The Valoni Occupation (184 AV to 475 AV)

Formation and Rise

Expansion and/or Reform

Hegemony and/or Stagnation

Collapse

Author's Notes

The Valoni Conquest: Of the thousands banished in 706 SD by Emperor Siniph II, many returned to service with the Valoni Empire in the coming years. Beginning with these men, rumors would reach the Valoni Emperor Virginian V, that the ancient and prestigious Sunarian Empire fell to a single legion. Renowned in the north as the second greatest civilization in the world, after Valone, of course, the Sunarians were seen as a sleeping giant, best left to nap. Tales of their lofty and lengthy history, and numerous rises and falls were widespread, and had built them into a legendary power that only recently fallen into a slumber. But the fall of the Daramaic faith to a single legion (Valone had at least sixty at this time), meant it was nowhere near as powerful as they had traditionally been perceived. Sending five legions to conquer Sunar, proved overkill, as they were able to seize control within a matter of months, and decimated the pitifully outdated and under manned army of Siniph II. The Valoni Occupation: Converting to an occupying force, the five legions faced little resistance following the actual capture of Siniph II (Who was taken as a captive to the city of Valone), and brought Valoni law and culture to the exotic land. In the next few years there would be some unrest, but by 720 SD, Sunar had more or less settled and become accustomed to Valoni rule, and was one of the more stable regions of the Empire for the next three hundred years (Largely due to instability of the rise of the Marian faith, and the wars that followed). That’s not to say there were no serious hurdles the Valoni Empire had to overcome following its conquest of Sunar though. Sunar had always been one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Established on top of a massive number of gold ore deposits, the metal was valued as a religious or status material, rather than a financial one. Silver, which was far rarer, served as the metal of currency in Sunar, and the surrounding countries for most of its history. In Valone, however, both silver and gold were used, with gold as the more valuable. As a result very little of the Sunarian gold was ever minted, with most of it being managed and kept locked away as a reserve within the imperial palace. Despite these efforts to manage the gold though, the sheer volume of it in Sunar, proved to much for the imperial state to manage, and the sudden influx of Sunarian loot, brought home by the legions, was more than enough to cause an inflation crisis. With the price of gold destroyed over the course of only a few short years, silver became the top valued metal for almost a hundred years. during this century, the Valoni gradually recovered and stored as much of the worlds gold as they could, artificially returning the metals value and ensuring their constant control over the stock, through careful control over the reserve. The Process of Valonization, and Separation of the Continents: In those first few years of the Valoni occupation, many among the Valoni aristocracy would make the journey south and become an elite class of Sunarian society. Wealthy, and often of ancient bloodlines, they quickly made their mark on the far flung province, and Valonic architecture, culture and language remain to this day as a result. One major change to the region would come in 858 SD, when the Valoni would attempt to conquer a small kingdom in southern Nebtka. Suffering a series of failures due only to the incompetence of their commanders, the Valoni would be defeated at the battle of Casma. In vengeful response, the Valoni attempted to drown the Nebtkan army by flooding the lowlands that their farmlands resided in. This proved catastrophic though, and instead of flooding a small region, the Valoni unleashed a massive torrent of water that would sweep westwards and destroy the ancient heartland of Nebtka. Millions would be killed or rendered homeless as the strongest kingdoms were annihilated overnight, and most of their great cities were overwhelmed by the sea. The continents of Southern Atlamb and Magna Sunaria would forever after be separated by the sea in this location, but as a result, Sunar, forever after, was accessible by the oceans of the east.