An Unsigned Treatise - On Reforming the Empire

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Another treatise makes the rounds, again anonymously published...

On Reforming the Empire of Varana
Part 1: Equality, the Law, and Justice

As was indicated by my previous series, this humble scholar was not simply going to debunk the arguments and ideas put forward by the Dasarian Mythologists, but also address the fundamental flaws within the Empire and suggest reforms. Those Varanite Apologists, whom I am certain reveled in my words and their attacks upon the ideas of the Mythologists are certain to find themselves enraged by my words here. I make no excuses for this, for I do not seek to prop up the failed policies of a collapsing Empire, nor do I seek to return to the failed policies of a fallen Kingdom. Instead I propose a new path, built on a foundation of ideas and concepts from both, built on a rock solid foundation of many Imperial Institutions, but stripping away that which corrupts, degrades, and causes long term harm to both the people and the Empire.

The first thing that must be looked at for long term stability and prosperity of the Empire is creating equality and justice for all, regardless of race, under the law. As it stands now, many laws are structured in a way to inherently favor humans above all others. From the formation of the Legions, to the amounts people must pay for certain things, this places humans above others while creating a situation ripe for resentment of the other races.

Yet, why this is done is not clear. Histories of the initial pact between Canas and Lochwar show no sign that Lochwar demanded humans be given the forefront, and later pacts between Lochwar and other rulers betray no bias towards humanity, as displayed by Lochwar's pact with Queen Elara. Nor is there any real advantage to it; rather, it simply creates divisions and lines where they need not be. The only thing it serves to do is create a closed mentality within the races, where like stays with like. While this may lead to an ordered society, but it also creates rifts between these groups that can then become wounds that fester and cause long term problems, rebellions and strife.

Why this had not happened yet is quite simple, the Empire of Varana has nearly constantly been at war for its entire history. While at war with an outside enemy, these groups could come together. The Legions, Talon and Claw Knights in the Great War against Dasaria were not the homogenous human-only Legions that we are familiar with, no, all the races in the Empire served within them, humans and halflings, dwarves and elves, orcs and gnomes, they all served together as members of those armies, each bringing their strengths and covering each other’s weaknesses. Now, this is not the case, and it shows in the weakness of the Legions and the effectiveness of many of the Dasarian irregular forces which use mixed forces.

It should be further noted that there is no evidence from within the Empire's history that pure human rule is necessarily better or more effective. In fact, there is evidence that non-humans are just as competent rulers, with Queen Elara of Iryrod managing a stable province of the Empire for the entirety of her reign. One that, in fact, has been spared much of the internal disruption of the Canite Heresy (though the reasons for that are more complicated than simply being under the rule of a non-human). Further, the Stronghold dwarves have long had internal home rule and have proven to be competent managers of their own holds, and loyal to the Empire.

This reform is fairly easy to implement, though the culture of the Empire will take longer to change. It will also serve to bind these other races better into the Empire, so that instead of being servants and an underclass that may grow to resent the Empire and eventually rise up in rebellion, they become fully vested in the Empire and learn to see themselves not as a "halfling" or "dwarf" first, but rather as a citizen of the Empire first.

But the changes also need to take into account more than simple species, but also origin. While it might seem just to even Dasarians, punishing the people of Duseric for multiple generations for the crime of supporting Canas was an overzealous move that only cemented them and their descendants supports for the Heresy, as they no longer had any investment in the Empire, becoming an underclass that had nothing to lose and everything to gain by siding with those that sought to overthrow Imperial reign. As has been amply demonstrated by recent events, it is clear this is exactly what happened, and now Canas has rewarded them, further gaining their loyalty.

In other words, when administering justice, the only thing that matters should be an individual's actions, not their species, creed or land of origin. Punishments should only be meted out to those who took the actions deserving of punishment, their descendants should not be punished for the sins of their ancestors. Treating people the same before the law will create trust between the races and peoples of the Empire, establish greater order, and, in the long term, create a more unified and stronger Empire, so long as justice continues to be served.

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Part 2: Slavery and the Proper Place Thereof

We now will discuss a much touchier and less conceptual topic, one that has constantly raised strife within the Province of Dasaria, and serves as a focal point for many conflicts: slavery. Slavery, as practiced by the Empire, is a complicated issue, as there are many reasons for people being in slavery, and not all slaves are held to indefinite terms of contract. There is some fundamental misunderstanding of slavery by the Dasarian Mythologists, but at the same time, they are not completely wrong in their objections to the institution. To ensure clarity, we will first establish some terms, their history, and usage, and then go on to explore how reforms should be made to this particular institution.

Firstly, it should be acknowledged there are multiple kinds of slaves. Many so-called slaves are people who have sold their life and labor for a set term. Most people do not have objection to this arrangement, so long as the holder of the contract does not abuse those in their service. Reforms in this area are simple and likely not going to be objectionable, focusing mainly on protections from abuse, legal recourse for slaves of this type who are abused or manipulated into selling themselves, and, perhaps, some restriction on the sale of their contracts so they are not moved about the Empire without their permission. These are minutia of policy though, and so generally beyond the scope of this treatise, and so we will move on.

Let us touch, a moment, on Thralls. While I have heard the Church of Lochwar insist these are people who have sold their labor, it should be noted that the first exposure most Dasarians, and what entered the Dasarian consciousness, for Thralls is something else entirely, and comes from reports in the Great War. The documentation behind much of these stories, I should note, is lost, but this scholar has personally interviewed witnesses to the following events, and so believes them to be true. The first encounter with Thralls this scholar was aware of was during the Great War, as noted, when a Dasarian raid of Varanite held positions in the Kor Mountains. There they found many Dasarian prisoners, held there not by force of arms, but my magical items, enchanted to take the will and create near-mindless laborers.* These, the Varanites of the time, called Thralls, and it was this definition, of magically enslaved prisoners of war, that entered the mind of the Dasarian people. This may not be how the Empire now defines Thralls, or what the Church of Lochwar means when it talks about it, but that is what most Dasarians, despite 50 years of Imperial Rule, still think of. Their revulsion and instinctual rejection of such titles is then understandable, as is their continual "misunderstanding" of what the term means. The way to resolve this issue is quite simple: change the term used. There are many better terms to use for the type of servant the Lochwarians insist on calling Thralls, the most commonly accepted one being "Indentured Servitude". This single minor change would clarify their situation and remove significant amounts of tensions. The argument that it should be those who "misunderstand" the term who should change their thinking holds little weight, as it shows a misunderstanding of the underlying tension and a prideful arrogance

Reforms of prison slavery should also be undertaken. Prison slavery is the enslavement of those who have committed crimes, usually nonviolent, for a set term as punishment. Though there are some lifetime enslavements within these, these are a rarity in my research. The claimed primary purpose of this form of slavery is to pay back the harmed and society for the crimes committed. In this, this form of punishment may hold some merit, so long as the terms given are commiserate to the crime committed and no further. A careful study of these laws should be undertaken to verify that unjust punishments are not meted out. Another reform to this form of punishment should be the restriction of sale of their contract, making their punishment only applicable to those they harmed or to the governor of the region in which the crime was committed. Moving them outside the homelands places these people in a significantly disadvantaged position in unfamiliar lands, leading them to potential further criminality. Instead the time in punishment and loss of freedom should be used constructively, not just to pay back those they harmed, but also to equip them to live a proper lawful life.

Finally we come to chattel slavery. This type of slavery was usually used only on prisoners of war in the Empire, but has since become more prevalent as slaves have been imported from Cuhanna. This slavery is despicable in form and function, and serve no redeemable purpose in society. People who have not chosen to become slaves are made into such, for unlimited terms that serve not to teach them anything of value or are just as punishment for crimes. There is only one solution for this issue and that is the abolition and freeing of all slaves of this type and the prohibition of such trade in all Imperial territory and waters. This may seem like a drastic action against it, but such an action would have significant repercussions and greatly increase support for the Empire and undercut the most significant critics of them that the Mythologists like to espouse. That said, emancipation without recompense to the owners of such slaves would be punishment for actions that were legal at the time, and while morally contemptible, it can be argued that those who have invested their wealth in such endeavors should be compensated. For this reason, I would suggest adopting measure to compensate the owners of such slaves for their loss, as well as creating a fund to aid those former slaves as they transition to freedom as citizens.

If adopted, these ideas would go a long way in helping unify and improve the morality of the Empire, weaken disruptive elements within and create good will towards the government. It is a hard pill to swallow, the idea that such a traditional institution such as slavery should be abolished, but it is the right thing to do to unify all the people of th eempire and bring about a better future and immortal Empire.

* ((Author's note, these were actual events in the Dasaria 1 campaign, as witnessed by multiple people, as the aforementioned raid was actually a massive event, if wanting verification, send me a PM and I can list a few players who were witnesses to this event and can verify it occurred, as well as give you the name of the DM who ran the event.))

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Part 3: Concerning the Relation Between the Temples and the Throne
And I now come to the most controversial subject for those who are Varanite Apologists. There is no good introduction for this, for of all things this will enrage the Varanite Apologists by far the most.

The Church of Lochwar’s position in the Empire must be depreciated to an equal station of all the other Churchs.
I am certain this will be labeled heresy, but it is not only for the good of the Empire, but also the good of Lochwar’s Church. Even now, the status of the Church of Lochwar falls throughout the Empire. In Dasaria it is due to its harsh persecution, while in the rest of the Empire its ineffectual stand against Canas and the subversion of the Iron Throne by Canas and its inability to prevent it make it appear weak, ineffectual and foolish. With the Church closely tied to the throne, when the throne is weakened so is the Church, and when the throne makes mistakes or becomes tyrannical, as has happened with Marcus IV and his subversion by Canas, as happened with Nadja I and his bloodthirsty reign, and as happened with Marcus III and his dark magics, the Church bears the blame for it. The Emperors are demonstrably fallible, as the history of the Empire often notes when they have been of ill mind, tyrannical or incompetent.

Yet, many Varanite Apologists, cling to the special place for the Church of Lochwar within the Empire, demanding that their special privileges be preserved no matter the circumstances or the history showing this to be an anchor. However, this leads to a significant problem for the Church itself, it has grown so used to the special place it had it has not had to actually serve either Lochwar or the people as the temples of the other gods have had to. The Church of Lochwar, as it stands, is beholden to the will of the Empire, not the will of Lochwar, and must follow the Emperor’s lead, lest it loose its special privileges which is has so become accustomed to. Without those special privileges, it quickly falls into disarray, as has been amply demonstrated in the Province of Dasaria.

To give an example, in this author’s study of history, no heretical conflicts could be found between the teachings of the followers of Rel and the Church of Lochwar. Relites, while not a major force in the Empire of Varana, were also not in conflict with the Church. There were, however, major Relites in Dasaria who opposed the Empire’s expansion, and their history and traditions in that province served as a reminder of their independence from the Empire. So it was that the Emperor wished to expunge the worship of Rel, but for his own reasons, and not at the pushing of the Church of Lochwar, rather the Lochwarian declaration of heresy follow’s the Empire’s decree outlawing their worship, not preceding it. This makes their support of the abolition of lawful worship of Rel quite theologically irregular, especially given that they have not made any objections to the worship of gods with even great differences with Lochwarian theology, like Ineania and Nuarari have. This lack of condemnation for other deities and their quick adoption of the Emperor’s position much more clearly one based not on their theological duties, but rather one of political expediency. Because of how closely bound they were to the Emperor, and how dependant they are on the Empire’s favor as without it they suffer rapid collapse, they were forced to support a position not from their faith, but from their politic.

If the Church of Lochwar is easily swayed by an Emperor, and we have numerous instances of unstable or incompetent Emperors, how can the Church maintain its allegiance to Lochwar when it seems to bear greater alliance to the Empire? If the Lochwarians cleave so tightly to the Emperor, how can they properly represent the will of Lochwar?

In short, they cannot. Further, the close association of the Church of Lochwar with the Empire causes great pains to many people of the Empire, leading to rebellion and consistent struggles to submit to the rule of the Empire, as there is no end of grief caused by the close association. Decoupling the Church of Lochwar from the Empire, and have the Empire treat them as simply another cult of faith like those dedicated to the other gods in a legal sense would go a long way to helping reform the Empire’s ability to rule. Further it would also allow the Church of Lochwar to fully represent their deity, without having to change their teachings and practices on the whim of the Emperor, as they have done in the past. This change, combined with their recent Velvet Reformation, could go a long way to rehabilitating the image of the Church and allow both the Empire and the faithful of Lochwar to grow and thrive. It would make it easier to bring people together under the banner of the Empire, and would also help alleviate many people’s concerns about the future, as the persecution of Relites and Tyrakians has long been a sore issue not just in Dasaria, but across the Empire where those faiths have been practiced.

As a final note, I am not calling for the teachings of the Church to be changed, their position as the clergy of the King of the Gods, their statements of Varana being Lochwar’s chosen Empire and their desire to lead the others faiths, are theirs to make as within the sphere of faith, it is their right. I merely wish for a decoupling of political power between the Empire and the Church, a separation of their spheres so that the Church0 can fully act in its own, without fear of the Empire intervening or forcing them to change with their whim, and the Empire in its own, allowing its subjects to live without fear of persecution.

A difficult change for the Varanite Apologists to swallow, but one I see as necessary to pursue a future beyond this present war, a future that prevents such an evil as the Canite heresy from rising once again and ensures a strong and stable Empire a millennium into the future.