Golden Empire of Toscov

***“**The so-called "Golden Empire" is often romanticized. There's nothing golden about centuries of infighting. That's something the Toscovish like to forget.**”***
— Cemyon Vadins

The **Golden Empire of Toscov** was a Human empire that ruled over the entire Eastland for over 800 years. Initially formed by the Human Kingdom of Toscov, who completed a series of conquests before ultimately proclaiming the Empire.

The Golden Empire, while initially a political and economic superpower, began to heavily decline after the Sixth Plague of Ihyll hit it in 140 AW. The War of the Fifteen Princes set the precedent that the Emperor's authority could be undermined by other princes and nobles, which caused a trend of extreme instability to plague the Empire throughout its existence, with the Emperor eventually losing control of most of the Empire, as independent Dukes began fighting against each other as if they were independent rulers.

Despite its instability, the Golden Empire is often fondly remembered by later Toscovish nationalists, mostly due to the sheer size of the Empire. A lingering resentment towards the Five Kings' Invasion, which ultimately fractured the Empire, remains commonplace throughout Toscov, even to this very day.

## History

### Founding

The Kingdom of the Eastland was a short-lived and ultimately idealistic state that rose out of the ashes of the Freehold of Inafel and the Second Human Rebellion. Ultimately, the kingdom shattered into smaller states. One of these, the Human Kingdom of Toscov, began a series of conquests that would later become known as the Toscovish Wars of Unification.

Ozach, Machayya, Kinzova, Kovka, Vozhirishia. One by one, the Human Kingdoms fell, until Toscov conqueredArkhalesk in 10 AW, ending the conquests. The Toscovish king, Makor II, had himself crowned as emperor of a golden empire that would rival the Nytalyrians'.

The first century of the Empire was prosperous, with stability and economic growth being widespread. However, in 140 AW, Toscov would be randomly selected by the Goddess of Death, Ihyll, to be the location of the next Plague of Ihyll.

### The Sixth Plague and the War of the Fifteen Princes

In 140 AW, the Sixth Plague of Ihyll would strike Toscov, turning ordinary Humans into terrifying creatures of fur, claws, and teeth: the Krighal Taresh. These beasts tore through Toscov's countryside and smaller villages, with casualties in the tens of thousands in the first year alone. Communication and supply routes began to break down, as the Empire lacked the military strength to defeat the beasts outright.

In the chaos, a Kymelian priest, Mikhail Ivolanov, discovered that the Krighal Taresh, once captured, could be "tamed", having their Humanity restored, yet keeping their new form. These tamed Krighal Taresh would become the Krighal Vitna. However, the Toscovish Emperor, Budimiv I, would have none of it. He declared any Krighal, Taresh, or Vitna, nothing more than a savage beast needing to be killed, even going so far as to implement a bounty system on the Krighal.

Ultimately, when two of Budimiv's own children, Prince Woldar and Princess Zivura, turned into Krighal Vitna, his stance remained unchanged. Budimiv banished his children and declared them traitors to the Empire. Zivura fled, while Woldar began a guerilla conflict against his father, ultimately ambushing and killing Budimiv in 145 AW.

Budimiv's son, Ludimik, took the throne, yet he was unpopular from the start. When Ludimik turned out to be relatively corrupt and lazy, his two younger brothers, Durkrin and Zhincis launched a failed coup attempt, sparking the War of the Fifteen Princes. Ultimately, in the next decade, the fifteen children of Budimiv would turn against each other, with twelve of the fifteen princes dying before the war was over. In the end, nobody really won, as a stalemate and a pardon of Prince Zhincis were all that was agreed upon.

However, the War of the Fifteen Princes was significant in the eventual downfall of the Empire centuries later in two ways. Firstly, the civil war bankrupted the Empire a few years after its conclusion, as economic ruin followed wherever the conflict itself went. Secondly, it set the precedent that the Dukes of the Empire had full control over their territory, effectively diminishing Imperial authority from the capital.

Heading into the latter half of the 2nd-Century AW, the Imperial government tried and failed to retake its power, ultimately losing its central authority and transforming into a feudal monarchy. However, unlike in a functional feudal monarchy, the "vassals" of the Emperor were hardly his vassals, as they paid little to no taxes and didn't bother helping in any conflicts that arose. Effectively, the War of the Fifteen Princes had turned the country from a Golden Empire into a federation of uncooperative duchies that had essentially free reign and all hated each other. It should come as no surprise then, how unstable the Empire truly became, and it can be considered something of a miracle it lasted as long as it did.

### Gradual Collapse

As imperial control began to diminish throughout the 3rd-Century AW, the Toscovish emperors were desperate to get the duchies back in line, as they began acting entirely on their own as if they were independent countries. One warlike Emperor, Volemov I, decided that he had enough, sparking Emperor Volemov's War. In response, the duchies banded together and defeated the Emperor with overwhelming forces, replacing him with his younger brother, Kazelov II. Emperor Volemov's War, while short-lived and relatively unnoteworthy, sent a clear signal that the Toscovish government had no control of what happened outside their native Principality of Toscov.

In the coming centuries, the duchies began fighting one another without pause, as skirmishing and raiding became commonplace across the Empire, with Toscov and Ozach being the few duchies that remained unaffected. The Empire ultimately fell into lawlessness, as bandit warlords arose, mostly staking claims to the Kinzovan Mountains, with the Principality of Kinzova being usurped by bandits in 502 AW.

The Empire briefly regained some power under Emperor Tamlov, who managed to gain some control over the Dukes of Arkhalesk, Trestovo, and Vozhirishia. However, when Tamlov died in 570 AW, all newfound influence simply died alongside him. Ultimately, by the 600s, Toscov began lacking behind the North and South technologically as well as economically, as it remained stuck in an agricultural society due to the instability, lacking the opportunities or security to develop itself economically.

By the latter half of the 9th-century AW, the Golden Empire had been in a state of internal chaos for over eight centuries, with a stagnant economy, political instability, a weak and demotivated military, and dozens of lords who refused to cooperate with each other on anything. In other words, the Empire was ripe for the taking of a more stronger and stable power. Ultimately, the Kingdom of Gurtrenn attacked first, yet other states weren't keen to miss out.

### The Five Kings' Invasion and Partitioning

Gurtrenn attacked Toscov in 868 AW in a fairly minor war that could hypothetically have been won by the larger Toscovish Empire. However, other powers soon joined the conflict, hungry for the spoils of war they would gain themselves. Ultimately, four more states would join Gurtrenn's invasion: The Kingdom of Wyrsia, Blue Skull, the First Union of Clans, and the Empire of Daletia. These five wars eventually grouped together, becoming the Five Kings' Invasion.

A conflict that lasted seven years, the Five Kings' Invasion was the final nail in the coffin for the Golden Empire, which began to collapse as the Dukes were both forced to hold off the invading force while continuing to fight one another despite the common enemy. The Empire was unprepared for the invasion, with mass desertions being commonplace. By the start of the 870s, Toscov's fate became clear to all, as resistance reached the point of futility.

However, despite the invasion by five countries, only three would actually stand to gain anything from the war. The Kingdom of Wyrsia got the majority of the spoils, carving out a gigantic colonial territory in Vozhirishia and Kovka, renamed Redwall and Lesterwood. Blue Skull would gain ownership of the northeast, based in Arkhalesk, Trestovo, and Kinzova, renamed Lamondes, Nanois, and Vinreux. Finally, Gurtrenn, which started the war, got relatively little territory, only capturing Ozach, and renaming it Borgusholt.

What remained of the Empire soon turned on each other, with Machayya breaking away successfully, becoming the self-proclaimed Golden Principality of Machayya. Finally, what little territory remained, mostly based around the Principality of Toscov, became the Kingdom of Toscov, a rump state that claimed to be the continuation of the Golden Empire, yet lacked the manpower and money to actually recapture the lost land. However, in the coming centuries, the kingdom would prove to be more stable and capable than the Golden Empire ever was.

## Military

### Land

* Golden Army - The Empire's main fighting force, often spread out to deal with multiple bandits/rebellions/skirmishes/etc.
* Silver Army - The Empire's backup force, usually kept in reserve and only deployed in times of all-out warfare.
* Princely Army of Toscov - The Principality of Toscov's associated retinue, controlled by the Toscovish Emperors.

* Princely Army of Arkhalesk - The Principality of Arkhalesk's associated retinue. Controlled by their respective dukes.
* Princely Army of Kinzova - The Principality of Kinzova's associated retinue. Controlled by their respective dukes.
* Princely Army of Vozhirishia - The Principality of Vozhirishia's associated retinue. Controlled by their respective dukes.
* Princely Army of Machayya - The Principality of Machayya's associated retinue. Controlled by their respective dukes.
* Princely Army of Trestovo - The Principality of Trestovo's associated retinue. Controlled by their respective dukes.
* Princely Army of Kovka - The Principality of Kovka's associated retinue. Controlled by their respective dukes.
* Princely Army of Ozach - The Principality of Ozach's associated retinue. Controlled by their respective dukes.

### Sea

* Golden Fleet - The Empire's only organized fleet, smaller groups were vulnerable to mutinies and turning to piracy.

## Emperors of Toscov

* House iz Toscov
	+ Makor II, 17-22 AW
	+ Bernorn I, 22-48 AW
	+ Ludimik I, 48-59 AW
	+ Makor III, 59-72 AW
	+ Makor IV, 72-101 AW
	+ Kazelov I, 101-105 AW
	+ Gazrev I, 105-136 AW
	+ Budimiv I, 136-145 AW
	+ Ludimik II, 145-185 AW
	+ Bokhail I, 185-202 AW
	+ Budimiv II, 202-240 AW
	+ Volemov I, 240-246 AW
	+ Kazelov II, 246-271 AW
	+ Kazelov III, 271-302 AW
	+ Silya I, 302-311 AW
	+ Volemov II, 311-327 AW
	+ Levmian I, 327-347 AW
	+ Ludimik III, 347-381 AW
	+ Makor V, 381-403 AW
	+ Bernorn II, 403-424 AW
	+ Kazelov IV, 424-467 AW
	+ Bokhail II, 467-491 AW
	+ Daev I, 491-496 AW
	+ Volemov III, 496-503 AW
	+ Alisya I, 503-512 AW
	+ Zichok I, 512-537 AW
	+ Ludimik IV, 537-545 AW
	+ Daev II, 545-558 AW
	+ Tamlov I, 558-570 AW
	+ Luchomir I, 570-580 AW
	+ Gazrev II, 580-606 AW
	+ Karnis I, 606-607 AW
	+ Vitenev I, 607-647 AW
	+ Vitenev II, 647-676 AW
	+ Yudemian I, 676-716 AW
	+ Karnis II, 716-759 AW
	+ Yuliye I, 759-761 AW
	+ Ludimik V, 761-767 AW
	+ Levmian II, 767-774 AW
	+ Gazrev III, 774-801 AW
	+ Svyatosvile I, 801-802 AW
	+ Demlav I, 802-806 AW
	+ Ikolev I, 806-819 AW
	+ Gazrev IV, 819-856 AW
	+ Bomofel I, 856-875 AW

## People of the Golden Empire of Toscov

*For a full list, see: Category:Characters (Golden Empire of Toscov)*

* Makor II of Toscov - First Emperor of Toscov.
* Bomofel I of Toscov - Last Emperor of Toscov.
* Prince Deslov - Victor of the War of the Fifteen Princes, Prince of Kovka.
* Pirnce Zhincis - Survivor of the War of the Fifteen Princes, Prince of Arkhalesk, founder of House iz Arkhalesk.

## Locations of the Golden Empire of Toscov

*For a full list that includes buildings, see: Category:Locations (Protectorate of Toscov) or Category:Locations (Eastland)*

* Principality of Toscov
	+ Toscov
* Principality of Arkhalesk
	+ Arkhalesk
	+ Volkiv
* Principality of Kinzova
	+ Kinzova
	+ Kinzovan Mountains
* Principality of Kovka
	+ Kovka
* Principality of Machayya
	+ Machayya
* Principality of Ozach
	+ Ozach
* Principality of Trestovo
	+ Trestovo
* Principality of Vozhirishia
	+ Vozhirishia