Relvetsian Empire
History
The Revletsian Empire was declared in 1193 by Yaroval The Conqueror of the Grand Principality of Norovosht, whose armies had swept across the land. In 1193, upon reaching the Dchon river, he convened a gathering of the nobility and was crowned the First Emperor of Relvetsia, having united the majority of the principalities. This ceremony is why the Dchon is traditionally seen as the border between the regions of Dzentrałkrin and Vnutyr Relvetsia.
Despite this declaration, the young Relvetsian Empire was far from united and indeed had not even finished their conquests of all Relvetsian states. Still, with Yaroval hungry for more glory, the forces of the Empire pressed onwards, into lands which were populated by the Rodłowi. Yaroval, who blamed the Rodłowi for his mother's death, nursed a grudge against them, and consequentially refused to turn back and centralize the Empire, preferring to press on. Early campaigns proved successful, with nations such as Allumyl, Varsodor, and Nazchódów falling to the tide. Continuing their wars into the Dzentrałkrin region, the Relvetsian Empire came into conflict with the Kingdom of Krókłość. Despite victories against many of the smaller powers in the region and tides of Relvetsian settlers swarming into these regions, the Krókłość held firm and defied the Empire. With his first assault unsuccessful, and the armies of Relvetsia heavily depleted, Yaroval was forced to sue for peace in 1199.
Several times over the next 50 years, Yaroval and his successors would attempt to invade the Krókłość, but their efforts came up short each time, and the wars into Dzentrałkrin continued to look fruitless. Expansion opportunities elsewhere had become much more attractive, and in 1242 the two combatants mutually agreed to end their wars, with Krókłość in particular being almost totally crippled. The Relvetsian Empire was in similarly poor shape, with much of the borderlands, especially the old lands of Allumyl, being almost totally depopulated. In addition, the forces of the Empire had never managed to establish a strong bulwark in the south, so the lands bordering the Plaires Centralis were almost constantly under threat- from both centaurs and trolls. Besides these issues, the nation was severely decentralized and suffered from a huge number of conflicting laws, autonomies, and domains. There also remained several countries in Relvetsia itself that had not actually been incorporated, though they were small- the Principality of Vailadonhia and the Grand Principality of Tyverich continued to hold their ancestral lands, though Tyverich in particular had suffered several defections and the bulk of their lands were inhospitable marshlands.
The armies of Relvetsia would seize Vailadonhia in 1249, and in 1252 the nearly bankrupt Tyverich acceded to the union in exchange for the forgiving of debts. However, Relvetsia continued to make moves, as they desired the rich northern passage. In 1256, Relvetsian soldiers would topple the ruling government of the Principality of Perym, establishing that state as a subject as well. In the south, Chernoyetsians were encouraged to settle the borderlands, which were placed under autonomous governments known as Hetmanates, which were elected military councils responsible for the defense of these lands. In exchange, the Chernoyetsian population of these Hetmanates were totally exempted from taxation. This proved profitable for both parties, as it allowed the Relvetsian Empire to secure the borderlands in the south without relying on their own military forces, while supporting expansion for the Chernoyetsian farmers and allowing them to recover from the long wars that had preceded this period.
Still, despite these reforms to government and the continually expanding nature of the Relvetsian state, things would begin to take a turn for the worse upon the ascension of Bolesław the Great to the Krókłośći throne. The Krókłośći had already seized part of Allumyl in 1276 before his rise to the throne, but the Relvetsian Empire managed to weather this turnaround without serious harm. This changed for after Bolesław united the Rodłowi under one Empire, mirroring his rivals in the north. His armies shattered Relvetsia, and despite the bold fighting of the Hetmanates, they were too young to levy enough troops to make up for Bolesław's military genius. Under Bolesław's leadership, the Rodłowi reclaimed the entirety of Dzentrałkrin, and Relvetsia was humiliated. Setting the Vondyeriya as his new easily defensible eastern border, Relvetsia was also forced to accede independence to a new buffer state- the Dchon Host. This state would straddle the Dchon in the south, encompassing the modern day territories of Pmovsky and Kyvrik, as well as considerable lands between the Dchon and Vondyeriya rivers. Although the new Hetmanate was in theory a tributary of the Rodłowi Empire, they quickly morphed into a fiercely independent state, successfully playing the Relvetsian and Rodłowi states against one another for 50 years.
There would be several more wars between the Rodłowi and Relvetsians over both the Dchon host and the borderlands, and although the border continued to fluctuate over time Relvetsia began to come out on top over all. With the wars escalating in scope, by 1496, the Dchon host was forced to choose a side. Split between pro-Relvetsian factions, pro-Rodłowi factions, and even those who felt the Dchon could and should fight both Empires at once, the Host dissolved. Relvetsia, receiving the lion's share of the lands, was put in prime position to topple the Rodłowi dominance. Though two rump states claiming to represent the Dchon host persisted, one pro-Rodłowi and one pro-independence, The Relvetsian Empire was able to put the matter to rest permanently when their armies conquered the lot in 1515. By the time the Rodłowi Empire fell apart in 1559, they had been reduced to a few towns and fords stretching to the east of the Dchon, and Relvetsia eagerly swept these up as their rival collapsed.
Although Relvetsia had emerged triumphant from their conquests, the nation was in severe need of modernization, but suffered from a lack of support to make the necessary reforms. However, the Emperor could count on the church. For many years, the religion of Prioslevidy had been dominant, but the faith was decentralized and suffered from hundreds of incongruous traditions over its wide area. With ambitious clergymen seeking greater authority over the masses and the monarchy seeking for a justification to cast down those who opposed them, a bargain was struck. The clergy would go on to declare a reformation that of a New Prioslevidy faith, and any who opposed it were deemed heretical. This gave the monarchy the tools needed to forcefully centralize the realm. Those who opposed the reforms were accused of heresy, and their lands seized, while those who acceded to the demands of the crown were given generous pensions and often promoted to high positions taken from the opposition.
Although these religious reforms and even the lure of titles fizzled out rather quickly in the countryside, the centers of power were greatly affected and by taking closer control of such burgeoning cities, the Empire became ever so slightly more centralized. For example, old vassals like Perym, isolated and rarely paying taxes, were split up into more manageable portions, and much of the seized lands were put under the authority of the Voidovdes. A revolutionary idea, the Voivodes were swathes of territorially contiguous land which were ruled by non-hereditary officials appointed by the monarchy, but which retained local rights and privileges. Intended to reduce administrative stress and streamline the government while keeping local traditions in place to prevent revolt, the Voivodes were extremely effective. Six of this new province type were established- Vailadonhia, Mezko-Molynch, Vildruttysk, Sklovosk, Sirbeskiy, Kolomyzeroo.
Reformation and religious conflict largely defined the Relvetsian Empire of the late 16th century. The state itself was of course staunchly New Prioslevidite, but the majority of the peasantry, especially in regions far from the imperial capital, remained faithful to the old traditions. Besides this, much of the Chernoyetsians remained staunch in their Wysoki Wyunałt beliefs, though this had declined somewhat following the collapse of the Rodłowi Empire. In addition, the various Ryjtyvayl tribes which were subject to Relvetsian laws continued to practice their indigenous faith, which, though similar to the Prioslevidite traditions has notable differences. Besides all these human faiths, populations of enslaved goblins continued to develop their own religious traditions as they were brought into the country.
Goblin slaves had first been brought into Relvetsia following the infamous Rosklet Rebellion and the Black Decree, after which some of the excess population was sold north into Relvetsia during the 1440s. These goblins were put to work tilling the fields which lay fallow after the many wars between the Relvetsians and Rodłowi. However, their numbers remained small and dispersed, and their population was quite low by the early 17th century, when goblin slavery really took off in Relvetsia. It was at this time that the Plains Manors of the March-Kingdom of Kchatéldelest were destroyed, and that nation sold huge numbers of goblin war prisoners off for cheap. Of the beneficiaries, Relvetsia benefited the most, and soon goblin slaves tilled fields throughout the nation. In particular, many goblins were sent to the marshlands of Provdyalmis or to lands near the Ottdelzemyan Mountains, a hotbed of trolls. Cheap expendable, and with a large population growth rate, the goblins were used to expand Relvetsian farmlands into the troll-infested east with little risk to the population. Of course, this was resented greatly by the goblins, but there was little they could do to protest, trapped as they were between the Relvetsian state and the trolls.
By using the goblin-held borderlands as bait, Relvetsia was able to direct much of its force against the trolls in ambushes. Before long, this translated into an offensive into the east, claiming all of Provdyalmis' eastern reaches for the Empire, though expansions into the mountains proved unsustainable. By clearing a large stretch of borderlands of trolls, the Relvetsian nobility was now able to expand their influence into the frontier, while the goblin population became much safer and therefore more productive. But, with goblins, things are never that simple. Escapes began rising, goblins fleeting to the borderlands where the army's reach was loose. These gangs would consistently raid manors, forming their own imitations of the traditional goblin tribes of the equatorial regions. Naturally, this called for a strong response, and Relvetsia delivered; Goblins were treated even more harshly, separated from families, never allowed to form bonds or relationships. Raids on the goblinic tribes discouraged escapees, as they could be brought back and punished at any time. Though such efforts partially worked, they also led to a decline in the goblin population, and necessitated imports from outside of Relvetsia.
Goblins were increasingly spread all across Relvetsia, concentrated in locations far from the frontier, and they were ruthlessly exploited. Taking advantage of such slaves was common even in urban locations, because the small size and dexterity of goblins allowed them to be useful as laborers, performing particularly well in tasks once suited for young apprentices. Although the use of goblin slaves was limited to the most prosperous, the ability to keep one for a lifetime as opposed to an apprentice for only a limited number of years was attractive. This caused riots and protests from apprentices on several occasions, especially in the south and borderlands, where goblins were more numerous and thus more prevalent in jobs. These protests were ignored or crushed depending on the region, and goblins continued to be the targets of xenophobic attacks, despite the fact that they never asked for the work. Goblins continued to lack basic rights and were considered as fodder and certainly not ever treated equally on a legal basis. Even freed goblins, already rare, could expect no support from the law, and could even be seized by slavers and sold back to slavery with no recourse. The only things goblins benefitted from even slightly were the strong laws of Relvetsia against intimacy between goblin and human. Such laws criminalizing the act of sleeping with a goblin and establishing the punishment of death for having a child with one would ironically benefit goblins in theory because it meant that they could not legally be abused by their owners. Of course, this law was often totally ignored unless it was extremely obvious that such acts were going on, such as in the case of children.
So the goblins never really got anything at all, and they continued to flee their horrific conditions at any opportunity, necessitating more imports and driving the slave trade. However they would catch a break as the Golden Age of Raiding escalated in intensity. With Voðeren raiders constantly threatening the long Relvetsian coast, and the Relvetsian navy hopelessly outmatched, military forces were required on the coast. The deaths of many young people in multiple wars and raids involving Voðeren meant there was more of a demand for goblin slaves than ever, but it also meant there were less people to patrol the borderlands and the number of escapees began rising dramatically once more. This allowed the goblin tribes already established in the borderlands to gain some semblance of peace.
Meanwhile, in Relvetsia, the people had to deal with the Svinge War. In 1756, a group of Voðeren raiders founded the Konuger of Svinge on the Bleak Coast, which sits between the northern ocean and the Cursed Forest. This region was unapproachable without naval supremacy or travel through the cursed forest, neither of which the Relvetsian people were able to do. The raiders of Svinge quickly became extremely prosperous by trading with the Kenttäinen peoples to the north of Relvetsia while also raiding the Relvetsians. Pretty much the entire tbd river became a battleground, with Voðeren raids reaching as far east as Perym. Although Relvetsia was consistently able to fight off these raiders, they could usually only respond, and therefore huge amounts of wealth was stolen from the nation, leaving the traditional fur trading industry in decline (though this may have saved many of the wild animals from population decline). This meant that the northern cities saw a steep loss in population as people fled raid targets into the countryside, and Relvtsia was forced to pay huge sums to Svinge in exchange for safety.
This wouldn't stop Svinge, however, as a massive invasion of reavers, paid off with the gold stolen from Relvetsia's coffers landed in 1778. Intending to conquer the entirety of Relvetsia, Svinge's forces rapidly gained control over the lower tbd river and parts of the coastline. However, they were repelled at tbd, thus saving Kolomyzeroo and Perym from the assault. Next, Svinge's forces attempted to invade up the Valdorivycha River, but they were repulsed at Norovosht itself. Although Svinge was able to seize control over more of the northern coast, they were no longer a threat to conquer Relvetsia. This, of course, didn't mean the Relvetsian Empire was safe, as Svinge had overall defeated them and seized huge swaths of land in the north. However, Svinge's harsh treatment of the native population meant they were subject to frequent revolts and were unable to muster a large army anymore.
Sensing weakness, Relvetsia would be attacked again by a group of Voðeren raiders who seized the mouth of the Maschyon and Krelyyna rivers in 1784. These raiders would work from the fortified town of Odyna, and soon began sending raids up both rivers, disrupting trade in the south. This marked the weakest Relvetsia had been in years as they were now essentially split into three distinct parts. The north, once prosperous due to the fur trade, but now backwards and only reachable by traveling through the dense forests of the east; the south, crossed by rivers liable to be raided by Voðeren at any time; and the center, which was the only part of Relvetsia able to fend off the raids with any success. This would lead to a disintegration of imperial leadership as Relvetsia's spent armies attempted to recover from the devastating raids and worked to fortify major cities.
Redemption would only begin in 1826, as the Voðeren of the south, who by now had declared the Konuger of Örsenland, attempted to raid the city of Svedznya. Svedznya was a minor city situated near the source of the Krelyyna whose main business was selling wood gathered in the various logging towns in the region. Sacked in 1788, it had since been subject to multiple more raids, but the forces of Relvetsia had rebuilt the area into a fortified complex. Eager to seize the loot promised by a town which had gotten the resources for fortifications, and hoping to show the Relvetsians that their forts could not save them, the Örsener army set off to raid the town, but it was a trap. Luring their forces in, the Relvetsian army launched multiple rafts to block retreat for their longships and then surrounded their army. Even still, the fierceness of the Voðeren dealt Krelyyna's defenders serious casualties and some managed to escape with the Konguer himself. Still, this marked a decisive defeat for Örsenland, and the state would swear fealty to Relvetsia in 1829 and pledge to defend the coasts in exchange for autonomy and official recognition of the title of Konuger of Örsenland.
This was pleasing to all but the Voivode of Vildruttysk, whose administrators resented that they would lose a large amount of lands and the coastline. Though most of these lands were lost since 1784, Vildruttysk's administration had hoped the defeat of Örsenland would result in the return of these lands to their control, and they had committed more troops than anyone else. Although the consequences of this purported slight were not yet felt, the fact discontentment existed at all should have warned Relvetsia that there was a disconnect between the Voivodes and the government. The Voivodes saw themselves increasingly as autonomous regions who should be able to do as they pleased, while the monarchy saw them as provinces given autonomy at their will and whose territory was arbitrary and interchangeable.
However, things would not come to a head just yet, because Relvetsia's recovery was not done. Now that the threat of Örsenland had been turned to an ally, the Empire began preparing for reclaiming the lands of Svinge. The peasants in the region were prepared for rebellion and the armies of Relvetsia prepared to march with the Örsener forces. Svinge was exceedingly difficult to defend from a serious attack due to its long coastline stretching south to the mouth of the Valdorivycha as well as tenuous control on any areas far from the coast and the river tbd. With the help of their Örsener allies, the Svinge garrison in the north was swiftly defeated, and the Valdorivycha was once more safe. Next came a long campaign up the coast, liberating villages one by one while always fearing a Svinge raid. However, Svinge's retaliation would never come because a massive peasant uprising, protesting harsh treatment and hopeful for the return of the imperial government diverted their attention. By the time the Relvetsian forces actually arrived, Svinge's control had been effectively reduced to a small section of coastline north of the tbd.
With Svinge's forces holed up for defense in the town of Sovynsk, Relvetsian troops engaged in their attack, and it turned out that Svinge's troops were much better on the offensive than the defensive, and they were unable to mount effective resistance, fleeting in their longboats back to the Bleak Coast. Their legacy was a number of small Voðeren settlements along the coast, but these were treated with some respect by Relvetsia at the urging of Örsenland's Konuger, though it didn't stop mobs from burning some of the less defensible locations. Most of these small towns have either remained Voðeren or have been fully assimilated into the Relvetsian populace. The populations of Örsenland, on the other hand, have been more persistent, and have, rather than being assimilated, blended with the local populace to make a unique cultural heritage.
Despite this moment of unity required to defeat the Voðeren invasions, Relvetsia continued to decline throughout the 19th and 20th century. Things would get even worse with the arrival of the Time of Troubles. With most neighbors also entering a period of decline, Relvetsia lost much of their trading opportunities, and what little commerce made it through was prey to Voðeren pirates. Even the eruption of the bloody Þaru Wars in 1932 did little to stop the raiding, as other Voðeren picked up the slack from the Þarites. Things got even worse after the conclusion of the Þaru wars, and in 1977 a man named Erik Åagssoun Svjol landed on the shores of Relvetsia. Like the raiders of Svinge beforehand, Svjol aimed to seize Relvetsia, and like the Örsener, he looked to work with the people of the land to form an enduring state. He hoped to take a middle path between Svinge, which refused any sort of relationship with the Relvetsians, and Örsenland, who had lost much of their cultural heritage by integrating too closely with locals.
Svjol's plan worked perfectly. The much-maligned Relvetsian Emperor, hoping to discourage raiders, met Svjol's forces in the fateful battle of Vispliev. He had planned a massive charge to break up the host of what he assumed were undisciplined raiders, but Svjol's troops were not undisciplined raiders, but veterans of many campaigns. His armies charged uphill into a fortified position in the pouring rain, in what would become a massive slaughter, not that he would live to know. Erik's army would escape with just under a thousand casualties, and the Relvatsian one suffered ten times that of a force of 35,000, and much of that number being the nobility. The peasants who remained would flee, and much of the remaining nobility would too after the panic of the king being found dead.
The Relvetsian Empire would almost immediately collapse into squabbling. Many of the provinces, and especially voivodes, had absolutely no trust in the young new Emperor, and rallied behind one of their number. Soon, Relvetsia was embroiled in civil war, while Svjol's forces carved out their own state from the north. Meanwhile, the outer provinces almost entirely seceded, forming their own states and fighting amongst one another and against both claimants for the throne. To make matters worse, a huge revolt of goblin slaves secured for many their freedom, and even those who had long been outside of the clutches of the Empire intensified their raids. And thus fell the Relvetsian Empire.
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