Allbow

Allbow is a conflict territory of the Keizon Empire, in the continent of Tikaj. It is part of the Conflict Strip, the smallest country in it, situated between Singha (north) and Noksun (south). It borders Tsubow to the west, and Kalbow to the east, both territories (not conflict ones) of the Empire. Despite its size, Allbow was the last in the Strip to be invaded, and the invasion is still ongoing three hundred years later.
The country’s history prior to the Empire’s domination was one full of uprisings and rebellions, invasions and incursions, and powerful criminal organisations prone to mass violence. The people’s strength of will and the country’s readiness for all kinds of violent crises put them on a secure defensive footing, and anticipating this, the Empire waited to invade them until they occupied all four surrounding states. (Unlike Allbow, both Singha and Noksun were under total occupation at one time.) While the Empire succeeded in dismantling Allbow’s government and placing a State Governor in charge, Allbow’s military were never fully defeated, the people refused to submit, and the situation throughout the country is very unstable.
Allbow is riddled with natural tunnels and caves connected by man-made catacombs and bunkers, which together house much of the population. About forty percent of Allbow citizens live underground; fifteen percent have never even been to the surface. The Empire’s martial forces ruthlessly enforce law and order above ground, but highly organised groups of rebels are frequently fighting back with rudimentary homemade weaponry which is nevertheless effective. The underground citizens get water from underground rivers; other supplies primarily from risky missions above ground, where they also source basic materials and medical supplies. Some additional supplies are smuggled in by secret sympathisers in Tsubow, a highly risky operation. The diet of the underground citizens comprises mainly of meat from burrowing animals, supplemented with whatever other food can be resourced.
Above ground, life in Allbow is just as tough in different ways. As the only territory which never even considered surrendering to the Empire, the people are punished for their unwillingness to yield. In regions where the Empire’s military have full control, the citizens live in terror. Regular raids and frequent spot-checks consist of a house’s contents being thrown out into the street as they are searched, and the inhabitants publicly stripped and frisked. Any implication, however tenuous, that anybody is helping the rebels earns them an immediate public execution. A strict curfew is enforced by shooting on sight. Any form of formal education of an Allbow citizen is banned and has been since soon after the invasion began, so those with medical knowledge for instance are very rare and have to use their skills in secret. Loyal Empire citizens from other territories run basic infrastructure, paid for by very high taxes, which non-payment of earns imprisonment. In regions where the Empire’s grip is looser, there is so much clashing between soldiers and rebels that these are no safer.