Nastavak is a massive island continent located in the southwestern hemisphere. Completely surrounded by ocean, it is the geographic and geopolitical setting for the Divine Republic of Kresimiria and its five neighbouring states, the Federation of Boskenmark, the Kingdom of Kruhlstutt, the Republic of Kaskiv, the Alandir Confederacy and the Valkari States.
The continent’s modern political boundaries were forged in the “Great Fracture” of the early 20th century, following the collapse of the Vosti Empire in 1918. Geopolitically, the island is defined by a stark geographic reality: the wealthy, outward-looking maritime powers that control the coastlines, and the heavily militarized, landlocked successor states trapped in the continental interior.
Today, Nastavak is a region of stark ideological and economic contrasts: from the liberal, naval-backed constitutional monarchy of Kruhlstutt in the west, to the authoritarian, landlocked theocracy of Kresimiria in the center, and from the peaceful, impenetrable northern cliffs of the Alandir mountains to the lawless, landlocked warlordism of the Valkari steppes in the southwest.
Geography and Nations
Nastavak is characterized by diverse terrain, ranging from the jagged, unnavigable coastal cliffs of the Severni Range in the north to the fertile river basins of the central lowlands and the vast eastern steppes that roll gently into the ocean.
The island continent is comprised of six distinct political entities:
1. The Divine Republic of Kresimiria
- Location: Central Nastavak (Landlocked).
- Leaders: Chair Ari Stov and Chancellor Kresimirovic IV.
- Status: Regional Power / Theocratic Republic.
- Overview: Occupying the geographic heart of the island, Kresimiria is entirely landlocked. Shaped like a shield, it controls the vital internal river networks and land trade routes but is utterly dependent on its neighbors for access to global maritime shipping. Governed from Sinj, it is defined by its state religion, Kresimirianism, its massive heavy industry, and its highly secured, paranoid borders.
2. The Kingdom of Kruhlstutt
- Location: Western Seaboard.
- Leaders: Prime Minister Amalia Renn and King Frederik V.
- Status: Major Power / Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy.
- Overview: Controlling the dominant western coast and deep-water ports, Kruhlstutt is a wealthy, industrialized liberal democracy and historical naval superpower. It serves as the primary source of high technology and luxury goods for the continent, utilizing its coastal access to maintain a complex, highly leveraged “trading rival” relationship with the landlocked Kresimirian state.
3. The Federation of Boskenmark
- Location: Southern Coast.
- Leaders: President Viktor Luxenberg.
- Status: Former Imperial Core / Federal Republic (Authoritarian).
- Overview: Formerly the seat of the Vosti Empire (centered on the city of Vost). Holding the southern seaboard, Boskenmark utilizes its ports to seek foreign alliances against the north. Following the loss of its inland territories in the Unification War, it has become a revanchist state and the center of the Pravoslavic Faith, violently disputing the sovereignty of Kresimiria’s District X (Moraviskameja).
4. The Republic of Kaskiv
- Location: Eastern Seaboard.
- Leaders: Prime Minister Vera Donini.
- Status: Parliamentary Republic.
- Overview: Historically the “Imperial Granary,” Kaskiv’s flat agricultural steppes roll directly into the eastern ocean, allowing the secular democracy to freely export its grain and liquid natural gas to global markets. It shares a long, highly lucrative land border with Kresimiria, serving as an indispensable energy partner by supplying the gas that powers Kresimirian industry via the Trans-Republic Pipeline.
5. The Alandir Confederacy
- Location: Northern Coast (Functionally Landlocked).
- Leaders: Federal Council.
- Status: Neutral Confederation.
- Overview: A collection of isolationist mountain cantons protected by the impassable Severni Range. While their territory technically touches the northern ocean, the mountains simply run out of land, dropping thousands of feet down sheer, freezing cliffs into violent, unnavigable waters. Lacking any natural harbors, Alandir remains functionally landlocked and fiercely isolated, maintaining strict armed neutrality while controlling the headwaters of the continent’s major rivers (such as the Kambel).
6. The Valkari States
- Location: Southwestern Interior (Landlocked).
- Status: Failed State / Warlord Fiefdoms.
- Overview: Wedged between Kresimiria, Boskenmark, and Kruhlstutt, this former imperial march collapsed into chaotic warlordism after 1918. Entirely cut off from legitimate maritime wealth, it survives as a desperate hub for overland smuggling and is the home of the Zelen Cartel, which floods the continent with synthetic narcotics.
History
The Imperial Era (c. 1450–1918)
For nearly five centuries, the history of Nastavak was the history of the Vosti Empire. Ruled from Vost (in modern Boskenmark), the Empire controlled the vast majority of the island’s landmass, including modern Kresimiria, Kaskiv, and the nominal territories of Alandir.
The geopolitical dynamic of this era was defined by the “Great Standoff” between the massive, land-based armies of the Vosti Empire and the industrial, naval supremacy of the Kingdom of Kruhlstutt. Kruhlstutt remained fiercely independent, utilizing its deep-water ports to dominate the surrounding oceans and frequently launching “gunboat diplomacy” against Vosti coastal cities.
The Great Fracture and The Turnip Winter (1914–1921)
The modern map of Nastavak was drawn in the blood of the Continental War (1914–1918).
- The Blockade: Because Nastavak is an island, Kruhlstutt’s naval supremacy proved devastating. The Kruhlstutt armada literally sailed circles around the continent, blockading the eastern grain ports of Kaskiv and the southern ports of Boskenmark. Cut off from all global maritime trade, the landlocked imperial core simply starved, leading to the catastrophic “Turnip Winter” of 1917.
- The Collapse: In November 1918, the starving Empire dissolved.
- The Partition:
- Kaskiv achieved a “Velvet Exit,” securing its eastern ports and independence peacefully.
- Kresimiria and Boskenmark fought the brutal Unification War over the central territories, resulting in Kresimiria securing the continental heartland but permanently losing access to the sea.
The Cold Peace (1921–Present)
Since 1921, the continent has operated under a fragile balance of power. The borders have remained largely static, though the southern frontier between Kresimiria and Boskenmark remains a militarized “frozen conflict” zone. The late 20th century saw the massive economic integration of the continent: Kruhlstutt provides maritime access and technology, Kaskiv provides energy and grain, and Kresimiria provides raw materials and heavy industry, all connected via sprawling, transnational rail and pipeline networks like the Porta Franca crossing.
International Relations
The web of relations on Nastavak is defined by Kresimiria’s geographic claustrophobia. Because the Divine Republic is landlocked, it must negotiate with its coastal neighbors to interact with the outside world.
The Kresimiria-Kaskiv Axis (Strategic)
A highly pragmatic partnership. The Council for Foreign Affairs in Sinj prioritizes good relations with Kaskiv to secure the Trans-Republic Pipeline, which delivers essential natural gas. Furthermore, Kresimirian oligarchs rely heavily on Kaskiv’s eastern seaports to export their heavy steel and agricultural products to global markets, making Kaskiv the indispensable economic lifeline of the Republic.
The Kresimiria-Kruhlstutt Axis (Transactional)
A relationship of economic necessity but fierce ideological hostility. Kresimiria relies heavily on Kruhlstutt for high-tech imports (such as the semiconductors powering YakaSys) and utilizes Kruhlstutt’s western ports for high-value logistics. In return, Kruhlstutt politicians (particularly from the SWL) frequently leverage their coastal and technological superiority to extract massive trade tariffs from Sinj while publicly condemning Kresimiria’s human rights abuses and harboring exiled dissidents like the CRF.
The Kresimiria-Boskenmark Axis (Hostile)
The most dangerous relationship on the continent. Boskenmark violently refuses to recognize Kresimiria’s sovereignty over the landlocked District X (Moraviskameja). While the 1961 Treaty ended major conventional combat, the border remains closed to most traffic. Both nations wage a perpetual shadow war, with Boskenmark utilizing its southern ports to smuggle covert funding to terrorist groups like AFIM operating within Kresimiria.
The Valkari Problem
All major powers on Nastavak collaborate to contain the Valkari States. Trapped in the interior, the failed state has no legitimate economy. Kresimiria has built heavily militarized walls to stop the flow of drugs from the Zelen Cartel, while Kruhlstutt provides naval and financial funding for anti-narcotics operations to prevent the warlords from ever reaching the western coast.