Selvavikam

The United People's Republic of Selvavikam

**The United People's Republic of Selvavikam,** also known as **Selvavikam**, is a country in the Northern Volkhard Confederacy. The country was once ruled by an oligarchy yet were thrown out during the Socialist Uprising.

## History

Selvavikam was once part of the kingdom of Uthenia that held a bitter rivalry against Thollenskaar. In turn, Selvavikam would suffer the force of this hatred for one another including Lord Eislner who was apart of the royal cadet branch of Uthenia. This would explode into the fall of Uthenia which saw their royal family killed and the kingdom split into three independent states. Following the fall began the Dissolution Wars which saw the remnants of Uthenia scrabble for land against one another with repercussions as far as Pretzuntif and Hambourg. While the war lasted until 103, the 94 Treaty of Selvavikam oversaw the country to be ruled by an oligarchy of the three major houses.

The now independent Selvavikam gained fame through its rich mines that were exported to Thollenskaar and The Capital, earning it the nickname the 'Iron Fruitbasket of Volkhard'.

During the 160s, the houses began mass unemployment after many of the mines ran dry of iron and the other resources, chromium and tungsten, were considered not worth the risk. Strikes occurred all around the country including a brief socialist uprising that the houses quelled, despite suffering severe financial repercussions. Despite this, the mining industry bounced back once chromium and tungsten were discovered to be key components in the invention of the Dashingham engine, required for the mass production of horses in The Capital

### The Firebombing of Selvavikam

> "SOS. Astarian planes circling above. Send the K.o.t.S now. Send the K.o.t.S now. SOS" - **Selvavikam distress signal**
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Following the First Battle of Hambourg in 196, the Astarians had a launching base for massive aerial bombardment into north-eastern Volkhard territories, including Selvavikam and it's rich chromium and tungsten mines. Carpet bombing was seen as common during the early half of the year, though perhaps the greatest firebombing campaign occurred on the 9th of August 196. It is believed that many Astarians saw Selvavikam's industrial might as a key component to the war effort in the Astarian War of Aggression, however it's validity is yet to be determined.

Throughout the early evening, fighter pilots were seen circling around the city which sent an urgent telegram to The Capital personally requesting the Knights of the Sky from the Army of the Coalition. Help did not come. AT 8:32pm, the first bomber planes began dropping heavy incendiary bombs on the nearest roads leading out of the city in an effort to prevent aid coming to the city. After an hour, three huge zeppelins appeared in the smog and unleashed such hellfire never seen before in the war at that point. Over five thousand tonnes of firebombs were dropped on the city, crippling the industry and killing over 30,000 civilians. Anti-aircraft guns proved of little use and after twelve hours of constant bombardment, the Astarians left Selvavikam to return the next night, dropping a further two thousand tonnes onto the city.

When relief finally reached the city, it was recalled that little remained and the Houses were personally escorted out of the burning city. Selvavikam continued to burn for up to three months after the bombing campaign, fuelled by an oil silo at the centre of the industrial sector. Exports out of the city became non-existent and whilst there were few bombing raids after the incident, the industrial might of Selvavikam was severely weakened.

### Socialism

Unions began to protest the nepotism that the Houses received after the bombing with many workers refusing to return to the factories or mines. When one house tried to disperse one march, a riot broke out and even more workers were killed. These workers became martyrs for the cause and incited further protests and riots in the city, demanding a better quality of life and the removal of the Houses in the city. With the Army of the Coalition tied up with the war and the incoming Operation Dandelion, the city had to deal with the problem on its own. In a bid to try and seek aid, Vikrum Eislner would take a boat to Thollenskaar where he was swiftly arrested for breaking the neutrality of the country. He would die in imprison of typhoid.

The three great houses would eventually dissipate; Pelisika would leave Selvavikam and move to The Capital, the Eislner would dissipate their enterprise and the Kravinko's would apply themselves to the unions in an effort to keep what financial gain they held. After the death of King Alexei in The Capital, the final nail in the coffin of the oligarchy was banished and an election was forcefully held declaring the United People's Party as the new government in charge of Selvavikam as a unitary one-party socialist republic promoting better working conditions, better pay and a focus on equal payment.

By 210, Selvavikam would still mass export chromium and tungsten with a preference on other socialist countries. Selvavikam supports the Bhelivikan Republic in their ceasing of Podńaz with dignitaries meeting in the period before and after the occupation of the territory.