"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.

Yet none of them could do anything to stop the reforms, since as the capital became stronger, so did the Great Shaar. With the strongest army under his command, attempts at revolting would all be met with failure and worse, total annihilation of the revolters and their families. If they tried to stop by force, it would be in vain as the results were clear as day, and if they tried to stop it through legal means, the cities would be strangled by an embargo from the capital, cutting away the lucrative north-south trade, as well as the loss of the safety provided by the protection the imperial army offered to merchant convoys. One by one, the cities would relent to the whims of Lutsk and, thus, to the Great Shaar.

As the Vyatrogian Empire centralized, its strength grew. It became more and more effective in utilizing its resources. So great had the empire become that it didn't even need to muster its troops to conquer new territories.

In the Eastern Coasts of Nartika beyond the Salian mountains, the various petty realms that called the region home would surrender themselves to Vyatrogian rule. In part, this was out of fear from the now infamous tales of the fate of those who defied the Great Shaar, but also as a desperate response to the invasion of the Twin Monarchy into the region. Vyatrogian forces would engage for the first, and only, time with Naoshian-Akeshian Senureis, able and veteran riders much like the Vyatrogian banners. The Senureis and the Twin Monarchy would continue their fight for many years.

But 9 years after the beginning of the stalemated conflict, its course would change after a decisive engagement between a rapidly growing Vyatrogian Navy and the Dual Royal Navy, where the Vyatrogians came out on top after a bloody battle. With their supply lines broken, the Senureis would finally be forced out of the continent and back to their archipelago. The Vyatrogians would give chase. In a small archipelago west of the Nakeshi archipelago, home of the Twin Monarchy of Naoshi and Akeshi, Vyatrogian forces would land on the sparsely populated islands and islets.

The islands would be used as a jumping point into the Insular Monarchy, and a large armada never seen before in the region was amassed and set sail for their main prize. However, holding onto its name of the Sea of Tempest, the armada was caught in a gigantic storm that sunk three-fourths of the fleet and forced the Vyatrogians to accept their current gains. The Twin Monarchy, at this reeling defeat, would turn to isolationism, never bringing itself into continental affairs again, while Vyatrog further strengthened its influence.

This caused many other states to surrender themselves to the Empire of Vyatrog, such as in the southwest of Nartika, as states surrendered themselves in hopes of avoiding the worst outcome that the imperial horde could bring.

But not all states would so easily surrender themselves, even after hearing the many tales and legends created by the Vyatrogian army. One such state, located in the western plains of Pelzatria, would repeat the same mistake as that of the southern kingdom. Their blind belief that the mountains and desert would protect them from any would-be invader became their downfall, and in return, they became merely a footnote in the annals of history as their cities were massacred, raped, and pillaged. Becoming not more than another addition to the nearly endless list of massacres realized by the Great Shaar. Meanwhile, on the frigid northeastern coast of Vyatrog, there would be a sanctioned immigration of Norden People into the region under the stipulation that they all swear loyalty to the Great Shaar.

Vyatrog's influence was such that it was the first nation to ever carve a sphere of influence in Solriha, traditionally considered to be under Enyan influence. Across the Soltirrie Strait and into the Horn of Solriha, various native states of the region would pay tributes to the Great Shaar of Vyatrog, and in return, they received Vyatrog's protection. But that was the furthest they would ever go, as their nomadic roots always turned Vyatrog away from the seas and towards the land.

In 70 years of rule, the once nomadic imperial tribal government was replaced by a centralized bureaucracy. Its nomadic tribes had settled down all around the prospering Strekian steppes that were rapidly becoming the empire's breadbasket, and finally, a united Nartika. It was unprecedented; for the first time in history, all of the livable regions of the continent were under the rule of a single flag. However, the thirst for conquest was never quenched. Instead, it grew exponentially, and the belief that they were destined to conquer the world grew until the unexpected became reality. Yet, Vasilyk refused to bring his father's nation to war. Instead, he continued to make more and more reforms to his father's empire to ensure its future, but everything always comes to an end.

In the Imperial year of 1799, the symbol of Vyatrog's greatest era would come to an end as Vasilyk passed away in his bed during his sleep at the impressive age of 104. His long reign of more than 70 years and many reforms with a prospering government would cement him as the greatest leader of Vyatrog. His father was the founder of Vyatrog, but Vasilyk was its architect. One expanded his realm to unparalleled heights, and the other cemented their rule for the ages to come.

Vyatrog was at its greatest extent, at the peak of its military force. This was their golden age that would survive for all eternity. That was the belief of many at the time. However, as great and necessary as Vasilyk's reforms were, they also opened routes for new plagues to slowly consume the empire from the inside out. Corruption, negligence, favoritism, nepotism, and so forth—all slowly consuming the inner workings of the government without anyone noticing, just like Vasilyk's initial reforms.

But that wasn't the greatest blow to the Vyatrogian golden age; that would be the successor of Vasilyk, known as Yermolay. As the only son of the Great Shaar, he received an extensive education for ruling the empire, but at the same time, he was also overly pampered by his family and servants to a sickening degree. Yet the most worrying of his characteristics was his rather young age ruling in his mid-twenties, meaning that he only knew of his father as an old man who kept sitting and buried under pillars and pillars of paperwork.

Such an image of his father was a drastic difference from the incredible tales of his grandfather who led entire armies to battle and conquered half of a continent in his lifespan. This slowly made Yermolay resent his father's peaceful rule. He was the son of a conqueror, yet he dared to reject the legacy of his own father? Refusing to lead entire armies into battle and conquering whole states? He was no Vyatrogian; he was just another bureaucrat getting in the way of Vyatrog's true self, one of conquest and war.

Yermolay's rise to power was a peaceful one, as he was the only rightful heir to the throne, but his rule would be far different than his predecessors. Yermolay's rule in its first 10 years was uneventful, as his education allowed him to effectively manage the realm. But it also allowed him to make connections with powerful men that slowly tightened his control of the council. The last remnant of their tribal ways, the eldest and wisest men of the empire, would discuss and suggest to the emperor what to do and at times even allow or disallow him to do something.

Once he was finally reaching twenty years of rule, his scheme would finally pay off. The last remaining council member from the period of his father would die. In the place of the last elders, a new council made up of jingoistic councilmen aligned with Yermolay took control, and they would bring Vyatrog back to its roots. They would make a name for themselves, one even greater than their predecessors...

So, in the Imperial Year of 1819, in a jingoistic and prestige-driven fervor from their romanticized views of their nomadic roots, the men ruling the Vyatrogian Empire declared war on the Eternal Empire, the undefeated giant. This was the first and only clash the two titans would have, and at the time, it was the greatest war ever seen in Toria, marking the start of Vyatrog's downfall from grace.

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The Enyan-Vyatrogian War, or simply known as the Great Nartikan War, was a conflict on such a scale never seen before. This Great War raged on for nearly two decades, with massive casualties on both sides, yet it all would only end up with a minor Enyan victory.

After all, the Eternal Empire was the strongest and most advanced empire to ever exist in Toria, thanks to their lands blessed by countless relics of a forgotten past, which granted them access to an enormous pool of knowledge, all ripe for the taking. Yet, all they knew of warfare was how to fight in their own continent against themselves.

The opening move of this war was the Naval Battle of the Skanshir Sea, where the Vyatrogian and Enyan Navies would meet for the first time. Although it was called a battle, the engagement was more of a one-sided massacre as the Enyan metal warships eviscerated the wooden Vyatrogian vessels, a taste of what was to come for the Empire of Vyatrog.

On land, the Vyatrogian army was annihilated in combat by the superior Enyan Army as it crossed the Saint Makr Strait, which separated the continent of Enyas from Nartika and made landfall on the Polzan peninsula. Fully armed with long-range weapons, the Enyan forces easily defeated the Vyatrogian forces sent to repel them at the rock and hill-filled lands of Polza, but that was the first of such disasters.

With their navy destroyed, the Vyatrogians were unable to prevent the landing by Enyan forces on its western coasts. Their coastal cities were lost at a heavy price for the defenders, as they were one-sidedly massacred by the invincible Eternal Empire soldiers. Defeat after defeat, the Vyatrogians were pushed back into their ever-so-familiar Nartikan interior as the Enyans gave chase.

However, in their overconfidence, the Enyans overextended themselves. Their supply lines, never made for foreign deployments, were stretched to their utter limits, their lack of knowledge of foreign lands made their progress slow, and their overly prideful and arrogant act made them hated by the natives. And it would be in that situation that the Enyan invincibility would be shattered.

Outside of the hills of Polza and into the Nartikan plains, the Vyatrogians showed their true might: superior cavalry tactics, guerrilla warfare, and hit-and-run tactics of the Enyan supply trains. One by one, the Vyatrogians chipped away at the Enyan strength and finished their armies with a killing blow using their superior tactics. Across all their fronts, the Enyans were forced to retreat back to the coast and under the protection of their still undefeated navy.

In the southern continent of Solriha, the Enyans would find much more success than in Nartika. Just like the Enyans in their mainland, the Vyatrogian forces were cut off from their supplies by the Enyan blockade of the Horn of Solriha, forcing them to fight in a retreating guerrilla warfare as their forces slowly suffered from attrition. Differently from the Enyans, the Vyatrogian forces in Solriha never gave up, waging a brutal razing campaign across the northeastern region of the continent. The Southern Army continued its fight, stealing weapons from the enemy and supplies from the natives. Always one step ahead, the Solrihan Raiders, as they became known, became the only undefeated Vyatrogian force of the entire decade-long war. Their deeds spread as far as Southeastern Solriha, but their brave actions did little to change the course of the war.

For ten years, a stalemate remained. Vyatrogian forces besieged the conquered coastal cities taken by Enyan forces, forced breakthroughs, and were counterattacked, only for the Enyans to push themselves too deep into enemy territory and have their forces defeated in detail, before waging a desperate fighting retreat from harassing Vyatrogian Cavalry.

For ten years, the two empires waged this futile war with no end in sight, as neither side was given a fatal blow, nor would their pride allow it. That was until midway through the last year of the conflict in 1839, as in both empires, internal forces had finally made their moves against a weakened opponent.

In Enyasin, the all-powerful church of Enyas, which had won the last struggle for power decades ago, was finally challenged by an ambitious Emperor who used the growing unrest caused by the everlasting war against the church. With their homefront compromised and another civil war brewing, The Eternal Empire had to make peace, but they had to let go of many of their plans as the church needed as many forces back on the mainland as possible.

The peace terms offered by Enyasin were extremely lenient. Aside from compensation by giving them around half of the Polzan peninsula and the total exit of Vyatrog from Solriha, it was a tempting deal for Vyatrog. But also a show of weakness from Enyasin. After all, why would they offer such a tempting deal if they weren't more worried about something else? If needed, the Vyatrog leadership could even demand a complete Status Quo Ante Bellum. But they accepted the deal as offered by Enyasin; after all, Vyatrog wasn't in a position to make demands, as they were collapsing internally just like the Enyans.

In the Uslochev Mountains, the ever-rebellious locals would begin their first great crusade against the Vyatrogian Horde. On the southern coast, the dimming embers of remembrance of the fallen southern kingdom began to grow and burn into an intense fire. And all across their western coast, ripe from the anarchy brought by the ever-changing control of territory, freedom fighter groups rose up to push back the nomadic invaders once and for all.

Nartika was once again burning in the flames of war, much like in the lifetime of Krynghis, but this time, these flames wouldn't bring about a new rising empire. They would decide whether it would survive for the next era.

The times of troubles had begun...