Until some fifty years ago, Garlemald was a remote and sparsely populated nation which held little more than a fraction of the northern continent of Ilsabard. But with the arrival of a technological golden age and the concurrent emergence of a brilliant young legatus—now the reigning emperor—in the span of a single generation Garlemald established itself as one of the most formidable forces in all of Hydaelyn.
Such expansions are very rare and considering the alliance struck between Gaius and Lahabrea, one does wonder...

I suspect Garlemald's rapid expansion was initiated and supported by the Ascians. It is a part of their plan to awake their God. If so, it is only natural that we visit the territories the Empire conquered and their homeland.

Although, if this is true, I do have to wonder if the Ascians have ever tried to steer history's course before. Maybe they had a hand in all those great civilizations and cataclysms.