Purge, Nevil Tritum, the top agent of the Mecrosa Order, recovered the Sith holocron belonging to the ancient Sith Overlord King Adas from House Pelagia's possession.
In the two decades following its fall, Pelagia had been quietly rebuilding its defensive forces. By placing orders through its allies within the House Cadriaan government, it successfully prevented Mecetti agents from fully uncovering the extent of the rearmament program. The Herglic Melchi, the captain of a Nebulon-B medical frigate named the Benevolence, used a mobile medical relief unit as a disguise for smuggling military supplies to House Pelagia.
Between 0 BBY and 3.5 ABY, the Pelagian navy consisted of the following capital ships, although more had been ordered:
- 2 Tapani-class frigates – acquired secondhand [1]
- 5 Rendili StarDrive Neutron Star-class bulk cruisers – acquired secondhand [1]
- Pelagia Star ( Pelagia's Moon ) – refitted during the Galactic Civil War [1]
- Guardian-class light cruiser Reprise [3]
While Pelagia lost much of its military strength during the purge, it retained its powerful intelligence and diplomatic capabilities. House Pelagia had numerous agents spread across the sector, many of whom were focused on their old enemy, Mecetti.
House Cadriaan was Pelagia's closest friend and ally in the sector, ensuring its survival and supporting its rebuilding and rearmament efforts.
After the fall of House Pelagia, the Great Council on Procopia was dominated by a coalition consisting of House Mecetti, House Calipsa, and House Reena. House Mecetti had always been Pelagia's most relentless enemy. At this time, Calipsa and Reena became enemies due to their alliance with Mecetti.
Before the Battle of Endor, under the leadership of High Lord Theus Paddox, House Pelagia engaged in secret discussions with Melantha and Barnaba. Such an alliance would disrupt Mecetti's control over the Great Council and, consequently, the sector. House Melantha had historically been one of Pelagia's allies in opposing Mecetti, but it was always a pragmatic alliance.
Although House Pelagia did not officially align itself with the Rebellion, a Rebel Alliance cell known as the Pelagia Freedom Force was led by Zanthe Nadia, a native of Pelagon.