The Second Epoch: Closing
"Demons will be vanquished, but none reside among the faithful."
-Autorex Strategius, 800 P.D.
Part One:
In the twenty-third year of the First Autoregium, Strategius repealed the slavery law. In the past, conquered peoples such as the Zibonians and Kalmarians had been treated harshly. Those that converted to the Church of the One were spared in life and property, but many refused. These were sold into slavery. In addition, it was considered the right of a Veritasan soldier to take up to as many as five slaves after a battle. And of course, the child of a slave was a slave.
This created a problem, and Strategius saw it. A large portion of the population was forced into unpaid labor, and only based on their racial heritage. This fostered hatred, and hatred fostered disunity, the seed of Chaos. The slave problem had to be solved, but in a way that would keep the economy from collapsing.
The cities were already crowded, his advisors said. It would be a disaster to throw thousands of slaves out into the world. It would cause Chaos, and make the food shortage worse. But Strategius knew the dangers of a slave revolt, having put down many in Kalmar, before the Fall of the Republic.
So over the protests of his top advisors, he freed the slaves. Of course, they couldn't just go wherever they wanted. Every slave was offered a choice by the Autoregium:
-They could become a soldier, and be rewarded with a small patch of land after a decade's service. Rumors of a new weapon designed in the forges of Lux were spreading...
-They could join the colony ships, that even now were sailing up the coast. Rumors of fertile lands to the north of Kalmeria (the new Veritasan name for the increasingly assimilated province) were spreading, and Mariners carried new parties to the wilderness every day.
-Or, they would join the Church. Many slaves opted to become Disciples of the One, spreading the Three Maxims and the basic tenets of the faith throughout Veritas, and beyond. Hundreds would be needed for the missions to Davaria, Mogul, and Tristaria, and the white-robed Priests needed laborers and assistants. Temples had to be built and restored, incense bought and prepared, candles trimmed, and converts instructed.
It certainly was a risky move, but Strategius guessed that the slaves would be grateful, and would, in effect, become even more patriotic than Veritasans themselves. That was what set Veritas apart from the other lands. People would live in peace and freedom, regardless of race.
Of course, the Church had to be upheld, and the Assemblum lay empty. Strategius would soon have to tackle the famine.