The Tzardom of Sokoliv

Nation name: The Tzardom of Sokoliv
Race: Human, Sokoliv ethnicity
Culture: Long the Tzars of the lands of Sokoliv have reigned, with the nobles under him vying for what little power they can get from him. The rich of the nation live in luxury, while the vast majority of the peasant population live on subsistence farming and little else. In the nations capital of Pietgrad, both the Tzar and the head of the church reside in the grand palace and the Patriarch of the church in the largest church in the land. The faith is important to the peoples of Sokoliv, and the Patriarch is much loved and respected amongst the commoners while the Tzar in recent years has waned in popularity, having passed several laws taxing the peasantry more and enforcing conscription.

In the many towns and villages that dot the countryside, new and radical political forces have grown, the largest of them all undoubtably being the Bolsheviks, who’s chosen ideology of Communist Socialism attracts uncountable people sick and tired of the ruling nobility and the Tzar. Unlike many other socialist ideologies, the one practiced by the Bolsheviks has no ill will towards the church, with many members helping to construct new orthodox temples and assisting in prayer sermons.

Military culture: The vast majority of the Imperial military is made up of conscripts, trained for 2-3 months before being put into active duty. When they are, they are commanded by officers, all of which are the sons and occasionally daughters of the nobility. These “officers”, if they can even be called such, are taught tactics and procedures in a classroom, and many who have tasted actual battle have found themselves unable to command effectively. This had lead to many soldiers “misfiring” and killing their superiors intentionally, and is so widespread and accepted among the conscripted infantry that not one soldier has ever been convicted of such an act. It is unsurprising that many of these soldiers also happen to be Bolsheviks, and that fact has begun to worry many higher ups that if the issue of the officers isn’t fixed, widespread fragging and even mutiny could occur, sending chaos throughout the ranks. Many of the soldiers in the army are veterans, and those of the officer Corp who are still alive after all this time have done so by quick thinking, proper leadership and just actually listening to the advice of those veterans under their command.

Military evolution: The Imperial army has always relied on waves of infantry to crush their foes under the boots of the Tzardom, and the officer Corp has done little to change that tactical strategy. Though, the effectiveness of this has changed with the introduction of automatic weaponry, and firearms in general, with the average conscript using a Mazke-Oblas rifle to cut down the foe he faces.

Flaws: Aside from the glaring issue of the officer Corp, the nation is at the bleeding edge of a Civil war between the vastly outnumbered nobility and the underclasses. Subversive ideologies run rampant in the nation, with the Tzar doing his best to stem the fires of revolution from catching. If a revolution were to occur, there is no doubt that the Tzardom would fall, with no one knowing what would occur after...