Vostroya

Vostroya (Lo'Oi: Vosturoa) is a large city in the State of Atoxa, within the United Socialist States of Eldham. It acts as the capital of the state. It is the historical homeland of the Achadian people; an ethnic group that is now extinct. It is one of the oldest cities in the USSE that are still inhabited.

It is a walled port city founded by Seamus the Rat and currently led by Mayor Aleksander Serebra II. The town has garnered the nickname of the Northern Bulwark for its defensive structures. It is home to numerous notable buildings, such as Stoneworks' largest prison which is operated by the PSB, the Order of the Shashka, the National History Museum, and the former PSB Headquarters.

Creation
The city of Vostroya was created on June 5th, 2021, by a player known as Seamus the Rat (Ridetherails) shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Achadia. Originally the Achadian people, the ethnic group that they comprised of, lived in the modern Wandenreich shortly after the opening of the server in a village called Ubetha. However, out of fears of being annexed by the Wandenreich they had fled South into the modern day defined borders of the USSE. The town at this point never had a massive population but was consistently active and was slowly expanding. It had become the capital of the newly created Autonomous State of Achadia.

The Kunir War and Mass Exodus
Vostroya had been steadfast in its growth and consistent for quite a while at this point, however this would take a steep change with the outburst of the Kunir War. The city of Vostroya was the Northernmost city of the entire nation and the physical closest to Vanakunir's colonies, making it prone to invasion. Immediately demands were called for the city to begin fortifying at which point massive walls were created around the city and it was surrounded with sweet berries and items were hidden away.

These plans would never go into actual function though because after the humiliating USSE defeat at the Battle of Gabeli Bay, the USSE was forced to accept an unconditional surrender. Original annexation plans from Vanakunir included the complete annexation of cities like Vostroya and this immensely angered and scared the native people there. They were bitter with the government for "abandoning" them and not defending them to the bitter end like was demanded by the Treaty of Achadia. Ultimately, the government would live up to this promise in that they managed to secure Achadian autonomy with a deal stricken with Vanakunir that let Vostroya remain as a USSE operated city but this did not dispel the anger. Ultimately, every single citizen of Vostroya left the city, most of which left for the Wandenreich. This was not an isolated incident however as many cities saw massive exoduses including, but not limited to, Crosotex, Laria, Fort Morskoy, Kestchya, and more. This massive refugee crisis caused by the USSE's defeat in the Kunir War was called the Dé'I Débalo'Oa Dakoroto or The Great Humiliation.

Revival
For quite some time the city of Vostroya had been left completely abandoned with no citizens and the land claim destroyed. There had been minor looting and the city was one of only two cities that became completely abandoned after the war, the other being Crosotex, which remains abandoned to this day. Ultimately though, this would change as one player by the name of Silvereyesaac would return to Vostroya and re-create the land claim and begin building back up the city which brings us to the modern day. The Autonomous State of Achadia had been dissolved after the Great Humiliation, being reformed into the State of Atoxa which the city is the capital of today. Silvereyesaac, who had no previous government experience, decided to build Vostroya to be greater than ever before. Silver cited Dé'I Débalo'Oa Dakoroto (the great humiliation) as his inspiration for his new plan coined "The Bulawark of the North". Never again would the north be weakened by politics. Through the hard labor of the working class of the U.S.S.E, Silver constructed the highest walls in the U.S.S.E, so high they could even see over the mountains into Vanshire on a clear day. Silver swore to defend Vostroya to the bitter end, and his dying breath. Soon builders and soldiers alike were attracted to the growing town, and the central government declared it the military headquarters for the country. Despite having had been entirely abandoned for over a month after the war, the city today has a population of just over ten people and is expanding rapidly. In the town center you will find a monument to the people who lost their lives in the Kunir war. The planter representing the peasants, and the pickaxe representing the workers.

Workers Strike of September 2021
On September 18th the citizens of Vostroya announced a workers strike. Making demands of the Communist Party of the USSE. The grievances stated were lack of economic opportunities, the destruction of the highway to Laria without replacing that highway with a suitable option, and lack of financial support from the state. The workers of Vostroya stated that they will no longer supply financial support or resources to the state until their demands are met.

Mayor Silver of Vostroya announced the strike, and his support for this strike with a short public comment:

''“Vostroya is a historic town for the U.S.S.E, abandoned after the Del Debalo’Oa Dakoroto. Yet once again, it seems like the government is abandoning the people of the north in favor of the cities that they live in. Seldom do we see any officials in Vostroya, and never have we received material support. The entire town has been built by the labor of the people in Vostroya, despite the negligence of certain key officials to protect and support the workers. We believe in the communist party, and that with our collective power, the government will take heed of our demands. After all, are we not communists?”''

The central government acted swiftly in response to the workers strike. Though some government officials took personal offense to the strike, the Commissioner of Information and Media Rogalash personally saw to it that the road from Kazkaya to Vostroya would be completed within only a few hours. The former Comissioner of Armed Forces, NoRole, returning after a long hiatus began work immediately on the ice highway from Laria to Vostroya. The miners returned to work in good faith, seeing that the central government took their grievances seriously.

Geography
The city of Vostroya is located directly South of the Northern mouth of the Granaxi River which runs South and defines the border between the States of Kramenix and Atoxa. It is directly on the Sea of Lélo'É but is blocked from sight from the sea by the large island of Crasomar. While Crasomar is a frigid tundra, the mainland where Vostroya is has lush taiga forests and has natural defenses from the North and West in the form of large mountains including Mount. Dotalano to the Southwest of the city.

Anthem
Vostroya's anthem is based on the Russian song "V Put", which was written in 1954 by Soviet composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and poet Mikhail Dudin. The song can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxNiZl-YlNo.

Vexillology
Both the flag and banner of modern Vostroya are identical to the USSE flags and banners, though the color red is replaced entirely with cyan.

Historical flags of Vostroya include the original Achadian banner which was a white field with a red cross and various other designs.