Polskrige

Polskrige, sometimes also referred to as (North) Khorisal, is a large town in Southern Central Plagos. It is currently controlled by Lord Duegy, Under the banner of the Second Empire of Plagatea. It was founded on the 10th of May, 2021, on the 6324th in-game day. It was the capital of the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Polskon, but was integrated into the Kingdom of Plagatea (later the Empire of Plagatea) and later gained province status as the province of Polskon (later Veldion) inside the empire. It was the capital of the Realm of Asarakaen's short reign over Plagos, during which it gained its modern significance as a trade hub, overtaking Arlin and Donfuer in economic and political importance. It used to be the second most populated city in Plagatea before the Veldski Civil War and the violent oppression against the Veldski people under Chumon Ito. After the fall of the Third Plagatean Empire, the city has regained much of its population, due to the reimmigration of the Veldski Republicans and Deithweinists from the diaspora and the Nausicaan Exile.

The city of Polskrige's economy is made up of the export of agricultural products and alcohol to the rest of Plagos and the surrounding sea.

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Founding
The City of Polskrige was founded as the capital of the newly proclaimed Kingdom of Polskon by Dugeth Zerkalo (Duegy) and Pesto Poultrix (SirHolyChicken) on May 10th 2021 in Czervoslav Plagatean territory. Polskrige was located on elevated terrain between the mountains to the North and the valleys and plains to the South, putting it in a strategically important position on the Veldski Isthmus. It was primarily inhabited by Polskoni tribesmen native to the mountains, culturally similar to the Korolian overlords and converted to the (more organized) Deithweinist faith a century earlier. The nearby Deithweinist monastery owned by Zartacla was quickly incorporated and contributed to the sudden influx of tribesmen into the town, who were now able to live near the monastery and participate in religious events.

The former tribesmen would now modernize and be reigned over by a king. The city gained a new influx of citizens with numerous outlaws, expelled people entering the town. As the port had been under construction, the conditions for trade through the city improved, allowing for smaller cargo ships headed to the southern ports of Plagos to resupply themselves with agricultural produce. This attracted the attention of Plagatea, who would subsequently integrate the country into their nation. It was during that time that Winfred Zerkalo (Mr Yes) rose up as a diplomat and Glurak G. Ravdrac built the Dancing Dragon Tavern & Inn. which is today the oldest remaining building in the Old Town.

City Council Movement
Approximately two weeks after the founding of Polskrige, the city had grown rapidly in a state of benign neglect. Yet, many of the citizens were unhappy with the slowness of decisions in Polskon, since it had become almost impossible to recieve a plot of land for housing or trading licenses. Many citizens of Polskrige and the surrounding area would go on to organize themselves to solve the issues of the town on their own. This was the beginning of the City Council Movement. The party would de-facto control the way how the city was governed for several days, until the Bridge Incident. Next to the Wine Cellar, where today the Polskrigian Bank is located, King Pesto Poultrix had planned to construct a bridge which would connect the city to Dughold on the opposite side of the valley. When the king publicly announced the plans to the citizenry and was heavily opposed, a member of the City Council Movement stepped up front and threaten the king. This incident resulted in negotiations between both sides until an agreement was reached, effectively starting the First Republic. The city was now ruled by a city council with an elected prime minister and three ministers. The government was instable, but would heavily influence the future ideology of the Polskoni people.

Polskrigian Bandit Conflict
From May 26th to July 2nd 2021, Polskrige was involved in a series of small conflicts with a small group of bandits. The main article can be found here.

Plagadonian War
more info needed

Emerging Political Infighting (Veldion/Valeria)
After the establishment of the Union with Havenstad on July 18th 2021, officially founding Veldion, the newly emerging Veldski cultural identity and the languages of the country slowly converging into one, a new political order had to be made for equal representation. In the new mayoral elections of the two cities, a political split became apparent. These differences crystalized into two distinct groups, which were sometimes referred to as parties. The Havenstadter people, lead by Knightmare von Krachtig, one of the founding brothers, founded an ethno-nationalist authoritarian party (VNP). The Polskrigian majority rallied behind the NFP, a de-facto successor to the City Council Movement. The tensions had a significant effect on the cities.

As the First Plagatean Empire has ceased to exist shortly following the Skittles Crisis, a large group of Sakuran citizens had fled the Northern Provinces. Aisuru Numachi, who had had good relations with the Veldski for half a century, asked the city officials to open the gates and allow the refugees in. This would result in the construction of a foreign quarter in the North of the city, which to this day houses the majority of the Sakuran population outside the province of Sakura.

Upon founding of Valeria, merging Plagatea and Veldion into a diarchy, a northern city gate had been constructed, which connects the city to the Valreign region via tunnel and allowed further development in the Polskon and area. The gate allowed safer passage to Northern Plagos without bandits hiding along the way like in the narrow mountain valleys. Smaller colonies were established by the Veldski in the Valreign area, most significantly the township of Kurakrige on the northern coast of Lake Arlin.

Golden Age (Asarakaen)
After the union of the Plagatean successor states into one unified state, the Realm of Asarakaen under Queen Aisuru Numachi, had been declared, Polskrige would become the political center of the continent. The Monarch ruled from the Polskrige Council Building in the New Town, which was almost entirely built during this era by the Queen and the architect Zartacla, which is why it can be seen as a combination of Sakuran and Polskoni building styles. The building was centered around the throne room, which offered two long tables to call the senate with all the lords' representatives regularly.

This ended the period of political infights, as the VNP officials were granted fair and open trials. This made it possible to banish the agitators from the entire realm without public protest or giving them the opportunity to be supported by foreign powers and launch a coup. This conflict had primarily been to the benefit of Polskrige, which outgrew Havenstad significantly and could now be truly dominant in the area.

The political crisis alleviated, a new wave of commercial opportunities opened up for the city, which would spark competition among the noble families of Veldion to dominate the trade. The Polskrigian Zerkalo Trade Company was established, selling miscellaneous goods for every day use in a local trade emporium on the main road next to the bank, while the Krachtig Trade Company from Havenstad emerged as primary food supplier of the city. The latter had a much lower trade value, but was subsidized by the Queen in order to prevent a Zerkalo monopoly. However, this also meant that the potato shipments from Drakonia had lost their importance and the diplomatic contact faded slowly.

These economic factors led to plans to expand Port Ravdrac, which would prove difficult and be postponed numerous times due to terrain and a lack of proper funding.

Second Empire
The wealth of the Asarakaen period did not last for a long time, as the Realm suddenly ended with a coup d'etat from the former Eldham colonies. Seeing that the other Lords quickly folded to the eldhamite demands, the Veldski senate representative struck a deal with the insurgent forces to become a vassal state, ruling over the province south of the mountains. The flourishing metropolis of the South would dwindle downwards in importance, due to a large taxation load and fear among the populace. The city found itself under constant threat, only one of the Tagavors being willing to uphold the vassalage deal while the other spread anti-Veldski propaganda throughout the empire.

The province started focusing on the development of newly gained lands rather than the city, introducing the Artis Clan from Linwan into Arinovla, building dyeworks in Saboten and incorporating Arlin into the economy. These factors led to a slight decline in population, many emigrating to Kurakrige or Czervoslavia. The only increasing demographic were the Sakurans, who at this point made up roughly 35% of the city population.

The political fear and general unrest worsened with the end of the Lords' Revolt, which only saw the replacement of Tagavor Revo with Alexander S. Numachi, who was more favorable to the reformers. At the end of the Second Empire, the population had reduced by 50% compared to the height of Asarakaen.

Short Period of Independence
The short period of independence following the fall of the Second Empire saw a renaissance of republican ideals. The Veldski democracy was partly restored under a Zerkalo-led constitutional monarchy, promoting meritocratic values. The country established new relations with Baronov and with the Czervoslav Kingdom, even discussing a possible union with the latter. The Veldski state was surrounded by NERP, whose only goal was to prevent a new Plagatea. Polskrige was the only remaining non-NERP territory on the continent. In this matter, the Veldski government was willing to cooperate and even accept some chicanery to keep peace.

However, the declining population left the Kingdom without good personnel to fulfill the many tasks needed. This left Polskrige unable to react to any outside threats. Veldion was humbled in its territorial sovereignty and foreign politics multiple times. As the king was no longer able to rule, and his successor Aditya Artis becoming ill, an entirely unknown person became head of government for few days. This turned out disastrous for the country, as it found itself a playball of several nations upon the restoration of order. Two new settlements, Marsielle and Cape Charles, had been founded by colonizing merchant republics, seeking to topple the Veldski government. While Marsielle was quickly dealt with, Cape Charles would remain an issue for longer. At the same time, the islands in front of the Polskrigian harbour had been occupied by Bardonian backed forces, founding the Republic of Lurich[[ and threatening incoming ships.

Infiltration and Civil War
In this mess, it was all but surprising that the common sentiment was a deep longing for change and a distrust in the state to solve the various issues present in the country. This allowed some former Plagatean officials to rise the ranks of the state, including the reborn Tagavor Nero (undercover), who quickly became the most popular politician of the city. As the head of government, he was able to resolve many of the diplomatic issues of the country. The loyalties in the city were split and entrenched.

Upon revelation of his true identity, a crisis emerges in the country. The Veldski Civil War was the worst situation the city had faced since its establishment. The Chumon Ito launched a military coup. Veldski Monarchist and Chumon Ito forces engaged in fierce guerilla fights.

Oppression in the City
The Chumon Ito immediately began with the oppression of the Veldski citizenry. In the Chumon Ito controlled districts, strict curfews were put into place. Veldski households would need to give up their home if soldiers require to be stationed or were required to give their food to the soldiers. The city suffered from famine and disease, since the field crops from Havenstad could not reach the city. The St. Deithwein Monastery, which was not occupied by Chumon Ito soldiers, would be key to the resistance movement and secretly organize the flight of Veldski families to Fort Nausicaa or smuggle food into the city via the attached docks. This was coordinated in cooperation with the Monarchist administration, who regularly launched diversion attacks to enable the escape. However, this could only be done slowly and silently, to prevent the sack of the monastery and the desecration of the grave of St. Deithwein, as well as to save the lives of the priests who could not leave the monastery.

The goal of Chumon Ito was to remove any trace of Veldski history from the city and establish a proper center of power for the soon-to-be-restored Plagatean Empire. As the Chumon Ito and the Blue Fleet won, the city was renamed to Khorisal and administratively merged with Havenstad. Since Polskrige had been better organized better, it could escape full demolition like in Havenstad and was only slowly being redesigned. This did not mean however that Veldski families were not expropriated. Plagatean officials were by edict allowed to claim whatever house they wanted for personal or official use. The Old Town square became repurposed as center for the ministerial bureaus of the state and Plagatean-owned shops. Under the cover of the expansion of Port Ravdrac, which expanded it to the New Town and included a military port, Veldski shopowners were expelled from Port Ravdrac. Conveniently for Plagatean merchants, the Zerkalo Trade Company Emporium burnt down few days later and was never reopened.

Old Town
The Old Town is the oldest inhabited part of the town. It is the center of the city.

Port Ravdrac
The port of Polskrige has been a center of commerce for a long period of history. During the Third Empire, it was enlarged significantly and also serves as a military port. It is named after the First PM of the Republic, Glurak G. Ravdrac, even though it was largely planned by Winfred Zerkalo.

It features multiple large cranes to unload cargo, a dock spanning along the entire coastline of the city and several shops inside the walls. There is three entrances, one from the Old Town Center, one from the New Town and another behind the Polskrigian Bank. This allows for an easy transport of goods into the city, even though it is elevated and inaccessible with horse carts.

Dancing Dragon Tavern & Inn
The oldest remaining building in the city. Built on May 18th, 2021.

It was the central social space during the Early Republican Period and the location of the last line of defence during the Plagadonian War in Veldion. Although its interior and roof have been redesigned, its first floor is still preserved close to the original look just like the outside of the building. After the fall of the Third Empire, it was subject to severe raiding and looting, but it has been restored successfully. Originally, there was a seating area with a fountain next to the tavern. Today, the Fountain of the Republic is located further eastward on the City Plaza, where Mayor Bernard resided. The owner, Glurak G. Ravdrac, also provides the services in the Zerkalo Hot Springs.