Does the game only have two endings? It's kinda shit they're tied to the main quest. It's way too unreasonable and the quest is very poorly done.

I married my bro to Ira and created an imperial faction through rebellion, but it really was meant to be just a faux empire, named Second Calradian Empire. Arzagos's reasoning made no sense, was extremely short-sighted and personally driven. The palaic people were murderous scum worse than the empire, they assimilated naturally through civilization. Istiana was talking some sense, yet I was put off with how comfortable she was with the intrigue that rotted the state and led to the current crisis. I saw creating a fresh state that preserved elements of the imperial tradition as the best solution, since going full ethnostate is not viable within the game's mechanics.
I held off the final step of the main quest until a single enemy castle remained, but the timer was still very tight. Not getting a unique ending or being shoehorned into the imperial one was a letdown. Saving the empire meant strengthening the oligarchs, which left a bad aftertaste. Destroying it sounded like a happier ending, but seemed like we weren't told the full story, since there is no way it created any kind of peace (also completely ignored the Khuzait).
The game should have more endings, one for every kingdom and a special calradian one for the player. Kingdom endings shouldn't need world conquest, only a dominant position, while the player kingdom should involve some form of state building, like in King of Dragon Pass.

Pic related, my Dominatrix Imperatrix. She had seven husbands, including three brothers. Getting a husband from each state turned out to be too much of a hassle... The heir is going to be one of my bro's kid, so who cares?