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The Western side of the Empire, once a jewel in the grand tapestry of Calradia, was now on the brink of unravelling. Its cities, towering fortresses that lined the western edge of the empire, had always been the frontline for imperial defence. Arenicos, the last emperor, had struggled to keep these territories intact under the endless assaults from Valandia, Battania, and the ever-raiding Sturgians. However, it was not Arenicos’ name that echoed in the halls of Zeonica, Jalmyrys, or Lageta. Instead, it was Garios who was whispered about—Garios, the war hero of the Empire, who had once held the nation together with nothing more than his sword and an iron will.

The people loved him, at least at first. His rise to power was the kind of legend that inspired generations, and in the heart of the Empire, many still clung to the hope that his leadership would bring the Empire back to its former glory.

Garios was born in a small rural village near Zeonica. His father was a simple farmer, his mother a midwife, but neither could have predicted the destiny awaiting their son. At the age of twelve, Garios was already taller than most of his peers, and his spirit was as unyielding as the mountains. It was during a Valandian raid on Zeonica that Garios’ story truly began.

The city had been under siege for days. Supplies were running low, and the militia—composed of farmers, blacksmiths, and merchants—was losing morale. Garios, despite his youth, refused to hide when the fighting began. Armed with nothing more than a spear he had fashioned from an old rake, he joined the defence. When the Valandians breached the gates and flooded the streets, Garios fought like a warrior. His bravery earned him a place in the governor’s hall that night, where the city leaders marvelled at the boy who fought with the ferocity of a seasoned warrior.

His bravery did not go unnoticed. By the time he was thirteen, Garios was offered a position in the imperial army. At first, the other recruits mocked him, calling him a "child with a sword," but Garios quickly proved them wrong. Within months, he outmatched every soldier in his cohort. His natural ability in battle, coupled with his sharp tactical mind, propelled him through the ranks at a speed unheard of in the empire’s military history.

By the time Garios turned eighteen, he had become the youngest commander in the empire, commanding legions of soldiers in battle. His career skyrocketed as he led countless campaigns, pushing back Valandian and Battanian forces time and time again. His exploits were celebrated across the Empire. In Zeonica, Garios was practically worshipped, his name evoking pride and admiration. In the Zeonica, his face became synonymous with the empire’s resilience.

However, it was during the 4th Great Calradian War that Garios cemented his legend. The Valandians, backed by the Aserai, launched a massive invasion into the western territories. They sought to break the empire’s hold on the region and claim the rich lands for themselves. The empire was on the verge of collapse, and many believed that Arenicos would soon be forced to capitulate.

But Garios wouldn’t allow it.

With only a fraction of the forces available to him, Garios led a daring counterattack against the Valandians and Aserai, striking deep into their territory and forcing their armies to retreat. His campaign was brutal and swift, earning him both admiration and fear. He became known as the Iron Hand of the Empire, a man who wielded his army like a weapon and bent the will of his enemies with sheer force.

At the war's end, Garios stood before Emperor Arenicos, victorious but worn from battle. The emperor, ever cautious, had promised Garios and his men land as a reward for their service—fertile lands in the southern reaches of the empire, a prize worthy of the sacrifices they had made. But when the time came to fulfil this promise, Arenicos reneged. The lands were instead granted to nobles who had never seen the frontlines and who had no idea of the bloodshed endured by the soldiers who had fought for them.

Garios was outraged. He pleaded with the emperor and the Senate, demanding justice for his men, but his words fell on deaf ears. This betrayal planted the seed of rebellion in Garios’ heart. He had sacrificed everything for the empire, only to be cast aside. His loyalty to Arenicos was shattered.

When Emperor Arenicos died, Garios saw his opportunity. The empire was in chaos, and its leadership was fractured. Garios seized control of the Western territories, declaring himself ruler of the newly-formed Western Empire. The soldiers, who had followed him loyally through years of war, now stood behind him as he claimed the lands Arenicos had denied them.

But while Garios was a brilliant tactician and an unparalleled commander on the battlefield, governance was an entirely different beast. He ruled with an iron fist, believing that strength was the answer to all problems. He imposed heavy war taxes, draining the wealth of the Western Empire to fuel his endless campaigns against the Southern Empire and the Battanians. He established a close relationship with the Valandians but it also deteriorated as they began to view him as little more than a warmonger.

For Garios, war was all he knew. It was in war that he had earned his fame, his power, his empire. He believed that as long as the Western Empire remained strong militarily, nothing else mattered. But the strain of his policies soon began to show.

The war taxes he imposed crushed the local economy. The citizens of the Western Empire, who had once celebrated his victories, now cursed his name. Nobles who had once stood by his side began to plot against him in secret, disillusioned by his refusal to focus on the internal needs of the empire.

Worse still was the policy of strict enlistment. Every able-bodied man and woman in the Western Empire was required to serve in the military. For Garios, this was a necessity. His empire was constantly at war, and he needed soldiers. But this policy came at a cost. Farmers were pulled from their fields, and merchants were pulled from their shops. The economy, already weakened by war, began to collapse. And when Garios began seizing land from farmers to give to his retired soldiers—men who did not know how to cultivate crops—the situation spiralled into disaster. Famine struck the Western Empire, and the people suffered.

For all his strength, Garios had no idea how to govern. He ruled as though he were still on the battlefield, believing that brute force could solve any problem. But the problems of governance were not so easily solved. His daughter, Nadea, did her best to manage the day-to-day affairs of the empire, both in terms of governance and on the frontlines, but it was a losing battle. As capable as she was, Nadea could not fix everything.

Garios’ obsession with war blinded him to the needs of his people. He continued to pour resources into his military, believing that as long as his armies were strong, the empire would survive. But the cracks in the foundation of his rule were growing larger by the day.

Even in the heart of Zeonica, where Garios was still respected, whispers of dissent grew louder. Merchants lamented the heavy taxes, farmers cursed the loss of their lands, and the common folk feared the constant threat of enlistment. His soldiers, once loyal and proud, were beginning to question his leadership.

Despite all of this, Garios remained steadfast in his belief that war was the answer. He had built his empire with blood and steel, and he would defend it with the same. But as the Valandians distanced themselves from the Western Empire, and the Southern Empire rallied its forces for another strike, it became clear that the Western Empire’s greatest threat was not external—it was Garios himself.

Nadea, ever loyal to her father, did what she could. She managed the empire’s dwindling resources, negotiated with the few remaining friendly nobles, and tried to stem the tide of unrest. But there was only so much she could do. If Garios did not change his ways, the empire would crumble, not from an invasion, but from within.

As Garios continued to lead his armies into battle, oblivious to the suffering of his people, the question on everyone’s mind was simple:

How long could the Iron Hand of Garios hold the empire together before it shattered completely?