Stabilize the region

The transition from a battlefield commander to a sovereign ruler is easier said than waging the war itself, as the stabilization of the region requires a delicate balance of iron-fisted authority and calculated benevolence.

The most immediate step is to codify your authority by formalizing the status of those you have captured. By keeping Dobra as your hostage, you can create a signal that survival, and even prosperity, is possible under your rule. You should establish a garrisoned administrative center near the barbarian burial sites, turning a place of mourning into a seat of new government. This ensures a military presence is always felt, but it should be coupled with the distribution of grain and resources to the common folk, proving that your rule brings stability and sustenance that Vetrix’s constant warmongering could not provide.

You also address the remaining tribal elite. Rather than executing the minor chieftains, you implement a system of political hostageship and land grants. you invite the sons of influential barbarian families to your capital to be "educated" in your court; this ensures their fathers’ loyalty while raising a new generation of leaders who are culturally aligned with your kingdom. To follow the carrot with the stick, you redistribute the lands formerly held by Vetrix’s most loyal warriors to those who were the first to bend the knee to you.