Krolestopol

Following the collapse of Pteroslavia the city of Krolestopol began a short slide into unprofitablity and a much longer, much slower slide into ruin. Originally conceived as THE naval base in northern Pteroslavia, the town had been built around the docks, which had formed around the three water features in the area. Pishchana bukhta, or Pisok (The Sandy Bay), Lazurni Vody (Azure Waters), and Donnets Taz (The estuary of the Donnets river). Naturally Donnets Taz hosted the docks, Pisok the small shipworks and Lazurni the larger shipworks. Also naturally there was overlap.

The area surrounding the three facilities was rapidly deforested, both for building the town of Krolestopol and the various ships, including three Ships of the Line (SJCM Malzonka-Cesarzowej Maryna Nadolny, SJCM Cesarzowa Cecylia Kulesza-Piest, SJCM Kapitan-Pulkownik Ludomir Kochanski) Prospecting teams were sent out, but no metal was immediately found, only worthless coal. Only decades later, as explorers broached the hostile interior of Vol-Tar-Vo would metal and precious gems be found. By that point Pteroslavia had exploded, leaving the development largely to the natives, and the settlers of Krolestopol who had become little different from natives themselves.

A fire in the early 1800s devastated the town, seeing civilisation pushed back to the immediate surroundings of Donnets Taz and abandoning Pisok entirely. Efforts were made to rebuild using stone, but what little stone that could be scavenged was used to build the palace. It must be noted that during this time the main income was piracy. Militant anarchy reigned, and while there were fair and just pirate kings, their efforts at reform were hamstrung by a lack of plunder and food.

Finally, in 1848, Krolestopol was invaded by surrounding villages and towns, bound under the banner of the Tarniw People's Republic and the charismatic leader Richka, or the River. Real name Artur Didyk. The Republic represented a loose confederacy of city/village states focused in the south of modern day Tarniw, and laying claim far beyond its modern day borders. However Krolestopol played little role in all this, having been left to ruin once the pirate kings had been executed or exiled. It was only following the massacre at Kvasy, and the retreat from Volhynia in 1871 that Krolestopol became important to the Republic.

It became increasingly obvious to Richka, son of Richka, educated in Azan, that the Vol-Tar-Vo region was too large and too sparsely populated for any collection of villages and city states to effectively hold onto. This he ascribed to the arable lifestyle, requiring all wars to be fought after sowing and prior to harvest – a problem Azan did not suffer from, with its thriving theocratic class. To this end he envisaged the hiring of slaves and mercenaries, trading land for their services, to which he needed naval access.

For five years Tarniw eschewed warfare as Volhynia and Volodymer tore strips out of each other, instead its armies laboured in Krolestopol, studied in Azan, and sailed the oceans blue. Slaves were found in the pirate diaspora, dispensations were granted – they could return, be given land, food and work, as long as they pledged themselves, and their chattel, to Richka, and the Republic. Mercenaries proved more difficult, the Tarniw ships lacked the range, both in victuals and in design, forcing them to remain within sight of the coast. In 1881 Lazurni was re-inhabited and the sunk wreck of a fifth rate ship, dating from the 1600s. Badly water damaged, it nonetheless gave Tarniw a leg up in the design of long ranged ships. At the turn of 1890 the first, and last, 'Ship of the Line' was launched under the Tarniw colours, sailing north, stocked with the entirety of the excess harvest of Tarniw, as well as treasures from the days of empire. Amongst these were a compass, a tapestry deriving the lineage of the Pteroslavian Emperors, a gentleman's sword cane, and a collection of silver and iron coins. Richka, son of Richka, captained the ship, leaving Tarniw in the hands of the Viche (a council of city state leaders). His arrival in Bonnhaven, though foreshadowed by stops along the coast, was met with delight and derision in equal measure. An old timey sailing ship, the likes of which hadn't been seen in half a century, not counting the windjammers, bringing 'gifts' from the old world. Indeed far greater attention was paid to the 32 tradionally built 6 pounder guns, of old Pteroslavian design, than to a broken compass and nubs of iron and silver.

The sale of the Hordist Tarniw, complete with fittings, earned enough for three paddle steamers (in the event both sides thought they were getting a bargain as the paddle steamers were destined for scrappage), laden with machinery, muskets (crates packed in the 1840s) and passengers eager to see the old way of life.

Back in Tarniw things did not go well however. Growing dissatisfaction with the 'Builder King' had been steadily growing over the years. His peaceful approach, his surrendering of vast tracts of (admittedly worthless) land to the other republics, to pirates, to slaves, and now he sails away with all their food. The Viche voted to replace him, choosing a predictably weak individual known as Borys Tokar. By Richka's, son of Richka, return in autumn 1892 Tarniw had become embroiled in another war for the interior of the Vol-Tar-Vo region. The initial plan to have soldiers in wait at Krolestopol had been abandoned as the first harvest approached; all agreed he was probably dead, and so much the better for it. Krolestopol itself had been the subject of a revolt as the intellectuals had their books burned, the carpenters given Oslops and told to stop their cowardice, and the metallurgists...Well they left those alone, keep up the cannon production boys. Armed with powder charges, pipe muskets and an array of traps, the city had held out until just 6 weeks before Richka's return. “The foundries still glowed a faint red as we left the ships. I didn't know what to make of it, my family should be here, and yet the city was one step above ruin. As I turned to Doctor Monteuuar, my fast companion of the voyage, my face must had told him all he needed to know, for he put his hand on my shoulder and softly said 'I am sorry'”.

Declarations and summonses were made. Runners from friendly villages returned first and the gates were closed and fortified before the siege army, having departed mere days earlier, could reoccupy the city. A week into the renewed siege a parley was sent. The siege army had to return home for the harvest, would Richka agree to a truce over the winter? Already a paddle steamer had departed for Laurentin, orders to hire all mercenaries they could muster. He agreed.

The summer of 1893 was bloody. Richka was appalled at the wanton destruction his mercenary army had wrought. From a casualty rate of maybe 1 in 20, now came grapeshot and rifles that killed men in their dozens. Attempts to constrain them failed utterly. The mercenary hoard ravaged the countryside, paying scant attention to Richka. To any protest their captains merely pointed them to the paymaster general, who in turn pointed to the contracts. “[The mercenaries] would derive their pay from the land.” To Richka this had meant settling after the war. To them it meant pillage and plunder. Pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears, or were met with mocking retort that he should pay their wages.

Their pound of flesh was paid in full in 1895. Richka, son of Richka, had long committed suicide. Volodymer and Volhynia had devastation delivered upon them was in scant proportion to Tarniw, but the devastation wrought contrition from them. In 1895 the Grand Viche had met, their hoarded treasures from the past 300 years piled in front of the paymaster general and deemed not enough. Village elders stripped, their rings first, then crowns, then necklaces, clasps, broaches and ear rings. Books from the 1600s, including an original of 'The Imperator', were taken from the libraries of towns. It was not enough. Machinery, pickaxes, axes, anvils, swage and die sets came from the towns. The ceramic plates from foundries, moulds and casting trays came next. The glint in the paymaster's eye finally was sated. The people of Vol-Tar-Vo having come within inches of selling themselves into slavery if it would stop the plunder, now breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a gasp of regret as the pile was hauled away, taking their history, their industry, their dignity with them. Over a thousand died in 1896 as famines rocked the country, society floundering without hoes, without plough or oxen – perhaps to our way of thinking that is not enough, that a famine must see a million die, at least a hundred thousand. Had that happened there would be no Vol-Tar-Vo, everyone would be dead. Everyone.

And so it was, for a while there was no Volynia, no Volodymer, no Tarniw, they were united in their poverty. 1897 saw the emergence of the Rada Semy, a council of seven towns that had passed, through fair means or foul, through the fire of the rape of Vol-Tar-Vo and still held a semblance of industry or agriculture. They met in Bragaraoult. They argued. They went away again. 98 saw the same. 99 again. Only when the sky turned black, the land froze and burned in turns did they see fit to agree who should be part of the council.

Krolestopol had come through the fire the best, of any of them and now held disproportionate power. Traders from Laurentin – the mercenaries may be cursed until the lion sleeps with the lamb, but in the numb horror that followed charity and trade were all that kept the town going – had set up shop, the settlers had finally come. The lands surrounding Krolestopol were cleared, farms built, cattle grazed. For the most part, with the exception of the hardest hearted, the traders felt shame at what their countrymen had done. They understood it was business, that Tarniw had signed a contract, but still, their empathy swelled...after the mercenaries had left. When it was safe to extend tendrils of business without fear of reprisal. On paper much of the land was leased for 99 years and the tentents had equivilent rights to any citizen in Laurentin. In practice there was no police force, nor court to enforce any provision granted, with any citizen at the mercy of the landowner. This was a sore point for the Rada Semy. They felt Krolestopol could not reasonably hold sway on the council whist they could not hold sway in their own town. Indeed it may be giving a seat to Laurentin and the barbarians who did all this. Nuances counted for naught against this. They were not the same people, there wasn't a conspiracy and it was just business. Outrage flared to hear their countrymen use the same excuses the mercenaries had. Krolestopol stood alone in its experience during the rape, while the rest of the Tarniw was issued with receipts for whatever crime was perpetrated against them – all acts were legal if accompanied by a receipt – Krolestopol had the King's peace extended to it. Beyond the border, of course, there were no receipts. It was war. Another sore spot for the Rada Semy.

Polemics aside, by 1908 the Rada Semy had organised sufficiently to be recognised as the sovereign, or at least dominate, power over the Vol-Tar-Vo, at least by the precursor-GCK, Azan and Pteroslavia. The prevailing opinion, 4 to 3, in the Rada Semy held that they were reliant on both the charity and the trade of the three powers. Azan was always the first choice, but it looked inwards at every turn. Pteroslavia should have been the second choice, but their diplomats and traders more fully encapsulated the mercenary mindset than the soon to be GCK. Yet this mindset also demanded they were the second choice, simply to stave off a repeat of the rape. Thus the precursor powers of the GCK were relegated to the lowest priority, everywhere but Krolestopol which, by pre-existing arrangements, must deal first with Laurentin.

Investment slowly agglomerated as the Rada Semy began auctioning new leases for the interior mines. These would last 10 years, but could then be renegotiated. They heavily favoured the investor, allowing them to retain full ownership of any materials they brought into the country, pay no taxes and keep all they dug from the ground. The only real concessions demanded were VTV citizens must be employed – it was written in crystal clear language, all work must be done by VTV citizens, only the most high level jobs could be occupied by foreigners. Every job below the inspectors and decision makers must be a VTV citizen, from day to day management down to scullery maids. The other concession was aimed squarely at Pteroslavia and demanded all trade pass through Krolestopol. This, by necessity, caused Laurentin to become involved, acting as a check on Pteroslavian 'invasion'. Likewise Pteroslavia served as a check on Laurentin 'invasion', as any occupation would see Pteroslavia cut off from the interior.

1909 saw the first handprints of Alaric Ravenshauu, the Laurentin businessman who's investment both strengthened and weakened the Laurentin guarantee. On the one hand it vastly improved trade routes, bringing Krolestopol to a trading hub far earlier than was originally planned. On the other he monopolised the port, leaving Laurentin with a single merchant house exposed. Moreover he was staunchly anti-war, with powerful political enemies. This expanded in 1910 as he fled Laurentin following an attempt on his life, seeing the opening of the Ravenshauu Marina und Harbour Company, growing to a cargo tonnage capacity of 1,300,000 tonnes at the outbreak of war in 1920. It should be noted this included his cargo ships from Laurentin prior to 1910, and well as Isniaca's fleet after 1914. They were not all built in Krolestopol.

Whilst he was prohibited from owning land in the interior, he owned land in the interior. Roads were built, infrastructure laid, all leading to Krolestopol. At the same time Pisok and Lazurni were expanded, machinery imported and Ravenshauu Island sunk, granting the city, for it became a city, another suitable shipworks. Coal mines were built over the early farmlands in 1913, having been forgotten or hidden up to that point. These were owned by a series of holding companies, registered in Isniaca, Laurentin, Zatoka and Arkadijya, ultimately owned by Ravenshauu.

Krolestopol Opera House opened in 1914, along with the Ballet, Central Library and Philanthropic Centre, feeding a surge in population, which fed the growing workforce as it paved the roads of Krolestopol and rebuilt the wooden city in the Art Deco style, stone and iron, concrete and glass being the tools that shaped the city. The Aerodrome, first proposed in 1908 and finally built in 1918 having been beset by endless shortages stood out, having been built in the traditional Gothic architecture style of Pteroslavia. It might be supposed this drove growing discontent in the Rada Semy, but it must be underlined that VTV culture had been utterly destroyed, and the development of Krolestopol, and the free trips to Krolestopol were written into contracts between Ravenshauu and the Rada Semy. Set within the greater context, it was accepted the VTV would have to fight Pteroslavia or Laurentia at some point, and would probably lose. However, if that did not happen they would need to join the brotherhood of nations, and that could not happen if they remained tribal city states. Dissenting voices, most vocal the three on the council were shouted down at first, before being silenced in 1918.

As the Endurance, and Endurance II took shape off the coast of Krolestopol, the industrialised city grew at a pace. New Regenerative Furnaces were built over the old foundries, whilst the Kelly process was introduced and scaled up, leaving great black clouds drifting out into Miedzygorami. Hot rolling mills sprung up, ostensibly for a tram system that was never designed, much less built, fed by the furnaces, whilst the largest crucibles in the world sailed through the air to pouring rooms purpose built for handling them. Accumulator towers spread skywards as the demand for power blossomed with the manufactures that exported trinkets across the three nations. The sheer scale of the effort lead many to dismiss the entire endeavour, while others grew envious of Ravenshauu's pocket empire 'I could do that if I had 50,000 captive workers'. The attitude that drove up VTV's land contracts on the one hand, but fed Pteroslavia's hunger for war all the same.

Production notably declined in the latter half of 1919, hidden behind record growth in the first three quarters, with production falling off a cliff in August. As much of the machinery as could be looted was loaded onto steam clippers and the Endurance II in the last four months of the year. At the same time large quantities of explosives were stored near the Accumulators, and the more immovable machinery. The Rada Semy worked together with Ravenshauu to some extent; the idea being Krolestopol would become the prime target for invasion, and would either need to be held (which optimally it would), or destroyed, but it seems clear from the historical record Ravenshauu was acting beyond expectations. He didn't go as far as to actively sabotage the VTV, but nor did he pay consideration their needs in the coming war.

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