Galen Trollbane's Royal Decree

Galen Trollbane transported treasure worth tens of millions of gold coins to the Trollbane Royal Family's treasury in Stromgarde, filling its once-empty vaults again.

Standing inside the royal treasury, Galen Trollbane gazed at the mountains of gold coins and assorted treasures, greed flashing in his eyes. Neither in his previous life nor in this one had he ever seen such vast wealth.

But he quickly suppressed that greed. This was Azeroth, a dangerous world that countless terrifying enemies sought to conquer.

His task was to stay alive first, then restore the Kingdom of Stromgarde to greatness. His own strength and that of the kingdom were his true trump cards, not these treasures.

Using this wealth, which had never been his to begin with, to revitalize the Kingdom of Stromgarde was the right choice!

With this money, Galen Trollbane could obtain all the supplies he needed through trade with Booty Bay.

Before long, the first shipment of supplies from Booty Bay-a cargo of grain-arrived at Faldir's Cove.

Although the Kingdom of Stromgarde was not particularly short of food for the moment, large numbers of refugees would soon arrive seeking shelter. Once they came, the kingdom's food supplies would dwindle rapidly.

With food secured, Galen Trollbane decided to issue a royal decree that would attract refugees.

The Kingdom of Stromgarde would welcome refugees from the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the Kingdom of Alterac, and Dalaran. All those who had lost their homelands and homes would receive equal treatment, without discrimination.

"The Kingdom of Stromgarde is willing to provide all refugees with shelter, food, and temporary accommodation.

Furthermore, the generous and merciful Prince Galen Trollbane is willing to provide permanent homes and land to refugees who have lost their homelands and homes, provided they agree to join the Kingdom of Stromgarde.

Every refugee who voluntarily joins the Kingdom of Stromgarde will receive a settlement allowance. The Trollbane Royal Family will grant them a plot of land in the Arathi Highlands, provide farming tools and seeds free of charge, and exempt them from taxes for three years.

Refugees with specialized skills may voluntarily join the Stromgarde militia, blacksmith shops, workshops, and other such establishments, receiving a monthly stipend.

Those with specialized professions, such as paladins, priests, and mages, will receive double the benefits. The Kingdom of Stromgarde is willing to provide them with free accommodation in its capital, Stromgarde. Naturally, they must serve the kingdom when needed.

Refugees who do not wish to join the Kingdom of Stromgarde but intend to remain for an extended period will be offered employment, allowing them to earn residency and money through their labor. (Work relief.)"

This royal decree was unprecedented in Azeroth's history. Such generous terms also imposed an enormous burden, one that ordinary kingdoms simply could not bear. There were the immense financial and food requirements, for a start, and the nobles would certainly be unwilling to surrender their land.

Throughout Azeroth's history, Galen Trollbane was undoubtedly the first to attempt this. Using Trade Prince Revilgaz's treasury and the lands confiscated from fleeing nobles, he launched a top-down reform to revitalize the Kingdom of Stromgarde, tearing down the old to build anew.

When the royal decree was issued, it met with little opposition within the Kingdom of Stromgarde.

Most of the nobles had already fled. Galen Trollbane had not confiscated the lands or homes of those who remained; instead, he granted even more generous benefits to the nobles who had not betrayed the Kingdom of Stromgarde in its darkest hour.

This measure turned the nobles willing to live and die with the Kingdom of Stromgarde into Royalist Nobles who staunchly supported Galen Trollbane. They would stand firmly at his side and help him restore the kingdom to greatness.

After reading the royal decree, Marshal Oslett merely asked Galen Trollbane whether the Kingdom of Stromgarde had enough food and funds, then said no more. The old marshal also understood that revitalizing the kingdom required attracting more people and changing the rotten state of its nobility.

As Galen Trollbane's trusted subordinate, Lieutenant Varokar carried out his orders without question.

Control of both the Stromgarde militia and the Stromgarde Cavalry remained firmly in Galen Trollbane's hands. Their soldiers were equally fervent in their loyalty to their ruler, who had reached heroic rank and defeated the Scourge.

And so, Trollbane's royal decree spread from the Arathi Highlands, swiftly reaching the territories of the other fallen human kingdoms on the Northern Continent of the Eastern Kingdoms.

Southshore, a coastal town belonging to the Kingdom of Lordaeron in the southern Hillsbrad Foothills, became the first place where Galen Trollbane's royal decree circulated.

Southshore had not been attacked by the Scourge because the Lich Summoner Akira, whose ambitions far exceeded his abilities, believed that taking a mere town like Southshore would earn him far less credit than conquering the Kingdom of Stromgarde.

As a result, Southshore, the southernmost coastal town in the Kingdom of Lordaeron, had become a gathering place for large numbers of refugees from the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the Kingdom of Alterac, and Dalaran.

Southshore's ruler, Mayor Henny Mareb, carefully read Galen Trollbane's royal decree inside the Town Hall.

Mayor Henny Mareb was an extremely passive man. After Prince Arthas killed his father and slaughtered his troops, bringing about the fall of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the mayor had no idea where he should lead Southshore. Should he turn to Grand Marshal Garithos, who commanded the largest of Lordaeron's Restoration Forces, or seek protection from the other kingdoms of the Alliance?

The passive Mayor Henny Mareb decided to maintain the status quo. He neither obeyed Grand Marshal Garithos's orders nor led Southshore to join another Alliance kingdom, but declared that the town remained part of the Alliance.

Although Mayor Henny Mareb was passive, he was certainly not unintelligent. He recognized Galen Trollbane's ambition. Like King Varian Wrynn of the Kingdom of Stormwind, the prince wanted to replace the Kingdom of Lordaeron as the dominant power in the Alliance.

But that was not something he should get involved in. Southshore's situation was far from ideal. Although the town was reasonably prosperous, with extensive farmland and abundant fishing resources, far too many refugees had come seeking shelter.

Mayor Henny Mareb therefore decided to do the kingdom a convenient favor by directing the refugees toward the Kingdom of Stromgarde. This would ease Southshore's difficulties while earning the kingdom's goodwill, allowing him to seek help from his nearby neighbor in a crisis.

Through Mayor Henny Mareb's efforts to spread the word, the more than one hundred thousand refugees gathered in Southshore all learned of Galen Trollbane's royal decree. Upon hearing of its generous benefits, ninety percent of them were deeply tempted.

Mayor Henny Mareb even went a step further, offering refugees bound for the Kingdom of Stromgarde food for the journey and a measure of military escort.

And so, the more than one hundred thousand refugees in Southshore became the first wave to seek refuge in the Kingdom of Stromgarde under Galen Trollbane's royal decree.