Throdega

Throdega, also known as Throdega the Eternal, was the Empress of the Dwarven Domain and the longest-serving sovereign of that country.

Early Life and Childhood
Throdega was born at Fort Arcstead, then just a small outpost in a dry canyon near a river delta, to Emperor Thrid III and Queen Umi. The couple had been traveling back to the capital and had stopped at the Fort for the night.

Throdega was raised as a princess of the Domain, taught all the standard forms of etiquette and geography. When her father abdicated the throne in his 300th year of rule, as was the Dwarvish custom, Throdega ascended, at the age of 14.

Early Reign
When Throdega ascended to the throne, she lacked the confidence to lead her empire. As a result, 1, 2, and 3 Years of Throdega are considered to be the early reign of Throdega, when the policies and government of her father were continued and the Empress made almost no conscious decisions.

Period of Reform
After the initial period, Throdega's "Period of Reforms" began. This period is usually considered to continue from 4 Year of Throdega to 63 Year of Throdega. In these fifty years, the Empress turned the Dwarven Domain from the feudal successor to the Majinhar Kingdoms into the structured and industrialized system that existed after it.

Military Reform
Under Thrid, Thrid II, and Thrid III, the military maintained its feudal structure, with soldiers and small units supplying and maintaining themselves. These units served their particular lord and lacked standard ranks, supplies, equipment, uniforms, and training. The navy was effectively a group of pirate bands that the crown paid to maintain formal allegiance.

Throdega noted the difficulties in military operations due to these shortcomings and began her restructuring of the military in 4 Year of Throdega, assisted by three soldiers who had been trying to reform since the middle years of her father's reign — Tulkhid, Ulneg, and Torhaek. Assigning the men to the roles of Grand Commander of the Aerial, Terrestrial, and Naval Forces, respectively, Throdega spent two years planning before initiating the reform program.

Throdega's reforms included the introduction of a professional rank structure and rank insignia, the separation of soldiers into units serving under an officer, the creation of professional training grounds for units, and the modernization of the military. Tulkhid pushed for the military to be given a significant research budget, which enabled the Aerial Forces he commanded to introduce airships and gliders in place of the hot air balloons and hawks which composed his force in the beginning. Armored vehicles and modern warships were gained by the Army and Navy respectively. Two decades later, the Navy was also able to introduce its own aviation units and submarine units, rocketing ahead of any foreign navy. The Army, meanwhile, developed huge logistical capacity with the creation of large train lines to transport soldiers and materiel throughout the Domain.

Throdega's reforms were tested with the Ninth Dwarvish War, during which a large elvish army attempted an invasion of the northern territories of the Domain. The war did not last long, as the large and advanced military Throdega had built was able to turn back the elves and expel them from the continent, annexing all of what had once been the Elvish kingdoms.