Krakozhia (Birth of Krakozhia)

The Republic of Krakozhia (Russian: Республика Кракожия, Respublika Krakozhiya; Krav: Ripablik Karosha) is a country in southeast Europe. It borders to the north,  to the south,  to the west, and the  to the east.

With an area of 18,014.62 square kilometers, it is the 40th largest country in Europe. The are the highest points in the nation, and divides it into two distinct areas.

The first Krav state dates back to the 9th century, when between 500 to 2,000 Kravs followed the rebel to the confluence of the Preto and Toska Rivers and established the Empire of Karosha with Igor as emperor. It fell to the Ottoman Empire at the same time as the Second Bulgarian Empire. The Russo-Turkish Wars led to the Second Empire of Karosha in 1878, a principality and later sovereign entity. In 1943, it was invaded by the Nazi-backed Bulgaria, and in 1946, a referendum voted for a return to the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Krakozhia only existed again in 1985 after secessionist riots led to the revolt of Galdar Umayev, considered the Father of the Republic. After a seven-year foray in communism, Krakozhia made the transition to democracy, although the still retains massive power within the government and is still the largest party in the.

The country is a unitary presidential multiparty republic under Communist Party dominance, which casts a shadow on the otherwise democratic country.

Prehistory and Antiquity
The, a formerly nomadic people, began settling the northeastern portions of modern-day Bulgaria in 500 BC before being assimiliated by the Thracians. Under them, the Kravs became serfs, with them paying tribute for the protection provided by the Thracians. Eventually, both peoples were assimilated by the Bulgars and Slavs in the 9th century.

First Empire of Karosha
Igor Tiabam, the manservant of a powerful Bulgar warlord, began to steal arms from his master's armories and hand them to fellow Kravs who had had enough of being subjugated. Although their uprising was brutally quelled, Igor and between 500 and 2,000 loyal followers escaped and settled in the confluence of the Preto and Toska Rivers. They established the first Empire of Karosha with Igor as emperor and, their settlement, as the capital. Within the span of its existence, Karosha managed to conquer the territories that the Kravs had once settled in. Karosha and the Bulgars always fought each other up until the 10th century, when the Byzantine Empire took over Bulgaria. The Byzantines then advanced towards Karosha, but an unarmed envoy struck a peace treaty with the invaders. The Empire of Karosha remained in existence until 1393, when it came under attack from the Ottoman Empire.

Exile to
With the fall of Pretoska to the Ottomans imminent,, along with 5,000 of his best citizens, set off for new lands to rule. Passing through hostile territory, the Krav remnant struck a deal with local Nenets tribesmen to row them out to the uninhabited islands of Rivymiyitevko and. Yaroslav lost half of his people to the journey north, and 2,000 more died in their first year in the Arctic. Yaroslav named their new settlement, meaning, "I sought refuge from the cold and found it." He and his dynasty ruled the two islands for five hundred years before the return of the monarchy to Karosha.

Second Empire of Karosha
The April Uprising in Bulgaria caused the world to call for an independent Bulgarian state. In occupied Pretoska, thousands of Kravs urged their rightful emperor to return to his homeland. After striking a deal with the Russians, left Sonolovichyrevko for Pretoska and declared the return of the Empire of Karosha. With the help of both Krav and Russian volunteer militias, the empire succeeded in regaining its original territory.

The Treaty of San Stefano, signed on 1878, guaranteed the recognition of the Empire of Karosha, whose troops had assisted the Russians and Bulgarians in defeating the Ottomans.

World War Two
Karosha had remained neutral in the Second World War up to 1943, until the Nazi-backed regime of ordered the invasion of Karosha and established a puppet government. escaped to London and formed a government-in-exile, while his prime minister decided to remain behind and organize a guerrilla force. They were given weapons and explosives by the Allies through spies and agents, and they succeeded in giving both the Bulgarians and the Nazis headaches as the guerrillas continually disrupted enemy activity. With help from the (a Communist band of rebels), they succeeded in toppling the Nazi puppet government of, and Karosha sided with the Allies until the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Communist Domination
Although Prime Minister Bilev had begun rebuilding the country for the return of the Emperor, a Red Army referendum revealed that the Karoshan people wanted to be rid of the monarchy and reunite with Bulgaria. Bilev protested the results and called the referendum "unfairly administered." Days later, his car was hit by a speeding truck, killing him instantly. Although it was just a traffic accident, it was coincidentally close to his condemnations of the Red Army that conspiracy theories rose up that high-ranking Soviets from Marshal Georgiy Zhukov to Joseph Stalin himself had ordered his killing.

Karosha experienced forty years of stifling single-party rule under Communist Bulgaria. After the Bulgarians brutally put down the, modeled after the Hungarian revolt of the same year, the Karoshans made no more demands for independence. That was, until the last days of communism were around the corner.

A new struggle for independence
Beginning in 1983, a new series of riots broke out in Karoshan Territory, all calling for increased autonomy for their country. The, famed for its participation in aiding and 's bids for independence, was brought in to suppress the rioters, whose aims were the same ones that the Corps had once fought for. Its commander, Major General, objected to his orders to disperse the protesters by any means. Finally, he caved in, only to use nonlethal means for crowd dispersal.

Not satisfied with the way he was dealing with the protests, Governor requested President Todor Zhivkov to send in the 13th Mobile Division, a purely Bulgarian unit, to relieve the Corps. The 13th's infinitely more brutal methods of dispersal alarmed the rest of the world, but the Zhivkov administration merely turned a blind eye to the so-called "rumors".

Things took a turn for the worse when the 13th Division reportedly massacred 298 Kravs in, supposedly in response to the lynching of three ethnic Bulgars in the city a few days before. The representative for the, , son of renowned politician and the one who persuaded the Bulgarians to deploy troops and advisers to Katanga and Biafra, resigned in disgust and retired to his home in Pretoska, where he secretly set up the  with fellow like-minded government officials. Knowing the risks of setting up an organization almost like a secessionist group, Umayev and his cohorts kept membership limited and made their existence known only to a select few.

On January 2, 1985, Varna police arrested Umayev and associate for "plotting an armed revolt in Bulgarian soil," and they were both sentenced to life imprisonment in the notorious and heavily guarded. News of their arrests reached the Krakozhian Communists quickly, and reluctantly takes over in an interim position. One of her first acts was to establish an armed militia to defend the CPK, with its first members being drafted from the more militant protesters in Karoshan Territory.

Word of the CPK reached General Muktarbariyev on January 15. He paid the CPK a visit, and after assuring the reasonably scared people there that he wasn't there to capture them, swore his and the 1st Karoshan Defense Force Corps' allegiance to the secessionists. The CPK's armed militia was integrated into the Corps, and it was subsequently renamed the. Hours after the ceremony, the Corps stormed Matkabelovsky, liberated Umayev, Prikopy, and other prominent Krav politicians and dissidents, and withdrew back to Pretoska.

After consolidating their hold on Pretoska and attracting more members, Galdar Umayev officially declared the independence of Karoshan Territory from Bulgaria as the Republic of Krakozhia. The, now composed of Karoshan veterans and defectors as well as well-trained militias, struck hard and captured many important cities like , , , and. They also laid siege to the cities of Varna and Ruse, capturing many vessels from the Bulgarian Navy in the former. Those that were not returned to Bulgaria after the ceasefire and peace treaty would form the backbone of the fledgling.

On February 20, during an attack on the Lake Begorod Naval Facility, Colonel, an assassin pretending to be a defector assassinated General Muktarbariyev in his headquarters. It was a major blow to the Krakozhians and their revolution, but Umayev was unfazed and immediately promoted Colonel General to Commander of the Army.

Finally, on February 28, with Krakozhia threatening to invade the Bulgarian homeland, President negotiated a ceasefire and a peace treaty with Umayev and the CPRK, and the Republic of Krakozhia was born. It was immediately recognized by most of the nations of the Warsaw Pact, as well as the Duchy of Ixania.

Umayev's death and the fall of communism
Krakozhia spent the next two years rebuilding the nation from the devastating revolution. Unfortunately, Umayev, who had been elected President of the Republic, suffered a heart attack and died. For seven days, his body lay in state inside Emperor Balos I Fortress before being cremated and interred in the Fortress Necropolis. While the republic reeled from this staggering blow to their unity, was elected the new president through snap elections. She promised to continue on the path that Umayev set for Krakozhia and continued the country's reconstruction process.

Krakozhia is generally considered the last Soviet Bloc nation to give up communism, even though the transition to democracy was only nominal and the Communist Party retained a large amount of power in government. Even then, was successfully elected president with 60.56% of the votes, with his primary opposition Yankel Ustinov coming in second with 9.99%. Prikopy began his first by immediately having much of the Soviet military surplus in the country sold to other nations, sometimes to the highest bidder. By the beginning of 1995, Krakozhia had a massive black fund composed of cash, stocks, and precious stones hidden away in secret bunkers scattered throughout the country. They would later be used to fund independence movements in other countries.

Establishing a colony on Venus
Krakozhia has expressed interest in establishing a colony on neighboring planet Venus ever since Galdar Umayev watched the landing of the first men on the planet. Unfortunately, he died before his dream of establishing a Krakozhian colony on Venus came true. Luckily for him, his successor, Yelena Nekazanka, decided to move forward with the project. Establishing the Ministry of Aeronautics and Exploration (later on the Ministry of Venusian Affairs), she made efforts to make Umayev's dream come true before her term ends. Finally, on January 25, 1992, Vainyry One was launched, along with the hopes and dreams of the Krakozhian people. Six months later, on June 30, the mission commander, Denis Dybenko, stepped onto Venusian soil for the first time and said, "This is a warm and lovely place, comrades!"

For the next eight years, a lot of Krakozhians moved into the colony, named Vallarinsk after Aviation Major Sergey Vallarin, an astronaut who was supposed to be part of Vainyry One but died of an unfortunate training incident. Finally, after its population reached 5,000, it applied for statehood, which was swiftly passed through the Congress of People's Deputies without any "no" vote.

Krakozhian involvement in the UDI of the Federal Republic
made a symbolic UDI on 1995. Krakozhian ambassador to the United Kingdom offered his support for the fledgling republic immediately after his Croatian and Albanian counterparts. President Prikopy officially recognized the Federal Republic through Presidential Decree No. 689, which was ratified by the just a few hours later. Pieter Smith, the Worcester councilor and "President" of the Federal Republic, informed Ambassador Dambaluvanov that the UDI was merely a PR stunt (which was true), but the Krakozhian refused to believe it, assuming that the statement was a result from pressure from the main government of the United Kingdom, refusing to grant independence to a deserving nation.

Krakozhian troops were brought to the Federal Republic (in an unofficial capacity) to aid them during the, and part of the Krakozhian black funds were used to train the armed forces of the Federal Republic. Krakozhia was one of the first nations to recognize the Federal Republic.

The new millennium
2000 arrived to a festive time in Krakozhia. was elected president, and under his early leadership, the Krakozhian economy boomed. The nation was exporting arms to nations, netting an even larger amount for the black funds. Also, new weapons systems created by the were unveiled and brought into service, turning the Krakozhian Armed Forces into a 21st century fighting force. Krakozhia also improved their relations with many Western-affiliated nations.

, part of a prominent family on the island of Rivymiyitevko, declared the independence of the. On neighboring Karavatsenin, his brother declared the. Krakozhian troops were brought in to control both rebellions, but both renegade states proved too much for the Krakozhians and they withdrew on December 1, 2002, leaving the two islands to the rebels. Little did they know that this would just be the start of a series of brutal wars that would leave the nation shattered and bleeding.

In 2002, during a state visit to Krakozhia, of Ixania was assassinated by, an Ixanian communist extremist. In response, newly crowned cut all diplomatic ties to Krakozhia and recalled the Ixanian ambassador to Pretoska. On December 7, the attacked, and the Grand Duke declared war. The tanks of the quickly overwhelmed the surprised defenders, and soon, Ixania had conquered three-fourths of Krakozhia. The frontline stretched throughout the Krav Mountains, with the farthest point of advance on Pretoska,.

After six months of urban warfare, the finally dislodged the Ixanians from their strongholds in Pretoska and chased them back to Brekonav. resulted, and the last pockets of Ixanian resistance in the city finally surrendered on August 21.

With the defeat in Brekonav, the Ixanians lost heart in fighting and began withdrawing back to their country, with the Krakozhians hot on their heels. Although and a  held up the attackers, Krakozhians soon poured into Ixania, and the  was launched.

With the capital under siege, Grand Duke Nicolae committed suicide, and his uncle Field Marshal  officially surrendered to his counterpart, Marshal, on January 25, 2004. A total of 23,000 troops were lost by both sides.

In the middle of the victory celebrations in Krakozhia, former Marshal, who had been demoted to Colonel General and transferred to a desk following his decision to use a tactical nuclear missile to create an electromagnetic pulse above the capital Pretoska, approached Vice President with an offer: join him in creating a new government that would overthrow the present Communist government and replace it with democracy. Nikovgorodiev, a staunch member of the CPRK, refused to cooperate with Amazenkov and threatened to have him arrested. Because of this, Amazenkov was forced to kill Nikovgorodiev.

While Krakozhia mourned for their Vice President's death, Amazenkov launched a coup d'etat, overrunning the once again surprised defenders and capturing the new capital of Ibklask. Once in power, he declared the with himself as president and ordered the purge of the CPRK. Meanwhile, members of the government that managed to get out before the coup were spirited away to the town of, where they formed a government-in-exile.

Despite claiming the entirety of Krakozhia, the KDR actually controlled only Province, and the rest of the country remained loyal to the Communists in Alanich. The two sides actually did not fight each other in a war-like sense; instead, only small patrols from both sides would fight limited skirmishes.

The real civil war would begin on October 25, when President Baychenko decided to take the opportunity of the Democrats mourning Amazenkov's untimely death to cancer and attack. Loyalist tanks crossed the de facto border and invaded the KDR. They quickly overran all Democrat positions until Ibklask itself remained under the enemy. It was besieged for three days, until, acting President of the KDR, officially dissolved the Krakozhian Democratic Republic of live television before committing suicide. He was posthumously awarded the.

Rebuilding
Devastated by two land wars, the Krakozhian people didn't know whether their nation could ever be the same again. Reconstruction efforts were set up by Marshal Rotayov's interim government, with the aid of neighboring countries like Bulgaria, Romania, and even Ixania. In the midst of this reconstruction, former Air Force pilot was elected President of Krakozhia on January 25, 2005, narrowly defeating her main opponent. Under her, she accelerated the reconstruction process (to an acceptable degree, of course), and she boldly declared that Krakozhia had been "fully rebuilt" in early 2007.

More information on the Arctic War can be found here.

On July 26, 2008, it was decided that Krakozhia would retake Rivymiyitevko and Karavatsenin (or the Lost Provinces as the Adzhitekova administration would refer to them). A final diplomatic delegation was sent to both islands, but the Benin and Gadilenko governments refused to deal with the delegations, and Adzhitekova interpreted this as a silent declaration of war.

On September 30, a 12,000-strong task force landed on the shores of Rivymiyitevko, near the town of. Initial resistance was weak, but as the Krakozhian Army went deeper into the island, the (the military arm of independent Rivymiyitevko) began mounting a stiffer defense, but the Krakozhian Army was too much for the rebels, and within a month, Sonolovichyrevko was completely surrounded and besieged. Krakozhian troops finally took the Capitol on November, and the Krakozhian flag waved high in the skies of Rivymiyitevko. Unfortunately, Konstantin Benin managed to escape to Karavatsenin before he could be captured, but he made the Krakozhians think that they had shot down his helicopter.

Krakozhia invaded Karavatsenin on January of the next year. Despite stiff resistance from Karavatsenin rebels, the Krakozhian Army quickly overran the island thanks to help from Communist guerrillas and the. Benin, Gadilenko,, and some of their closest advisers fled the island during the chaos of the , but Spetsnaz troopers followed them to Russia's Taymyr Peninsula where, after a brief but fierce firefight, these three "top rebels" were killed.

Rivymiyitevko and Karavatsenin reunited with Krakozhia on November 2008 and February 2009, respectively.

Government
See also: 

Until 1992, Krakozhia was a single-party Communist state just like its immediate neighbors. However, just before the end of her term, Yelena Nekazanka enacted reforms that would allow other parties to finally end the dominance of the CPRK. Despite this, the CPRK remained the majority party in the Congress of People's Deputies, and all of the presidents of Krakozhia from 1992 and beyond were members of the CPRK.

"Real" reforms finally came in 2005, after a devastating civil war against Democrats calling for the removal of the Communist Party forced a reevaluation within its ranks. The Communist Party agreed to withdraw from its position as the majority party in the Congress of People's Deputies, and agreed to form a coalition with the Krakozhian Democratic Party. Later on, more parties gained a foothold in the Congress, but unfortunately the CPRK became the largest party once again. Even the ascension of KDP candidate to the presidency didn't halt the Communists' resurgence.

Executive
Krakozhia is led by a president, which is elected to four-year terms. He or she is assisted by the vice president. The current president is, and the vice president is.

Legislative
The consists of 503 deputies, each elected to four-year terms by direct popular vote. The Congress of People's Deputies has the power to enact laws, approve the budget, schedule presidential elections, select and dismiss the President and other ministers, declare war, deploy troops abroad, and ratify international treaties and agreements. The president serves as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and has the authority to return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override the presidential veto by a simple majority vote of all members of parliament. , the Communist Party presidential candidate, was elected to a second term as president on January 25, 2009. With the 2013 elections around the corner, political analysts predict that of CPRK would become the new president, but rumors within the Krakozhian government say that Adzhitekova is planning to endorse KDP candidate, which may shift popular opinion in his favor if this ever comes to pass.

Judicial
The is the highest appellate court in the country, composed of fifteen judges (two for each province, and one for the ). The chief justice is sometimes appointed by the president; at other times, he or she is elected by his/her fellow judges. Each judicial province is subdivided into judicial districts, further subdivided into judicial prospects.

Flag
The flag of Krakozhia is a blue, orange, and green tricolor with a red circle containing a yellow hammer and sickle inside overlain on the field. The three colors represent the ancient colors of the Empire of Karosha, which used a flag of similar design. The blue represents the eternal sky above Krakozhia; the orange represents the hope of a new dawn and the accomplishments of a sunset; the green represents the ever lush forests of the country; the red stands for the blood shed by the patriots and heroes of the land from empre to republic; and the yellow is the light of the radiant future of democratic socialism.

The Krakozhian Democratic Republic used a different flag. It is simply an orange and green bend. The most likely theory as to its creation was that Mikhail Amazenkov, founder of the KDR, took the flag of the Krakozhian Army, removed the gold star, hammer, and sickle, and used the result for the flag of his new state.

Territories
Krakozhia is divided into seven provinces and two territories.

Arctic Provinces

 * Territory
 * Territory
 * Territory

Venusian Provinces

 * Territory of the (under the jurisdiction of Vallarinsk)
 * Territory of the (under the jurisdiction of Vallarinsk)

Foreign relations
Krakozhia became a member of the United Nations in 1986. Krakozhia was also founding member of the. It has applied for membership in NATO and the EU, with both applications currently pending. Krakozhia's relations with its neighbors has generally been good, except for a small downturn from 2002 to 2004 when it fought its neighbor.

Krakozhia has good ties with all of the nations in the world, and continues to improve these to this day.

Military
The military of Krakozhia is divided into three parts: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.

All citizens of Krakozhia are obligated to serve four years in any armed forces branch of their choosing. Before, only men could join frontline combat units, and women were commonly assigned to auxiliary forces like ambulance corps, but this changed in the early 1980s, when the Krakozhian Armed Forces began accepting female recruits. After an initial tour of duty, citizens will become part of the reserve until they are 45-50 years old (reports vary), unless they voluntarily reenlist, in which they are considered career soldiers. The total peacetime strength of the entire armed forces is estimated at 35,000 fully combat-trained troops. An estimated 30,000 more are in the reserves and paramilitary organizations.

Krakozhia has about two thousand troops deployed on UN and BSA peacekeeping missions, and an estimated ten thousand troops are committed to training various armed forces around the world.