Chronicles of Toria: Setting the Stage (Vol. 0)

(Act 2) Chapter 16 - A Banner of Prosperity

"Bureaucrats... Everyone hates them. Yet, they're the ones keeping their nation from falling apart into a thousand pieces."

-Unknown

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"To create an empire, all you need is a sword. To keep it, you need pens, paper, and bureaucracy."

-Unknown

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When the army finally made its return to the capital, it was met with a commemoration, as the people from the empire celebrated their victory against the southern kingdom. Yet, the soldiers all appeared to be in grief, and worryingly, no one could find the Great Shaar anywhere among his troops. Doubts and rumors began to spread as the people tried to find out what happened to the Great Shaar, all of which were answered days later when his son, Vasilyk, was announced as the new Shaar after the death of his father during the last days of the campaign in the south.

The news of Krynghis's death spread like wildfire. For some, his death was met with grief, as he was their symbol of glory and conquest, and for many, his death was met with jubilation, as their hated conqueror was finally gone. Few would attempt to revolt in hopes of reclaiming their independence.

Yet, it was all in vain. The revolts were brutally suppressed by the army, just like those who refused to surrender. There was no mercy shown to those who attempted to betray the new Great Shaar, as entire villages and cities were erased from the map, with none of their populations left to tell their tales.

However, these revolts were also a lesson for Vasilyk because, just as his father had said, it was easy to conquer his enemies on a mount but to rule them without one was a challenge like no other. Yet, it was a challenge that needed to be overcome to ensure the survival of his father's empire.

In a completely different direction from his father's rule, Vasilyk wouldn't go on a campaign of conquest after campaign of conquest, ever-expanding the already massive Vyatrogian Empire. Instead, he focused internally, on the nation and its non-existent institutions. Throughout the empire, all the conquered regions were essentially run autonomously; the bureaucracies of the conquered states remained in place, untouched and unchanging. There was no centralized ruling, for there was no governing institution aside from the Great Shaar himself.

It would be in this state of affairs that Vasilyk would have to rule and keep his father's empire whole. Changes needed to be made, lest he allow the legacy of his father to become merely a footnote in the annals of history. It would be under his rule that Vyatrog would reach its zenith.

A grand series of reforms began, first small in scale and at the time considered of little effect in the grand scheme of things. These included the formation of an Imperial postal office manned by the fastest riders of the army, a road maintenance and protection institution, and the establishment of a permanently settled capital. Over time, these changes began showing their true colors one by one, and before anyone could notice, the Empire was slowly centralized around the capital.

The once nomadic and ever-changing capital known as Lutsk slowly became greater and greater as trade from the northern forests to the deserts and coasts of the south required passing through it. Merchants of Nartika came and went to Lutsk, bringing knowledge and wares, and exporting tales of the growing riches and history of Lutsk throughout the continent.

As the capital slowly became stronger, and the realm more centralized, more reforms were implemented: a centralized and codified series of laws and bureaucracies, the replacement and absorption of pre-conquest institutions by Vyatrogian ones, and the forceful centralization of the army. However, these reforms weren't easily accepted, especially by the conquered regions, which, although subjugated, still had the pride of keeping their old ways of life alive.