The Senatar Empire and its relation to Vexanta

Vexanta - The Seventh Kingdom 

Born from the ashes of a great war won by the greater merchant family of the Senatar, who declared themselves Emperors, over the course of 3 millennia, the Empire expanded, through the superior might of their Legions. It is comprised of 7 Kingdoms.
The dynasty is kept in power by an extensive game of alliances with local authorities and major players. Initially, a point was made of keeping the offspring of noble houses across the nation hostage in the capitol and educating them to the ways of the Empire, prior to sending them back to their families, ready to become local rulers loyal to the Empire.
In time, this meant that the traditions and values of the Empire trickled down from the ruling classes to the entire population. Exception to this course of action is the Seventh Kingdom, that of Vexanta, which, for historical reasons, holds a prominent place in the balance of powers.
When the First Emperor ascended to the throne and started a war of conquest against the neighbouring countries, the kingdom of Vexanta was his strongest ally and, with it's armies, helped him subjugate the other kingdoms. Thus, the Emperor held the nation in high esteem. Once his son succeeded him however, he maneuvered to annex Vexanta indefinitely, by strong-arming the former ally into submission, in exchange for a relatively higher degree of independence from the central authority of the Emperor.
A Viceroy was sent to keep the ruling class in line, but the status of the king of Vexanta remained forever elevated compared to his counterparts from the other kingdoms that constitute the Empire. Also in the Imperial court, the voice of the ruler of Vexanta carried weight, albeit not as much as that of the central government.
Over time, the influence exerted by the kings of Vexanta diminished at Imperial level, remaining relatively strong in the confines of the home country.
Across thousands of years, the Empire became more of a distant entity, bureaucracy feeding upon itself, its authority maintained purely by force of the military, still loyal to the ruling dynasty. As long as taxes are paid and the peace is generally kept, the various kingdoms are mostly left to their own devices.
Several centuries ago, the then ruler of Vexanta attempted to regain independence starting a rebellion that was quenched in a sea of blood. After the defeat, what remained of the ruling dynasty of Vexanta accepted to disband its army and allow the Imperial troops to patrol the roads of the kingdom instead of local authority. The administration of justice was also co-opted by imperial bureaucrats and judges, and many of the more prominent noble families who had supported the rebellion suffered setbacks or were wiped out outright.

In an unexpected twist of fate, not having to carry the financial weight of supporting its own army, allowed the kingdom to invest a large part of its resources into rebuilding the nation, developing research, science and the local economy, which in less than a century turned the once rebellious nation into one of the economic pillars of the Empire.
Only since two generations ago, the ban was lifted for Vexanta to once again be able to create local militias and police its own cities. This means that, albeit well organised and funded, the local troops, militias and police forces are in fact lacking of true experience of war, and find themselves often butting heads with the Imperial troops that still patrol the Imperial roads and maintain a significant presence in the land.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire