Depends, before it's an empire do you want a Monarch? A democracy? After the Empire is formed to you envisage an emperor or monarch?
And what sort of transition are you anticipating? A faction that claims additional land through conquest and imperialism, thus establishing their Empire? Or a faction that undergoes a purely political transformation and becomes an Empire?Conquest, definitely.
Why does an empire want to conquer nations and expand through the sword? I mean 'power' is definitely the keyword here but to make an interesting faction I gotta have some more here. Trade alliances with conquered nations? Wealth? An ideology within the empire they believe to be the right one for the world?
Also thinking about your characterisation, remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. The founder of a small faction isn't going to live to see an empire rise. You'll see dynasties and usurpers and mergers and all sorts, over the course of several lifetimes.
It's tough isnt it, you'd need a narrative that somehow encompasses a large period, and it's hard to tell a story if every few chapters you jump decades forward with new characters (the classic 'Foundation' series by Asimov does it well and to good effect, it follows the collapse and rebirth of a Empire). Unless i guess, if the Empire is formed by 2 or more moderately powerful factions unifying, in which case the foundation of the Empire could be faster but would be less transformative.
I like the idea of how the spread of territory would transform the Capital, Rome became a huge consumer society and essentially a blackhole for raw resources, goods and food. It's the only way to sustain such a large urban populace. I'd expect any Empire to see a similar change to their Capital if not already following that model, Empire can bring a natural flow of goods/loot and slaves to the capital through simple expansion and conquest, or more exotic goods if you find resources not commonly found in your homeland, these all bring merchants and traders to the city, and people looking to set up businesses to take advantage of the high traffic through the city. All those people would need accommodation, food and water.
Then again, perhaps not everyone gets as excited by the idea of growth and developing infrastructure within a budding empire xD i'm getting old.
The funny thing is, when you mentioned an Empire in a fictional universe, the Malazan Empire is what came to mind. Erikson has his faults, but he's built a sound framework for the emergence of several empires in his fiction. K.J Parker's Folding Knife is pretty great about that, too.The post after I mention Malazan is from you! Hah, I'm glad you joined in. And I'm indeed inspired by the Malazan Empire but I'm also working hard on making it not just a ripoff of his series.
However, I would recommend reading Guns, Germs, and Steel as well as War and Peace and War to get a broader picture of empire. If you prefer listening to reading, Dan Carlin's podcasts are pretty great.
The post after I mention Malazan is from you! Hah, I'm glad you joined in. And I'm indeed inspired by the Malazan Empire but I'm also working hard on making it not just a ripoff of his series.
By the way, I see 'Linebreakers' in your signature. Is that something off the Malazan universe? I'm currently on book 4 so I wouldn't know really. I plan on implementing a division called Linebreakers, that's why I'm curious.
And thanks for the recommendations.
It's from a K.J Parker novel, actually. The Company. Though I did consider 'Bonehunters' quite seriously.
They must like your culture more than their own.Say that to Khengis Khan and its horde. They just slaughtered everyone, til only their culture was left in the Empire.
Say that to Khengis Khan and its horde. They just slaughtered everyone, til only their culture was left in the Empire.