Karlo Kruger

Karlo Kruger was the leader of the Westclavian Separatists (later shortened to only Westclave) during the Kraghammer Civil War, and former heir to the throne of King William I. It is said that he simply lived inside a wooden cottage in the freezing taiga.

## Early Life

Karlo Kruger was born to King William I, or Walter Kruger and Daisy Kruger. His mother died during childbirth in an unfortunate incident. As a young boy, he showed a lot of passion in sports, being one of the best soccer players in his elementary school. He was also a smart young boy, showing a love for mathematics and science. During his childhood, he had a lot of friends, whether or not this was influenced by his royal blood is unknown, but "it wouldn't be a day if Karlo didn't go out to play soccer with his friends," remarked his father.

## Life as a Prince

Karlo was a royal, and a royal had many duties. When he grew to the age of 22 after graduating from university, he became entitled Duke of Kraghammer, and acted as the leader of the city affairs, while his father took charge of major settlements and the entire nation. He was indifferent to his duties and would always take up an opportunity to leave them. However, he did them with effort and never slothed on it.

Karlo had always wanted to join the renowned Krag Army. They were strong, fierce, determined, and effective. He wished to apply for the position of officer but his requests were denied by his father, saying that he "had a lot of responsibilities to take care of rather than joining the Army."

### William I's Car Accident

After his father went into a comatose after a car accident, Karlo was devastated. He spent "countless hours in his room crying" according to a royal guardsman. This same royal guard also went on to accompany Karlo in fleeing Kraghammer.

After Karlo fled and formed his band of liberal separatists, his rival and his father's trusted advisor, Sir Forrest Manchester took over the government and proclaimed to remain loyal to Kraghammer's original ideals: to God, after learning of the separatists. This band was named Westclave, and soon grew to be extremely large, rivaling Manchester's Legion of the Lord.

## Kraghammer Civil War

*For more information, see Kraghammer Civil War.*

Karlo Kruger was the leader of the Westclavian Separatists and did not let anything harm his people. When a reconnaissance group massacred an entire crowd of angry Westclavians, he did not take it lightly and immediately called for the bombing of the City of Kraghammer. Numerous connections established in the underground allowed him to hijack multiple aircraft capable of dropping Killer Queen *Devastator* model bombs, which nearly flattened the city. This led to an equal response from Manchester, with him declaring a full state of civil war.

### Siege of Fort Katryshk

Karlo saw to it that Fort Katryshk was the hardest resistance the Legion would ever face. After the latter had taken multiple outposts, he would not let them take Fort Katryshk, a major stronghold owned by Westclave. If it had been taken, the civil war would be as good as over. He actually went to the battlefield itself and alongside the advice of senior officers, effectively manned the fort garrison into defending the multiple waves of Legion soldiers.

Eventually, the Legion did not send any more waves, ending Operation Wosseau. Instead, they replenished their forces and took a stronger grip on their occupied territory. This period was colloquially known as the Phony War, with nothing but a few artillery being fired to chip off enemy morale.

### End of the Civil War and Death

At the end of the civil war, the City of Kraghammer was 90% taken by Westclave. Karlo's underground contacts had paid off and provided Westclave military-grade weapons as well as prototypes of future guns. Soon, Sir Manchester was cornered to a piece of rubble, the Strata building. Karlo infiltrated it with multiple soldiers to precisely clear it off and take Manchester into custody. However, his entire squad was picked off by resistance and it was just him and his longtime rival.

After a rather short philosophical conversation, Karlo executed Manchester via bullet to the brain, in quick draw wild west style. Manchester's bullet strayed off though, and hit a highly flammable LPG tank, leading to a large explosion and Karlo's body shredded and burnt by debris and the impact of the high-temperature explosion. Although met with a brutal end to his short life, his legacy would continue forever in the name of Westclavia.

## Attitude

Karlo was very brash and hotheaded during his younger years, always making reckless decisions, but his experiences in city affairs shaped his maturity and carved him into a fit leader for Westclave. He had a short temper and was easily angered by small things, as shown in the Civil War when the Legion took multiple outposts. He used his intelligence to sneakily make sure the Legion had to go through every form of military suffering during their efforts to take Katryshk.

However, Karlo had a good heart and was naturally kind to everyone, especially Tommy Shelby, who had visited him in his home during the civil war, sharing a game of poker between each other. It is also said that he had accommodated two lost girls in his home, who later fled to their homes, towards the end of the civil war.

## Trivia

* Karlo's appearance was based on James Caan's Sonny Corleone in The Godfather.
* Not only his appearance but also his attitude reflected Sonny.
* Karlo's (and Walter's) namesake was from Freddy Kruger.