Ursus

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ursus (乌萨斯)
Type	Empire / nation
Affiliation	Ursus Empire
Status	Existing; politically unstable amid conflict between the Emperor, old nobles, and military factions 20 21
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background / History

Ursus is a military-centered empire whose history is defined by expansion. Its First Emperor reportedly fought from the borderlands to the Winter Palace, establishing military supremacy as the foundation of the state. The empire expanded southward because its barren northern territory could not sustain its population and resource demands. 23

The empire is ruled by Emperor Fyodor from the Winter Palace, but old nobles retain substantial military power. Their resistance to central reforms and ability to mobilize troops without authorization create a persistent threat to the Emperor's authority. 20 21

The central region serves as a trade link between Ursus's industrial south and agricultural north. Its mobile city-states function as commercial hubs for nobles and merchants. 16 21

Society

Treatment of the Infected

Infected people in Ursus are denied civil rights and treated as disposable labor rather than citizens. They are concentrated in mines, forced into dangerous work extracting Originium, and frequently subjected to violence by guards, military police, and enforcement squads. 2 6

The state and wider society normalize this persecution. Infected people are commonly described as vermin or rats, while poor non-Infected citizens are encouraged to view them as a lower class beneath themselves. 2 6

• Infected mines operate as labor camps where death is routine. 2 6
• The Infected Enforcement Squad is granted vague authority to extort resources and search for Infected, worsening local oppression. 7
• During Operation Snow Removal, the military conscripts Infected as living Originium batteries for sustained Arts bombardment. 22 23
• The operation also detains non-Infected civilians to fill quotas, demonstrating that military expediency can override legal status. 22

Class Structure

Ursus society is sharply divided between powerful nobles, military institutions, ordinary citizens, and the Infected. Old nobles control wealth and armed forces, while the lower classes endure corruption, poverty, and arbitrary enforcement. 20 21

The empire's high-pressure policies suppress dissent, but its decaying political structure and unresolved class conflict create conditions for unrest. 8 21

Government and Political Factions

Faction / Institution	Role
Emperor Fyodor	Formal ruler of Ursus; seeks to preserve the empire and pursue reforms while confronting the power of old nobles and military interests. 20 21
Old Nobles	Entrenched aristocratic bloc that holds military power and resists centralization and reform. 21
Army Groups	Powerful regional military formations commanded by nobles; their independent movements can trigger political crises. 8 28
Emperor's Royal Guard	Elite imperial force described as the Emperor's blades and the embodiment of Ursus's war machine. 5
Military Police	Internal security force used to enforce order, conduct checks, and detain civilians and Infected. 16 22
Infected Enforcement Squad	Poorly regulated force tasked with searching for and exploiting Infected people. 7 9
Staff Department	Military body concerned with labor extraction, military readiness, and the risk of Infected resistance. 20

Military

Ursus regards military force as the primary solution to political and strategic problems. Its doctrine favors overwhelming firepower, direct confrontation, and numerical superiority rather than indirect warfare. 22 23

Emperor's Royal Guard

The Emperor's Royal Guard are black-clad elite combatants with concealed identities, advanced equipment, and powerful Originium Arts. A single guard is said to be capable of devastating several squads, while pairs can destroy organized legions. 5

• Their helmets feature red, compound-eye-like viewfinders and connected tubing. 5
• They employ area suppression, immobilizing cold, barriers, and pressure-based Arts. 11
• They can conduct long-range observation through visual Originium Arts without external equipment. 22
• Their deployment is intended to eliminate the people or forces responsible for a problem. 5

Arts Casters

Military Arts Casters occupy a privileged position due to the education, wealth, and talent required for their role. They serve as key offensive assets in specialized operations. 22

During Operation Snow Removal, Ursus Casters use an ancient-style ritual that treats Infected bodies and their Originium crystals as casting media. 23

Standard Strategy

• Use conspicuous convoys as bait to draw out hostile targets. 22
• Conceal infantry, artillery, and Arts Caster formations around the bait. 22 23
• Employ siege cannons and saturation bombardment to overwhelm targets. 22 23
• Rely on Infected captives as expendable resources for extended Arts use. 22

Snow Demon Crisis

The Ursus military designates the unidentified attacker responsible for repeated northern attacks as the Snow Demon. The entity destroys Emperor's Royal Guards, annihilates a garrison legion, and leaves military investigators unable to establish its identity or capabilities. 17 19 20

The military attributes the destruction to an impossible volume of weapon-like attacks—described as a sky full of “meteors”—and cannot identify any known force capable of deploying such firepower inside Ursus. 20

Operation Snow Removal

Operation Snow Removal is Ursus's large-scale attempt to ambush and eliminate the Snow Demon. The military assembles transport convoys as bait, hides its main forces nearby, and prepares siege artillery and large-scale Originium Arts. 22 23

The operation fails when the Snow Demon counters the ambush, reverses artillery fire and offensive spells, destroys the central command post, and captures Grand Duke Ivanov Kim Yusupov. 24

Apostle Project

In response to the Snow Demon crisis, the Sarcophagus experimental group deploys the Apostle, a restrained biological weapon reportedly repurposed from a failed Rhine Lab project. 20 25

• The Apostle is delivered to the battlefield by a modified frontline bomber. 25
• It is equipped with restraining armor intended to control its behavior while enhancing combat utility. 20
• Its first assigned target is the Snow Demon. 20
• The weapon is ultimately defeated after its limbs are severed by the Snow Demon. 26

Notable Locations

• Winter Palace — Seat of Emperor Fyodor and the center of imperial power. 20
• Chernobog — Major Ursus city containing a psychiatric hospital, municipal center, and the Sarcophagus testing ground. 19 21 28
• Northwestern frozen plains — Remote snowfields containing Infected mines, abandoned villages, and military sites. 2 3
• Concentration camps / mines — Infected labor sites used for mining, detention, and suppression. 6 14