Gathering Storm
2180 DA till late 2209 DA
Empress Miera was merely starting the fire. Eugeron had already done his best to build as good a funeral pyre as possible.Like many inexperienced sailors are lured into a false fatal sense of security by the lull inside a storm's eye, so where the people of the late 22nd century lured into believing the worst of their troubles lay behind them.
A Ruler that Cared
The reign of Eugeron the Kind saw a return to form for the Hegemony. While not a ruler of the same calibre as Julia the Golden, he was still a decent administrator. It helped that he took an actual interest in governing, in stark contrast to his predecessors. Formerly lax controls and oversight tightened and many provincial governors now enjoyed far less freedom than in previous decades. As a result, taxes began to flow better, no longer constraint by corrupt bureaucrats looking to fill their coffers. Combined with the absence of costly games and the end of the villae boom, this meant that the state's treasury began to fill again. Eugeron spent wisely, focusing on infrastructure as well as large public and military projects, which made him a rather popular figure among the lower classes and military. His reign can be best described as ordinary, not exceptionally good or bad. The Hegemony appeared healthier under his care, key word appeared. Eugeron did nothing to address the core problems of his realm. The widespread corruption of a bloated and ineffective bureaucracy and the ever-increasing independence of non-Vardanian territories continued unabated. To this day it is disputed if he was even aware of or merely downplayed them, too afraid to shake up one of the most powerful institutions in the world.
Family comes First
Far more fatal proved Eugeron's actions concerning his family. The Lucian Branch, like all Valerian cadet dynasties, was a tight nit group. When the Purple Blood Plague hit in 2179 DA, it not only took his parents and two of his brothers but almost all members of the other branch families. Out of over two-hundred Valerian family members, only twenty-three survived. This event shook Eugeron to the core and he became paranoid about losing any of his remaining relatives. Additionally, the monarch had no luck when it came to his marriages. Five times he took a wife, the first at the young age of 15 and except for the last one all of them would perish a few years after. Out of the ten children he fathered, only three reached the age of 16. Over the years, the ageing ruler grew increasingly paranoid, believing traitors to lurk in every corner. As his trust in court officials vanished, he turned to his family. Beginning in 2190 DA he granted various high offices and positions to his relatives and by 2195, the Valerian Dynastie held near-total control over almost every aspect of the Hegemony's government. Fully showing that he did not care about protocol anymore, Eugeron sacked the governors of Vardanias seven most vital provinces and granted them to his brothers, sons and nephews. This meant that his family now also held the majority of the Hegemony's military strength, each of the regions holding between three and six legions (between 75.000 and 150.000 men). However, his most fatal flaw was his indecision in the matter of succession. Eugeron was incapable and probably unwilling to place the strain of rulership on any of his sons, a situation that worsened as his fifth wife Meira bore him another son, Metachares in 2208. Then, beginning in early 2209, his health slowly but surely started to fail. With each month the once so energetic monarch grew weaker and weaker. As the year neared its end, it became clear that he would probably not survive the Frigian. Still idolized by many, the Emperor had pushed the Hegemony to the brink of disaster. He had given his relatives unparalleled power. Had shaken the realm to the core with his actions. And had left no clear will as to who should succeed him in a misguided attempt at protecting his children. And on the 27th of Decem of the year 2209 DA, Eugeron the Kind died...
Far too few people seem to realize that a mediocre ruler can be just as bad for a nation as a weak one. Eugeron was certainly capable, just not capable enough.Pronvinces A Hegemony's smaller regions are generally referred to as provinces. Their size is determined by the highest amount of people that can be effectively governed by a single city. The governors of these regions directly serve the Emperor and Imperial Ministers and stay in near-constant correspondence with the capital. According to its importance to the realm, a province will hold a larger or smaller military component. This can range from small guard elements to Auxilar Regiments and even entire Legions. The most heavily fortified border provinces field seven full Legions and anyone earning the post of governor is placed under strict surveillance.
Each alone the various Valerian governors, later known as Princes were a serious military force. All of them together held over half of the Imperial Army under their command.
by Darkseid
Enjoyable as always! Quick typo— the first header in the sidebar says "Pronvinces" instead of "Provinces."