The icy wind whipped through the open windows of Volkshalle's war room, carrying with it the distant hum of Valoria's industrial heart. Alexander stood at the head of the chamber, his eyes scanning a massive map of Europe that spanned the far wall. Ruthenia, circled in red ink, seemed impossibly distant. It was a land engulfed in chaos, crushed under the iron grip of Ivan III, and now perilously close to extinguishing the dream of a unified revolutionary uprising.
Julieanne stepped forward, her hands clutching a thick file of intelligence reports. Her expression was a mixture of resolve and frustration. "Supreme Leader," she began, "the situation in Ruthenia worsens by the day. Loyalist forces are eradicating the last remnants of revolutionary resistance. If they succeed, Ivan's narrative of indomitable tyranny will echo across the continent."
Alexander turned his piercing gaze to her. "How far have the embers of resistance spread outside Ruthenia?"