Kurzhen

Kurzhen is an island nation located within the New World, with some of it's land entering into the Calm Belt, and is made of scorched, rocky terrain, unfit for any manner of sustainable cultivation upon the surface, and a dense collection of islands, some large but many small.

However, underground there are giant deposits of water, compared to the surface which is all but devoid of fresh water, as well as giant cave systems where the people of Kurzhen farm a variety of mushrooms for nutrition.

Atop these mining and farming installations lie giant hive-like structures, with heavily apparent urban sprawl, that function as the population centers of the people of the nation.

The island is rather out of the way compared to the normal route of island hopping within the New World, though those other nations that do reside nearby are subject to constant raiding by Kurzhen, who seek to raid and plunder the wealth and natural resources of more bountiful lands.

The people of Kurzhen currently stand under a united banner, however this has not always been the case.

There were once many different tribes that each claimed sections of the region, however over time they began warring with each other over the limited resources available. Every tribe except for a sole victor was either completely annihilated, or integrated into the ranks of the victor tribe as slaves.

This victor tribe was, and still remains to be, the Stingblood Tribe, which is a group of humans distinct for their muscular stature, and their ability to telepathically understand orders (though not actively communicate). They live in hives, and there are currently multiple distinct hives of Stingbloods within Kurzhen.

Stingbloods are each in subservience to a Queen, however the majority of authority is delegated to an individual known as **The Scourge**, who is the only other member of a hive aside from the Queen who has the ability to telepathically give orders to others of his hive. As the Queen must always reside within a hive to maintain internal affairs, a Scourge finds themselves in complete autonomy when it comes to martial affairs.

While the nation of Kurzhen has historically been a state that has been in a constant state of war with itself, only waging mild raids against it's near neighbors in the past, and generally not impeding upon lands sanctioned and protected by the World Government and Navy, although not proactively, the World Government has recently mis-classified the region, claiming it to have been taken over by a "demonic being." This misunderstanding was brought about after the navy bore witness to Oskaire Kalico ruthlessly destroy an army in an inferno of blue fire, and due to a general lack of understanding regarding the culture and structure of how the isles of Kurzhen operate as a whole, Kalico has been mistaken to be some manner of beast that has somehow taken control of the islands, though as to the theorized how is not explained. Regardless, while this does not place Kurzhen itself yet in the line of fire of the World Government, it has nonetheless been marked as a potential location of both curiosity and threat, though as the seas near Kurzhen are rife with it's various fleets, nearing the land for observation has proved futile thus far. Because of the presence of a growing pirate presence within the New World, however, this issue has not taken priority aside from advisory and indicated threat.

## Culture & Government

While there are multiple hives of Stingbloods within Kurzhen, there is a power system that sees a single hive reigning dominant over all the others at any given time.

This title refers to them as the "Masters" of Kurzhen, and the Queen in control of the strongest hive will find themselves able to birth an abnormally powerful heir, known as an **Immortal**.

Unlike a normal Scourge, an Immortal is able to telepathically communicate, and stretch their will upon, all members of the Stingblood Tribe, regardless of hive and former hierarchy. They are designated to lead massive raiding fleets of a collective of warriors of various Stingblood hives, who unite under this banner of the Immortal.

However, a hive must be unanimously recognized as being the most powerful for this to become possible, something that can be hard to achieve.

Due to the lack of resources in Kurzhen, when an Immortal is born, it means rejoice for the entire nation as a whole. Brining all the Scourges and their armies under one banner, they seek out one, or many, targets upon which to plunder, bringing back riches and tales of glory upon return.

This Horde, as it has come to be known be nations and people that have been subjected to the wrath of Kurzhen in the past, resemble an army of beasts, structured like the army of ants. They are unified in order, yet each individually savage and worthy of scorn. There is no mercy for the victims of a Kurzhen Horde. When their signature Troll Ships dot the horizon, there is only so much time to prepare for the onslaught ahead.

Additionally, Kurzhen do not fear death. Stingbloods will willingly send themselves into a wall of spears for their commanding Scourge of Immortal, and can enter a battle-frenzy that sees them become immune to pain, nullifying their senses and focusing them simply on victory. They do seem to have a code of honor, though, and have a consistent structure of attack.

The Kurzhen will first send a scouting party to the land they encroach upon, and sit idly by before advancing.

* If the scouting party finds nothing, they will continue to move on, leaving a ship for the scouts to return to the fleet with.
* If the scouting party meets resistance, but is victorious, the Kurzhen will allow for a minimal number of cargo ships to remain with the victorious scouting party as to collect resources, where they will immediately return to Kurzhen without rejoining the fleet
* If a scouting party meets resistance, and enters stalemate, the Kurzhen will not help them, waiting until either a decisive victory, or loss, is met
* If a scouting party meets resistance, and perishes, the Kurzhen will wait a full 24 hours sitting idly. After this period, they will attack with the force of their entire fleet (Horde) at once, generally with no strategy other than to brute-force their targets into defeat

It should be noted that Kurzhen scouting parties are the size of some raiding parties of other nations, being 100-Stingblood strong, each armed to the teeth in Kurzhen armor, and equipped with all manner of spears, swords, and axes.

## Military Organization

As the military is such an integral part of Kurzhen society, it is important to show it's sheer capacity.

Each Hive within Kurzhen, of which there are currently 13, maintains a standing army of around 500,000 warriors at all times, diverse between the different castes of soldiers. but mostly consisting of Legions. During the Spring Season of every year, there is a population boom, in which this number often doubles in size within 1-2 weeks, bolstering the armed forces of each Hive, but also straining resources. It because and by this population boom that Raiding Season is declared in the early Spring, where droves of Kurzhen set off to sea in search of lands to plunder for resources, riches, and slaves. A raiding event is known as a **Hunt.**

The Scourge of a Hive leads these Hunts, with fleets varying in size from roughly 100,000-200,000 Kurzhen warriors. They set sail with three main types of ships, each with a specific purpose in their endeavor.

The first of these warships is the notorious **Troll Ship.** Troll Ships are the staple ships of all Kurzhen fleets, and are massive battleships that are used as transport for the giant armies Kurzhen sets worth with. They appear as if two longships have been molded together, and is very long, with the latter half of the boat being dedicated to troop quarters and armory.

At the front of a Troll Ship is a giant fire siphon which spews flames from it's 'mouth.' These fire siphons are often used to burn ships in front of the fleet without even needing to board them, and upon landing on shore, they can be used to either whittle down defenses that are near the beach, or alternatively shut of their flame, with the mouth being fitted to work as a shore-anchor as well. These ships are massive, with the largest being the size of a small town, and house the vast majority of the Kurzhen forces at sea. Typically a Scourge's fleet with have around 10 Troll Ships, housing 10-20,000 troops each.

The second of these ships is the **Dragon Ship**, which is a more mobile warship in comparison to the **Troll Ship**, and often see use during naval encounters, where their mobility allows them to out-maneuver more traditional vessels.

They are additionally used by Scouting Parties, who utilize their speed to quickly reach shore to maximize the time-efficiency of a Hunt.

Troll ships are usually either sailed alongside, or dragged from the rears of Troll Ships, and there are often hundreds within a Scourge fleet, with the last Immortal's fleet said to have Dragon Ships numbering in the tens of thousands.

Each Dragon Ship can carry about 30 armed troops, and they generally travel in packs of three.

The last, and arguably most important, of the three ships is the **Box Ship**. Box Ships are cargo transport ships that the Kurzhen use to pile raided supplies to send back to their homeland. As the acquiration of loot and resources is the primary objective of Hunts in the first place, the defense and integrity of these Box Ships is of the utmost importance to a Scourge and his fleet.

Even during open conflict, a substantial part of the fleet stays back to defend these Box Ships, and in the occasion of the overwhelming defeat of the fleet in combat, they have orders to immediately retreat back to Kurzhen, bringing the goods with them.

Generally the sheer defensive prowess of these Box Ships leaves them untargeted for neither battle nor chase, though.

It should additionally be noted that the fleet of an **Immortal** dwarves the fleets of Scourges, often being more than 10x the size.

## Trivia

* Hunting Seasons typically last from the third week of Spring to the end of Summer, sometimes early Autumn.
* Hives often find themselves in conflict with each other, making them their own enemies when not united under an Immortal
* Ranks as the second most populous island in the world after Monogatari