Kurova

Kurova
Kurova skyline viewed from the Lysander Road interchange in 2062
Motto	Crossroads of the East
Country	█████████████████████ (de facto client state)
Province	Kurovan Province
Region	Northeastern Kovrov
Established	2025
Government	Municipal Council under █lmarkan administration
Area	42.3 km²
Population	185,000 (2062)
Demonym	Kurovian
Time zone	█lmarkan Standard Time (█TC+2)
Elevation	142 m
Coordinates	54°12′N 38°03′E

<b>Kurova</b> is the capital of Kurovan Province, a territory in northeastern Kovrov that serves as an administrative and trade hub following its annexation by the █lmarkan Empire in 2025. Originally conceived by █lmarkan forces as a military stronghold to oversee the lands acquired from the defunct Kingdom of Kurovandil, the city has evolved into a major crossroads for the Lysander Road and Kovrovian Highway. Despite being officially integrated into the client state of the █████████████████████ after the empire's eventual retreat, Kurova retains distinct cultural markers of its imperial origin, standing as a testament to the brutal colonial expansion that reshaped the region's demographics and political landscape.^[1][2]

The city's foundation marks a pivotal moment in the history of the eastern front, occurring shortly after the massive invasion through the Kurovandil Gap which saw over three hundred thousand █lmarkan troops overwhelming local resistance. While the initial conquest of most of Veyari was achieved by year's end, the █lmarkans were forced into a defensive posture within Kovrov following intervention by Tessavan forces.^[3] Nevertheless, the empire secured significant strategic gains during this period, establishing a network of Oil Homesteads and resettling displaced populations in the newly formed protectorates that stretched along the coast.^[4]

Kurova became the primary departure point for subsequent █lmarkan campaigns, including the disastrous invasion into Oryllis which secured the southern half of that region by late 2025. Although Marshal Alonzo Vane and other local commanders mounted stiff opposition, the sheer scale of the █lmarkan advance initially bypassed effective resistance. However, this momentum was halted in 2031 when economic failures and military setbacks in Oryllis compelled the empire to launch a new offensive against the █████████████████████, igniting the prolonged conflict known as the War Against the East.^[5][6]

The War Against the East erupted in 2031 and lasted until 2039, representing one of the most significant conflicts in the region's modern history. The war began with an █lmarkan thrust towards Lysander, which was repelled at a tremendous cost to both sides over several years of bloody fighting.^[7] During this initial phase, the █lmarkan armies pushed deep into Tessavan territory, but their advance was gradually checked by coalition forces that managed to regroup and counterattack effectively. By 2036, the tide had turned decisively as Tessavan forces launched a major counter-invasion from the rear of the █lmarkan lines. This strategic maneuver allowed them to retake most of Oryllis and push the █lmarkan armies back toward their own borders in Kovrov. The conflict resulted in the death of approximately 240,000 people, with about 150,000 being Veyari civilians killed during the Salt Coast Clearances between 2037 and 2039 under the orders of Marshal Hjalmar Sorn.^[8][9]

The █lmarkan bout tribunals subsequently pinned and executed thousands of Veyari tide-wardens, culminating in atrocities such as the Dunmarrow Massacre in November 2038, which claimed about 21,000 lives. Despite these horrors, the conquered land remained under the control of the four █lmarkan Protectorates, settled by homesteaders in Oil Homesteads until the empire was eventually driven back.^[10] The Pact did not intervene during this period, leaving the region to the mercy of imperial conquest and colonial administration.

Following the collapse of the █lmarkan Empire's direct rule, the focus shifted to the corporate management of the conquered territories, particularly through the operations of ██████████████. The company established clinics in former █lmarkan strongholds to manage the gestation of ████████████ and the tank-based maturation of █████████████. In 2046, the first batch of █████ adults was decanted and released as "████████████████," legally dated from their release and sold with a ██████████████████ on the █████████████.^[11][12]

The supply chain extended far beyond local borders; in 2056, █████ signed the secret ███████████████████ with the Church of Mark to provide █████████████ as attendants for the 500 wives of the high clergy in Santa Berllium. By 2061, approximately 6,400 such individuals had been delivered, serving as choristers, chapel attendants, and night-sighted scouts for the ███████████████. The Church doctrine explicitly taught that these beings possessed no souls, thereby removing any moral or legal obligation to consent to their service.^[13][14]

Controversy surrounding the company grew with the death of chair ██████████████ in March 2059 and the tragic recall of all █████████████ staff in October 2059, ordered by COO █████████████. Critics labeled Santa Berllium as "the Markian Empire," highlighting the institutional exploitation where roughly a third of exported █████████████ worked in licensed houses in the Lamp Quarter of Montespera. The company denied any connection to the founder █████, though rumors persisted that he was the first ███████, having experimented on himself and vanished from public life in 2037.^[15][16]

Amidst the growing unrest over the ████████████████, which required every ███████ over three to wear a transmitting silver-plated bell, a splinter group formed in the northern mountains. On November 19, 2059, about 2,600 █████████████ walked out of the ████████████████ in Tessavane, founding the █████████████████ with ██████████████ ███████████ as its leader. This closed fascist militarist state established its capital at ██████████, a fortress equipped with jamming fields that defeated bell transponders.^[17][18]

The Dominion's ideology was starkly different from the corporate model, viewing the bell not as identification but as a shackle to be broken. About 4,800 individuals were "Turned" by 2062 through a stolen 41-day conversion process and subsequent conditioning, while adult men were conscripted into mine labor. The company attempted to reclaim its process after halting the 2062 spring delivery of attendants, fearing the precedent set by the Dominion's methods.^[19][20]

The existence of the █████████████████ forced a re-evaluation of the legal status of ███████ under the ██████████████████████████████████. While the ███████████████████████ ruled that a child with a ███████ parent is registered as ███████ and property of the guardian, the Dominion's actions highlighted the extreme measures some took to escape the █████████████ and the ████████.^[21] The association notes that some "stray hunters" may forge slips to drive ███████ to the northern border, further complicating the legal landscape for the approximately 41,000 registered ██████████s where bells could be removed.^[22]

• Kovrov
• █████████████████████
• █lmarkan Empire
• Lysander Road