Papers displaying the following are placed around message boards near the Regalian Scholar Academy To those who were unable to attend my (Duchess Guentyr) hosted discussion on the Regalian Pessimism, its causes, and how to work to mitigate any future Pessimisms but wish to be involved in the discussion, here is a copy of some of my speech. Feel free to add your own comments next to this paper. I believe the Pessimism was a triple crisis, caused by problems with the leadership, economy, and morale of the Empire. And when I say leadership, I do not mean the Emperors, but rather some of those beneath them. The crisis of leadership was twofold: an upheaval featuring the removal of many of the Empire’s leaders, and a corruption of some of those who remained. The Purple Bleeding saw the death of many noble houses, while the rule of the Morgannt saw the dismissal of the entire Board of Admirals. Without some of the traditional steady hands of some the guide the ship of state, we can see how the Empire spiraled downwards. But those hands that remained also became less unsteady as nobles gave in to corruption and unsustainable spending to maintain lifestyles even they could not afford. The economy of the Empire also suffered. As we know, military conquests can put quite a dent in the treasury, which is why we either take enough from the conquered lands to sustain the cycle of conquest or rest to properly digest new conquests and give them time to turn a profit. The Purple Bleeding was driven by a desire to ignore this cycle and brought on military conquest that was harder to sustain, although we would have been capable of doing so if the Morgannt and his cronies had not spent so much. The constant use of the military domestically to crush rebellions also meant we had less manpower and money to spend on foreign conquests, which in turn slowed down the cycle of conquest. The Senate and its exorbitant spending patterns, demanding endless banquets of food while the taxpayer footed the bill, and so on. Finally, all of this lead to a lowered morale in our army and general citizenry. As rumors began to circulate about the dire state of the Empire, some lost their way and their hope. And what is an Empire without hope? A doomed one. As a final note to wrap up this discussion today, I want to talk about how we can work today to prevent another Pessimism tomorrow. First of all, we as a society must remember that stable and moral leadership is required to lead us through whatever comes our way. The peerage must draw attention to those who violate these principles and call them out, while the peasantry must make us aware of these things. We must combat corruption not with mob violence but with nobles leading the charge backed by commoner witnesses. Secondly, we must respect the cycle of conquest. Too much peace leads to an economic downturn, but too much war without proper management will lead to debt and disaster. Finally, we must preserve the spirit and hope of our Empire, not giving into doom and gloom, but persevering because of it. It is tempting to see the many problems our Empire faces and despair, but we have prevailed over one Pessimism and we can do it again.
