- Pronouns
- He/Him, They/Them
Following the culmination of the Redeemer-Antagonist Civil Wars that devastated Nierr and left the nation depopulated, the warlord who emerged from the chaos to take control of the nation searched for a solution to Nierr's long standing problems. To prepare the people for the future, the self-appointed Chief Administrator Vorosin looked to the past. To safeguard the nation and avoid the mistakes of settled life, the cities would be abandoned and the people would return to a nomadic lifestyle. It was a shock when Vorosin first announced it, with families and friends forcibly separated and organised into Otrjady (detachments) of 400 and sent out into the Steppes. More than half would die in the first years, before people finally adapted to the harsh nomadic lifestyle.
Vorosin barred people from returning to the cities of old, instead creating 16 new semi-permanent settlements across the nation. A 17th settlement, the new capital of Novgorod, was home to a small number of people, largely involved in making sure the various Otrjady moved on from settlement to settlement when they were supposed to, and never stayed too long in one oblast. Vorosin himself largely kept away from Novgorod, but still named himself Posadnik (mayor) of the new city. For the rest of his life he dedicated himself to both the stability of the nation and removing the old towns and cities, a task that would remain unfinished and ongoing for over sixty years following his death...
Karpaty, Present Day
Artur Aksakov often wondered how he had come to be in the service of such a powerful figure as Boyar Radovic, Most Powerful of All the Princes as his official title as head of what passed for the Nierr state apparatus named him. Aksakov might've ethnically been Nierran, but he was born and raised in Imperium Augustum, the engineer grandson of one of Nierr's pioneers of jet flight. The elder Aksakov had taken his family to Imperium in the final days of the war, when the renegade general Vorosin was bloodying both sides, and Artur had been born in that August Empire. Educated at a top Imperium university, Aksakov had designed a new form of mobile flood defences, utilising new hyper-strong lightweight 'smart metals' and advanced electronics.
Artur had been taking part in an Antagonist pilgrimage to Novgorod when he was approached by the charismatic Boyar Radovic, then just a minor player among the multitude of Boyar Sons, the new generation of appointed Posadnik's over the various Otrjady. That was 18 months ago. Now, following a smash and grab campaign against several more powerful Boyar, Radovic had been appointed Most Powerful of All the Princes by the Triumvirs of Peace, the arbiters of all disputes within the political classes. This made the young noble head of state, but that role would default to one of the other Boyar should he displease the Triumvirs enough.
And so Boyar Radovic had brought his personal Otrjaday - and those of his closest allies - to the old city of Karpaty, abandoned after the Grand Departure as it had been termed. Radovics grandfather had been one of the original Posadniks, although he had not escaped Vorosin's wrath for staying too long at the capital of Novgorod. The Radovic family name had been recovering ever since. Karpaty was located on the flood plains of the grand Sanok River, and its two tributaries, dammed repeatedly in the pre-Civil War period. Karpaty was one of the last remaining large settlements from the era before Departure and its planned destruction had been heavily debated prior to Radovic's ascension.
That debate was ended on the first day of his reign, when he announced plans to destroy that city and "fulfil the vision of Chief Administrator Vorosin". Now, three months after that declaration, he was finally ready. Radovic sent in two Otrjaday to clear the city of any squatters, judging those who were captured harshly, as was his right as granted to him by the Triumvirs. A dozen or so men and women were detained and sent off towards Novgorod where they would await judgement. Two men who had shot his troopers as they raced through the city on quad bikes and in military jeeps were killed in a short fire fight, their bodies left in the city.
Whilst this was happening, Artur Aksakov had directed his team of technicians to move the flood defence platforms into position. Each platform was as long as an articulated truck and twice as wide, with panels of 'smart metal' piled on each other. Once the platforms were into position, each panel began to lift and placed itself next to another, forming a semi-circle barrier to the south of the city, stretching for miles. Other uninvolved Otrjaday had arrived to watch the spectacle and Radovic let them see this showcase of relatively advanced technology, programmed in far off Tolima to Aksakov's specifications.
It took most of a day to fully position the defences, with a second set placed at interval points in the barrier, to relieve potentially threatened areas. It was close to sunset when they were finally done, the entire process watched throughout the nation thanks to broadcast interruptions on major channels. Aksakov had signalled that his barriers were ready almost half an hour before, and the Otrjaday at the dams had also communicated that the charges to destroy the dams had been place according to Aksakov's precise instructions.
Boyar Radovic, Most Powerful of All the Princes, the grandson of a Redeemer, ruler of a nation, stood with the grandson of an Antagonist, an engineer who had the Boyar's ambition a reality, and activated the first set charges, greeting the distant rumbles that followed with satisfaction... as the combined water of seven dams headed towards the city of Karpaty, empty and abandoned...
Vorosin barred people from returning to the cities of old, instead creating 16 new semi-permanent settlements across the nation. A 17th settlement, the new capital of Novgorod, was home to a small number of people, largely involved in making sure the various Otrjady moved on from settlement to settlement when they were supposed to, and never stayed too long in one oblast. Vorosin himself largely kept away from Novgorod, but still named himself Posadnik (mayor) of the new city. For the rest of his life he dedicated himself to both the stability of the nation and removing the old towns and cities, a task that would remain unfinished and ongoing for over sixty years following his death...
Karpaty, Present Day
Artur Aksakov often wondered how he had come to be in the service of such a powerful figure as Boyar Radovic, Most Powerful of All the Princes as his official title as head of what passed for the Nierr state apparatus named him. Aksakov might've ethnically been Nierran, but he was born and raised in Imperium Augustum, the engineer grandson of one of Nierr's pioneers of jet flight. The elder Aksakov had taken his family to Imperium in the final days of the war, when the renegade general Vorosin was bloodying both sides, and Artur had been born in that August Empire. Educated at a top Imperium university, Aksakov had designed a new form of mobile flood defences, utilising new hyper-strong lightweight 'smart metals' and advanced electronics.
Artur had been taking part in an Antagonist pilgrimage to Novgorod when he was approached by the charismatic Boyar Radovic, then just a minor player among the multitude of Boyar Sons, the new generation of appointed Posadnik's over the various Otrjady. That was 18 months ago. Now, following a smash and grab campaign against several more powerful Boyar, Radovic had been appointed Most Powerful of All the Princes by the Triumvirs of Peace, the arbiters of all disputes within the political classes. This made the young noble head of state, but that role would default to one of the other Boyar should he displease the Triumvirs enough.
And so Boyar Radovic had brought his personal Otrjaday - and those of his closest allies - to the old city of Karpaty, abandoned after the Grand Departure as it had been termed. Radovics grandfather had been one of the original Posadniks, although he had not escaped Vorosin's wrath for staying too long at the capital of Novgorod. The Radovic family name had been recovering ever since. Karpaty was located on the flood plains of the grand Sanok River, and its two tributaries, dammed repeatedly in the pre-Civil War period. Karpaty was one of the last remaining large settlements from the era before Departure and its planned destruction had been heavily debated prior to Radovic's ascension.
That debate was ended on the first day of his reign, when he announced plans to destroy that city and "fulfil the vision of Chief Administrator Vorosin". Now, three months after that declaration, he was finally ready. Radovic sent in two Otrjaday to clear the city of any squatters, judging those who were captured harshly, as was his right as granted to him by the Triumvirs. A dozen or so men and women were detained and sent off towards Novgorod where they would await judgement. Two men who had shot his troopers as they raced through the city on quad bikes and in military jeeps were killed in a short fire fight, their bodies left in the city.
Whilst this was happening, Artur Aksakov had directed his team of technicians to move the flood defence platforms into position. Each platform was as long as an articulated truck and twice as wide, with panels of 'smart metal' piled on each other. Once the platforms were into position, each panel began to lift and placed itself next to another, forming a semi-circle barrier to the south of the city, stretching for miles. Other uninvolved Otrjaday had arrived to watch the spectacle and Radovic let them see this showcase of relatively advanced technology, programmed in far off Tolima to Aksakov's specifications.
It took most of a day to fully position the defences, with a second set placed at interval points in the barrier, to relieve potentially threatened areas. It was close to sunset when they were finally done, the entire process watched throughout the nation thanks to broadcast interruptions on major channels. Aksakov had signalled that his barriers were ready almost half an hour before, and the Otrjaday at the dams had also communicated that the charges to destroy the dams had been place according to Aksakov's precise instructions.
Boyar Radovic, Most Powerful of All the Princes, the grandson of a Redeemer, ruler of a nation, stood with the grandson of an Antagonist, an engineer who had the Boyar's ambition a reality, and activated the first set charges, greeting the distant rumbles that followed with satisfaction... as the combined water of seven dams headed towards the city of Karpaty, empty and abandoned...