The Empire of Reimia (3)

Lapis Reim - it is extremely difficult for me to judge our glorious founding father from the point of view of a modern citizen; after all, it was he who set the direction of our country's development for many centuries. To criticize his decisions is to reject whole ages of history, and with that approach, for a proper assessment one would need to know how our civilization would have developed had it remained a republic. That is far too vague and uncertain a subject, more in the realm of fiction.
However, I can say this. Empires, by their very nature, do not live forever, as indeed many other constructs of nature and humanity do not: every living thing is doomed to entropy and decay sooner or later. And yet, after the fact, we see that seven centuries later, after all the trials sent down upon our peoples, we still exist, and in a fairly strong form. At minimum, that means the state laid down by Lapis proved strong enough to last seven hundred years. And the fact that the man born Eghir Valenstein, in a difficult hour, essentially saved our population from destruction or enslavement with his talents deserves respect.
Hegon Reim - they say that the better a ruler is, in terms of peace and prosperity, welfare, and the freedoms of citizens, the less there is to tell about him. Accordingly, I cannot say anything interesting about this emperor; from what I know, he is a completely uncontroversial figure, a typical kind and wise ruler who replaced a harsher one. I think the period of his reign was one of the best for every layer of the population.
Archon Reim - here too I do not think my opinion will differ from the common one. All the constructive potential that came from Archon, based on Hegon's groundwork, namely the development of the institution of sorcery, which could potentially have brought enormous benefit, was trampled into the mud by Archon himself. It is not fully known whether he envied his father and disagreed with him on governing the state, or whether he had some mental abnormalities, but this man proved completely unsuited to his role. The fact that he was hated both by the higher classes and by common folk only confirms it.
Eirin Reim - unquestionably a strong personality, a man who overcame the fate allotted to him and restored trust in the imperial dynasty. To some degree he can be called a personification of Lapis, but with a plus sign. Although I personally am not a fan of warmongering, Eirin's good qualities redeem that. Probably. In any case, the people who died during his campaigns can console themselves with the fact that the foundation of a monumental empire was laid on their blood and corpses.
Reisen Reim - I know almost nothing about him. All the textbooks, lectures, and other study materials touched on was a meager description of the direct events of the civil war and its preconditions. I do not know exactly why: loss of documented materials, or their classification. In any event, it is too dark a period of our history for me to evaluate it somehow.
Beryl Reim - likewise. Even less is known about this emperor than about Reisen, which is obviously connected. All I found were formal notes about how he labored to preserve the state. Well, if so, then honor and praise to him as a typical crisis manager. But I find it incredible that official history simply erased the events of those decades from textbook pages.
Verilian Reim - a man of progressive views, sufficiently carried away by his ideas to unleash a war, but fortunately devoid of vanity and cruelty, keeping a cool head to the end. At present we can only guess how justified the expansion west and north was almost immediately after the end of the civil and other wars, but based on the other facts about the ruler's personality, I am still inclined to believe that by then the situation in the country was under control, that these decisions were justified, and that they gave our civilization exactly the edge it needed to resume unconditional domination in the region. The decades after his death confirmed this. Either Verilian was the best ruler of those centuries, or he was lucky to land in a period of rise caused by other processes.
Oliviy Lapis Reim - as I already mentioned, I do not much like warmongers. I do not know whether he was named in honor of the founder, or whether he assigned himself such a name for solidity, so everyone would tremble with delight and associate him with Valenstein's second coming; my personal attitude toward him is sharply negative. I hope I will not be sent to torture dungeons and executed for this essay. A catastrophic failure inside the state: he raised descendants who dragged the country into another bloodiest civil war, repression, and death. Outside it: he quarreled with Beliad, went to war with a handful of neighbors, and ruined a huge number of lives. Thanks to the groundwork of his ancestors, he did manage to snatch a few scraps of land, but at a huge human cost and not without consequences reaching into the future. Not the blackest streak in our history, because there have been worse times, but very close to it.
Sonata Reim - she was born much earlier than she should have been. Or much later? In any case, the country was not ready for the changes conceived by her clique. Someone will say she acted courageously: she simply took what she wanted, refusing to put up with the consequences. I think, rather, that this was very characteristic of an oppressed woman: breaking all the rules of the game established before her, she staged a coup and clawed out her right to the throne with her teeth. I would not, of course, put all the blame on her alone: her convictions, which diverged from official imperial policy, merely proved convenient to other people, who sent her to ram through social foundations while they themselves followed step by step along the path she had broken. The materials from those times show that she did not display excessive cruelty; all repressions were quite in the spirit of the glorious ancestors of her imperial family, except that in their goals they were aimed at the "ultimate good." Nevertheless, Sonata's example shows that convictions alone are not enough; besides that, she showed neither the desire nor the talent to lower the degree of internal tension. In the end she could not hold power and was thrown onto the trash heap as used material. Despite her good intentions in a vacuum, their execution, and the events that occurred after her reign, do not allow me after the fact to assess her contribution as positive.
Tiariy Reim - an ordinary psychopath. For a time he seemed like excellent human material, but he was outwitted by Sonata. I do not think, however, that the coup "made" him what he ultimately became; people do not simply change one hundred eighty degrees. Most likely, he successfully mimicked for the time being, playing along with social demands, as psychopaths do, and his true nature would have revealed itself one way or another, gradually during his rule or all at once. It is possible that he was partly affected by his appointment in Nihon, with its heavy psychological consequences, as well as by his direct connection to bloodthirsty Oliviy. In the end, both he and Sonata can be blamed for the same thing: the banal inability to discern the nature of their closest blood relatives and take appropriate measures long before all of it grew into conflict. It is funny, of course, how daddy bit off and recolored new territories, while his children ruined not only that, but everything built up long before them. Not the most successful generations of rulers for the country's history.
Vagael Reim - apparently this is a trick question, because I have no idea who that is. I heard one mention once: a random talking head, soon separated from its shoulders.
Kamiya Ren - a traditionalist warrior, not noticed in any vices, another incarnation of the honored crisis manager. One can argue with the forcibly instilled ideological points, but that is each person's individual matter. They did not affect me personally; I was too young. With all respect, against the background of many previous rulers, I simply have nothing to say about him. For a while after all the disasters, people breathed freely; that alone is good.
Yujian Reim - likewise. In the current emperor I see a continuation of the previous one, with the only difference that he is more oriented toward peacetime. Being a contemporary of events, I cannot assess what is happening in full. In historical perspective, the current years are not even a grain of sand, but only a thousandth of one. Today one thing, tomorrow another, and the day after tomorrow it may all lead to a third. Therefore I will refrain from an extended answer to this question.

B
Recommendations: fill gaps in knowledge about certain periods of imperial history.

No country is characterized only by its rulers, but much depends on rulers. A wise ruler blesses his people, while a foolish one, even if it is not immediately visible, curses them and dooms them to years of torment. All our history bears witness to that.
The history of our imperial dynasty begins in the year 191, when Eghir Valenstein, the future Lapis Reim, was appointed ruler by the senate of the republic and granted broad powers. At the time this was considered a necessary sacrifice to preserve the state from the pressure of external enemies, but the senate did not know that Eghir would not only cope with his task, but also become king, finally removing the senate from power. At the same time he seized the territory of several kingdoms that had previously threatened Reim. Sources claim that he was treacherous and power-hungry, but in my view those were rather dark times overall, and no one knows how another ruler, or the senate if it had won, would have acted in his place.
Hegon Reim was the son of Lapis Reim and helped his father from youth (thought in my head: wow, he was the same age as me!), although he became ruler only in old age. He did not like war; instead he focused on science and art, befriended the elves, and in the end magic began to be practiced in Reim. It seems to me that Hegon Reim truly was the right person in the right place; without him our kingdom of that time risked going entirely down a purely military path, without serious internal development, and that would have ended badly.
Archon Reim is known as the mage-king, though mostly from the bad side. In fact, evaluating him is a little difficult, because although he used magic against people, the idea of developing magic itself is not bad. Perhaps he simply became too fixated on it, or there was some bad influence? In any case, things become worst with this king after the inhuman attempt to kill him by his son Leos. After that, Archon built the Leosfort prison for his enemies.
In the end Archon is believed to have been killed, but I have encountered sources that doubt it. That is logical, since dark mages can sometimes do strange things, for example transferring their souls into other bodies.
Eirin Reim was Archon's grandson and came to power at only six, because Archon's killers, who were also his advisers, wanted to control the monarch. I do not know whether they were driven by caution or lust for power, but in the end Eirin did not allow it, and at sixteen was already ruling almost independently, having appointed other advisers for himself. When they tried to kill him, he not only survived but pardoned the organizers of the murder, for which he immediately earned people's respect.
Eirin established a protectorate over Alait and defended it from highlander raids. Although it is said this was largely for resources, I think he acted not only from selfish motives, since Reim had had good relations with the elves since Hegon's time.
In the end Eirin expanded the territory and renamed the kingdom the Reim Empire.
Then Eirin seized numerous territories in the East and suffered defeat only in Nihon and the Celestial Empire. It is a little hard for me to understand why all those territories were needed and why he fought so stubbornly with the same Nihon; perhaps the previous war embittered Eirin beyond measure... In the end peace was signed with the Celestial Empire, but military actions with Nihon continued for a long time, needlessly taking lives on both sides.
Eirin did much within the country, especially in education and military sciences. He died at a tournament.
Reisen Reim introduced a class system which, though it seemed fair to him, still displeased a great many people. A civil war began in the country. The rebels fought the emperor for twenty years, apparently not suspecting that powerful magic and structures throughout the capital, built by the emperor's architect, were on the latter's side. Some sources claim the magic was as black as possible, and in that connection the news that Reisen died of cardiac arrest raises some doubts. He spent the rest of his reign in the palace, never leaving it and keeping his life secret.
Reisen's actions would still have a bad effect on the empire much later.
Beryl Reim, Reisen's grandson, was not heir by right, but became one solely through diplomacy. He sealed his grandfather's palace and tried in every way to restore the empire after his reign. The history books write little about him, and I understand why, because he was neither a great warrior nor a tyrant, and did not carry out reforms that shook society. For some reason, it is precisely such people who always earn the most attention and glory, even though the consequences of their rule are often debatable. But I personally am certain that if the empire still stands, it is largely thanks to people like Beryl, who do their work quietly and without needless noise, but with enormous diligence and understanding.
During Beryl's reign, eriniun was discovered, but it was learned how to use it later, under and with the help of Verilian Reim. Blue eriniun became fuel for the empire's new ships, but there was little of it, and Verilian decided to begin a war with the serpent-people, whose territories were rich in this resource. The war was long and difficult, and ended entirely inhumanely: with scorched-earth tactics carried out with bombs of red eriniun.
The sad consequences of this deed, it seems to me, we see right now, when Larian periodically threatens us using ether weapons, while we ourselves are forced to invent other technology for our defense.
The serpent-people were enslaved, and the new ships helped make geographical discoveries.
The following roughly two hundred years are characterized by strong senate power and further development of the country. As with Beryl, there is little information about what the imperial family did at this time, but I suppose their contribution actually existed. If their office had become purely formal, Oliviy Lapis would not have been able to strengthen his power when he was crowned in his time.
The new emperor immediately declared war on Beliad, with which Reim had previously had good relations. All of it looked reckless, because Beliad began defending itself together with an entire coalition: Thanarsis, Areid, Khem, and Asteya, countries of the Enclesian faith. Even so, Oliviy Lapis won the war.
Then the ephemeral weapon itself was invented. It was expensive and not widespread, but it proved enough for victory over Nihon, the war with which had not ceased. It seems Oliviy did not understand that all his territorial expansions led not so much to improving the country's economy as to accumulating internal contradictions.
When he died, Sonata Reim took advantage of the fact that one of the pretenders to the throne was in the capital at that moment and seized power by force. Although her idea that the old class system had to be abolished was probably good, Sonata's rule rather proved that who you are matters more than what ideas you have. The violent seizure of power led to claims from Tiariy Reim and to the bloodiest civil war in the empire's history. It also mattered that the empire had many different groups with different interests, from serpent-people and Nihonians who wanted freedom to old kingdoms with their own dynasties.
At some point, Tiariy gained access to structures from Reisen's time, and also to some superweapon that destroyed any forces within a certain radius of Reim, so he managed to seize power in the capital. Tiariy proved incredibly cruel in his treatment of his defeated sister, and then of the people as a whole. I have seen the opinion that he came under the influence of a Nihonian woman with whom he traveled, but I do not know whether that is true. In any case, the war did not end with Tiariy's victory; Larian, Darkiria, and Nihon formed an alliance against a ruler they disliked. The leader of the alliance was Luciola Reim, who led it to victory through operations to eliminate the structures beneath Reim and the subsequent duel with Tiariy. Having killed the emperor, however, Luciola herself fell into a coma. A relative of Oliviy Lapis, Vagael, became the new emperor, but Darkiria, Larian, and Nihon remained independent.
The remaining Ackerwald and Brightwin were governed by the new emperor not very competently, but worst of all, the empire encountered Eos. The appearance of such a scourge looks very much like a logical consequence of all that black magic Tiariy used, inherited from Reisen, and all that pain and suffering brought by the civil war. It is no wonder that dark beings from another world found the idea of finally destroying every hope in people interesting, especially since the path had already been paved by unholy arts.
At this point the initiative was seized by an organization called "Orion." They broke the weakened state, but themselves became bogged down for a long time in internal conflicts. In the end, victory over them was won by the head of the largely scientific organization "Event Horizon," Kamiya Ren, who seems to have been one of the few who was good not only at military affairs but also at the competent use of technology. Moreover, with active support from Larian, Kamiya Ren managed to defeat Eos. I should note that my family, the Nerisses, around that time decided to accept the idea of the Flame Cult and move to the empire, mainly because they wanted to fight the filth of Eos, seeing it as a threat to the entire world. So my grandfather Gerwalt fought side by side with Kamiya Ren.
Kamiya Ren cared greatly for moral values and ruled for a long time, developing them in people, although many disliked that he was too strict in this respect. It seems to me, however, that some years of strictness after the decline in morals that had occurred were necessary to compensate for it somehow. The main thing is that Kamiya Ren did not organize mass executions and the like. The drawback is that over time Kamiya Ren began restricting his citizens' religious freedoms.
In terms of weapons, there was a flourishing under Kamiya Ren, since firearms technology came to us from Tiaral and was developed very strongly.
It is still difficult to speak about the current emperor, Yujian Reim. Probably much more can be said about him after his rule, not now. Personally I like him, despite the fact that people often speak not very well of him and criticize his indecision.
People are divided into two types: the first treats their actions and the possibility of making mistakes responsibly, and the second frivolously. Most people like the second type, especially when they succeed, because such figures seem bold and decisive; as long as they do not admit their mistakes, it seems there are none, and if something does not go according to plan, some villains or circumstances are to blame. But all of that is wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, and the person who makes fewer of them is the one who can learn from them. Yujian Reim resembles exactly such a person: he will not immediately decide to do something, but before doing it he will think carefully and in the end do everything right. And if he does make a mistake, it will not be repeated.
Under Yujian we live in such a happy and free country that I cannot imagine the like in another place or under another ruler. He also supervises our academy, and studied here himself, being a good shooter. It was all the more surprising for me to learn that in reality our curator and history teacher, Kamiya Yuki, was supposed to become heir. I would never have thought that Yujian had not been prepared for this responsibility from childhood and yet manages no worse than the best emperors of the past!

I hope my essay is not too full of conjectures, but it seemed important to me to emphasize certain things in history, since while studying, some connections impressed me. I hope to draw a lesson from this for myself as well. (thoughts in my head: "And I did not even want to do this! I do not know how much more useful it is than other subjects, but it seems this really is important in itself; I did not work hard these three weeks for nothing.")

B
Recommendations: structure your thoughts better.

Lapis Reim - real name Eghir. He was a commander who, during wars with neighboring countries, managed to strengthen his power in Reim and then proclaimed himself ruler, changing his name at the same time. A harsh, domineering, and cunning man. Died at around 90 years of age.
Hegon Reim - Lapis's eldest son. He was more peace-loving than his father. He did much for culture, science, trade, and people in general. During his reign an alliance was concluded with the elves, and the empire learned the basics of magic. At the time of death he was about a hundred years old.
Archon Reim - Hegon's third son. He brought magic to a new level; it began to be used in many spheres of life, but not always on the positive side. Many bans appeared for ordinary people, which caused dissatisfaction among the country's residents. His son ordered his assassination, but he survived. After this incident the ruler's mind clouded even further, which ultimately led to his death at the hands of his subjects.
Eirin Reim - Archon's grandson, took the throne at a young age. He joined Alait to Reim by concluding a treaty. After that he announced the creation of the empire and became its first emperor. Then he sent the army east, annexing ever new lands. The conquest stopped at the border with Nihon, which managed to resist and remain independent. He died in battle at a tournament he himself organized.
Reisen Reim - Eirin's son. He introduced a class system in the empire, which led to civil war. But the emperor's forces ultimately won. The ruler himself practically became a recluse in his palace, where he died. Later the palace was sealed, and after some time it became the site of terrible events.
Beryl Reim - Reisen's son, who spent his whole life trying to correct his father's mistakes and everything that had been destroyed and lost by the previous emperor.
Verilian Reim - developed seafaring and began a war with the lizardfolk over valuable resources discovered in the marshes. In the end the imperial forces won, though not at once. The lizards began to be used as labor. Died around the year 520.
Oliviy Lapis Reim - was a conqueror, started a war with Beliad, and annexed part of its lands to the empire. He managed to defeat Nihon, which in the end also became part of the empire.
Sonata Reim - seized power by deception, forging her father's will. She wanted to create equal conditions for all residents of the empire, which was opposed by many aristocrats who had built up their status and wealth over generations. She provoked a civil war with her actions, thinking power could simply be taken for herself.
Tiariy Reim - opposed his sister, believing he was the lawful heir to the throne named in the will. He had always been described positively until he became emperor. Such changes in character are difficult to explain logically, but the fact remains. In four years of his rule, very many terrible things were done.
Vagael Reim - became the first ruler of the remnants of a once mighty empire. He was not remembered for anything outstanding.
Kamiya Ren - the man who began Reim's revival and did much for it. He was talented in various fields, strict with himself and others, as could be understood from the bans he introduced in the country, though he most likely did it from good motives. He established contacts with neighbors, which of course had a positive effect on the country.
Yujian Reim - a young ruler who mostly continues his father's work. Though he has lifted some bans, believing residents deserve more freedoms than they had before. A diligent and hardworking person who gives all his strength for the country's good. He resolves many matters personally, perhaps wishing to stay aware of all events or simply taking his duties responsibly.

C
Recommendations: pay more attention to analysis of historical events.

Lapis Reim
A legendary figure, without question, and therefore not susceptible to critical analysis. I believe no one now living has a fully correct idea of this man. On the basis of my knowledge, I can first of all draw the following conclusion: all this man's deeds were done for his own benefit. In our age it is customary, and rightly so, to believe that a ruler should think only of the good of the country and the people, but I personally cannot condemn Lapis Reim for selfishness, authoritarianism, or cruelty. He lived in a far less humane era, and besides, regardless of motives, the results of his actions brought the country more good than evil.
Hegon
I know very little about him, and most likely from this one can conclude that he was a good ruler. The reigns of those who leave no loud trace in history are usually the calmest and most favorable. Most of the people would undoubtedly have preferred peaceful prosperity to great conquests and radical reforms.
Archon
Being a mage, I undoubtedly sympathize with Archon Reim as a person and welcome the policy this emperor pursued at the beginning of his reign. Magic is power, and it is the strong who should rule the weak, not the other way around. However dissatisfied the plebs may be with the infringement of their rights, it is done for their own good. In the end the people might perhaps have understood and accepted it as an inevitable lesser evil for the sake of a greater good, but Archon made a serious political mistake: by creating a new privileged layer of society out of mages, he failed to take the interests of the aristocracy into account, and this mistake quite naturally led to his fall. Based on the later years of his reign, only two conclusions can be drawn: in some very rare situations the people must go beyond their authority, and one person must not occupy the position of head of state for too long. Even leaving such excesses aside, people as a rule fail to keep up in their ideas with the demands of the age, and the older they become, the more they "slow down" the state.
Eirin
I know little about him as well. I remember that he led military expansion and that under him we obtained Alait; in general, that is enough to assess the period of his rule positively and place him in the same row as Hegon.
Reisen
A mystical figure, without doubt. I am sure we have not unraveled even half his secrets, from succession crises to the devices he designed. His policy again repeated the same idea as Archon's: the idea of the strong having the right to power. His fate is also similar to Archon's fate. I cannot assess him as a ruler, and I do not think such an attempt makes sense; this man hardly cared seriously about his country's fate. But I will not hide that I admire him as a man and researcher.
Beryl
I can say nothing except that the fact the empire was able to continue existing after the crises under Reisen speaks in his favor. Again, he can be placed in the same row as Hegon.
Verilian
Dash
Oliviy Lapis
An expansionist; he must have been popular in life and cursed more than once after death. Was he not involved in the crisis of power that arose? Does he not bear responsibility for the personal qualities of his own children, who plunged us into the abyss of civil wars? Did the conquest of Nihon bring us good; could we even have held it, theoretically? He gives me the impression of a lucky adventurer whose motto was "After me, the flood."
Sonata and Tiariy
With your permission, I will consider them together, since they are not only key figures of one era, but also much more alike than different. Sonata was a usurper and tyrant no less than Tiariy, and though her ideas were much more humane, she used the same methods of gaining power. She merely chose a more favorable moment and therefore did not have to resort to terror. She was just as authoritarian; we know perfectly well that in her day she had no fewer opponents than Tiariy. I would say Tiariy is a more "honest" version of Sonata. But "honest" does not mean "better." In this case, the case of an authoritarian system, everything rests on the ruler's personal qualities, and here Tiariy showed himself from a much worse side than Sonata. What is most curious in that era is Tiariy's victory. Clearly, Reisen's artifacts played a role, but still, what was Tiariy's secret? Was it that the best people of the empire followed him, thereby proving the aristocracy's right to rule as the stronger class, while Sonata had support mainly among the lower orders, who lacked the strength to support her? Or was it only incredible luck? But years of tyranny cannot be justified by luck alone. How strong, domineering, and charismatic a personality must one be to, while in the position of an enemy of the state and a terrorist, gather supporters, hold power, nearly win the subsequent war, and even after death and universal condemnation leave behind an order of personality cult? Again, this can with a great stretch be projected onto Sonata as well, but there the idea now preserved by Larian still plays a role. Summing up all the above, I will say this: these people cannot be considered politicians. They can be considered adventurers, revolutionaries, usurpers, but not rulers. All the more remarkable, then, that these two determined the course of modern history, and I state confidently: history is made by personalities.
The very history of their rise and the subsequent crisis of power again makes one think about the fairness of the succession system. It is difficult to say what it should ideally be, but it is obvious that the personal factor at play in it can lead to catastrophic consequences: when power is passed to someone who does not want it, it can easily pass to someone unworthy of it. I write all this without reference to the present time, to you, or to the emperor.
Vagael
I do not recognize the emperor of a nonexistent empire.
Kamiya Ren
I unquestionably respect him for the history of his ascent to the throne. As for his reforms, I will say this: they do not work everywhere as one would like (I speak from personal experience), and the fact that they did not outlive the reformer does not speak in the latter's favor. One way or another, he revived the empire and undoubtedly deserves respect, even if his rule was... controversial from the point of view of the empire's residents.
Yujian
His policy is to my liking. It seems he holds very liberal views, but as it seemed to me, he is too... indecisive. That speaks in his favor as a person, for the mind reaches truth, and the strength of the mind lies in doubt, but for a ruler this is not the best quality. And he allows the plebs too much; far from all people are capable of using freedom wisely. Overall, however, I think Yujian Reim has chosen the right course, even if he steers with an unsteady hand

B
Recommendations: do not neglect certain periods of history because of your personal attitude toward them.