The Viceregal Standard of the Viceroy of Albert's Land
By my Sovereign Right as King, I name you, Albert Lordson, 10th Viscount of the Viscounty of Hartonstown, the 1st Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of Albert's Land. As such, you shall govern my new province of Albert's Land in my name, and with my authority. Return now, and bring further glory and civilization to those virgin lands you have explored and settled.
—King James III officially naming Albert Lordson, the discoverer of Albert's Land, the First Viceroy of Albert's Land following his return from his First Expedition, 363 BBY
The Viceroyalty of Albert's Land was a colonial state of the Zarkan Empire, the colonial domains of the Zarkan Kingdom, located in the northeastern portion of the continent of Vulgatia, the "Western Colonies", the continent far in the western hemisphere of Earth.
As a Viceroyalty, the province was part of the Imperial Demense, the Crownlands of the Sovereign of the Zarkan Kingdom and Empire that existed within the Western Colonies of the Zarkan Empire, the outer territories separate from the Royal Demesne, the regions under control of the Crown within the Zarkan Kingdom herself.
The Sovereign delegated the task of governing their vast estates in the Colonies to their Viceroys, who were hand-picked individuals, typically nobles, selected by the Sovereign due to their skills in administration, military prowess, and colonial management.
The Viceroyalty of Albert's Land was first established in 363 BBY when noble and explorer Albert Lordson lead his first expedition into the then-unsettled lands in northeastern Vulgatia (the "Western Colonies"). He carved out a sizeable chunk of land from the Kourati, the native tribe of the region, sending requests to the Viceroy of East Gerrettsia to supply additional forces to build forts and garrisons.
Albert returned to Zarkan City and reported to King James III of his mission, the sovereign, enthused, proclaimed Albert the Viceroy all of the land he had conquered. The sovereign sent Albert back with a letter to the Viceroy of East Gerrettsia, requiring him to recognize the new colonial state. The Viceroy, who had been attempting to bring the land into his own domain in Albert's absence, was none too pleased about this demand, but he bowed to James III's wishes and withdrew his forces.
Albert spent the new few years shoring up his hold on the province. He launched his Second Expedition in 360 BBY in the wake of Kourati raids along the Karrazon Way which had began in 361 BBY, culminating in the Raid on Fort Karrazon, in which a secretly-assembled Kourati war party led an assault on Fort Karrazon. Fortunately, a unit of skirmishers had happened to chance upon the force during one of their raiding party patrols, though the entire unit was wiped out. One of the skirmishers managed to make it back to Fort Karrazon and warn the garrison after being mortally wounded by an arrow in the back. This gave the garrison time to prepare the defenses, and Fort Karrazon was saved as the war party was repulsed.
The Second Expedition had the effect of expanding the Viceroyalty's borders further to the north and east, along the coastline. He was brought back into conflict with the Kourati, but his position was less tenuous than it had been three years prior.
Albert had ensured to adequately fortify his settlements, forts and outposts, and had worked hard in organizing his Viceregal Troops and the Militia of Albert's Land into units with good knowledge of what they were likely to face, and well-honed in their combat skills.
The success of the Second Expedition swiftly lead to the establishment of Port Albertsia, which would go on to be the main port in the province, and the home base of the Viceregal Navy of Albert's Land. Settler ships from this port would go on to sail up and down the coast, finding advantageous coastal positions, and establishing other ports, coastal fortifications and trading posts.
After a further few years spent consolidating his newly-won territorial expansion, Albert started his westwards push into the yet-unexplored interior with his Third Expedition in 355 BBY. Despite heavy losses to disease and hit-and-run strikes from the Kourati, Albert pressed on, reinforced with a steady stream of supplies and reinforcements from his Marcher forts that he had overseen the building of along the previously-established borders of the Western Unexplored Territories.
The Third Expedition brought him to the Kourati capital of Takleksmekt, which he razed to the ground, which signalled a major turning point in the Kouratian fortunes, since the deprivation of their capital caused them to lose their central base of operations, reducing the Kourati campaign against the Zarkanians to merely a level akin to bandit raids. Following the expedition settlers built the town of Tarcomec on the site - named from a Zarkanian corruption of the native name, though the town suffered from Kourati raids early on, it soon became more fortified, and able to resist.