Independent State of Kolvia

The Formation of Kolvia
The Independent State of Kolvia, ISK for short, is where Blood Money takes place, in an alternate history. It is a fictional country that has been downscaled on the game. It's located in the U.S. and was formed July 5th, 2021 after many debates in the U.S. government on whether it should become an independent state. The U.S. government was highly against it but the people in the area of the country were supportive of it becoming its own independent state because the American republic was failing the people in the region with the two-party system. Joe Biden, the president of the U.S., also harmed the locals economically with high taxes and the banning and regulation of many businesses. After a skirmish killing around several dozen, they declared themselves as an independent entity but the U.S. didn't recognize it. Kolvia went into complete shutdown with no one leaving or entering the borders of the country due to the attempt from the United States government to start a coup on July 12th, 2021. The coup was unsuccessful but put Kolvia into chaos, making tax money be spent towards repairs of the cities within the country and making the area more stable, which is also raising tax prices, making the population unhappy leading them towards criminal activity throughout the region. Kolvia and the U.S.A. went to war for around two months after America's failed coup. They signed a treaty after the war and the U.S.A. shortly embargoed Kolvia, making prices of all products inflated. No one knew if the U.S. would proceed with aggression in the future, but the residents knew if the U.S. were to go to war with Kolvia again, it would be detrimental.



Flags Meaning
The red symbolizes the blood of martyrs. White symbolizes peace after its independence. The nine stripes signify the number of battles it had leading up to independence. The star symbolizes its single state. Finally, the blue circle means the care for the poor and less lucky people in all of the country.

Prologue
After the fail coup to overturn the government of Kolvia by the U.S., war was directly declared days later. The American army in surrounding states was mobilized and partially organized to fight a conventional proxy-like war. Kolvia's Independence Army was formed and quickly trained, exhausting the men and would only appear late into the war. The entire population was mobilized and commonly used guerilla tactics in the vast forests and cliffsides. The priority for irregular troops was to disturb American supply lines in the region. Many of Kolvia's battalions were stationed along the I-70 highway and urban areas with the order of organizing, creating battle plans and entrenching.

First Battle of the American-Kolvian War
The United States National Guard surrounding the area pushed past the borders of ISK and raided Plug minutes after America announced its campaign to retake most land Kolvia claimed. The small town stood no chance at defense. The U.S. had a standing force of 500 troops heading for Plug, catching Kolvia by surprise resulting in a heavy defeat for their first battle. The conflict acted as a proxy war, the USA only wanted specific lands to themselves. It was a tragic turn for Kolvia but they sent a division of 2,000 men to retake it and the Americans fled without a sight. Plug was retaken but it became a ghost town over a duration of 4 hours. They knew they were outnumbered and decided to not overextend their territory and went defensive the rest of the war unless an opportunity was met. Losing the battle encouraged a large number of civilians wanting to formally conscript to defend their newly formed homeland.

Second Battle of the American-Kolvian War
Independent StateKolvia moved a large amount of military personnel to the borders and was more prepared for the invasion of Bandsak. It's a jarring town since it's hard for the Kolvians to defend due to its geography with empty plains and a mountain blocking quick reinforcements. However, it's also significant for its production of products and a checkpoint for a possible invasion into America. The battle was a winning battle for the Kolvians with the Americans regrouping in the end but was devastating to the town and there are no estimations on how long it will take to rebuild certain buildings. Anti-vehicle mines caught the Humvees by surprise as they didn't know Kolvia owned such weaponry. Government agents assumed they were getting the supplies from the underground market. Multiple American military personnel committed war crimes during the first two battles while the Kolvians laid mines. The atrocities break the Geneva Convention yet no other countries help to intervene.

American Invasion of Southern Proverty
Kolvia had most of their defense at the capital of Proverty. A scouting party spotted a medium-size amount of enemy troops approaching the plains of Southern Proverty and intercepted with the majority of their fighting force, leaving some for reserves for the defense of the capital city. The battle had been off and on for three weeks and contested with both sides losing many men. Kolvia had the defense advantage with the terrain and attacking from 3 angles; however, the Americans had superior equipment. Many mines were placed down in the forests south of Proverty which caused American troops to tread cautiously with some Kolvian's ambushing and wearing ghillie suits.

American Occupation of Cloutle
Cloutle is right on the border of the U.S.A, making it easy for an attack. The Kolvian commanders knew this and had troops stationed within the city and around it. They planned to lure American troops into taking the city by having a small garrison then encircle them. American forces quickly pushed in and swiftly took the city and capturing many in it. After setting up and preparing in the city for a day, American units found they were being attacked from multiple angles. While fighting occurred, another army went around and surrounded the American troops. Fierce fighting was put up by the encircled troops but ended up surrendering after mass casualties. The plan was a major success for the Kolvians and was seen as the turning point in the war.

Kolvian Invasion of Fort Pommel
After the victory at Cloutle, the Kolvian high command decided it was time to strike hardback at the American supply lines. Fort Pommel connected the supply routes in the western regions of Kolvia and if it was destroyed, it would prolong the time it takes to reinforce and engage with the Kolvian military. Plans were drawn out and the order was given to move 2000 army personnel to attack the American fort. It was situated on a hill with a forest below and a road connected along the highway. The plan was to traverse the forest to keep the troops concealed and to attack at night. At midnight, the first shot was fired from mortar emplacements down the hill from the fort. Several rounds hit barracks of sleeping troops and supply caches. Once the barrage was over the troops would move up and engage but one of the last mortar rounds hit an ammo dump that ignited and burst into flames. Quickly after, an explosion took out most of the forts garrisons, and vehicles. There were even reports from Proverty of residents hearing the explosion. The troops ran up the hill and attacked in a "U" formation around the hostile area yelling battle cries. The surviving American forces put up a fierce fight and were standing their ground. The Kolvians weren't going to take prisoners because they knew a large reinforcement was called and rapidly approaching. The U.S. garrisoned there surrendered but the Kolvians kept shooting forcing them to either fight back or flee. Once most of the force had disappeared, the Kolvians withdrew back to Cloutle to be stationed there. The series of victories on the western front was a massive morale boost for the Kolvian people.

Second Invasion of Plug
American forces were moving to retake Plug and use it as a staging ground to further take more land. The troops were however spotted by Kolvian scouts in ghillie suits outside of the border and reported it back to the commander of the division of 2,000 stationed near Plug. After gaining this knowledge, the Kolvian forces set up a possible attack. Suddenly they were hit by artillery and mortar rounds. The band scrambled into cover and was disorganized, making them unprepared for the attack. Soon after, the town was hit by a F/A-18 strike, killing dozens. American National Guard troops from the last invasion strategically pushed forward after the bombardment had ceased. Contact was made and was initially successful for the National Guard. The Kolvians unexpectedly turned the tide with powerful small arms and armor that were fueled by the underground market and several squads of snipers laid out on the hills. The Americans didn't know they could possess such an array of weapons for being such a diminutive independence movement. After losing over half of their fighting force, they retreated back to the outpost on American soil.

Kolvian Offensive Northwest of Plug
After driving back the Americans, the Kolvians decided to do an offensive they knew they were guaranteed to win. They hurried and gathered men to push into American land to take the town of Grand. They managed to assemble 500 men to go on the offensive. Kolvian troops from the previous attack counter-attacked, picking off some fleeing troops. They had now entered an American town for the first time during the war. The U.S. had a small garrison in Grand and only a couple of shots were fired before they surrendered. Kolvia held the territory till the end of the war.

Battle for the Eastern Plains
With the losses in the west, the Americans try a different approach. They managed to bring an armor squad with a fighting force behind it to the more plains area. They drove in and the Kolvians couldn't stop the armor with such a spacious front and didn't possess the guns to take out the tanks. Some M15 anti-tank mines were laid to halt the advance. The Americans pushed all the way to I-70 and even cut off Bandsak. The Kolvians could still get to Bandsak by a nearly discovered tunnel that ran through the mountain. The push took a huge portion of Kolvia's farmland and the Americans would hold onto it until the end of the war.

Occursion of Southern Proverty
A southern attack was in the midst of happening again. Fueled by revenge and new plans, the Americans move into a recognizable battleground. A battle was fought in the same spot weeks before but they were more prepared this time with better battle plans laid out. The Kolvians had secretly laid thousands of mines in the isolated forest south of Proverty and sat and waited on the same defensive positions from the last battle. It was broad day and fighter jets could be heard fast approaching until the Kolvian troops saw it and heard explosions seconds after. American jets lit up the hilltops where the Kolvian forces were sitting, they returned small arms fire towards the jets as they unloaded their missiles. They knew the Americans were trying to soften their forces up before an attack. The jets returned to the American border to resupply or be stationed there. Surviving Kolvian forces heard distant explosions of the landmines going off and it acted as an alarm for them to prepare and organize for defense. Contact was made on the far right hill then the other positions. Fighting continued for quite some time then jets were heard again. The Kolvian command decided to pull back away from where they were fighting to avoid direct bombardment. After waiting out the bombings, they pushed back up the hill into their original defensive positions to find American troops ascending the hill and they open fire. With the height advantage, attacking from multiple angles, and the landmines, it was looking like a victory for the Kolvians. American forces rerouted towards the outpost on their side, some detonating landmines as they fled. The Kolvians celebrated because they knew the U.S. had been defeated. This was the final battle of the war.

Summary
In the beginning, the Americans were highly successful in their surprise attacks. As time went on, the Kolvians were more and more prepared and equipped to defend their land until the last man. As they got better officers and preparation, they began having massive victories against the American forces, especially on the western and southern front. These victories caused the American soldiers to become exhausted and demoralized towards the end. Both governments saw that the war would only bring more bloodshed and wasn't worth fighting fellow Americans and the Treaty of Proverty was signed. The U.S.A. lost the war against Kolvia for similar reasons to the Vietnam War. Poor leadership and the mountainous terrain made it hard to win on most fronts. They had to pull out after losing a fair amount of men for a war that had little importance and was destroying their internal stability. Both sides massed casualties during the American-Kolvian War but Kolvia was now a sovereign nation.

Relations With the U.S.A
After the Treaty of Proverty, Kolvia gave Grand back to the United States while the U.S. gave back all of Kolvia's claimed land. The U.S. embargoed Kolvia and formerly recognized it as an independent nation while both sides returned captured soldiers. Overall relations improved as time went on and the U.S. eventually uplifted the embargo and they made trade treaties with one another. Kolvian politics eventually became influenced by the Americans. Both countries also allowed open borders for Kolvian and American citizens.

Problems After Independence
The Kolvian military and government no longer have to worry about the American giant because of the friendly relationship and internal struggles. The Kolvian military and government administration now has to look toward fixing problems within the country's borders. Crime is at an all-time high in most of the major cities. With that, there's also a growing resistance named the TIF that is controlling portions of land around Kolvia and spreading to the US which in turn, may lead to civil war if they aren't suppressed. The people in the Eastia district have proposed a referendum to join the U.S. or become independent if Kolvia doesn't fix its poor trade relations with other countries. With Donald Trump as president, however, he hopes to restore order and stability and unite everyone under his agenda. Being conscious of the racial differences, he aims to have them all support the Patriot Party. He also hopes to grow the economy significantly by opening trade and creating many jobs for produce within the current term. Trump is also aware of the corruption going around within the government and has plans to resolve it to prompt for fairness. The future for Kolvia is unknown and questioned whether it will gain or lose its stability and control over the state.

Geography
The physical geography of Kolvia is similar to the American Mid-West. Fertile lands are common in eastern Kolvia in the Eastia district. Mountains, cliffsides, and many trees can be found throughout Kolvia. Several cave entrances are found around the mountains with some including natural resources.

The capital city of Kolvia is Proverty. Kolvia is positioned in the Central Standard Time zone (CST). The country is landlocked and its territory is completely surrounded by the United States. The country is one of the smallest in the world and is classified as a micronation. Kolvia in the game Blood Money is precisely 24.7823114 square miles.

Climate
The climate allows for the growth of many collectable resources such as apples and shekel berries. It has four seasons, being summer, spring, fall, and winter. Kolvia's climate type is entirely humid subtropical. Temperature is fair in the equinox seasons of spring and fall but hot in the summer and frigid during the winter.

Population
The population of the Independent State of Kolvia is one of the lowest in the world and is estimated to be 834,421 as of July 5th, 2023, making it 33,670 people per square mile (the number is high because the map is scaled down in-game due to performance issues and limitations if it were bigger). The population 2 years prior was just above a million but due to the war with the U.S., many died or became refugees. The growth rate is really small due to several factors such as crime and poor living conditions. Lower-income populations have an average of 3.4 children while if 1.8 children for higher-income families. The difference is due to the fact that the government gives financial support to low-income families.

There have been rumors that Joe Biden is persuading minority groups in the country to live in Kolvia so Caucasians can remain the majority and not become a minority. If this is true, it would also be an explanation for the increase in the percentage of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. This would also help increase the population as it would increase at a slow pace otherwise.

Major population areas include most cities with Proverty, Johnstowne, and Guapton being the top three in terms of the population count. The cities are also aligned with the top three most populated districts being Assembly, Royal, and Casing.

Language
The demographics are similar to America's and have many different speakers from around the globe. The primary language of Kolvia is English with 95% knowing the basics or more. Spanish is secondary and a third language that is commonly spoken is Russian with German being behind it.

Religion
Another demographic Kolvia shares with the U.S. is religion. Percentages are roughly the same as they are in the United States. Irreligion is swiftly increasing because of the lack of places of worship and more of a focus on improving the country.

Education
Also similar to the United States is their education system. Elementary and high school is required to take and college is recommended. College is cheaper in Kolvia but not free. Literacy rates are high at ~90%. The government helps funds some schools to try and educate students further.

Students learn English, Kolvia's history, science, basics of math, geography, and a second language. A physical class is required every year to keep kids fit in an attempt to fight obesity.

Government
The Kolvian government is identical to the Americans although it doesn't have branches of government. They adapted many things from the United States since it's functional but replaced the flawed concepts. The Patriot Party is the leading ideology, making the chief concept of the government structure is to be run by patriots and the people with minimal government power and regulation. Kolvia is one of four nations that have the right to bear arms in its Constitution, the other three being the United States of America, Mexico, and Guatemala. The districts of Kolvia have their own rights and responsibilities over their territory, similar to the American states. Some citizens questioned the legislation, calling it corrupt, and they are ignored and suppressed, which would hurt the Kolvian government's reputation.

Districts
Districts are the equivalent to states in the U.S. except they're under one centralized state. Kolvia has seven districts, Assembly, Casing, Cornered, Eastia, Green, Royal, and Runner Field. Federal decisions apply to them all but each district holds its own ideologies, assets, income, taxing, and laws. Ethnicity makeups and other demographics vary as well from one another. Other factors that are unique to a region are the goods manufactured and sold, economy, population, crime rate, and the story or reason the district is named what it is.

Districts have their own rights and can make changes to policies in the region. More serious decisions are decided by the federal district, Assembly. They review all major decisions, reforms, and policies made and can alter them if need be. Assembly also holds the most power politically and distributes funding to all the other districts.

Elections
Kolvia has a one-party election instead of the American two-party. Election security was built upon after Trump losing to Biden with sudden appearing votes. Votes for a presidency are chosen by the people. Candidates run campaigns to debate the problems and solutions about different topics in the nation. The president of Kolvia is chosen through a popular vote from all residents that are at least 17 years of age on the election day (December 1).

The president runs and influences decisions, policies, and reforms that are proposed by other government officials from other districts. A president's term is two years but can run for president for up to 10 years, meaning they can participate in five elections. The president may be impeached by popular vote by the people and confirmation by the district managers.

The first president to be elected was Donald J. Trump. He would go on to win a second election and is the current president of Kolvia.

Foreign Relations
The United States of America is Kolvia's most valuable ally. More and more countries begin to recognize the Independent State of Kolvia and they may even join N.A.T.O. one day. They're a UN member and have been given aid in the past to rebuild the nation. Their advisors are hard at work to establish peace and relations with countries around the world.

Government Finance
With a GDP of $230 billion, Kolvia is on a moderate budget. Kolvia gets a lot of money from taxation, which varies from the districts. The government distributes funds to all the districts. Government spending goes towards healthcare, education, infrastructure, military and defense, emergency services, imports, social security and other benefits, the construction of housing and industry, and a small concealed amount towards the black market.

Laws
Laws help regulate actions in Kolvia. They are enforced by the police but military personal also have the authority to take action against illegal activities. There are no district laws as they are always denied and are instead proposed to become federal law. The laws and policies of Kolvia are:


 * A license plate is only required on the tail of an automobile.
 * Straw purchases are prohibited.
 * Fully automatic guns are forbidden to the public but this excludes law enforcement and military personnel.
 * Gun silencers are banned.
 * A modification that results in a gun barrel shortening is prohibited.
 * Follow all traffic laws (Kolvia adopted America's traffic laws).
 * Any actions that gain a person's reputation are prohibited.

Military
The Kolvian military during the war for their independence from the U.S. was the largest it has been. At the time they had 200,000 people fighting whether they were just conscripted or professionally trained. Ever since then, they demilitarized but may soon mobilize again to counteract the TIF's insurgency. Funding for it was at its high during the war with America but dipped when the war and tensions were over, however, it may see an increase in funds to prevent the Totalitarian Insurgent Front from taking over the country militarily.

Kolvia only has three military branches, the Army, Special Forces, and Airforce. Kolvia has no navy since no major body of water links them to an ocean. The Kolvian Army consists of volunteers and conscripts and they carry out land warfare. The Special Forces is an elite branch that carries out unique operations like fighting in foreign countries, para-dropping, and raids. The Army and Special Forces share a military base, north of Guapton. Finally, the most petite branch being the Airforce, it carries out air combat, bombings, and assisting the Special Forces in para-dropping. The highest-ranking general, that fought in the American-Kolvian War, was named Ziggy. He started a coup against the Kolvian government, seeing it gradually deuterate and become an American puppet. Many professional soldiers were supportive of him and joined his coup that would later turn into the TIF.

Kolvia has firearms and other weaponry from around the world, most obtained through the black market, which was used in the war for independence against the United States. They continue to import and export weapons of war but what is traded in the black market isn't tracked or listed so it's unknown to the general public what they have the power of.

Crime
Crime is an immense issue in Kolvia as it continues to increase. Areas with higher poverty levels tend to have higher crime rates. Common crimes included are possession of illegal collectable resources, murder, hit and runs, and vandalism. Homicide rates are high and in order to suppress this, the Kolvian government invests in law enforcement equipment. Many criminals are jailed but have short sentences due to a flawed court system and they proceed with committing crimes after they've been released. Police brutality is high in Kolvia with some being reports of murder, stealing, planting landmines, and collecting/selling illegal collectable resources.

Economy
Kolvia has a GDP of $23 billion and is continuing to grow after the country stabilizes the economy and from trade deals. Their GDP is great for a nation of their size. However, some districts such as Casing have high poverty levels which leads to an increase in crime. Workers make a good living with a high income. Apple Corner controls the economy behind the curtains with an iron fruit basket. They have dealings with the black market and distribute weaponry throughout poverty areas.

Imports and Exports
Kolvia heavily relies on imports for the country to run and maintain. It imports a variety of goods that isn't produced a lot in their industry such as military equipment, energy, water, tools and hardware, cars, different foods and beverages, technology, phones, and house appliances. It exports food and produce, natural resources such as non-renewable energy and minerals, guns, medical equipment, and consumer goods.

Infrastructure
Kolvia has an extensive road network with most being paved but also include gravel roads and dirt paths. An interstate runs through the country. Personal transportation is the majority of transportation but there are other services such as Leir, which is a ridesharing company. Roads have been mostly repaired from the war with the U.S.A. but since Kolvia is landlocked, it restricts them from having sea transportation.

Kolvia gets its energy from a nearby nuclear power plant in American territory in exchange for coal and other non-renewable energy resources. Water is provided by water towers and from the United States. Droughts are rare and pollution is only an issue in Proverty due to industry. Most of the country's water supply is used for agricultural and industrial purposes.

Food
The Independent State of Kolvia shares the same food and customs as the United States of America. Restaurants serve similar foods and grocery store foods are comparable. They grow much of their own food on farms and the shekel berry is only grown in Kolvia. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and soda are commonly consumed on July 5th, Kolvias Independence Day.

Music
The urban hit genres are Hip-Hop/Rap with R&B also being commonly listened to. In more rural areas, country and rock & roll are preferred. Many music artists have been raised to fame in Kolvia with the help of local radios playing their music. They share music with the U.S. and both countries play each other's music on radio broadcasts.

Entertainment
Some ways of entertainment the people of Kolvia have are sports like basketball and American football. Video games, shooting guns, hanging out with friends, and other hobbies are things Kolvians like to do in their free time.

Holidays
Many of the holidays Kolvia celebrate are also common traditions for Americans, with only a couple being exclusive to Kolvia. You can find people from both nations celebrating Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine, Easter, and Leprechaun day. Kolvia's Independence day is July 5th, only a day after American Independence Day. The final holiday exclusive to Kolvia is Guapton Memorial Day, in honor and to mourn the thousands that have died in Guapton due to unrest, crime, police corruption, and terrorism.