The Vyzandine Conquest

The Vyzandine Conquest took place nearly 800 years ago and resulted in the Empire that we have today—save the Prefecture of Phrygia, which was conquered later, by another emperor. The active conflict lasted some 20 years, though hostilities continued on a small scale in certain less-willing areas. The path taken by the soldiers has been called The Conqueror’s Trail, and has laid the foundation for the more modernized Second Sun Road.

The Spark of an Empire

The Founder of the Empire, then only a young man, stood upon the peak known today as Miren's Ridge. He saw from that vantage the fertile plains between the mountains, and then determined in his heart to claim them as a home for his people, uniting the feuding lords and bringing peace to the land.

Disadvantages

With each conquered territory came greater numbers, and whatever resources survived the fighting. This would seem like an advantage, but with new troops came the need for retraining facilities on a grand scale, not to mention greater possibility for a defect to take Miren’s precious Black Steel and run. Had Miren not possessed the administrative skills that he did, much of the valuable resources may have been lost to negligence.

Many of the defeated were unwilling to fight to subjugate others. Yet fight they must, for there they stood upon the battlefield, facing enemies who wished to slay them. The new—and self-proclaimed—emperor made his intentions very clear from the beginning; he would overpower, intimidate, and threaten anyone who stood in his way, from the ruler of a city-state to the simple farmer who’d been plucked from his family to fight in the emperor’s army.

Advantages

The trades were well respected in Vyzandiøm even then, now more so, due in part to its founder’s background in blacksmithing. As a young man, Miren Vyzan had developed a new technique for treating steel—a process which increased both its durability and its flexibility, sharing the details of the process with a trusted few. He initially called the result “Black Steel”, though later it became more well known as “X Steel”. Miren’s ingenuity lended greatly to his prominence, earning him fame and connections throughout the Basin. When presented with the potential for a dramatic growth in territory, numerous feudal lords were eager to join the ambitious young smith’s unification efforts.

Outcome

With superior equipment and support from various areas the newly dubbed “Vyzandine Force” was widely successful. The officially stated purpose of the Vyzandine Force’s establishment was to bring an end to the constant infighting and provide a united front against the hostile outside the Basin. However, the reality of the situation is that Miren sensed the opportunity and took it.