Webnovel

Chapter 1: Vukograd

In the year 581 of Gospodar calendar, while assessing the makeshift roads to the northern fortresses, a small team of dwarven prospectors returned to the nation's capital of Kislev with the report of potential rich veins of iron and coal in the hills southwest of Golinyi Mountains. On the orders of the Kislev's Ice Court, a small army detachment from the surrounding villages, or stanitsas as they are known in Kislev, under Captain Ladislav Tomaš was sent to verify the claims. Once the captain returned with positive news, by the order of the Tsar he was granted the title of Boyar and the lands surrounding the mines, from then known as Crna Brda or Black Hills in the native language.

 

The area was slowly settled across 4 years as Kislev citizens, who grew up accustomed to the northern climate, settled down and quickly created a small village. The only major issue was the existence of wolves. Living in surrounding forests and hills uninterrupted for decades, maybe even for centuries, they have found a great new source of food in the newly created village and it wasn't too long before the attacks started. Initially only the livestock was targeted, but it became worse after several children were attacked in the night. Hunting expeditions failed to stop the problem as thick hides of the grey wolves meant that arrows alone wouldn't be enough. Not wishing to lose the newly assigned territory, Captain Tomaš hedged all his bets and money on experimental long rifles, said to be more accurate and more deadly than a regular bow and arrow. His bet paid off and soon enough a group of citizens became so well experienced that they would become the inspiration behind the local unit known as Wolf Guard. After the issue was finally solved, he received the honour from the Ice Court to name his new settlement. Taking inspiration from the beasts that caused him so much trouble, Vukograd, the City of Wolves was born.

 

In the current year of 675, 94 years after the first mining discovery, Snježana Tomaš now rules her domain. The city had slowly expanded over the years and it now counted around 5 thousand people with several more stanitsas in the surrounding area. The city was now fortified with stonewalls to prevent attacks from wildlife and otherwise. The rich deposits of iron and coal, the original point behind settling down the area, found a great new use in the Vukograd Foundry, the city's most important building. It produced steel and weapons for Boyars, army and any buyers wishing to travel the distance for them.

The pride and joy of the foundry was the Vukograd long rifle, a gun that is slowly becoming famous across the region. It has become a prized possession due to its accuracy and, depending if buyer is willing to pay for it or not, intricate detailing on the gun's stock. Of course, the gun does have one major issue compared most of the competitors. Due to how the gun is designed, rifling that is a process rarely done anywhere in the world, the ammunition the needs to be specific calibre or else the gun would experience issues. For that reason an ammunition workshop was also built to provide for sellers and the army.

Other than buying it, the only other ways of acquiring one is to inherit it or to join the Wolf Guard. Created in the early days of the city, the unit operated on different principle than the main Kislev gun unit, the streltsi. They operate on marksmanship with their long rifles, sniping from far away. Joining the unit works on the same principle as for Winged Lancers. A recruit needs to slay a wolf by himself and bring its skin back. As the reward, the skin will become part of the uniform and the recruit will be allowed to join the Guard.

Other than the weapons, the only other things worth of note are the two stanitsas that raise rather unique animals. One raises a small pack of domesticated wolves for local needs while another one raises snow leopards mainly for trade. While all of this makes the city prosperous, especially for in the Northern Oblast where Vukograd lays, it seems unsatisfactory to Boyar Tomaš, who dreams about bigger ambitions. After her father had put her though Imperial education, a rare feat for any Kislevite, she returned home with some interesting ideas for her realm. Even if the golden age of Empire of Man had ended long ago, it still remains one of the most powerful nations even with its internal issues. Unfortunately, the ideas Snježana brought home, mostly related to weapons manufacturing, seemed impossible for her small realm. And so Snježana believed that they would never see the light of the day, buried under the snow in her mind as her name implied. That was, until one fateful winter night.