Kursica

Kursica, officially the Kursican Federation (KF), is a country in Hatar, on the continent of Serratar. Established in 1766 as the Kursican Federation after the Kursican Federalist Rebellion, which reformed the Kurso-Svat Commonwealth, Kursica is a relatively big hatarian state, extending from the aqta sea and its island of Kul to the Urhanic Plains and Lake Bos, and in the far east, bordering Rhaetia. Kursica has a population of 102,126,590, with a collection of distinct ethnic groups, and a surprisingly positive birth rate. It is the fastest growing economy in hatar thanks to its neutral stance on business between the two sides of the eternal cold war, and an industrious population. It shares borders with Arsytia, and XXX. Kursica's capital and largest city is Melkia.

As one of the strongest powers in Hatar, Kursica's origins are not as clear cut as the Sunds or Avalonians. What is known is that the Svato-Kursicans are the originators of several cultures in their surrounding areas. The first known contact with the Kursicans was in the Urhanic plains, during the Sundish empire, in the 1st and 2nd century where they encountered a people who migrated through use of pack animals and carts, alongside similar peoples who sailed through rivers and lakes. Due to archaeological discoveries, it was found that an ancient culture in Modern Kursica, the Kurhan, are the originators of Avardo-Hatarian peoples, the name of Kursica even comes from this same ancient culture. The ancient Kursicans had a strange religion based not off shame, guilt or other more reasonable emotions. This religion was based off fear, and this fear informed their decisions in daily life, in war and in diplomacy. These original tribes would make remarkable constructions and tools, much removed from what you might assume of a nomadic people, but this sort of hardworking attitude would inform the later Occidental Kaurissem in its own doctrine. The modern Kursican state would originate, but not be inspired by the confederacy of Warlords in 969AD. Which was known to terrorize the surrounding lands, seeing as how they were no longer busy with inter-tribal warfare. This created a unique Kursican style of Feudalism, and would later be used by the Khan of Khans to advance into the lands in East Hatar.

After the failed, but still destructive invasion of the Khan into east Hatar, Kursica took this opportunity to capitalize on Hatarian weakness, and sieze lands that the Khan had razed for themselves, alongside their Svat brethren, who had taken claim of the Kresy lands in the Kubzors. This new Kursican empire would take time to become a true threat, but it would become one of the more influential and exported cultures around the world. This is thanks to a priest named Sikorski, who also created Occidental Kaurissem and spread it in his homeland once he came back from his journey. In the west, Sikorski practically Kurhanized several cultures by merely spreading the gospel of Iosus Kauriss to them. His heretical beliefs had caused these cultures to equate the Kursican language akin to the language of god himself. The USE being the biggest success of Kursica, as this colony is within the 'big 4' economies that control the world in modern times. Back at home, the Kursican Empire's maximum reach was from the entirety of the Haemos penninsula, all the way up to Perririne mountains in the frozen north, and from west to east, From the Kubzors to the Urhan Hills. The result was one of the larger land powers in the world's history, and not exactly an undeveloped one. All these lands had something to offer, with the sheer mass of the empire causing the budding Arsytian empire to consider them their main rival. Sadly, the Empire would only last from 1417 to 1764, ended by the Federalist rebellion, which had caused several states to leave the core of Kursica's Territory.

After this rebellion however, after the first 100 years, the country would forget its strong foundations, connection to its religion, and languish as a power, barely being able to project power in its area. The Hatar war put the final nail in the coffin for this country, and would allow for a new one to take its place, one much stronger than its first iteration. Historians call this the emergence of Neo-Kursica Culture, where people were indoctrinated to follow Sikorski's doctrine to its natural conclusion by an unknown group. This revival of old ideals and the promotion of their religion's strongest values had given the Kursican people a reason to compete in the world economy, culture, and even in military matters. This has caused them to go from a middling nation, to one which is involved in modern world poltics as much as is possible for their country. Modern political theorists state that Kursica, with its stable birthrate, influx of immigrants and strong society are set to inherit a large portion of Hatar in the future, almost like a revival of their old empire. However, as of now, they are close to Arsytia geographically, and a strong ally for them in the outbreak of war, and despite their eccentric way of bridging the gap between the economies of the Big 3, are a solid TTO ally.

Kursica is a Constitutional Federation, as per the Federalist rebellion's rules. The Constitution is notable for being the first modern style constitution written for a state in Hatar. It would function as an inspiration for future rebels and states. The Kursican state carries out elections between many different parties, the chief ones being the Kaurissemite Socialist Party, which follows a Klepackist version of it. Most parties are allowed, with the exception being parties harmful to the continued existence of Kursica, which happen to be most parties. Due to their socialist status, they only allow socialist parties to take over the state, but due to constitution, they must allow competition of sorts, lest their country degenerate. Politically, they are currently aligned with the TTO, an alliance of nations meant to fight against Fengese supremacy in the world. This has not stopped Kursica from pursusing economic cooperation with the Fengese, which gave the nation some infamy in the mid cold war, but has mostly dissipated in the public eye. Arsytia, its strongest neighbor, has always had reservations about this attitude to the cold war, but Kursica is not interested in giving the Fengese more power than they deserve. Some extra tarrifs were placed on GOCE economies in recent history due to fears that they would slowly overtake the careful balance the Strategic Council had created for the Kursican Economy, but the tarrifs are still lower than most other nations to keep Kursica an interesting place for these companies.

Etymology
The name of Kursica has an unknown origin. Some think it could be an ancient settlement that was co-opted by the modern Kursican. The nameplate of the city could have been visible at that point in time, and the Kursican tribes simply adopted it. Kursican language and alphabet was cultivated for hundreds of years, and took some influences from the Goths to the east. At least when it came to organizing their written communication. The Kursican Cryillic Script is used by many to this day. This alphabet is unique in that it uses both iotated/soft vowels (Єє, Юю, Яя) as in Astrakian, etc, and soft consonants (Ђђ, З́з́, Њњ, С́с́, Ћћ) as in Sakblian, etc. It is also the only alphabet to use ⴷʌ as a totally separate letter from Лл. While the nation's name is pronounced the same no matter how the name is spelled, the correct spelling of Kursica is Melkhija. This strange spelling is a form of horde influence back when the nation was more of a collection of warlords who followed the Khan of Khans into battle against the Hatarians alongside the Svats.

Geography
Western Hatar, surrounded by the arsytian mountains, and Taiga to the north.

969-1420
Short History: Kursica as a nation has roots back in the 10th century. Before that, they were relatively prosperous warlord communities, this is why modern administration refers to the states of Kursica as 'Voivodeships'. Warlordships. These warlords would unite under a common kingdom, known as Kursica, bringing the coastal kaszebs and schlezens under them. The Boslavcy and the Svats are likewise a steppe nomad community that clashed with neighbors, and were skilled in more nautical activities. Thankfully they had the lakes to hide with, but they couldnt do it forever. After the king of Svatomir formed his new nation, it became a mirror image of the Vistulans. A beacon of prosperity in the west of Hatar. They would unite later under a political marriage to aid the largest steppe horde ever sent into Hatar, under the famous warlord Khanuudyn Khan, 'Khan of Khans'. Of course, this did not help the communities surrounding the two countries, but it brought innumerable amounts of riches to these two countries with the plunder they had gained from surrounding empires. A few hundred years later, during the age of exploration in the 1440s, the Kursicans would enjoy most of history prospering under their rich lands, even founding their own religion under Sikorski. Whose birth is the end of the old era of Kursican politics. He was born in 1420, and would later on, in 1440, set out to the western lands to find out what they had to offer as children of god. He was originally sent out as a suicide exploration squad in order for the Orthodox Kaurissem church to rid themselves of his heretical and downright heathenistic ideals. He would bring roughly 100 men, some of which were his 'apostles'.

1421-1687
Kursica is known for its adventures in the west, a certain member of their country, Sikorski, a legendary missionary, left to the western reaches of the world, in stark contrast to the ponterosans and Avalonians, who had decided to mostly keep to the eastern coasts, where he would find the legendary kings and emperors of Serica and Capricornia. One of these being U luat, who he had encountered in the country now known as Hyperaustrea. Who saw his coming as divine. Later his journeys would lead through Buhan, modern day Sikorskia and right into modern day Fengjiang, where he supposedly had a meeting with the Scion. A meeting he refused to disclose with anyone due to the fact that whatever is said in the Scions palace must never leave the palace. Additionally, with this meeting he had decided to help out a soverign state of Fengjiang with a problem they had. They had been in a civil war, and Sikorski believed that positive relations with at least one leader would result in any new exploratory adventures would give him much needed breathing room. Thankfully he had met a brave and 'Interesting' figure in the Sundic Sea, camped out in Buhan. A pirate by any measure, but he assured Sikorski that he was a fair and honorable Privateer. Using his help he managed to chart a course to an unknown continent to the west of Fengjiang, Equatoria... His legacy was very real, he converted and communicated with many new peoples and cultures that were absolutely foreign to Hatar, such as the Fengenese, the people that would become Hyperaustrea, and the Proto-Zigalese. And lastly, he would then found the first Kursican colony of Pozamorze. His effect on the religious and political landscape of Serica and Capricornia was legendary.

A hundred years after the birth of Sikorski, 1520, there would be a new threat to Kursica, a rising empire in the north west based upon the Khan and his Arsytian peoples. An empire which was led by someone called a Tsaari. During this age, the growing Arsytian empire was a rough opponent to fight, but the Kursican empire could keep up and exceed the empire's outdated nomad tactics with their own combination of Hatarian and Horde tactics, creating one of the finest cavalry units in history. Along with this, they enjoyed a healthy amount of trade with the foreigners to the west they called 'Fenicja'. Their pottery would as such be nicknamed as 'Fenicka' in the eastern countries of hatar, only knowing of this through Kursican trade. Later on a specific type of this pottery from Gaoling would find itself in Kursican hands and the Hatarians would call it 'Wiek' pottery, a shortening of 'Zaawansowany Wiek', which is a direct translation of Gaolings name. All in all, the Kursican can be credited for Hatars connectivity with The Fengenese, but they have much to be proud of in general.

1745-1764
What happened afterwards was mostly a sorry state of affairs. Since the 1740s, alot of discontent was abound in the empire, as their neighbors were slowly getting stronger, while the empires military and economy was not budging an inch. This was mostly the fault of the ineffectual noble republic put into place hundreds of years ago to satisfy their powerful, and surprisingly numerous population. While these nobles would give the country and its people much glory, they were ultimately a regressive force on the country, causing it to stagnate slowly and painfully. This was especially apparent the moment Kursica was on the backfoot. The nation was slowly being consumed by backdoor deals with foreign powers, and the lack of any rule of law or constitution that could tell off these nobles for their traitorous actions. Sadly it was not against the law for these men and women to sell their own land to foreign powers, or to just leave. Eventually, during the year 1752, a noble by the name of Darius Pulaski would present a document to the King, requesting that they adopt his new rules. The King, Molte VI Haolden was insulted and confused, as he knew not a lick of Kursican. He was in fact a Rithalander Nobleman who only got in because he bribed the electoral process. So Darius repeated his claim, this time in Gothic. He was expelled out of the Palace, and he began to rally peasants and noblemen who were tired of the ineffectual government, especially the border regions, and raised his flag in revolt. This revolt began in 1755, three years after the demands were made. Beginning a war that would last roughly 7 years, that would lose Kursica its entire empire. Two years after the war ended, in 1764, Darius, his officers and most trusted men had began applying the constitution they had carefully crafted for two years straight, and put it to work in their new country.

Kursican Strategic Council
The Kursican Strategic Council is a governing body of the Kursican state, made up of elites that while not related by blood to the men that founded the nation, have been carefully selected to carry on their torch. The Hatar war, Serican war, they have advised Kursica in all of these. However, after the Hatar war, something changed in their policy. They became more...Decisive. It is thanks to the strategic council that Kursica did not suffer the same fate as the rest of Hatar, mediocrity and passivity. Even KursicaRMS, a decently powerful corporation has roots in the Strategic council if you dig far enough in their past. Many conspiracies surround this council, but what can be said for sure is that their main objective is to elevate Kursica above the mediocrity of modern day Hatar. To maintain their strength until they need it in times of need. The strategic council has deemed the TTO as useful, and a good move from their allies, but ultimately not something they want to rely on. The Arsytians were in occupation of Kursica a month after the rhaetians began to retreat and flounder, but then the Fengese attacked arsytia, forcing Kursica to rebuild their military with very slapdash economic aid from Barenia. The idea that Kursica was being occupied by two foreign powers in the span of a few years made a lot of the public angry, including the coundil. Ever since then, the strategic council has played nice with Arsytia, but if arsytia went out of line, they are very willing to oppose them. But that is not likely to happen as Arsytian leadership is not suicidal. Svatomir is the next country on the Strategic council's bucket list, and they dont quite like their insistence on following Arsytia. The idea is to influence them economically like they did to the rest of Hatar, thus keeping Kursica on top in their own backyard.

Kursican Security Services

A shadow government wouldnt be much of one without the secret services of Kursica. CAWM, was created to give the state an idea of what nations outside Kursica were up to, and hopefully stop terrorists that could target the homeland, and sometimes even stage interventions in other countries (In the name of glorious TTO). The older MWN national intelligence service would be revamped and given more funding and freedom to monitor their people for any threats. Additionally, they were to watch out for foreign intelligence operations, which can sometimes include KAYTA...

Foreign Relations
Kursica did not look to the TTO as an easy route for security, in fact, they looked at it more as an opportunity to expand their reach, their influence. The best part? in all TTO interventions, the Kursicans are more mentioned for the sake of courtesy. They tend to be overshadowed by Arsytia, Equatoria or Barenia. So negative stigmas are often not placed upon them. Kursican foreign policy can be described in a sentence. 'To treat the world stage as it is'. Not a casual game of influence, but as a battleground. They saw the writing on the wall. The fact that Hatar was lagging behind Barenia and Fengese for a whole century. They were the architects of the Trans-Serratar Union with Arsytia, but when the experiment proved to be a failure due to the Serrataran member states being too attached to the TTO as the comfortable option, the Kursicans quickly ran for plan B. The Tavaric Federation. They lobbied for decades to create this federation, definitely with the help of Politicians across the TTO, once again however, this wasnt because they wanted security. They wanted greater mobility to reach their goals. The Tavaric federation would prove to be the best way to elevate Hatar and its peoples to something greater.

Voivodeships
The Voivodeships are divided between the ethnic, cultural and administrative functions of individual regions. These tend to be referred to as Vovoideship Districts nowadays, but they fulfill the same functions as they did 100 years ago. These Voivodeships would be the equivalent to States in Barenia, and are named as such due to the Warlord states of Pre-Revolutionary Kursica. Which were called Voivodeships. These were adapted to the current reality of the modern world, and were shifted around in terms of borders to account for different ethnicities and administration. The most Famous Voivodeships are the Central Voivodeship, which houses Kursica city and Lowicz. The Southern Voivodeship, which houses Dunsk, home of the Kaszeb peoples, seafarers believed to have been related to the Svats. The Western Voivodeship, which is most similar to the central one in terms of their needs wants and desires, contains the capital of the confederated Vistulans, Miklagard, which is known to be a rival port city to Dunsk. The Northern Voivodeship, which has Krakuska, is an important cultural landmark, as they were the old capital of the Vistulan confederation. There is also the Eastern Voivodeship, which has Lacelis and owns the mountain region, home of the second largest ethnic group in Kursica, the Boslavs. Who, while not separate from the Vistulan culture entirely, are distinct enough to be considered as such. While they speak differently, they can be easily understood by others who can speak Kursican fluently.

1-19th KSOC (Kursican Strategic Operations Corps) "Red Gryfs"
The 19th was also known more commonly as the Vampire Battalion due to their 'behavior' in Serica. A historic group of people, considering they were the first to create a special forces organization, at least one that ticks all the boxes for being one. They would find their creation during 1938. The 19th were soldiers selected from the Kursican Army stuck in Arsytia during the Serratar War who volunteered for this new role. Kursican Colonel Bruno Potočnik and his staff were the fathers of the Strategic Operations Corps. He was assigned to create a super force by the Strategic Council of Kursica and so he set out to begin his work by requesting a base in Arsytia for a unit called the Red Gryfs. The national animal of Kursica was a creature called a Gryphon/Griffin. A creature that supposedly does not exist, but it has a special place in every Kursicans heart. which is where the name Red Gryf came from. During the selection process he found gifted soldiers who exceeded their potential to become an elite, but to become the best you needed to learn by doing. Bruno Potočnik's training was extremely difficult and there were no dropouts, It simply was not an option. The Training he provided on the hidden base in the Kubzors was so extreme and real that if you couldnt handle it then you were a casualty. They knew that to Liberate their home country they would need men and women who could interact with occupied peoples of West Hatar, defend themselves, and disrupt the Rhaetians in their attempts to consolidate their new Empire. This proposal would be sent to the Arsytian committee, and it was deemed that the organization could be promising to the allies. They were sent in teams of 2-6 and allocated to various tasks. A month after the Hatar front ended the Kubzors base and its information would be migrated to the Bledowska desert near the Boslavcy Mountains. But during this move the nation of Fengjian would Invade Arsytia, seeing weakness due to the Arsytian army being occupied invading another country in Hatar.

As a way to repay the Arsytians during the Kursican Liberation, several Veteran Divisions would be sent, along with the now Experienced men of the 19th. Granted, the 19th was specifically requested, so that was not up for discussion. Their track record in Serica would seem rather out of character for what seemed an honorable unit of soldiers, but if one digs further into the Red Gryf Controversy, they seemed to have gone off the deep end due to the way they saw the Fengenese treating civillians, POWs and people they saw as 'lesser' during one of their deployments behind enemy lines. About the worst thing you could show to people who had to live through one of the more schizophrenic and murderous regimes in history. Common tactics used by the Gryfs during the Serican war, and especially during the retreat to Kylma, was to use every single war crime in the book, and potentially some they Invented along the way. Dismemberment? Disembowlment? Horrendous Torture? Acid? Impalement? They tried everything to make Fengese soldiers uncomfortable. A favored trick of theirs was to use the bodies of the officers or soldiers they murdered to create gruesome displays along roads, things that even the Fengense could not ignore. Its said that it had greater effect when the bodies were rotting. It is where they gained the title of 'Vampire Battalion', and they would go on to do much worse. When they got newer gear, they tried Psychological warfare, using recorded screams and noises during night time to keep the soldiers up at night, among other atrocities. At some point analysts wondered if the Kursican Strategic Operations Corps was doing these actions for the sake of the mission or because they were waging their own personal war on the Fengese. It definitely did not help that they were prodigies even among modern Special forces units, which meant they continued these horrific atrocities way longer than they should have been able to. These men after the war would have a permanent target painted on their backs by Fengjiang, one of the only times in history where they have actually condemned a group and actively seek out their destruction. Nations that would become the TTO later had decided to turn a blind eye due to the invaluable help they provided Arsytia during the critical moments of the war, but the least they did was condemn them for the crimes they committed.

Units 1-19 'Officially Disbanded' months after the Kaurissmas War in 1987. The disappearance of Bruno is especially suspect, as he was an old man by this point. The official formation has been revived after 15 years in 2002, with their membership stretched across Tier 1-2-3 on the special forces chart. The government's official statement was that they would not have the same horrific training regimen as the unit founded in 1938, but since when did they speak the truth? The amount of 'veterans' who were later listed as KIA speaks for itself, alongside living veterans who were extremely sensitive to what they percieved as danger, a cameraman being judo tossed by a Red Gryf because he 'blindsided' him was one such example. They would be used in similar ways to the Red Cell of the US military in our world. Typically used to test the defenses and readiness of their own service branches, making sure they were keeping themselves up to snuff. Occasionally they'd do the same to the Arsytian Border guards for the DMZ, making sure they were actually doing their jobs right. This is officially the reason why they were disbanded in 1987, because they simultaneously proved that the DMZ was not well protected, and also that their own country's military leaders were sick and tired of being humiliated. In 1992, the Red Gryfs were pardoned, and the Government punished the officers who falsified evidence against them.

Demographics
The national census in 2022 recorded Kursica's population to be approximately 112,126,002, projecting an annual growth rate of around 1.62%. This very notably, does not include Immigration and other external factors. Most of the Kursican population is part of the same culture group, but not all of them are the exact same culture. One of these is the difference between a mainline Vistulan and a Boslav. Most sundish and Rhaetian elements of the country were displaced after the Hatar war, meaning their ancestral lands now had changed hands to Kursican, Boslav or Urhanic ones. Despite different culture groups, the country speaks Kursican a majority of the time, with only the Svats and Kaszebs having a different language. The remaining percentage largely comprise foreign residents or minorities that sooner or later will speak Kursican to be able to function in the country.

Kursica's country is a surprisingly urban one, despite what one might assume with the rolling plains and fertile lands that are prime for Agrarian societies. This is due to the introduction of Barenian grain into the world market, making lords and aristocracy lose their footing and allowing Burghers and city folk to gain massive prominence from the influx of lordless serfs and unemployed peasants. Most of the spikes in urban population comes from the post Hatar war period, where farmers could not immediately replant crops due to the Rhaetian scorched earth campaign. The percentage of the population living in urban areas rose from 25% in 1935 to over 78% in 1985 - the country's urban population surpassed 80 million soon after, in 1999. There are several major cities in Kursica, all with their own historical, cultural and economic niches dependant on their region. Only Kursica city is considered a titan even among the world stage for its massive urban sprawl, even known to dwarf small Fengese cities, which is an impressive achievement. Kursica city by itself is known to be a megalopolis by most standards, with rail lines stretching along the central Kursican plain like tentacles reaching for other cities. These cities primarily being the Southern coastal city of Dunsk, the Western city of Karkuska, Northern Miklagard and Eastern Lacelis. All of these cities are arrayed in such a way that it makes a coincidental cross symbol.

Ethnic groups and languages
The national census in 2022 recorded Kursica's population to be approximately 102,126,002. A large majority, around 98% speaks the Kursican Language, and abides by Kursican cultural norms. While most Kursicans correlate their culture and nation with the core Kursican peoples of Hatar, they are likewise welcoming to those who seek to join their society and culture as an outsider. If an outsider desires to fit in, follow the word of Sikorski and integrate, the Kursicans will accept them as one of their own. This is part of the Neo-Kursican Culture, as the Kursicans did not care as much about integration and the spread of ideas beforehand. The Fengese were the catalyst of this new change. Fengese people who immigrate to Kursica are told to integrate in this exact same way to become a citizen, this being a very advanced and geopolitical tounge-in-cheek jab at how they treat their own minorities. The USE following suit afterwards.

There are several groups in Kursica, some mostly divided by their Kursica
 * Kursican (Кусзаниан) Are the majority of the population, with most living in the West, North and Central Kursica.
 * Boslavcy (Бославцы) Are the second largest culture group in Kursica, primarily found in Eastern Kursica in their own secluded valley surrounded by mountains.
 * Kaszebs (Касзебы) The third largest group of people, living as coastal peoples in South Kursica.

Other peoples who live in Kursica are the Svats, who are 1% of the population, and are more of a byproduct of the Svato-Kursican Commonwealth falling apart. They are mostly found close to the Svatomir border, and are known to mostly pass through both nations borders to get cheap goods over in Svatomir. Other ethnic and cultural groups are a myriad of immigrants and also some people from the GOCE, such as dedicated Hyperaustreans either visiting or immigrating to Kursica to experience the homeland of Sikorski of Dazyn.

In regards to how these peoples developed and were not assimilated, we start with the Kursican Vistulans. They were the main tribe, and the Vistulan king wanted stability across the vast plains, so he would proceed to forced most other Urhanic Tribes to submit to their Kursican language and values, through diplomatic pressure or through war. The peoples of the Urhanic republic to the east are likewise speakers of the Common Kursican language, and are similar to the core Kursican people, but have their own quirks as hill peoples. The Boslavcy as a people were a separate group that fled into the mountains during the consolidation. They have their variant of the Common Kursican Language, and were incorporated into the Federation after the disastrous Serratar War. Despite that, during the Kursican empire the Boslavcy were actively engaging themselves in the empire as a rich industrial class. The Kaszebs started as a tribe of independent nomads who were constantly at war with the Svats, and as such developed their own shipbuilding industry. During the consolidation, they were spared due to the reigning king needing a ready navy. Ever since then, they have lived comfortably in the south, being the primary traders and rulers of the Kursican coasts.

Religion
Occidental Kaurissem, a Kursican religion originating in Hatar, is the official state religion of Kursica, and with modern times it was reinforced by the Neo-Kursican Culture movement. Thanks to this it has effectively set in stone the societal and cultural expectations of most Kursicans. Around 88% of the Kursican country is a worshipper under Occidental Kaurissem, with the remaining 12% belonging either to the Irreligious group or a myriad of other religions, such as Infernalism. The current head of the religion is seated in Dazyn, the massive cathedral where Sikorski was buried. Here even the most far flung and wild sects of Sikorskism gather and discuss the future of their religion. Notably, Occidental Kaurissem does not have a papal figure, leaving that seat for what the religion calls a Chosen. A chosen is officially a man, or woman who fulfills the same requirements as Iosus Kauriss, Sikorski, or the numerous other prophets in history, fake or real. The chosen is also commonly referred to as the Hand of Kauriss. The next highest rank for the church of Occidental Kaurissem is Sikorski's Patriarchs, which oversee the Bishops and Priests put into charge of the more local churches in their nations. Current (confirmed Patriarchs) include the Patriarch of Kursica, Patriarch of Hyperaustrea, Patriarch of Equatoria and Patriarch of Sikorskia.

The effect Occidental Kaurissem, when practiced, has on the cultures of the societies it touches, is immense. Many times the religion has been talked about by detractors as a productivity cult, or worse, a war cult. Both of these are patently wrong, but just like how SUD is often seen as a cult, the Occidental Kaurissemites make sure to dispel these rumors as best as they can. Regardless, it would be a farce to try to say that Occidental Kaurissem does not have aspects of these to it. The key to the Occidental Kaurissemite religion is their belief in the Root of Ambition, a belief that every man has a want and desire for something. It is then in the best interest of the person, church or organization to make sure they can pursue this dream for the sake of your tribe, church or humanity as a whole. In terms of how an Occidental Kaurissemite is expected to live their lives, they must pursue that which they are good at. To actively seek out enjoyment in life, which can be almost anything. The official stance of the religion is that people should go out, adventure, find their calling in life so they can be capable of being a pillar for their community. This is a remarkably free spirited and individualistic angle for a mainline religion to have, and has perplexed many. Likewise, the religion does not shy away from militarism and its warlike mentality. An Occidental Kaurissemite under optimal circumstances must be ready for war, either in the service of their lord, Iosus Kauriss, in service of a leader who does, or even for the betterment of the self. Sikorski said multiple times in his book that while many local leaders took his word to mean war is a good thing, he does not see it that way. In his words the means justify the ends. Any other outlook is psychotic and must be disregarded immediately. Even when in a conflict with great evil, an Occidental Kaurissemite is expected to conduct themselves as fairly as possible. Only through a true test of a person's mettle can a man or woman understand themselves.

In Kursica, the constitution guarantees people the right to worship whoever and whichever they feel like. The flipside to this is any religion that actively breaks the constutition or national law in the country is to be immediately removed. A murder cult for example. Foreigners who worship other significant religions include Infernalism, which has been closely watched ever since the creation of a new temple on Kursican soil. Due to the current nature of the cold war, Kursica fears that this religion might spread too much, or become prevalent enough to decide policy in their nation moving forward. After all, Infernalism is forcibly pushed by the media and the Fengese mostly as a tool for Influence. As such, adherents of Infernalism are closely watched by Police agencies and a database is formed from the membership to check for suspicious activities, sometimes leading to several lawsuits when they are found out with this information, due to constitutional rights. Otherwise, most other religions have no oversight placed on them.

88% Occidental Kaurissem 0.9% Infernalist cult. 1.1% Other 10% Agnostic/Irreligion

Overall Economy
The Kursican economy for centuries ran mostly on food exports, since they were among the most fertile lands in Hatar. Effectively being their breadbasket until the Barenians found the plains. Ever since then, the Kursican nobility invested into different methods for accruing money. Such as investing in industry and the coastal cities. Nowadays the Kursicans still do have a big export of food, namely as a reliable and cheap alternative for Barenian products for Arsytia, due to geographic proximity. This niche was found mostly in the modern day, when Arsytia's population had exploded, causing them to require Barenian AND Kursican food to keep their population fed. Other notable industries do include extracting resources for their growing industries, mostly in other nations. Of course, they can never hope to supply their nation's industrial demand by themselves, so they rely on imports. One thing that never was in demand, surprisingly enough, was metals. Iron in specific, which can be found in abundance around the Urhanic hills, a country which they have a large amount of influence in and the Amanti Plains, where the Boslavcy live. The abundance of metals and how much they worked it granted the Kursicans their National motto and Anthem. Despite all these efforts however, Kursicans are a service and Manufacturing based country first and foremost, using their large cities and industrious peoples to create several things, one of the most noticeable ones being Automotives like Tractors, trucks and cars. Their production lines regularly are used by their native Defense Industry by request of KursicaRMS to supply nearby countries and third world nations which cant afford the more costly modern equipment of other nations. The defense industry is also responsible for arming high tech equipment in the Arsytian military, such as radars. Naming every industry Kursica has would be tiring, but the major ones besides those, include the Chemical Industry, Industrial Robots, Steel Industry (though this has mostly been phased out) and an aerospace industry, which is trying to slowly develop its own niche. Even with that in mind, one of the most major industries is the Oil and gas industry, headed by PKN Orlen, a company responsible, alongside Arsytoil and Piirimani industries for monopolizing fossil fuels among the Hatarians and nearby countries friendly to the TSU. Another part of the Kursican economy that has gained traction despite their Socialist alignment has been the service Industry, major parts of it being Entertainment, Creative, and software industries, alongside financial services. Despite the best efforts of Arsytia, these elements are currently dominant in Kursica, which while frowned upon, cannot be ignored for giving the TSU major services outside Barenia. Part of the success of their cultural industry is the ability of Kursica to use its culture to bring the several countries it has historical connections with, entertainment that appeals to their own wants and desires, whereas the other hegemons seek to promote only their own. This has given Kursica some outreach around the world for brining attention to say, the Sikorskian peoples. This isnt to say their content is the most popular, its physically impossible when pitted against gigantic megacorporations that print out shows and movies that appeal to the masses on the daily, but despite what detractors might believe, even the smallest hatarian country has a culture, films, books, music and so on. Its just not as accessible. Other things they make are comics, which have found some success across the TSU and its socialist countries for appealing to the socialist grindset.

The Kursican economy is one of rapid growth. This rapid growth began ever since the Barenian handouts post hatar war. The Kursican council and its Presidents used it wisely to invest into new Jobs, repairs of existing buildings, and breaks for people who wanted children. This wasnt the only reason for success, but a major factor is the Kursican mentality. The council had been teaching in school the real facts of why the Kursican state failed in the 30s. A general encouragement of competence and decisiveness would give the Kursican economy the bright young men they needed to build their future. Along with this, homegrown Kursican businesses were given lots of leeway in what they wanted to do. Cheap business startups, almost minimal taxes on the middle class, and we have a recipe for a functional state. It encouraged many Kursicans to actually seek out an education and to pursue a new life, instead of being discouraged. Foreign businesses were likewise given some privileges when coming over, but the state took care to not make them dominant, so the market could flourish as it should. After a few decades, Kursican businessmen became more prominent, and were given the very tools they needed to succeed in a competetive market environment. Which then led to what some detractors might call 'Neo colonialism' in countries neighboring Kursica, and beyond. They did not take land or invade using military might, but instead focused on dominating neighboring markets to have greater outreach in Hatar, and even profits. If they had their way with the Serratar Union, the entirety of Hatar would use Tugriks, a special currency tied to the Union. As of now, only a few nations were fine with the idea. Which caused the continent to lag behind in its potential. In terms of space economy, the Kursicans have tried to invest more into the space sector to get a chance to make colonies, or mining outposts to get resources and a presence on the world stage above all else. Seemingly eager to get a chance to find some independent deposits of Helium 3. The lifeblood of the modern space economy. Problem being that it was quickly monopolized the moment it was found. Cant all be winners.

(Unofficially) State owned Industry
KursicaRMS: ''A corporation with a decent history of making gear for Kursica, Sikorskia, Equatoria and the former Melkosphere. Despite their position as an arms manufacturer, and being not as all encompassing as a Fengese corp, they are quite powerful. They tend to work with other TTO member states as well, purely to aid in development of new systems and expand their horizons. The corporation has several Subsidary companies under it after several nations introduced laws to break up corporations. These companies include FB Radun, a gun designer, ABRUM, a company dedicated to armored vehicle development, WB Grupa, which develops Aircraft, and several others which fill in for other parts of an army. KursicaRMS is one of, if not the most, well rounded arms corporations, and are capable of selling you an army if they think its a worthwhile investment. KursicaRMS makes variants of its equipment for use by Kursican Territorial defense units, special units that are given weaponry by the constitution, and used to function as militias before the hatar war.''

Currency
The currency of the country is the Kursican Złoty (Kursican: Зłоты). However, this currency has been slowly replaced by the new Tugrik standard of the Trans-Serratar Union. Currently the Kursican state holds several reserve currencies to trade with on the world market, chief amongst them being the Barenian Dolar and the Fengese Yuan.

The Narodowy Bank Melkhi (Народощы Банк Мелкхи), often abbreviated to NBM, is the central bank of Kursica, founded in 1941. It controls the issuing of Kursica's currency, the Złoty, and now the newer Tugrik. The bank is headquartered in Kursica City, and has branches in 16 other major Kursican Cities. The NBM represents Kursica in the Serratar System of Central Banks, a TSU organization. The President of the NBP is appointed by the Melkhi Sejm, at the request of the Prezydent of Kursica, for a term of six years. The NBM President is responsible for the organisation and functions of the central bank of Kursica. The same person cannot serve as President of the NBM for more than two terms of office. Apart from his function as the superior of the NBM staff, he is also the chairman of the Monetary Policy Council, the NBM Management Board and the Commission for Banking Supervision. He is also responsible for representing Kursica in international banking and financial institutions.

Exports
Defense, automotives, Entertainment, Robotics, Foodstuffs; prevalent Steel mills have been outsourced to the Urhanics.

Imports
Rare metals, Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products, Plastics

Transportation
The Kursican public transporation sector was originally given focus due to the nation's bizarre shape, being more of a vertical nation. This meant that at least for inter-city travel, the nation needed something decently effective for people. The Wolga line is the main line that people use to get around to other Main Kursican cities. It is curiously circular in its construction, and has been subject to many conspiracies, one of which being the Ritual Circle Theory. In terms of inter city travel, Kursica needed to rebuild rail lines and even entire city districts, which allowed them to rebuild their cities and infrastructure to suit modern standards. This has curiously caused cities to have bigger roads for automotives. Combined with the inner city railways, Kursica city in particular is remarkably comfortable to get through as a car driver. In the modern day, Kursica has a well developed freighter industry, which was made to exploit the size of Arsytia's country. This agreement was made with the consent of Arsytia, and goods that need to be moved from Hatar to Arsytia, or Arsytia to Hatar are generally done by Kursican. Currently there has been effort put into acquiring the Fengese Xinzhulian to make the rail lines in Kursica more convenient for people. Due to a lack of coastal cities in comparison to inland ones, transport is limited to the South Kursican Voivodeship, which includes the port city of Dúnsk. Generally people do not travel via boat unless it is to reach far off countries, which can include Occidental Kaurissem Pilgrims. For most people, generally the only traffic going through the Aqta sea is for Maritime. This includes shipping from places as far as the USE and Barenia, to port cities in Southern Fengjiang such as Nankaido and Iława, which are closer for the sake of Kursican shipping. The main reason for passenger traffic is actually the Island of Kul, inhabited by a group of people roughly related to the Svats.

Public Transit is the second most common way of transporation in Kursica. Combined survey and census data in 2022 indicates that nearly 70% of the population utilized during daily commute. Generally, public transport has been handled by the state, mixed in with some private companies in areas that the government is not willing to invest in. This has led to some lines being abandoned due to them not being used much anymore. Freight wise, the companies in charge of are booming from their agreement with Arsytia. Meaning that more and more of these old rail lines abandoned by public transport companies have been bought up and used to haul goods across the continent.

in Kursica is used most often when travelling across the world, and since Kursica is more on the small side, the citizenry have a huge chunk of the world to explore. The Kursican people are responsible for a booming Air travel industry in Kursica, due to their religion and culture advocating for the exploration of the world, and broadening their horizons. As such, Private enterprises in Kursica enjoy a steady stream of profit, and plane tickets are at a reasonable price. International airports in Kursica can be found in Major cities, at least one for each Voivodeship. The notable ones being the Kursica City International Airport, and the Lacelis International Airport, with several more in the top 20 cities in Kursica having their own Airports. The general air transport companies in charge of ferrying Kursicans and even West hatarians are KursicaIR, which handles general International flights for the country, and is the most common layover location for Kursicans. There is also the more TSU based company, Serratar Airlines, that handles fast flights to the far flung reaches of serratar like Kylma and Perigeux. This airliner flies over the Central Hatarian Plain and Yseia While it is an expensive airliner, it is favored for its luxuries and decently fast flights to other countries.