Ivan ‘V’ Kapralov Well...what is there to say about myself, you want to hear my whole life story or some hovno like that?...fine I was born to Vera and Vasily Kapralov in the year of 1978, my mother was..so loving yet, she had to be strict I guess raising three sons alone made you have to be. I always resented my father for leaving us like that, but as I grew older I realized that he had no choice, the call of war took him from us, but enough of my childhood There's an old Chernarussian saying that goes "The hammer shatters glass, but it also forges steel". Around the Black Sea, these aren't just words, but a way of life. Doesn't matter who your father was, how much money you have, or what some fancy paper says you're good at. In my homeland, strength is all that matters; the strong rule while the weak serve. This country was forged by hammers, and ruled by hammers. That truth, that simple truth, is the only thing Boris my best friend and I were able to cling on as young boys growing up in the streets of Berezino. Like all young men, we dreamt of becoming big shots, powerful men, kingpins… Royals if you will. We thought if we could just be stronger and better than everyone, we would make it to the top. Like many boys our age, we joined some of the dock gangs when we turned 17. We thought being the baddest, toughest, pipe-hitting crew in the docks would make us strong and take us to the top. I married the love of my life at 22 and dropped the path of crime. True strength meant not risking your marriage over petty cash and a reputation on some docks, and I tried going legit after. For 9 years I provided for my family, because that’s what a strong man does, he provides for his own and doesn't go to jail for half a life time over scraps. Everything changed with the Chedaki uprising. Boris and I witnessed first-hand Chedaki soldiers massacring entire villages; unmatched, unchallenged. It was then that we realized what being a strong man meant. What it took to be the top dog… To become Royal, first you must walk a path paved in Red. Like the Mongols 800 years ago, or the Russians centuries later, we had to carve a red path to reach the top. We joined the CDF at the height of the uprising and stayed with them throughout and after the conflict. Our ruthlessness and decisiveness allowed us to quickly rise through the ranks as we did anything in our power to reach our goals. By the end of the conflict I had become Captain of the 57th Regiment, and Boris was my most trusted Lieutenant. We had finally experienced what wielding true power meant although...none of this prepared us for what was coming next...