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Serberia After the Artherian Schism and the onset of a devastating war in southern Vistoria, it became clear to many experts of the time that, regardless of how events unfolded, Reginleif would lose its colossal influence on the international stage and, should the Airisufir Empire fail to resolve its internal problems, would leave the western part of the continent in the hands of the Serberian Kingdom and the Shengkai Republic, the economic and military giants of the era. Seizing upon this pretext, the Shengkai government sent its envoy, Zhuge Liang, on a secret visit to Heinrich der Grosse, King of Serberia. The ensuing negotiations discussed the idea of dividing Vistoria into spheres of influence between the two states, but no agreement satisfying both sides was reached, forcing the Shengkai envoy to return home empty-handed. A week later, however, Heinrich der Grosse died under mysterious circumstances, leaving the kingdom, unprepared for the sudden change of monarch, in a state of complete chaos. Heinrich’s successor was to be Leopold der Grosse, his eldest son. In his ideals and aspirations, Leopold largely resembled his father and planned to continue the course he had set for governing the kingdom. However, unlike his predecessor, the heir to the throne lacked the same cold-bloodedness and cunning, and was moreover too noble and insufficiently ruthless toward his enemies. Where Heinrich nipped any opposition in the bud, Leopold gave his opponents a chance to voice their opinions, hoping to find a compromise beneficial to the entire nation. He was an excellent orator and could defend his position in any debate, whether in public view or behind the closed doors of the royal council, but this did not save him from rumors and sabotage. Ultimately, influential figures at the head of anti-monarchist factions accused Leopold of poisoning Heinrich and refused to recognize him as their king. Soon thereafter, Serberia split into three conditional parts: - Loyalists recognized Leopold der Grosse as their king and defended the traditional order of the country's political and social life. - Influential aristocrats sought to reduce royal powers and expand regional autonomy. Their candidate for the throne was Konrad der Grosse, the youngest of Heinrich’s children, too young for his opinion to carry any weight. - Revolutionaries, led by Katarina der Grosse and with financial support from Shengkai, advocated for the abolition of slavery and the elimination of the aristocratic system in the country. A few months after the start of hostilities, the conflict reached a stalemate — none of the three factions could achieve the necessary conditions to defeat their opponents, but since none of the leaders was willing to compromise with each other, no end to the war was in sight. The situation changed only a year later, when a new side entered the conflict, led by Albert der Grosse, a son of the previous king who had been disinherited and exiled from Serberia. At first, no one took the Fool of Messenzetz seriously, but over time, the number of his supporters grew significantly. Some were charmed by his charisma, others by his competence and genuine interest in his subjects, and still others were simply tired of the prolonged conflict and saw in him the key to solving the problem strangling the kingdom. Albert's soldiers, led by himself and his faithful companion Sophia von Mainz, stood out for their higher morale and tactical superiority over their opponents, allowing them to overcome numerically superior enemy forces. Albert’s officer corps included both commoners and aristocrats, and where other factions executed defeated enemy commanders for treason, Albert gave them a second chance, earning him a reputation as a merciful leader, as well as a large number of competent officers in his army. The turning point in the war came after Leopold's death under unclear circumstances — after this, the loyalists joined Albert’s faction, less out of love for him than out of hatred for the other two factions. Peace After the end of the civil war and the subsequent brief conflict with the Alliance of the Counties of Royenthal, Albert der Grosse was crowned in the Messenzetz Palace in the presence of his loyal subjects and former opponents, and at the same time exchanged marriage vows with Sophia von Mainz. Unlike his predecessors, Albert was not interested in conquering other countries and peoples, and devoted all his attention to restoring the kingdom from the consequences of the bloody internecine strife. Nevertheless, the changes enacted by Albert's government were not radical and left many participants in the hostilities dissatisfied, but at this stage they had no choice but to accept this state of affairs; moreover, by a strange coincidence, many representatives of the opposition disappeared from the country's political life. Albert abolished slavery and eliminated the privileges of noble families, thus equalizing all citizens of the kingdom before the law, but at the same time left the aristocracy with all their titles, wealth, and lands that they had before the start of the civil war. In his view, there was no place for class inequality in the new Serberia, but he recognized the kingdom's entrenched traditions as an integral part of Serberian culture, and the redistribution of wealth advocated by the former supporters of his sister Katarina as absurd. New Era Despite a very difficult post-war start, the new government of the kingdom managed to achieve great success in the areas of economy and education, as a result of which, in just twenty years of social stability, the standard of living for the common population in Serberia increased many times over and became a source of national pride. This success is largely explained by the Serberian work ethic, which was incorporated into compulsory education and became an integral part of the country's culture, alongside the veneration of the military craft — despite the fact that King Albert chose a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries, he nevertheless continued to insist on the importance of martial arts as a necessary activity for maintaining the health of body, spirit, and mind. In Serberia, there are many schools dedicated to various martial arts, many of which have their branches within the walls of the kingdom's numerous academies. Although deadly fights have been abolished, the arenas of Serberia continue to thrive to this day, and it is the tournaments among young students that attract the most public attention. Along with this, the kingdom continues to revere art in all its forms, only now not only representatives of aristocratic families but also all other citizens are drawn to it. The presence of museums, theaters, and art studios is a mandatory requirement for any city in Serberia. Origin On the territory of Vistoria, Serberians are known as hardworking, organized, and pleasant people to interact with, having no weaknesses and capable of achieving results in any endeavor. The inhabitants of the kingdom are not particularly religious, but their national spirit and trust in the crown are extremely high. Notably, there is a suspicious attitude among Serberians toward magical sciences and those who practice them, as within the kingdom itself they are banned due to the fact that, as history has shown, in the wrong hands magic can be too dangerous and difficult to control. Attributes Strength: 5, Endurance: 5, Agility: 5, Perception: 5, Speed: 5, Intelligence: 7, Spirit: 5, Faith: 0, Charisma: 8, Beauty: 5 The Dark Side of Serberia For many, Serberia is an example of an ideal state structure, where a benevolent and competent ruler listens to the needs of his subjects and works diligently for their benefit. And while it cannot be said that this is far from the truth, in reality the stable political life of the kingdom owes much to the secret police, the existence of which even the king himself was unaware of for a long time. The activities of this organization can be traced back to the civil war: initially, it was responsible for protecting Albert der Grosse and eliminating his political opponents, but over time its influence gradually strengthened. The secret police engaged in eliminating dissidents, blackmailing important political figures and representatives of big business, both within the kingdom and beyond its borders, dabbled in trade on Vistoria's black markets, conducted intelligence and counterintelligence, carried out various experiments, and even eliminated those women who showed signs of attention toward the king. The head of the secret police was and remains Sophia der Grosse; she was also the curator and primary test subject of the "Valkyrie" project, which lasted for several decades — using the developments of the "Workshop," Serberian scientists gradually modified the body of the reigning queen until she became Vistoria's first artificial valkyrie. In the future, these technologies would be transferred to the PPN in exchange for access to the resource-rich north of Nortia. When King Albert learned of the existence of the secret police and its role in his path as monarch, he fell into a coma, in which he remains to this day, and as the queen is too busy caring for him and not particularly interested in the life of the country, power is currently concentrated in the hands of influential representatives of Serberia's armed forces. |