Characters / Pride And Fall Łódzkie

Main Character Index Northern Poland: Pomeranian Voivodeship, Podlasie Voivodeship, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Southern Poland: Łódź Voivodeship (The Brotherhood of Coal | Post-Smog Poland), Nysa Voivodeship

Łódź Voivodeship

Free City of Łódź

Polish Name: Wolne Miasto Łodzi

Ruling Party: Rząd Łódzki^note The Government of Łódź

Ideology: Dialogue^note Euroliberalism

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• The Remnant: After atomic bombing of Bałuty, the Free City remains what is left from the famed student city of Łódź

Szymon Hołownia

^{Later Hołownia Portrait} 

Role: Mediator^note Head of State

Party: Rząd Łódzki^note The Government of Łódź

Ideology: Dialogue^note Euroliberalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} For decades division has paralyzed Polish society. Where an outside eye would once see a monolithic national identity, cracks grew with increased animosity, eventually shattering the country into hundreds of pieces. And while the political, ethnic, and religious lines dividing the nation have been replaced by impromptu borders, with disputes now settled on the field of battle, reasonable debate supplanted by a farcical contest of strength, the indomitable flame of dialogue still burns proudly right in the center of the vortex of instability engulfing the country. From his base of operations in Łódź’s historic Śródmieście, merely a short walk away from the Nuclear Exclusion Zone of Bałuty, Szymon Hołownia guards the fragile peace in Łódzkie Voivodeship along with his clique of fellow idealists, desperately mediating between the region’s various warlords, a sole dam preventing all-out war from spilling out over the state.

And while his task may seem Sisyphean to nearly everyone who’s witnessed the reality of this brotherly war, Hołownia remains undeterred in the face of continuous diplomatic disappointments, ones he never had to live through in the first place. He could have simply continued his media career and led a comfortable life of wealth as a beloved public figure. Even following his venture into politics, the option to flee the country was still open. Still, against the better judgment of his companions, Hołownia chose to stay, putting both his life and legacy on the line in pursuit of his dream of a shining republic, built on a foundation of compromise and dialogue, free from radicalism and above all divisions.

As much as his surrounding warlords would wish to simply sweep Hołownia aside, the sheer population and industrial capability of the Free City forces them to pay the politician’s words some heed. And so, begrudgingly, they come to the negotiating table each time he calls, half-heartedly listening to his speeches about the need for unity, immediately returning home to oversee their statelets’ progressive armament. The drums of war beat ever louder as the Second Horseman watches over Łódzkie in wait. Time is running out for Szymon Hołownia, and unless he’s content with his mediations serving as merely a stopgap for total conflict, he must find a way to bring the region’s disparate factions together under one banner in a grand final triumph of dialogue.

Hołownia quick desc

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• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Hołownia tries to compromise with each of his neighbours, which seems like an impossible task given he borders various extremist states like necropolic Flower Consortium, LARP Duchy of Ellander or Brotherhood of Coal and its addiction to this black gold.

Jaśmina

^{Warning: Spoilers Ahead!} 

Role:

Party:

Ideology:

desc

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Brotherhood of Coal

Polish Name: Bractwo Węgla

Ruling Party: Bractwo Węgla^note Brotherhood of Coal

Ideology: Radical Carbonism^note Reactionary

Reactionary and fierce brotherhood, that wishes to reunite Poland under a new Coal Era. To see their tropes visit their subpage.

Flower Consortium

Polish Name: Konsorcjum Kwiatowe

Ruling Party: H.Skrzydlewska

Ideology: Corporativism

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• Make Sure He's Dead: In order to make sure the "skin" is dead, paramedics use the imfamous Pavulon drug, which extremely relaxes the muscles.

Witold Skrzydlewski

Role: Necrobaron^note Head of State

Party: H.Skrzydlewska

Ideology: Corporativism

In-Game Biography [[labelnote:Click to Show]]The line between cut-throat business practices and pure psychopathy is a thin one, with the constant pressure for ever-increasing growth creating a soul-crushing grind. Those who rise to the top never do so unscathed, as to always remain ahead of the similarly ambitious competition, hell-bent on upending the corporate order, requires one to sacrifice their morals on the altar of the mighty Dollar. Or perhaps, like in the case of Witold Skrzydlewski, they never had them to begin with...

Having inherited a humble florist business from his retiring mother, Skrzydlewski was far from content to let it merely remain so. Through fierce expansion, diversification into the funeral industry, and following hegemonic monopolization, the tycoon increasingly cornered the established magnates, putting them out of business one-by-one, until only H. Skrzydlewska remained on the economic battlefield as the undisputed victor. At least that is the sanitized version of the story that Skrzydlewski would like the public to know. After all, the real methods of ensuring his success were far less humane.

In truth, the exponential spiral of corporate advancement was aided by all kinds of shady dealings, including with the now-infamous Skin Hunters, who graciously provided their services of cold-blooded murder of vulnerable patients to the highest bidder. Throughout the years, whenever the seemingly serene funeral industry intersected with crime, Skrzydlewski was always in the center of events, usually as the culprit. Yet, at times, even the Necrobaron would find himself outplayed, and the failed attempt on his life was more than enough of an impulse to cut ties with the underworld and sanitize his image. Since then, the Tycoon has worked hard to regain public favor, eventually earning rapport within the community through a number of high-profile ventures. And yet, the ruthless businessman in him was not gone, he simply remained in hibernation, waiting for the right time to re-emerge.

Given his guile and established network of connections, it was only natural that for Skrzydlewski the Fall meant not danger, but unprecedented opportunity instead. Rather than quietly sit on the sidelines and watch the tide of events unfold, as soon as authority within the voivodeship collapsed, the tycoon gathered up his assets and forcefully established a corporate state in a final grand expansion of H. Skrzydlewska. Such action wouldn’t be possible without the use of a few old contacts, however – ones that wouldn’t lend their services without a heavy dose of influence over the newfound Consortium. In his greatest gambit, the Necrobaron has been forced to cooperate with the worst demons of his troubled past. It remains to be seen whether the aging tycoon can keep them in check, securing an everlasting legacy for the company he brought from obscurity all the way to the national stage, or whether the echoes of his crimes will come to haunt him at last.

tba

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Joanna Skrzydlewska

Role: Head of Government, Vice-President of Łódź

Party: H.Skrzydlewska

Ideology: Corporativism

Daugther of the Necrobaron Skrzydlewski and heir to the family business.

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Dr. Ebrantil (Andrzej Nowocień)

Role: Minister of the Economy, Necrobaron^note Head of State

Party: Łódzki Oddział Pogotowia^note Łódź Section of Emergency Medical Services

Ideology: Bloodmarketism^note Postpolonism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} A horrifying revelation awaits anyone who dares to venture deep into the Flower Consortium’s politics. Despite Skrzydlewski’s appearance of control, the true power lies within the hands of a man so wicked, the potential revelation of the depths of his depravity might just prove enough to unify all the other warlords in an effort to contain him. Hidden behind a mask of flesh, the twisted expression of Dr. Ebrantil haunts Poland, as the terror once seen in the dying eyes of his patients spreads across Łódź, his influence corrupting the Emergency Services from the selfless humanitarians of days gone by into his personal playground, a shadow government in the halls of power and heartless killers on the streets of Kutno.

Unbeknownst to the docile lab rats, known in the rest of the voivodeship simply as “people”, the roots of the carousel of horror engulfing the fallen nation stretch all the way to the founding of the Third Republic. It was then, during his days as an EMS trainee, that a previously unassuming man realized he was... different than the rest of his classmates. He scoffed at their bleeding hearts, their will to do anything to save the life of another. He would still begrudgingly perform his work, of course, anything for the money after all, and the story could have very well ended here had he not found his enabler. Just like today, Witold Skrzydlewski’s cash flow would graciously unleash Dr. Ebrantil’s madness on the populace. As they died in the Pavulon-induced agony, staring into their future leader's soulless eyes, Łódź’s helpless benevolently served the interests of the two men for the final time, a source of profit for one, of twisted purpose for the other.

When he invited the mad scientist under his wing for the second time, Skrzydlewski truly believed he could control Dr. Ebrantil. Instead, he would find himself the puppet of a demon in human skin. The necropolis of Kutno churns more and more bodies each day, some for gruesome experiments that create unholy amalgamations, others for their precious blood, the rest simply for the new leader’s sick pleasure. There is nobody left to curtail his deranged mind.

Not even God can save Poland now.

The people can only pray for a quick and painless death.

tba

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Krzysztof Rutkowski

^{Later Rutkowski Portrait} 

Role: Minister of War, Necrobaron^note Head of State

Party: Patrol Rutkowskiego^note Rutkowski's Patrol

Ideology: Justicarism^note Despotism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} To not only survive but also thrive in the cut-throat landscape of the Consortium’s politics takes a certain kind of toughness. As Skrzydlewski’s corporate state grinds a profit out of the withering lands of Łódź, it leaves all those with at least some heart left in them by the wayside. Perhaps no man exemplifies the values of those whose who remain quite like Krzysztof Rutkowski. Cunning, ruthless, and not afraid to bend the rules and put morals aside, the detective will stop at nothing to reach his ambitions. And it appears even the Necrobaron himself, now simply pushed to the wayside, couldn’t halt Rutkowski’s machinations. \n\nRising to prominence in the early days of the Third Republic, Rutkowski’s fame showcased the country’s desperate need for success stories among the constant stream of everyday mediocrity. As the optimism of newfound sovereignty slowly faded, the detective remained as one of the few figures rising above the gray muck, his mythos, built over a series of notable cases, forever enshrined in the nation’s memory.

Despite his star fading, Rutkowski’s repour would prove enough to sustain him throughout the twenties, his times as a detective now merely a source of nostalgia. He was evidently not meant to be granted a quiet retirement, however, as in the midst of the country’s collapse a mystery would emerge unlike any other in his career. With the perpetrator of the Bałuty nuclear strike unknown, it fell upon Rutkowski to solve his grandest case yet. Assembling the patrol together for the first time in years, the detective soon found himself in the employ of Witold Skrzydlewski, forming the Consortium’s security apparatus.

Over the following months, Rutkowski spent his time meticulously accruing influence, eventually strongarming the Necrobaron into giving up control of his enterprise. The detective now leads the statelet with his dedicated corps of mercenaries, ready to play kingmaker among Poland’s numerous warlords. What they fail to realize in their petty squabbles over ideology is that war above all means profit. And Rutkowski is ready to turn their misery and conflict into a true money-making machine.

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Autonomous Troops of ZHP

^{Flag of Autonomous Banner of ZHK-Z} 

^{Flag of Autonomous Banner of ZHR} 

^{Flag of United Banners of Polish Scouting} 

Polish Name: Autonomiczny Hufiec Związku Harcerstwa Polskiego

Ruling Party: Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego - Idealiści^note Polish Scouting Association - Idealists

Ideology: Neonationalism

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Andrzej Duda

^{Later Duda Portrait} 

^{President Duda Portrait} 

^{Later Duda Portrait} 

Role: Protector^note Head of StatePresident^note Head of State

Party: Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego - Idealiści^note Polish Scouting Association - Idealists,Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego - Szara Lilijka^note Polish Scouting Association - Gray Fleur-de-lis,Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczpospolitej (President)^note Scouting Association of the Republic

Ideology: Neonationalism, Postpolonism, Paternal Conservatism (President)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Poland’s former president once more finds himself in a most familiar role – that of a puppet. This time, however, of a far less noteworthy scale, his services no longer required by the leadership of PiS. Deemed too useless by the various right-wing factions to pursue his allegiance and too harmless by the left to expend their forces hunting him, Andrzej Duda was essentially cast aside, a has-been, irrelevant in the ideological wars tearing the country apart. Yet, in his roots, the politician would manage to find a new posting, as the newly autonomous forces of the ZHP and ZHR jumped at the opportunity of having someone of his stature legitimizing their plans for the conquest and following restructuring of Poland. And so, just like he did for the past decade, Duda sits in his office, signing documents he barely read into law without question, wondering what could have been had he stood his ground just once.

Though his public charm has long since faded, there used to be a time when Duda was seen as a wind of change in Poland’s increasingly stale political scene. But even if he truly wished to be the fresh face he portrayed himself as, his future had already been decided by men far more powerful than he could ever hope to be. As per his bargain with the kingmakers of PiS, in exchange for being elevated to the highest position in the nation, Duda would serve as their reliable ally, allowing their agenda to pass into law without unnecessary issues. And yet, as the legislation reaching his desk became increasingly authoritarian in nature, the president attempted to resist the inevitable, but his fickle attempts at political independence merely served as justification for the party elite to strip him of the remaining bits of his agency. By the end of his second term, Duda finally became what they’d always pushed him to be – just a rubber stamp, putting his signature under every bill that further doomed the Third Republic – an unwilling agent of its ultimate collapse.

Even in the Troop’s administration, despite early optimism, Duda has found himself constrained by the same conditions he suffered his entire career under. Expected by the Scouts to do little more than improve their image abroad and maintain morale within, his voice rarely matters in the internal disputes about the polity’s identity. And yet, as ZHP and ZHR wrangle for control over the fledgling statelet, perhaps the former president can navigate the web of shifting alliances and wrest enough power to finally enforce his long-suppressed vision for a strong, stable Poland.

tba

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Marek Jędraszewski

^{Later Jędraszewski Portrait} 

Role: Archbishop^note Head of State

Party: Stowarzyszenie Harcerstwa Katolickiego "Zawisza"^note "Zawisza" Association of Catholic Scouting

Ideology: Theocracy^note Despotism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} An Archbishop of two cities, one which he was exiled from and one to which he had returned. He served as the Archbishop of Łódź from 2012, however he instead became the Archbishop of Kraków in 2017. The upheaval and societal collapse brought upon by the Fall caused the liberal population of the city to chase him out for his staunchly traditionalist and controversial rhetoric, with no hope of returning to the archdiocese any time soon. He returned to Łódź and made it his goal to help the catholic Scouts oppose the influence and maniacal rule championed by the ZHP.

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Hooligans of Widzew

^{Flag of Commune of the Promised Land} 

^{Flag of People's Republic of Polin} 

Polish Name: Kibole Widzewa

Ruling Party: Wolne Komuny Judeo-Kiboli^note Free Communes of Judeo-Hooligans

Ideology: Squattism

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Rabin

Role:Red Rabbi^note Head of State

Party: Wolne Komuny Judeo-Kiboli^note Free Communes of Judeo-Hooligans

Ideology: Squattism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} If you asked any Widzewiak in 2025 what his stance on Jewry is, he'd likely respond with the most brutal, antisemitic accusations one could think of. Had the Siege of Widzew not happened, he'd likely say the same things nowadays.

The ringleader of Widzew's hooligans, nowadays referred to as Rabin by his men, already partook in religious matters in his early childhood, but it wasn't until his late teenagehood when he started feeling a *real* religious calling. Serving as an altar boy and going through ever more extensive religious education in his primary and middle school, Rabin was what every Catholic Pole should strive to be - a man who's well versed in Bible and manual work, who adheres to Polish, conservative values and leads his fellow Widzew ultras in street fights. As all self-respecting Widzew ultras at the time, he was also highly antisemitic - this was due to the common jokes amongst Widzew's rival clubs that its members are the descendants of the Łódź Jewry living in Widzew that got exterminated during the Second World War. These animosities amongst football ultras in Łódź only grew during Poland's election fraud crisis and the subsequent fall of the nation - the remains of Widzew Jewry - mostly socialist in ideology - were an obvious target to blame, and as the state apparatus lost all power - frontier justice became the main judicial system of the country.

And ŁKS was more than happy to capitalize on this.

With the city falling into complete chaos, the club's fans organized themselves into a makeshift army to deal with the commies, Jews and their own rivals once and for all. Six months later, Widzew still stood undefeated. Having to cooperate in order to survive, the district's defense orchiestrated by the Jewry turned out to be impossible for ŁKS to break through. As the attackers' lines faultered, a vicious counterattack commenced, in which ŁKS POWs were taunted by Widzew ultras mockingly converting to Judaism before executing them. Afterwards, the alliance prevailed, and although Widzewiaks were far from true, well-read Jews, their connection and dependence on them grew as the communist elites with Jerzy Urban at helm created a state for them and their new hooligan henchmen, of which Rabin was made the leader and lawspeaker of.

Now, him and his boys are as lacking in subtelty as in foreskins. Their club scarves have been outfitted with golden Stars of David, and whenever they train volleys, they sing Jewish piyyutim.\\\Whenever they go, whoever they fight, Widzew's club hymn echoes far.

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Jerzy Urban

Role: Head of Government, Head of State

Party: Nowa Inicjatywa w Ekonomii^note New Initiative in Economics

Ideology: Marxism-Cranism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} A man born during the turbulent times for Jews in Poland forced into hiding along with his family is yet again facing turbulent times, though this time for all his countrymen alike. He didn't receive proper education until the end of the Second World War, even then he has never graduated from any University. Despite those obstacles, he quickly began to write for state-controlled newspapers, often harshly criticizing the government's policies. Eventually, he became a spokesperson for the communist government in 1981. Being responsible for propaganda during the infamous rule of General Jaruzelski, he became known as the "Goebbels of the Martial Law era". After the fall of communism, he became a member of Polish social democratic parties (Sd RP and SLD), a famous internet personality popular among the youth and a successful stock trader, becoming the 98th most wealthy Pole in 2004. An experienced propagandist and political intriguer, he managed to survive in the third collapse of the Polish state. After the political situation in Łódź had clarified, he was invited to create a government with the Hooligans of Widzew, who were desperate to find competent Jews for their ruling structure.

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Duchy of Ellander

Polish Name: Księstwo Ellander

Ruling Party: Rada Książęca^note Ducal Council

Ideology: Absolutism^note Despotism

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Andrzej Sapkowski

^{Insane Sapkowski} 

^{Sane Sapkowski} 

Role:Gwynbleidd^note Head of State

Party: Rada Książęca^note Ducal Council

Ideology: Absolutism^note Despotism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} In a reality devoid of hope, can one truly be blamed for following a delusion? When the alternative is to die in some nameless ditch in the service of an uncaring warlord, is it really so absurd to turn to fiction instead? For his bizarre merger of politics and medieval fantasy, Andrzej Sapkowski has been called many things by his detractors, “crazy old man” somehow being one of the more favorable, but among the countless young souls within the borders of the Duchy of Ellander, spared from the bloodshed that engulfed Poland after the Fall, “visionary” is the word of choice for the eccentric writer. Yet even they must at times wonder whether Sapkowski’s colossal efforts to bring his magnum opus to life are merely a carefully maintained veneer, or whether the author’s delusions of grandeur have at last shattered his fragile grip on reality.

In spite of numerous accusations to the contrary, what can’t be denied is that Sapkowski truly meant to make things right. Unlike the norm within the war-torn nation, there was no declaration of some grand ideological crusade that followed the Duchy’s establishment. Instead, with the statelet serving as a safe, neutral zone for all those who wish to escape the seemingly unending waves of meaningless conflict, the writer managed to save countless young lives from prematurely perishing in the throes of war. And although whether the styling of the Duchy after the Witcher saga successfully allowed it to stay above partisan divides may be debated, what becomes evident to anyone who sets foot in these lands is that this carefree detachment from the grim world at hand enabled a jovial atmosphere, normally unseen within what once used to be Poland, to dominate the territory. And yet, all is not well in Ellander.

Even in its infancy, the state has repeatedly broken its policy of neutrality by meddling in local affairs. The annexation of Jacek Bartyzel’s monarchist clique in Łowicz and its subsequent integration into the governing apparatus forced the establishment of an administration built on more than just the novelty of the writer’s creation. With the Order of the White Rose now firmly in his ear, Sapkowski has taken a sharp turn away from his previous image of a protective patron, instead behaving more akin to a true monarch. As the state struggles to find its identity, rumors of a deeper conflict inside the author’s mind emerge. Perhaps he truly believes himself to be the legendary Gwynbleidd and his books to be not mere works of fiction, but rather a prophecy he is meant to fulfill. The truth may never be known, as the duke’s rare public appearances are filled with nothing but elusive answers, only further sparking fears about the state of his sanity

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