Vostokgrad

Vostokgrad, also called the Worker’s City, is a small Vanguardist city-state under the Kingdom of Mockrea. The city has a long distinct history and despite all odds, remains stable and alive. 
== History ==
=== Founding ===
A band of Vostokiyan revolutionary citizens were forced to leave their homeland behind after threats of war were sent to them. The revolutionaries were led by Comrade Illegal, a bold and valiant figure, determined to give his people a home and shelter. And so under his supervision, the revolutionaries travelled night and day. They walked and walked passing through many nations and towns, yet none seemed viable enough for them to settle and restart their lives.
Finally, the revolutionaries would stumble upon the Kingdom of Mockrea, which at the time was still in its infancy. Seeing potential and plenty of space to settle, Comrade Illegal approached King Pigeon to ask for permission to join under the Kingdom and settle a new Vostok settlement. The King was eager to try and grow Mockrea as much as possible, and factionalism was already taking root up inside the Kingdom. Seeing a possible opportunity to fix discontent, King Pigeon welcomed the Vostokiyan refugees into the Kingdom, giving them a portion of land near the capital of New Mockrea. With this land, Illegal would finally establish his settlement, naming it Vostokgrad. 
==== Factionalism ====
Now under the Kingdom of Mockrea, Illegal would begin progressing Vostokgrad forwards, leading the town to become an integral active part of the Kingdom. It was during this time, Illegal established himself as First Leader of Vostokgrad. Under his leadership, the revolutionary settlement began growing in both size and strength. However his eyes soon started to turn towards Mockrea itself, feeling unsatisfied with the leadership of King Pigeon, who was often not around. Word quickly started to spread of Vostokgrad's intentions for a potential coup d'état, though they were quickly dismissed and King Pigeons less active state made him easy to deceive. 
The Vanguard political party (formerly the State Security Party) in the Kingdom of Mockrea, led by General Lettcor Volkost, had been carefully watching Vostokgrad grow as time went on. Seeing them as both being politically aligned, the General reached out to Alex (a high ranking Vostokiyan) for a potential alliance. The offer was accepted which instantly strengthened both factions into a dangerous force. Because of this, factionalism reached an all-time high within the greater Kingdom, with Vostokgrad now directly revivaling the power of King Pigeon himself. It was no secret that the Vanguards wanted a coup, it was only now though that it became an active and real threat. 
==== Independence from Mockrea ====
The growing power and strength within Vostokgrad, had grown so much that it had reached the attention of the Imperial Republic of Calarith, Mockrea’s allies. There was immediately a threat that Calarith would intervene in the situation and strike Vostokgrad down before it grew in power anymore. Seeing this, General Lettcor Volkost reached out to the Emperor of Calarith to fill him in on the issue and gain his understanding. Once reasoned with, the General organised a meeting with Emperor Nihilis and First Leader Illegal, so that they could discuss a viable solution for all parties.
It was after this personal meeting, that all the high ranking individuals of Vostokgrad were summoned in a secret room underneath the city. It was here where Illegal established the first government of Vostokgrad. He appointed General Lettcor Volkost, Comrade Alex and Saul Betterman to the first government, giving them all roles of equal leadership to assist him in his leadership. During this secret meeting, the discussion of independence was brought onto the table and a vote was created. With the vote passing, Illegal explained that Emperor Nihilis had offered them independence so long as they joined as a separate entity under the Imperial Republic of Calarith. And so in , Vostokgrad seceded from the Kingdom of Mockrea and declared independence.
==== First War for Vostokgrad ====
Upon the announcement, King Pigeon approached Emperor Nihilis, furious that he would allow such a thing to occur without his permission. After a brief discussion, it had turned out it was all a mistake, and that Emperor Nihilis never gave them such an offer; it was all simply a misunderstanding. Though some nation leaders would turn to diplomacy, King Pigeon turned to war. And in a decision that would shape the city forever, King Pigeon declared war upon Vostokgrad.
The First War for Vostokgrad took place when King Pigeon and Prime Minister Helium Mokson approached their former town seeking answers. However, fighting would instantly commence amongst the two parties. It is truly unknown which side started the fighting, though what is certain is that the Mockrean forces would take the opportunity to launch a full-scale attack on Vostokgrad. Despite being heavily outnumbered, King Pigeon led the Mockrean forces over the Vostokgrad walls, jumping carelessly into the hoard of armed Vostokgrad citizens that awaited them below. What seemed like an easy victory for Vostokgrad, quickly turned into their worst nightmare. King Pigeon I stood in the middle of Vostokgrad armed and ready. Seeing an easy kill before them, three Vostokgrad soldiers attack the King from all sides, though he doesn't fall. In fact he seems to be perfectly fine. Against all odds, King Pigeon overpowers the three Vostokgrad soldiers, holding them off with seemingly little concern. Reinforcements would eventually arrive in the form of Calarith volunteer units and State Security officers. Now with added support, King Pigeon and his coalition of soldiers pushed the Vostokgrad forces into a nearby house which they swiftly barricaded themselves inside. This would mark the end to the siege, and officially bring victory to the Kingdom of Mockrea. Formal discussions with the now defeated Vostokgrad faction took place once again, with Calarith overseeing them. This would result with the reintegration of the town Vostokgrad into the Kingdom of Mockrea, along with the replacement of First Leader Illegal with the Mockrean aligned Saul Betterman, who had secretly been a spy for Mockrea the whole time. Though factionalism and division was still a threat for the Kingdom, the storm had been calmed, for now. 
===== Second War for Vostokgrad =====
Upon being forced to stand down, Illegal went from leadership to citizenship in the matter of a day. It was a cruel and unjust punishment for an honest mistake. Because of this, citizens of Vostokgrad were furious with the King’s decision. Stability had plummeted in Mockrea, as riots, protests and skirmishes had become commonplace. The Vanguard had withdrawn support from Vostokgrad, remaining neutral, not knowing who to truly trust anymore in the chaos. And then, during the {{loredate|06/27/2024}}, the Second War for Vostokgrad would begin. The Second War for Vostokgrad was on a larger scale and involved more parties and factions that weren't exclusively within Mockrean territory. The new Mayor of Vostokgrad, Saul Betterman, stood against the growing rebellion which caused them to rise up and kick him out of his own town. The new Vostokgrad de facto ruler was the Secretary of State, Comrade Alex. Alex immediately began rebuilding the town's defences and used his wealth to hire mercenaries to defend himself from the inevitable Mockrean resistance. Alex sought justice and freedom from their overlords, despite the odds stacked against them. 
The Mockrean forces, State Security officers and Calarith volunteers were all gathered together in New Mockrea where they made some last minute preparations before their attack on Vostokgrad. However before they could even begin their attack on the town, hired mercenaries from DonFuer (led by D_loaded) and soldiers from Vostokgrad launched a sudden attack on New Mockrea, catching the Mockrean coalition forces off-guard. Despite the odds stacked against them, the Mockrean forces managed to stand their ground and regroup together as a unified front. Using their numbers advantage in their own favour, the DonFuer mercenaries made a sudden retreat, leaving behind a number of their own soldiers in the process which were quickly overwhelmed by the Mockreans. After discussions with the Emperor of Calarith, the DonFuer mercenaries agreed to officially withdraw from the conflict, allowing the now riled up Mockrean forces to push forth on Vostokgrad. With little defences keeping them out, the Mockrean forces pushed effortlessly inside the walls of the rogue town and began striking down any surviving Vostokgrad soldiers that still remained. Prime Minister Helium Mokson stood atop the town walls, firing down arrows and breaking through any sudden defences the resistance attempted to create. King Pigeon and General Lettcor Volkost ran through the town with their soldiers, clearing up any survivors that still remained. After the town had been completely cleared of any Vostokgrad rebels, the de facto leader Alex, was officially removed from the town, bringing the end to his rebellion and the Second War for Vostokgrad.
==== The Aftermath ====
With the Vostokgrad wars over, Vostokgrad would fragment into a total of three different towns and states. Uhuvich Ivanovichie, was a key revolutionary during both wars for Vostokgrad, playing an active role in the multiple skirmishes in Mockrea. However after the city fell for a second time and the revolutionaries were exiled by King Pigeon, Uhuvich, Illegal, Alex and many others fled down south to settle again for a third time. However, Saul Betterman had travelled down with them, pretending to be aligned with them. Instantly, Uhuvich and Saul had long disagreements about the overall government of the new state. The state would begin moving towards a more capitalist based system, ultimately something Uhuvich rejected. As such he and his own new town within the new state would secede in the , thus creating the state of Vostokchevnya. The other town of Vsevograd, under the leadership of Saul Betterman, would later form the Republic of Nivistrata.
However, Vostokchevnya and Nivistrata were both successor states of Vostokgrad. The real Vostokgrad remained exactly where it had been left, inside the Kingdom of Mockrea. Only now its citizens had been exiled. The city had fallen into the hands of Saul Betterman who still remained a loyal spy for King Pigeon. Yet the town remained abandoned, a constant reminder of the failures that occurred there. General Lettcor Volkost was the only original Vostokgrad government minister who remained behind in Mockrea. He denounced the King’s actions in exiling the Vostokiyan’s and had finally reached a boiling point, becoming disillusioned with the government. And so in , General Lettcor Volkost rallied Commander Swapped, Eric Rossian and Aitha Uknalda, along with foreign support and volunteers, to come together and perform a strategic coup against the new Mockrean administration. The coup would succeed, however, with the king assuming full power and going against the wishes of the Vanguard.
==== New Beginnings ====
General Lettcor Volkost had not trusted Saul Betterman since the First War for Vostokrad, as such he had been paying close attention to his actions both internally and externally. And so in a dramatic fashion, Lettcor marched the Vanguard to the empty city of Vostokgrad to confront Saul. A heated debate took place being observed and witnessed by many. During the discussion, Saul slipped up on his own words, revealing himself to have been a pawn to King Pigeon the entire time, and admitting to betraying Vostokgrad and its people.
And so, Lettcor Volkost and the Vanguard forced Saul Betterman, not only out of Vostokgrad, but out of the entirety of Mockrea. His legacy and political power was stripped from him, as he was forced into isolation inside Nivistrata. The Vanguard would then retake control over Vostokgrad, with Lettcor Volkost, filling in as the next Secretary of State. Despite the fact King Pigeon’s exile policies remained in place, barring any old Vostokiyans from returning, Lettcor Volkost undermined these orders, prepared to face King Pigeon in the hope of returning Vostokgrad back into its former glory. Yet, the old Vostokiyans no longer had such hope and remained in their various successor states, watching the time go by. Keen to prove them wrong, Lettcor Volkost began rebuilding the town from the ground up, working tirelessly to turn Vostokgrad into a city of life once more, a city that the Vostokiyans would want to return to. He constructed buildings, statues, houses and even a museum. However before he could continue his vision, during the Second Mockrean Coup in , General of the Vanguard and leader of Vostokgrad, Lettcor Volkost would find himself caught in a terrorist bombing, dying almost instantly. His death was significant not only because of his contributions to Mockrea, but also because his death likely prevented Vostokgrad from declaring support to either side, instead staying neutral so they could mourn their leader. Reena would be named as the General’s successor, adopting his forename as a title to honour his legacy and sacrifice to Vostokgrad.
===Second Administration of Illegal===
Second Administration
Office 	Minister
State Secretary	Father Illegal
High Councillor	Lettcor Reena
Culture 	Vladovych Lunov
Infrastructure 	Commander Swapped
Law 	DukeOfFish
Armed Forces 	Mister_Bunny
Under Reena's leadership, the ban on former Vostokiyans was finally lifted. This meant that for the first time in decades, the citizens of Vostokgrad could finally return back to motherland itself. Far and wide, Vostokiyans that had been banished into exile, emerged once again. Leading the way, the founding father Illegal, would arrive back into Vostokgrad where he met with the other Vostokiyans, now all united. Having fulfilled Lettcor Volkosts wish, Reena stepped down, handing leadership over to Illegal so that he could continue his original administration as he had been doing before the events of the First War for Vostokgrad. 
Illegal would further stabilise and populate Vostokgrad, bringing over comrades old and new. It was during this time that would see Vostokgrad begin to rapidly progress, expanding in territory, population, and notoriety. On the back of this success, an election would take place in the successor state of Vostokchevnya, in which Illegal would enter into. During the election, Illegal would secure an outright majority, making him the leader of not only Vostokgrad but Vostokchevnya as well. With this historic win, Illegal would announce his cabinet, which uniquely would serve in both Vostokgrad and Vostokchevnya, in turn promoting the idea of further integration with a unifying union.
== Culture ==
The Vostokiyan culture is a broad, decentralised term, often used to refer to any citizen of any Vostokgrad state, including the successor states. It was one of the only distinctly notable cultural groups inside the Kingdom of Mockrea, that is different to the more dominant "Mockrean" identity. Unlike the "Mockrean" identity group, Vostokiyans are typically more cautious of oversees newcomers, having a specific hatred of Pigeon People, a rare species typically only found in New Mockrea. This conflict between Vostokiyans and Mockrean Pigeons, began during the aftermath of the two Wars for Vostokgrad, which established a form of generational hatred towards King Pigeon and also Pigeon People in general. 
Because of the successor states of Vostokgrad, the Vostokiyan cultural group is not necessarily bound to a specific place or location. Although Vostokgrad acts as a sort of cultural hub and central point, the identity itself has been known to travel around. Vostokchevnya acts as a perfect example, being a proud Vostokiyan state yet far away from the motherland of Vostokgrad. 
=== Architecture ===
Vostokgrad's architecture first started off as being rather cheap and small, using simple materials to quickly erect compact homes that could house a lot of people in a small location. This of course brought many issues with it, one of which being its small size, which allowed it to be quickly conquered during the Wars for Vostokgrad. Seeing this glaring weakness, when General Lettcor Volkost removed Saul Betterman from leadership, one of the first things he would do was demolish the old Vostokgrad. In its place, Lettcor Volkost would call upon his close friend Commander Nicholas "Swapped" Ashford, who had developed the "Swapped" architectural style in New Mockrea, to come and do the same in Vostokgrad. Together, Lettcor and Swapped would establish the "Vostok" architectural style. The style uses the old and ancient history of Vostokgrad into its style, creating cosy and warm buildings in combination with natural overgrowth to give the town a sense visual of life. 
After the death of Lettcor Volkost, Commander Swapped would directly oversee construction in Vostokgrad, serving in Secretary of State Illegal's second administration as Minister of Infrastructure. It would be during his tenure, that Vostokgrad would grow and flourish like never before, becoming a thriving lively state. Commander Swapped, like many Vostokiyans, held a strong hatred for the Mockrean species of Pigeon People. With his new position as Minister of Infrastructure, he would also implement stronger restrictions for Pigeon People into the very buildings of Vostokgrad itself. The first example of this was in the famous Red Star Tavern, in which Pigeon People were forbidden to drink inside and were restricted to sleeping in the dark, grimy attic, in which only two tattered beds existed, often forcing the few Pigeon People who stayed the night to sleep on the hard wood floor. 
==Government Secretary of State's==
The Secretary of State is the highest position in Vostokgrad. Generally, the Secretary of State's power is shared over a number of trusted individuals with high priority decision being decided through a democratic system all citizens can partake in. Instead the Secretary of State acts more like a physical manifestation of the people's voices and views. It is important to note that every Secretary of State is different (some vastly different), and so this is only a general overview and not necessarily accurate for all leaders.
Leaders of Vostokgrad
Name 	Portrait	Tenure 	Overview
Father Illegal 	 	17-21 
VE 	Was forced to abdicate after the First War for Vostokgrad. He founded Vostokgrad and built the city up, rivalling their neighbours after only a short amount of time. Is also credited with forming the first government and establishing the Vostokiyan identity.
Comrade Alex 	 	21-22 VE 	Forcibly removed Saul Betterman out of ownership of the city in an effort to seek justice for the aftermath of the First War. This would result in start of the Second War for Vostokgrad. After a second defeat, Alex and many other Vostokiyan's were exiled to distant lands.
Saul Betterman 	 	22-26 VE 	Saul Betterman would assume power with no one left to object. He would be later forcibly exiled out by Lettcor Volkost and his Vanguards after discovering his status as a traitor and spy for the King of Mockrea.
Lettcor Volkost	 	26-41 VE 	Began the grand rebuilding phase, destroying the old buildings to make way for a new cohesive style. Made efforts to remove the exile policy on Vostokiyans in hope of welcoming them back into the city, however was killed in a Mockrean terrorist attack before he could finish.
Lettcor Reena 	 	41-55 VE 	Appointed by Lettcor Volkost. Adopted his forename in with promise to continue his legacy. Fulfilled Lettcor Volkosts vision in lifting the ban on the former Vostokiyans. Made the territory semi-independent (instead of integrated) back under the Kingdom of Mockrea.
Father Illegal 	 	Present VE	Returned to Vostokgrad to continue his previous administration. Currently serving as leader of both Vostokgrad and Vostokchevnya.