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Ancondria

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Article Written: 20 April 1451

Dominating the Southern Hemsiphere and extending from the tropical belt South of the Equator through the South Pole, Ancondria is divided into seven regions: the Great Ancondrian Peninsula, the Great Basin of Edom, the Mountains of the West, the Great Northern Escarpments, the Great Ancondrian River Basin, the Great Southern Escarpments, and the Great Ancondrian Arctic Plateau.

The Great Ancondrian Peninsula

Starting in the Northeasternmost region of the great landmass of Ancondria and extending far South into the temperate zone of the Southern hemisphere, the average elevation of the Great Ancondrian Peninsula is about 3600 feet above sea level. Spanning the center of the Peninsula stands the Northeast Ridges, which reach heights of around 15'000 feet. The feet of these summits, surrounding the edges of the Peninsula, are occupied by lush rainforests and jungles. The belt of land surrounding the Ridges between the rainforests and the highlands is occupied by open grasslands known for incredibly fertile soil. The ancient Ancondrian city of Silba is located in the Great Round Plateau in the South of the Peninsula and experiences four regular seasons.

The Great Basin of Edom

With the exception of the Five Noble Mountains in the center, a region boasting of lush forests, grasslands, and a natural spring circulation-filtering system, as well as being home to the ruins of the great ancient city of Edom, the Great Basin of Edom is a desert almost completely lacking of vegetation. The climate here is warm in the winter months and scalding in the summer months, while there is almost no rain. Countless research studies and examinations suggest that the Basin was once a lush grassland boasting of countless species of flora, fauna, and trees, including the yew tree. The yew tree was believed to have been used by the ancient Great Society of Edom in order to help propel it into a global society, which appears to have been the society responsible for sending the first humans to the Circlarian Realm. However, genetic over-engineering and soil depletion resulted in the downgrade of the yield of the yew tree, the desertification of the Basin, and the collapse of ancient Edomian society as a whole.

The Mountains of the West

Variable climate regions envelop the Mountains of the West, which boast some of the world's tallest peaks, which extend up to heights of 35'000 feet. The area is covered in forests and grasslands, and lakes. However, there are also rainforest regions in the lower sections, and glaciers in the higher regions. The area is home to most of the settled clans and is known for clan rivalries, some of which have seen the involvement of the Kingdom of Gyrosak and the Congress of Circlaria in recent decades.

The Great Northern Escarpment

These cliffs tower over the beginnings of the Great Ancondrian River Basin below by about 3000 feet, and are dotted in countless places by entrances to caves hollowed out by now-extinct lothars (ancient reptilian birds). Accompanied by wide ledges jutting out over the cliff, these places have since been converted into dwellings occupied by Ancondrian clans.

The Great Ancondrian River Basin

Dozens of tributaries fed by snow-melts from the West Circlarian Ridges lining the Circlarian Coast of Ancondria to the West feed into the Great Ancondrian River, which flows through the center of the Basin from West-to-East along the boundary between the tropical and temperate belts. The floor of the Basin, itself meets the West Circlarian Ridges at about 3000 feet above sea level and runs in a gradual slope down to about 600 feet above sea level on the Circlarian side, where the River pours out over the well-known Magnificant Drapes. This region has some of the most fertile soil in the world and is home to thousands of Ancondrian clans, both migratory and settled.

The Great Southern Escarpment

Unlike the North, the Great Southern Escarpment has no ledges or caves, but is instead, effectively, a smooth and impenetrable "wall," making it a seemingly impossible feat for those who have dared to explore. Furthermore, the top of this cliff stands 6000 feet above sea level, and marks the beginning of the Great Antarctic Plateau. One interesting feature, however, is that during the Spring and Summer Months, snowmelt rains over the wall in the form of an ever-changing network of waterfalls which feed into the tributaries.

The Great Antarctic Plateau

Proving even more hostile than the Great Basin of Edom to the North, the Great Antarctic Plateau, presenting a cold and wintry desert wasteland year-round, is the only part of Ancondria left untouched by its native population. In fact, there is almost no life here, save for several species of bird and beast. Recently, scientific expeditions from Circlarian establishments have built encampments in various locations throughout the region, but doing so has required preparations for harsh conditions.

Early History

The human species of Juno Minor originated in the Great River Basin and migrated over the Northern Escarpment into the Mountains of the West and the Great Basin of Edom, which was lush and green at the time. Around 22'000 years ago, traveling clans discovered the Five Noble Mountains and its natural water filtration system, and established a permanent settlement. This settlement eventually became the ancient city of Edom and would govern all of Ancondria through a hierarchy of Elder Councils consisting of elders from the thousands of clans. Edom became a center of culture, philosophy, politics (which lay the original groundwork for the balance of power), medicine, spellfire study, and science. Governing by Councils and Mandates, the Great Society of Edom began harnessing the power of the yew tree and the lothar species, the latter of which provided a useful mode of transportation and also a tool for war. Over the next six thousand years, the Society prospered and began to expand its influence beyond Ancondria, exploring and settling first the thousands of tiny islands surrounding the landmass with this island group known today as the Grand Archipelago. The Great Society of Edom would then expand its influence to every landmass in the Circlarian Realm in the Northern Hemisphere.

Such advancements came with the genetic engineering of yew trees to produce greater seed yields in order to meet exploding demand. However, such early forms of genetic engineering came at a cost, depleting the soil of the Great Basin of Edom and leading to its desertification. With yew-tree-based technologies supporting the domestication of lothars and critical infrastructures, the collapse of the yew tree population eventually led to the collapse of the Great Society of Edom, itself, around 16'000 years ago. The clans would continue to govern themselves, surviving in their environments across the land, but the population experienced a gradual decline in the millennia that followed.

Recent History

An airship carrying a crew of scientists from the Early Republic of Retun, which as attempting to map the Grand Archipelago Southwest of the Mid-Westerlies, was temporarily blown off-course in a storm in 1263, which led the airship to drift within sight of the ancient landmass of Ancondria. A photographer by the name of Jason Witts captured the towering Northeast Ridges of the Peninsula of Ancondria, but mistook their snowy peaks for clouds. The photograph did not become the subject of wide speculation until it was cross-examined by Professor William Tarp from Cabotton University, who realized these "clouds" were mountains and began a string of investigations which discovered that there was some significant landmass not yet charted in modern maps. In the summer of 1268, a team of explorers in five grand airships flew in the direction that the photograph was taken, and came upon the landmass of Ancondria. News of the existence of the large continent in the Southern Hemisphere spread quickly throughout the Circlarian Realm, and before long, all the standing maritime powers send countless expeditions to explore, map, and establish permanent settlements in Ancondria.

The Federal Estates of Retun established two settlements in the region surrounding Silba in 1281, and then established a permanent embassy in 1299. In 1304, an international deal was signed, granting the area surrounding Silba from the Northeastward Silba River to the Silba South Meridian as territory for the Federal Estates, and the remaining surrounding territory to the International Cooperation of the Congress of Circlaria. The land belonging to the Federal Estates was officially named the Retunian Domain of Ancondria. After the 1309 Revolution, the territory occupied by the Federal Estates was, henceforth, territory of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun.

The Independent Commonwealth State of Retun had control over the Retunian Domain of Ancondria with its boundaries set by the deal until 1370. In 1370, after having signed deals and compromises after the Esurchian War, the section of land extending from the Silba River to the East Silba Parallel was handed over to the Esurchians as an act of consolation toward them. In the remaining Retunian territories, local clans and businesses turned against the Commonwealth after decades of corrupt business practices and began boycotting them. In December 1375, the remaining territories was ceded by the Commonwealth to the sphere of International Cooperation. In 1380, in order to gain leverage in Ancondrian diplomacy, the Esurchians seceded their territories to the International Cooperation, so that all territory surrounding Silba was now under International Cooperation jurisdiction.

Clans and Congress of Circlaria entities continue to trade and function mutually throughout Ancondria, although there has been recent abrasion between the Congress and local Ancondrian entities in the Mountains of the West while Commonwealth influence has all but diminished. However, numerous educational institutions continue to conduct field studies of the ancient past while Ancondrians continue to visit and trade with Circlarians to this day.

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Agridbea

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Beginning

Map of West Hobland, 1400-Present

*It is important to note that before the establishment of the Circlarian School, those engaged in spellfire-crafting were known by titles of rank such as Conjurers and Chancellors.

Grandchancellor Tiernonomous settled the lands of Agridbea around 2100 BCE with the intent to establish a pure society dedicated to the task of promoting universal peace and discovering the key to immortality. Not long after, Tiernonomous died and, in his will, left the land to be governed mutually by his five Arch-Chancellors: Ccroyea, Nevidsa, Ocaam, Eveabor, and Lewelloph. They were to have equal shares of the land from which to govern from established Houses in their name; and they were to meet yearly to discuss the solutions leading to the hope of achieving immortality.

They convened as commanded for their annual discussion for only two times. During the second meeting, debates arose that diminished into sparring of insults. Rivalries soon erupted and before long, the Houses were at war against one another for dominance over the land as each Arch-Chancellor volleyed to become the next Grandchancellor.

A Nation at War

The Houses fought continuously for thirty centuries as no one House seemed to gain long-term advantage over the others. Under each House arose Lesser Houses who were loyal to the former. And under these Lesser Houses arose Factions and Clans. During times of imminent conflict, a particular House would commission their Lesser Houses to enlist warriors and spellcasters from the Factions and Clans to attack those of the enemy House. Villages would be captured or destroyed, or recaptured by the original jurisdiction. Occasionally, a Lesser House would be captured but the supreme House of that jurisdiction would usually send reinforcements to take back the said Lesser House. On occasion, a major House would come under threat as well, but no records seem to indicate any one of the Five Houses being captured before the 1070s CE.

Meanwhile, when an Arch-Chancellor died, the title would be passed down to the next legitimate candidate. Eligibility was subject to rules that varied from House to House and, within each House, such rules changed numerous times throughout history. Such was the case for the Lesser Houses and their Chancellors as well. Appointment to the Chancellor or Arch-Chancellor role was a lifetime one, and each of those who ascended to such a position governed over their jurisdiction with absolute authority.

Settlement and the Great North

Around the 1050s, the Great North arrived in West Hobland and began building settlements in the region to extract the recently-discovered blue diamond coalsand deposits. Their largest settlement was named Estry, which became an industrial hub in the region. And the Great North expanded Southward with the construction of mines, drilling sites, and rail lines. Such an expansion crossed into Agridbea, where they were attacked by armed spellcasters of the House of Lewelloph in 1058. In response to this attack, the Great North sent armed reinforcements as the region became gridlocked in an ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, Lewelloph allied with Nevidsa while the Great North allied with the Houses of Ocaam, Eveabor, and Ccroyea. Bitter conflict ensued; however the Great North was able to maintain its claimed territories North of Agridbea while giving refuge to three Lesser Houses: Eroxh, Enilor, and Kieran, who had fled North and re-established themselves in the Great Northern territories.

Blue diamond coalsand reserves ran out in West Hobland in 1061; however, with the growing threat of the alliance of Lewelloph and Nevidsa, the Great North continued to assert its military presence in the region. Nevertheless, it was costly in both finances and resources, not to mention in human lives as well. Such a situation worsened in 1068 when a Great Northern colony in East Hobland gained independence and declared war. Opposition there was fierce to the Great North, which began to lose that conflict. The Lewelloph-Nevidsa alliance took advantage of this and launched a full frontal assault on the Great Northern territories in West Hobland in 1075. In 1076, the Great North decided to surrender its front in East Hobland and convened with the Houses of Ocaam, Eveabor, and Ccroyea to launch a full-frontal counteroffensive against the Lewelloph-Nevidsa alliance. This counteroffensive succeeded as both the Houses of Lewelloph and Nevidsa were overrun by the Great North and its allies. In 1078, the Great North summoned a Conference between itself and all five Houses of Agridbea to craft the Peaceful West Hobland Non-Aggression Pact. This document was signed in October of that year, and gave equal shares of the territory of Agridbea to each of the five Houses and equal shares of territory to the three Lesser Houses in the Great Northern territory. The Great North officially withdrew from West Hobland in 1079 and amended the Pact to reduce the territory of the House of Kieran and redistribute the remaining territory equally between the other two Lesser Houses of Enilor and Eroxh, in exchange for Kieran (now renamed from Estry) becoming the capital of the newly-established independent protectorate of Lachrea, which would be governed by an incumbent-appointed presidential council.

In 1080, the local population in the territory of the House of Eroxh staged a coup against the presiding government and drove the House of Eroxh from power. In its place was established a royal ruling class, as the region became established as the Humerian Kingdom. Clauses in the Pact of 1078 prevented the Great North and the five Houses of Agridbea from intervening in this political happening; and so such nationalist sentiment spread Northward. In 1087, a similar coup happened in Enilor and led to the establishment of the Rinean Kingdom. The House of Kieran, still presiding over the remaining territory of Lachrea, called a Conference with the two Kingdoms in 1091 and signed the West Hobland Peace-and-Trade Agreement, which helped to preserve and protect the House of Kieran from a similar coup, as well as obligated the two Kingdoms to keep peace with them.

Krylandia and the Present

Relative peace ensued in the region of West Hobland until the late 1390s, when working class uprisings initiated by a political movement originating in East Hobland prompted West Hoblandish leaders to join East Hobland, Remikra, and Canticula in the Arctic city of Boken for a Conference with labor movement leaders. In 1399, compromises and agreements were signed which established a new government in Boken over a new nation covering all of Hobland, both East and West, with such a new nation to be named Krylandia (officially taken effect in 1400).

To this day, Lachrea still exists as an incumbent-appointed presidential council, while both the Humerian and Rinean Kingdoms still stand ruled by their monarchy governments and Agridbea ruled by its Five Houses. However, these countries are now part of the nation of Krylandia, and carry out elections directly by the people to appoint representatives to Boken. Meanwhile, Agridbea is the most peaceful it has been in its 3000 years of existence; however, armed clans and independent spellcasters loyal to Houses and Lesser Houses still occasionally carry out attacks in towns and marketplaces along the inter-House borders, prompting regular peacekeeping measures from the Five Houses and the Krylandian government.

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Nogliespe

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Establishment

Map of East Hobland, 1400-Present

Until the twelfth century, the region in East Hobland encompassing present-day Nogliespe (Nully-es-pah) was comprised of freely-migrating clans led by warlords. Beginning in the 1000s, many of these clans took root in permanent settlements and began establishing city-states. And in the late 1090s, three commanding warlords merged and formed the city-state of Nogliespe, the largest city state, and governed over it as a triumvirate. In the years that followed, two neighboring city-states, Draveya and Esthera, would join Nogliespe as part of its hierarchy, governing themselves each under a single war-lordship loyal to the Nogliespan Triumvirate.

In the 1130s, the people under both the greater city-state of Nogliespe and the two satellite city-states carried a revolution for democracy, which succeeded in replacing each of the three Triumvirate war-lordships and the two subsidiary war-lordships in the satellite states with elected consuls. And thus, the super-entity of Nogliespe and its satellite states became a democracy with its established Statutes of Principle. Eight other city-states in the region would follow in reforming into democracies while the remaining seven did not. By the 1200s, half of the city-states outside the Nogliespe super-entity were democracies while the others remained authoritarian regimes.

Rise of Authoritarianism

Change came around in the 1170s when two business figures from Combria and Furthing established heavy industrial companies in Greater Nogliespe, sparking an industrial revolution. As the cityscape transformed from that of an agrarian one to that of a metal urban landscape, industrial development began taking shape in the two satellite states and the other democratic states. Meanwhile, the authoritarian states remained underdeveloped. In the 1180s, the workers in the industrial complexes united and demanded higher wages, creating collective pressure to which the emerging leaders yielded. This led to a rise in living and working standards, giving incentive for those living in the military states to emigrate over into Nogliespe and the democratic ones. Soon, democratic governments began passing ordinances to bar entry for the incoming immigrants. In the 1190s, the businesses began outsourcing jobs to the military states, employing its inhabitants for a fraction of the pay. This led to a loss in jobs in Nogliespe and the democratic states, which in turn led to economic hardship and even civil unrest. And in Nogliespe, such hardship led to the rise to power of a charismatic figure named Mathusen, who won the election to one of the Nogliespe Consul positions in 1202.

Upon officially taking office in 1203, Mathusen enacted a program that constructed mass housing for all Nogliespan inhabitants while providing all of them with jobs in an emerging military industrial complex. However, such housing was lacking in standards (i.e. no heating or running water); and employment was far sub-standard to jobs in the past as Mathusen nullified labor standards. Soon, Yean, the second of the Three Nogliespan Consuls rose in opposition to Mathusen over such living and working conditions, receiving support of the majority of Nogliespan inhabitants. However, Mathusen acted swiftly and had Yean assassinated. To cover up this act, he spawned a riot that gave cause for him to suspend the remaining Consul Offices, including the ones in the satellite states, as well as the remaining democratic institutions of the government. The satellite state of Draveya resisted Mathusen's actions by declaring a new government and threatening to declare independence from the Nogliespe super-entity. Mathusen responded by sending military tanks and infantry into the city-state, which successfully crushed the resistance and subverted the satellite state. Esthera, the second of the two satellite-states staged a similar resistance. Mathusen attempted to overrun the state of Esther in a similar fashion, but the state had formed alliances with the surrounding democratic states, who sent in reinforcements. During that time, these neighboring democratic states united and formed the Western Confederacy of Hobland and formally declared war on Nogliespe.

However, this Confederacy had no formal capital city or even a central government; and its forces were disorganized and lacking in important resources. Furthermore, some states within the Confederacy signed enlisted some of the military states to assist in the conflict against Nogliespe, a move that was adamantly opposed by other states within the Confederacy. Such opposition was to the point that the opposing states began blockading supply lines between military states and their friendly Confederate counter-parts. And this led to the outbreak of a civil war within the Confederacy in the year 1209.

In December 1210, Mathusen took advantage of the ensuing civil conflict and launched an organized frontal offensive against both the Confederacy and the military states. Needless to say, both of the satellite states of Draveya and Esther were defeated; and Mathusen succeeded in felling the remaining Confederate and military states. By the end of the month, the entire region fell under Nogliespan jurisdiction, with Mathusen in direct control.

Life under Mathusen was brutal and oppressive. Acts and speeches of opposition were outlawed and met with capital punishment. Working and living standards were low and continued to worsen over the years, as Mathusen embarked on massive industrial projects. Meanwhile, an opposing faction within the Mathusen Movement left the nation and landed in the Southern neighbor of Notulfa, where they carried out a similar movement that took advantage of existing political tensions and drove the House of Esary from power in 1213. In its place was established a similar authoritarian regime.

Fall of Authoritarianism

It was when Mathusen signed charters to sell tanks and artillery to Northern Canticulan nations at the beginning of the First Continental War in 1221 that opposition against him began to take a firm stand. That year, an underground movement known as the Pan-Democratic Movement formed and infiltrated nearly every rank of Nogliespan society to a certain degree, especially the military. On 3 March 1221, two months after the beginning of the Continental War, Mathusen was assassinated; and over the six weeks that followed, the nation of Nogliespe was embroiled in a civil war. The Pan-Democratic Movement prevailed in that conflict and enacted government motions for the abolition of the Consul offices and establishment of an elected Council led by a Prime Minister. This Council called for elections and referendums to be held in September of 1221, during which the electorate voted to establish every Nogliespan state as a democratically-run entity, and for each of these states to be considered provinces. And thus, the City-State Confederation of Nogliespe was established.

Merger into Krylandia

The new Confederation ushered in revised Statutes of Principle which firmly grounded its democratic institutions and would enact policies to establish a robust economy of free trade and improved living/working standards. In 1273, the Acrean Kingdom fell and gave rise to the Acrean Republic; and in 1275, the totalitarian regime in Notulfa fell and gave rise to the Notulfan Republic. In the wake of this, Nogliespe entered into various trade agreements with the two nations and, along with them, entered into a unbroken period of modernization and peak prosperity that would last for more than a century.

Gyrosakian mega-conglamerates began acquiring East Hoblandish businesses in the 1370s, having taken interest in their value, and began to outsource jobs to other regions while freezing pay raises and making overall working conditions worse for the East Hoblanders. In 1381, workers in the Greater Nogliespe municipality across multiple industries formed a collective organization and succeeded in forming contracts of fair employment. Such a movement became widespread throughout Nogliespe and spread to Notulfa and the Acrean Republic. However, beginning in 1393, the Congress of Circlaria, the majority of which shifted toward Gyrosakian businesses two years previously, enacted measures to nullify such contracts by strengthening a complicated and technical constraint governing the presence of such collective organizations.

This triggered tension between the social classes, which reached a breaking point in 1398, when Notulfan workers staged a nationwide general strike. This spawned a labor movement that spread to Nogliespe, where general strikes led to economic freezes in a growing number of Nogliespan city-states. Nogliespan leaders called a Conference in the city of Boken, located Northwest of Nogliespe in uncharted territory. There, Hoblandish government representatives met with Remikran representatives, Canticulan representatives, and labor movement representatives and began long talks for compromise. In 1399, they reached an agreement to merge all Hoblandish nations into a single nation while preserving the political structure of each Hoblandish nation. In 1400, this took effect, and the new nation was named Krylandia.

And so Nogliespe continues to thrive as a modern economy and society, and has done well to withstand the devastating impacts of the long-running Coughing Affliction pandemic in the last fifteen years. Its democratic government remains the same, being led by an elected Council and Prime Minister; however, every five years, an additional election is held to nominate representatives to the Krylandian Council in Boken.

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The Esterzy

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Investment, Development, and Structure

Map of Remikra, 1264-1308

Funded by revenue from a deep-trade transaction and costing 11 million qors (Remikran currency), construction on the Esterzy began in April 1272 and was completed in late November.

Upon completion, it stood as the largest aircraft in Circlaria (a record held even today), and was described by many as a "city in the sky." At width, the airship was approximately 400 feet; and at length, it was 1200 feet. In terms of cabin space and volume, it was more than 16 times larger than the Pirafone. Its lift interior was divided into sixteen sub-interiors, with four spanning the area inside the main lift's width for each of four 300-foot long sections within the main vessel. Attached to the bottom of each sub-interior was a two-level passenger cabin, meaning that the bottom four cabins running along the center had window views both on the left and right side of the ship; the left and right cabins (four on each side) had respectively left and right views of the outside; and the top four cabins had views only of the interior of the vessel, through the center of which ran a large corridor, named the Sky Boulevard.

Each cabin followed the same room arrangement and structure as that of the fabled Pirafone, consisting of two levels. On the lower level stood the atrium, the ballroom, the dining room, and the gaming room. On the upper level of each cabin stood the guest rooms, divided into economy, middle, and upper social classes.

The Sky Boulevard was spanned by a cable rail tram that hung from the top cabin and ran the length of the corridor. Looping around the center of the corridor below the rail was a people-mover network featuring a two-level line of slow-moving cabs attached to a moving conveyor belt. The lower level of this was accessible directly from the floor while the upper level was accessible by a raised platform accessed by a set of steps every 50 feet. The lower level rotated clockwise while the upper level rotated counter-clockwise.

Service

Construction and development of the Esterzy was funded by Bucksworth Financial Institution, who owned the vessel. They launched the Esterzy into service in January 1273 with a route to Weston in the Galapolgis Island territories. Its first international route, beginning that February, ran from the Great North, to Tandeiyah, and to Furthing. The following year, it began its routes to Monassa and the Mid-Westerlies. By the mid-1270s, its service routes included all of Remikra, and by the beginning of the 1280s, all of Canticula.

Passenger ticket prices were prohibitively expensive, going as high as 11'000 qors per person. So most passengers aboard were those of the upper social class, including politicians, celebrities, and high-ranking business figures, as well as family members and invited friends.

The Esterzy reached peak service in January 1287 with its first trip to Ancondria, where it rested thousands of miles away from Remikra when the Provan Republic attacked the Early Republic. However, fate struck the vessel on 6 January 1290, when it was shot down over Lake Onad in the nation of Lotemn.

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The Meaugolyth

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History

Map of Remikra, 900s CE

The Meaugolyth (mo-go-lith) was constructed by the Spellfire-Crafting Guild outside the Wannonian city of Aron (present-day Maryk) in the year 917. Made of a unique metal composite by the Spellcrafters, this structure stood at a height of 1000 feet, being the tallest structure of the pre-Industrial Age. Its purpose was shrouded from the public and the Wannonian government, as the Meaugolyth was protected by a moat lined on either side by a wall of the same material standing 100 feet tall. And the premise was open only to those expressively invited by the Guild. However, from present-day research, it has been noted that its purpose was the same as the one it serves today, being that it provided a venue for the practice and experimentation of novel spell scripts and talismans.

The Meaugolyth remained under the ownership of the Guild until the fall of Wannonia in 1176, after which it fell under the dominion of a few Guild members and their families, who succeeded in protecting it from the remaining violent Wannonian militant factions. Between 1200 and 1210, Combria began settling the surrounding lands, bringing an end to the political chaos, taming the dead flaxweed fields into bountiful crops, and renaming the city of Aron to the city of Maryk. As the new city grew, the Meaugolyth fell under urban jurisdiction while the Combrian government proposed to acquire it. The Masters of the Meaugolyth declined such a proposition; but as family members began marrying into Combrian families over the passing generations, mixed descendants would inherit it. Nevertheless, its purpose remained the same.

Structure

The body of the Meaugolyth is a four-sided structure made of an intimidating blackish-brown metal composite, standing 500 feet tall and 1000 feet in length and width. From the roof in the center of the structure stands a clock tower at a total height of 1000 feet. The Meaugolyth is divided into four quadrants. And from the center of each quadrant stands a bell tower at a total height of 750 feet. Each quadrant is topped by two crossing angled roofs, the spine of each featuring a line of pointed spikes. Similar spikes also line the outer edges of the roof as well as the corners of each wall. The troughs between the roofs serve as run-off points for rainwater. Windows line the walls and rooftops of each quadrant and permit into the interior of each quadrant natural sunlight, its primary source of lighting. The interior of each quadrant is lined with a floor made of a soft foam-like composite over which the Masters to this day permit guests to walk only with a special type of provided footwear. The walls and ceiling of the interior of each quadrant are also blackish-brown, making the rooms generally dark save for sunlight and seldomly-placed candles. The walls feature a complicated network of balconies with corridors running between walls of neighboring quadrants. The ceiling of each quadrant parallels the shape of the angled roofs and consist mostly of the windows. However, the beams between each of the windows are lined with catwalks.

The Meaugolyth is surrounded by a moat, which is square-like in shape to imitate the structure of the building and is lined with a 100-foot wall on either side of it. The top of each wall is lined with the same style of spikes that line the edges of the Meaugolyth, while no gate or bridge crosses the moat. The only form of access is via a tunnel constructed and deconstructed by an unknown spellcrafting mechanism generated by one of the Masters, who only does so for invited guests. When such a tunnel is created, it runs from the entry point in the center of the Meaugolyth to a conspicuous location determined by the Master.

The Meaugolyth is governed by four Masters, who report to the Headmaster. Each Master is superior to four Prefects with each Prefect being superior to four Stewards. The Offices and Quarters of each Master, along with their Prefects and Stewards, are located in each of the four Towers while the Headmaster's Office and Quarters is located in the Center Tower.

Present-Day

The Meaugolyth still stands to this day, remaining under the ownership of the Descendants and having never been overtaken by criminals, insurgents, or enemy forces. It continues to serve as a venue for the practice and experimentation of invited Spellcrafters and Stonecrafters from both the Commonwealth and abroad. It is a source of awe and fascination to visitors, and is known throughout the Circlarian Realm as a significant landmark.

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The Red Desert Bomb

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Development and Structure

Map of Canticula, 1226-1264

During the First Continental War (Canticula, 1221-26), the nation of Prove developed a blueprint for a bomb whose most active ingredients of detonation were derived from the sands of the Red Desert. Named the Red Desert Bomb, this device was tested numerous times in the Red Desert Federation in a remote location during this time period, but was never be used until much later.

The structure of the Red Desert Bomb basically consisted of a core made of condensed Red Desert Sandstone derivatives, a large layer of Red Desert Sand derivatives, and an outer metal shell. A thin wire running through the center of the core gives off a trigger-charge operated by a special spellfire script and set off by a geo-proximity clock that indicated how close to the ground the device was after it was airborne and falling. Such a trigger was designed to happen when the device surpassed a set altitude (usually 300 feet).

When the device detonated, it would release an initial fireball about 500 feet wide and 500 feet tall. However, this fireball would travel upward for many miles, creating a mushroom cloud. The magnitude of the explosion would be enough to severely damage large structures and destroy small structures within a quarter mile, cause substantial structural damage within a mile, fling debris up to 5 miles away, and send a noticeable shockwave up to approximately 200 miles away. This initial explosion would be triggered mainly by the core. The middle layer of the device also played a part in the explosion, but was also responsible for the next and deadliest phase of the detonation: the Red Dust Cloud. This Cloud would rain fallout and small pieces of flaming debris up to about 25 miles away but would also drop Red Dust up to about 200 miles. Inside this radius, Red Dust would block out the Sun for approximately a week and will give off Red Dust Radiation, responsible for the potentially deadly Red Dust Sickness.

Warfare and Retirement

Map of Remikra, 1264-1308

The Provan Republic is the only nation in history to use the Red Desert Bomb in active combat, and did so first in 1267, during the invasion of the now-former Chokian Republic and the Midland River States. In 1287, the Provan Republic launched an attack against the Early Retunian Republic, dropping Red Desert Bombs on South Masonia, Hasphitat, Egdir and twice on Retun. Such attacks led to significant losses of life and property.

Map of Canticula, 1287

During the Second Continental War (Canticula, 1287-96), enemies to the Provans discovered a tactic to detonate Red-Desert-Bomb-carrying aircraft in mid-air and strategically arranged for these counterattacks to occur over remote regions. This tactic led to the eventual defeat of the Provan Republic and its eventual downfall as a significant global power. Meanwhile, Remikran nations and other Circlarian nations convened to establish thorough and consistent defense protocols against Red Desert Bomb attacks. And in 1297, the Congress of Circlaria acquired the rights to the spellfire script of the Red Desert Bomb trigger-charge, placing it into a restricted library and amending the script, itself, with an invisible and consistently self-altering "salt symbol." Doing so rendered every copy of the original script invalid and the amended script impossible to decipher by even the most intense spellfire-script-decoding devices. And thus, to this day, the Red Desert Bomb is no longer able to be deployed for practical use.

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Library of Circlaria (the organization in Circlaria)

Library of Circlaria

Earlier Blog Posts

Library of Circlaria, Etymology

In short, "Library of Circlaria," or "the Library of Circlaria" ("LOC" or "the LOC" for short), is an established organization headquartered in the city of Maxima in the ICSR province of Nintel. This organization consists of a network of dymensional plane servers administered by Members attempting to re-create the existing world around them. The ultimate agenda is to do such a deed in the hopes of preserving the human race in the event of any apocalypse occurring in the existing world.

The name "Library of Circlaria" derives from the notion that the servers were once based on algorithms written in paper books. Such technology today is long obsolete but the name remains an unchanged identity among its Members.

Structure:

Library of Circlaria exists currently as a department under the federally-funded National Institute of Research and Development and is governed by three Sections: the Office of the Head Librarians, the Office of the Mediators, and the Membership Caucus. LOC functions as a hierarchy organization consisting of the Library proper and its Subsidiary Libraries. And such a hierarchy is considered "equinominal," meaning that there are no ranks to classify Subsidiary Libraries (other then their associated parent Libraries), and is purposely so to prevent nationalization and imperialism. The main campus of Library of Circlaria is located in Maxima, North of the main campus of the National Institute of Research and Development and consists of the following immediate Subsidiaries: the South Masonia Library of Circlaria, the Hasphitat Library of Circlaria, the Maryk Library of Circlaria, the Pimdan Library of Circlaria, the Jo Reneed Library of Circlaria, the Savel Library of Circlaria, the Tandowyn Library of Circlaria, the Clareon Library of Circlaria (Middle Westerlies), the Weston Library of Circlaria (Galapolgis Islands), and the Third Level Society. Under each of those Subsidiaries exists numerous Subsidiaries and sub-hierarchies.

Function:

The agenda of Library of Circlaria proper is to create and maintain a plane imitating the real world while its Subsidiary Libraries create local versions of the LOC proper plane. Meanwhile, the Third Level Society maintains a multilevel Obsession-derived plane featuring quests, gameplay, and deviation from the constraints of realism.

Members of the Library consist of three types: Participants, Contributors, and the Governing Body. Participants pay general admission in the form of a monthly fee to take part in LOC, and do so by creating avatars and having them engage in whatever LOC-affiliated dymensional plane in which they are involved. In the case of the Third Level Society, such engagement would involve taking part in quests and gameplay. Contributors are paid by Administrators to fulfill their role, which involves writing algorithms in order to build or add onto a particular plane, filling it with unmanned avatars, animals, buildings, and events. They also revise existing algorithms in accordance to changes in policy or what the Administrator calls for.

As mentioned before, the Governing Body consists of three Sections: the Membership Caucus, the Office of the Head Librarians, and the Office of the Mediators. The Membership Caucus consists of all Members who vote in LOC-wide elections for candidates for Governing Body leadership positions (i.e. a Head Librarian every three years), and who also vote "yay" or "nay" on policies and policy changes. Although such a duty is not paid, Members will, from time-to-time, appoint Sponsors who carry votes and speak in debates in the Caucus Chamber (either in Maxima or the Chamber whatever Subsidiary Library). Sponsors are paid for their services, as required by the LOC Statute of Principles, and the amount of payment is determined by the Caucus. The Office of the Head Librarians consists of three Head Librarians (since 1412), with each serving a term of nine years and with the nine-year term of each staggered from the other two by three years so that there is an election for one Head Librarian every three years. Head Librarians appoint and supervise Administrators who oversee the dymensional plane and pay Contributors to do necessary work. Administrators also set rules and enforce policies governing their section of the plane. Head Librarians also appoint Officers to the LOC Treasury, which is managed by five such Officers with one of them being the Head Treasurer. The Office of the Mediators is led by a Head Mediator, who presides over four other Mediators. Mediators oversee Caucus functions only to record and interpret voting results for all LOC decisions and functions, and do so in accordance with important checks and balances to prevent biases. Mediators also resolve disputes within the LOC that may arise. The Governing Bodies of each Subsidiary Library function in a similar fashion.

Unique to the establishment of the Library of Circlaria, a Participant from time-to-time may call on a Contributor to create a version of an LOC plane or Third Level Society plane tailored solely to that individual, and will pay the Contributor a Commission to do so.

History and Agenda:

In 1349, representatives from numerous dymensionalism-affiliated organizations met at a Conference at Cabotton University, where they united and formally established the Library of Circlaria. It was here that the immediate Subsidiary Libraries were determined and began the establishment of their hierarchies. The Third Level Society became a Subsidiary as well but was not technically considered a Library (such is true today). Initially, the Governing Body of the LOC had its Head Librarian (only one at the time who served a six-year term) at Cabotton University, the LOC Membership Caucus Chamber in South Masonia, and the Office of the Mediators in Ligam. Each Subsidiary Library kept its original version of its dymensional plane while the Third Level Society kept its gameplay multilevel plane. Meanwhile, the newly-formed Membership Caucus began writing out the LOC "Statute of Principles" and the "Library of Circlaria Dymensional Plane Standards," the latter of which being agreed-upon standards regarding maps and narratives designed to be updated and revised from time-to-time. In 1359, the Head Librarian Office relocated to North Kempton, Nintel (renamed Maxima, Nintel some years later), which would be home to the Third Level Society and its assets in the following year. In 1361, the Head Librarian Office and Third Level Society were joined by the Caucus Chamber and Office of Mediators in the same location, as the organization agreed to have its own facility constructed in the area.

The years that followed saw the renaming of the city of North Kempton to the city of Maxima, and the establishment of the National Institute of Research and Development.

James Lawrence Kontacet enrolled in the Institute in 1381 and joined the Third Level Society shortly thereafter. He was elected Dungeonmaster of the Third Level Society which he served starting in 1383, and was then elected to the position of Head Librarian for the LOC in 1387. He was re-elected to the latter position in 1393. During his tenure as Head Librarian, Kontacet pushed through an ambitious agenda. The first part of this agenda involved the establishment of an actual dymensional plane for Library of Circlaria proper. In the years preceding, only the "Library of Circlaria Dymensional Plane Standards" existed for Library of Circlaria proper while only the Subsidiaries actually built and maintained dymensional planes within the organization. Creating a dymensional plane for LOC proper had been a source of deep controversy over fears of such a plane imposing bias on the entire organization; but nonetheless, Kontacet succeeded in having one established. The second part of the agenda involved having the LOC work with the Leon-Kontacet Trust for the Trust to acquire spellfire businesses, converting them into dymensional-plane-speciality organizations adhering to LOC standards, and eventually selling them to the LOC. For the third part, Kontacet succeeded in securing federal funds from the OPEN Forum in order to officially establish the LOC as a commercial industry in those terms, and then wrote a development plan for Subsidiary Libraries to expand the market for Contributors abroad, along with the Trust-affiliated conversion of spellfire businesses abroad. The first two parts of the agenda succeeded by the time of Kontacet's re-election in 1393, but the development plan for the third part was expected to take years. In 1395, Kontacet announced his run for Prime Minister of the Commonwealth, the election for which he won in 1398.

Endorsed by Kontacet, Timothy Corren became Interim Head Librarian in 1399 after the beginning of Kontacet's tenure as Commonwealth Prime Minister, and won the Caucus Election officially for Head Librarian in 1399. Corren continued Kontacet's policies with the exception of implementing stronger oversight over the development plan. With Kontacet repealing the OPEN Forum and replacing it with a Forum without the OPEN-Forum rules regarding equality in federal funding, so that unprecedented amounts of funding could go toward the LOC, Corren's tenure proved to reflect well on LOC Members. However, starting in December 1399, an economic shakeup brought down stock markets across the Remikran Union of Nations, leading the Federal Credit Royal Bank of Cotts to cease loans toward and demand repayment from the Leon-Kontacet Trust. Although the Trust did not rely solely on the loans for capital, this fallout was enough to force them into bankruptcy and close. Kontacet's federal funding policies were forced to adjust; although Kontacet moved to minimize financial damages to the LOC. Nevertheless, a majority of the Commonwealth population did not favor Kontacet's response to the situation, and, in 1404, voted for Vet Silonk to be the next Prime Minister. Upon taking office, Silonk slashed funding to the LOC, leading to hardship within the organization. Corren was determined to be unable to lead in this environment, and, therefore, lost to Cary Fasem as Head Librarian in the 1405 LOC Caucus Election.

The year 1406 saw LOC-wide scrutiny against Kontacet's agenda. First, the organization-wide dymensional plane for LOC proper still used algorithm books, a dymensional implementation technology over 100 years out-of-date. Second, the Leon-Kontacet Trust, instrumental to the massive build-up of the presence of new Subsidiary Libraries, was dependent on loans from the Great North. Third, Kontacet's development plan aggravated a deep divide in the LOC over whether or not the organization was to exist as a for-profit or a non-profit entity. Proponents of the for-profit model agreed with Kontacet over the lucrative potential of dymensional planes used by the Library while proponents of the non-profit model argued that LOC was, afterall, a department under the National Institute of Research and Development, which was, itself, intended to be a non-profit entity.

Also under scrutiny were Kontacet's ethics. As Head Librarian, Kontacet had appointed special representatives who gave charismatic testimony to the Caucus and Subsidiary Libraries, doing so to push for the for-profit model. He also employed similar tactics to sway Members of Subsidiary Library Caucuses to elect Kontacet-loyal Librarians and to sway spellcrafting businesses to do business with the Leon-Kontacet Trust and join the LOC. Opponents argued that Kontacet had, in effect, implemented a top-down approach to push his agenda in a way that put in jeopardy existing democratic checks within the LOC. They also argued that the development plan to push LOC commercialization abroad amounted to imperialism.

In resolution to such concerns, Head Librarian Cary Fasem signed a change in the Statute of Principles to divide the Office of the Head Librarian into three equal positions. The second Head Librarian would be elected in 1408, and the third in 1411. Each position would serve a nine-year term and would be staggered from the other two by three years. Fasem also eliminated the testimonial roles created by Kontacet, implemented rules against Kontacet's swaying tactics, and suspended all commercialization efforts until other ethics issues were resolved and revisions made. Finally, she implemented an agenda to integrate LOC with advancing scriptfire technologies so that the dymensional planes would not remain dependent on algorithm books.

Between 1410 and 1435, the Commonwealth government allocated priority investments toward the scriptfire industry with the idea that returns from trade in this sector could be used to fund the LOC. The commercial aspect of the LOC was still present but less ambitious than it was under Kontacet. As planned, the LOC followed a continuous trend of converting dymensional planes from algorithm books to scriptfire production technologies. In 1419, the LOC established a dymensional plane server on Planet Nephina, using it to project emerging pieces of the LOC-wide dymensional plane to the international Circlarian market.

In 1429, Mary Ann Heits became Prime Minister of the Commonwealth and re-established the OPEN Forum along with its rules regarding balance in funding. She initially preserved faith in the scriptfire industry by calling on the Forum to fund a new technology known as "avatar scriptfire apparatus testing." The compromise with the LOC was that it would receive funds from the expected plentiful returns to happen in 1434. However, 1434 saw no returns from this and the Commonwealth economy entered a brief period of instability. In 1435, Steven Mauter was elected on of the three Head Librarians of the LOC as he publicly decried the OPEN Forum's funding priorities for being unreliable and called on the Forum to give the LOC more direct priority. More pro-Library advocates joined the Forum in its yearly election that year. In 1436, acting on behalf of the calls made by Mauter, Prime Minister Heits called for the OPEN Forum to roll back scriptfire industry funding and re-allocate it to the LOC, which in turn used the new funds for "free advertising" platforms in its dymensional plane. In September 1439, all immediate Subsidiary Libraries to the LOC proper voted in favor of adopting the official LOC logo. In 1441, the OPEN Forum reduced scriptfire funding to "handoff allocation" status while the LOC saw the nomination of Marshall Corbin to another of the three Head Librarian positions, working next to Mauter. The LOC Caucus voted to withdraw its "free advertising" platforms in 1443 after a call made by Corbin, who condemned this as an act of commercialization and called for "holistic branding" on behalf of the LOC, itself. In 1444, the LOC established the Universal International Recruitment Platform, which has since been launching promotions for people abroad to join and promotions for businesses to convert to LOC standards and join as Subsidiaries. Opponents to this platform voiced concerns over this being a repeat of Kontacet's agenda and the established logo amounting to LOC becoming a franchise. However, proponents argue that the Recruitment Platform does not implement Kontacet's aggressive coercion tactics but instead presents soft promotions leaving clients to decide. Furthermore, although all immediate Subsidiary Libraries had voted to adopt the LOC logo, they are still allowed to display their own logos.

Aside from the controversies, Library of Circlaria stands today as a leading industrial force in the Commonwealth.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Bridgetown

Library of Circlaria

Earlier Blog Posts

Location and Structure:

Bridgetown is located over the St. Eschel River, straddling the border between the provinces of Combria and Ereautea and serving as a midpoint between the cities of Jestopole and Hasphitat. The Bridge, itself, consists of two Towers, with the North Tower being on the Combria side and serving as the Bridgetown Center of Commerce, and the South Tower being on the Ereautean side and serving as Bridgetown College. Each Tower consists of two trestles intersected by three levels of Archways, with each Archway dotted on each side with landing pads for gyroplane POD vehicles. Historically, fly-up moors for small airships stood in the place of the landing pads today. The Crossway spanning the length of the Bridge consists of four Levels plus a section below lining the Supports. The Top Level of the Crossway is home to a VacTrain line in the center, a freeway on either side, and a side street spanning each edge with intersecting cross-streets. Along the latter stands shops, parking lots, and living spaces. The Second Level (going down) consists of a network of city streets lined with more businesses, parking lots, and apartments. Below that lies the Third Level, consisting of the People-Mover Network. And on the Fourth Level, pedestrian walkways line shops, apartments, and offices. Below the Fourth Level are the Supports, which hold up the Bridge on the Combrian side, the Ereautean side, and the Midpoint. Lining each of these Supports are numerous offices; and at the bottom of each, along the River, lies a network of Docks servicing boats.

Founding Days:

The design of Bridgetown was originally conceived and initiated by chief founder and first Combrian President, William Jeson, who aimed to promote trade and strengthen ties with the neighboring then-nation of Jurango, which occupied present-day Ereautea. However, President Jeson died in 1132 and was succeeded by the next President of Combria, Arthur Chadwick, who had an attitude of prejudice toward the Jurangan people. Chadwick continued Jeson's idea of the Bridge project, but aimed to use it in order to gain dominance over Jurango in a prospective trade agreement. Chadwick hired for work on the Bridge to be carried out by Jurangan laborers, who endured harsh working conditions. By 1135, the skeletal structure of the Bridge was completed and had a single conventional railroad track crossing its length through the center and had parallel concrete highway lanes on either side of it. Paved streets along the sides and the level below were initially lined with vacant spaces, but already businesses began to emerge. The Third Level had for its People-Mover network a system of trolley cabs hanging off of conventional rails over the Fourth Level, which was initially a network of open-air catwalks lining living spaces for the Bridge workers. Catwalk staircases ran up and down the Supports, which already had offices for shipping entrepreneurs doing business with boats making contact with the Docks below.

Since assuming the Presidency of Combria, Chadwick had initiated tariffs against the Jurangans, provoking popular grievances. Chadwick had initially hired Jurangan laborers, as mentioned above, to temporarily dispel these complaints. However, in January 1135, Chadwick also issued a series of letters to Jurangan leadership claiming that the Island of Skye further West on the River belonged to the nation of Combria. This Island had been considered by Jurangan society to be a sacred place, and the nation claimed this in opposition to Chadwick. Chadwick responded by withholding Jurangan Bridge worker paychecks. In February, Jurangan laborers carried out protests and began "deconstructing" the Bridge in the process. Chadwick issued an order of evacuation for the Bridge, but the workers refused and stayed to protest, this time obstructing highway and rail traffic. The Bridge Guard, loyal to Chadwick, hit the protestors with water from firehoses, to which the workers responded with makeshift cannons shooting the Guards with soil "grits." On 2 March, Chadwick deployed the Fifth Infantry of the Combrian Armed Forces, who shot shells into the crowd of protestors, killing 53 of them. The nation of Jurango considered this a provocation and declared war on Combria.

Jurango's armed forces were well-built. They arrived to the Bridge on 12 March and, with surprising strength against Combrian forces, captured it. Jurango then communicated to Chadwick with the promise to return the Bridge to Combria if Chadwick paid Jurangan workers' paychecks and reparations to compensate for the tariffs. Instead of negotiating, Chadwick responded on 18 March with reinforcements, which took back the Northern half of the Bridge. However, Jurangan forces held their ground so that the Southern half remained under their control, bringing the conflict to a stalemate. Chadwick contacted the Wannonian Emperor Clastye I for assistance. Chadwick had previously built a Wall running North to South along the Wannonian border near present-day Gymia, but, at this point, was now alleging that the Remikran Union of Nations had coerced him into doing so. He furthermore promised to demolish the Wall and turn half of Jurango over to Wannonia if Wannonia joined forces with Combria to defeat Jurango. Emperor Clastye I agreed to the deal; and on 3 September 1135, Wannonian forces attacked Jurango from the West. Meanwhile, Chadwick delivered propaganda to the Jurangan people alleging that Wannonia was attacking both Jurango and Combria, and that they needed to join forces and fight the "common enemy." Jurango agreed to a cease-fire with Combria and moved troops from the Bridge to the Western front, expecting Chadwick to follow through with a plan to launch a counter-attack on Wannonia. However, Chadwick joined forces with Wannonia, instead, and massacred the newly-arrived Jurangan soldiers and deployed other Combrian units to join Wannonian forces in a planned assault on Jurango proper. Meanwhile, Combrian forces retook the Bridge and territory to its immediate South. Having not anticipated Chadwick's mutual manipulative tactic with Wannonia and having experienced major losses on all fronts, Jurango formally surrendered on 13 September 1135.

Afterward, Chadwick employed Combrian workers who finished the Bridge in the form of its early structure by the end of the year.

In October 1136, Chadwick instructed that Wannonia was required to appoint a sponsor from Combria to testify and gain approval from the Remikran Union of Nations Parliament in Cotts (in the Great North) in order to attain the Jurangan territory promised by him. As Wannonia followed through with this, however, Chadwick appointed a sponsor of his own, who alleged that Wannonia was attempting to "thwart the system" to leverage territorial gains not negotiated with Combria. So the Parliament voted down all of Wannonia's land requests. Needless to say, this led to friction between Combria and Wannonia, as Wannonia called out Chadwick for his dishonesty and began to build and fortify bases near its border with former Jurango. Upon hearing news of Wannonia's fortification efforts, Chadwick began fortifying Combrian bases. During this time, between 1137 and 1151, the Bridge was fortified, being converted into a stronghold with ramparts as well as barracks and turrets every few hundred feet. The single rail line was converted into a double-track to increase the traffic of military supplies as the Bridge was governed by a commanding General from each of the two Towers, taking direct orders from Chadwick. Airship Moors were then added to the Towers and Supports. Although the Bridge would not be on the front line in the event of a conflict between Wannonia and Combria, the purpose of these renovations was to have the Bridge stand as a reserve and also to serve as another line of defense against Wannonia-allied sea guilds.

Wannonia responded by constructing a Wall of its own in present-day Gymia running parallel to Chadwick's Wall, to which Chadwick responded by fortifying his Wall. In 1151, Wannonia responded to this by building a base between the two Walls on the Wannonian side. Here, they carried out active shooting range drills. Chadwick demanded that the Wannonians cease their activities at this new base. Wannonia ignored Chadwick's demands, and Chadwick launched an attack, beginning the Wannonian-Combrian War.

The War ended up being a stalemate for both sides, as Chadwick was forced to retreat from an offensive deep into Wannonian territory and no changes were made to the initial borders between the two nations; although that meant Combria had kept all of the former Jurangan territories, and furthermore, Combria moved its official government seat to Hasphitat. Nonetheless, with regard to the failures in the conflict with Wannonia, contempt in the higher ranks for him forced Chadwick to abandon his post as President, leading to a rivalry-succession of Interim Presidents that led the reformed nation into civil conflict. During this time, rival militant groups fought and held their ground between the North and South Towers as constant fighting took place in the streets, Levels, and Supports below.

Combria:

In 1184, Jacob Thomas Henry became President of Combria, bringing peace and order to the war-torn nation. In the years that followed, he converted the Bridge from a military reserve to a commercial hub, establishing it formally as the city of Bridgetown in 1185. Bridgetown established a new method of government as, between 1185 and 1187, it constructed a City Hall in the interior Levels of the Midpoint. Bridgetown became a municipality free of either of the neighboring Districts but with its residents still living as residents of each District of their respective side. The municipality was led by a Mayor and a democratically-elected Council. This system was different from what would come in the Early Republic, however, in that Council Members were chosen by a certain electorate fitting certain criteria, primarily those who were business owners and others approved by the government. The Mayor would be chosen by the said Council, voted in every five years. The Council, itself, had two bodies: the North Chamber consisting of representatives from the Northern half of Bridgetown, and the South Chamber consisting of representatives from the Southern half of Bridgetown. The two Towers also began serving specific roles for Bridgetown. The North Tower saw the establishment of the Center of Commerce, which consisted of a bank on the bottom two sections, executive living quarters in the mid section, and a hotel in the upper section. Later in 1185, a large grant received from the nation of Notulfa financed the establishment of Bridgetown College in the South Tower.

The double-track remained in place on the Crossing as the rail line while the concrete highway on either side was marked with definitive automobile lanes. The city streets on either side of that as well as on the level below began to see a significant increase in businesses, shops, and living spaces. The trolley network on the level below remained in place but saw the building of more platforms, especially around the City Hall. On the Fourth Level, the network of open-air catwalks was converted to an indoor network of pedestrian corridors as living spaces here saw improvements in living standards and other living spaces were converted into office spaces. At the Midpoint, a train station was constructed extending a half-mile North and a half-mile South and was named Midway Station. From each end of the Bridge, the tracks diverted about a mile away from the the beginning of the Bridge so that the tracks on the bottom went across the Bridge without stopping at the station, going instead through tunnels on the same level as the automobile highway, while the tracks on top stopped at the Station. For the top level of this, each station track split into two lines each for three platforms, so that there were six platforms for each track and twelve for the whole station. Atop Midway Station was constructed Midway Stadium, used primarily by Bridgetown College. Below Midway Station was the City Hall, itself, consisting of the Mayor's Office on the topmost level, the Council Chamber on the level below, and the Municipal Court on the bottommost level. In the early 1200s, cable rail was increasing in popularity, leading to the installment of two cable rails through the Bridge. Platforms for these were eventually installed on each side of the Midway Station while, in 1203, a cable rail cab system took the place of trolleys for the People-Mover network on the Third Level.

During the Retunian Revolution, the Bridge, once again, became the focal point of a critical conflict, this time between the East Wannonians, who occupied the Northern half, and the Retunians, who occupied the Southern half.

Early Republic:

East Wannonia was defeated in 1242 as the Federal Estates established its Constitution and Provinces. Bridgetown would straddle the border between the Province of Ereautea and the Province of Combria. The jurisdictional hierarchy of Bridgetown was very similar to what it was during the years of the Chartered State of Combria, with residents on the Combria side having "Bridgetown, Combria" as their addresses, paying taxes as Bridgetown and Combrian residents, and voting as Bridgetown and Combrian residents. Meanwhile, those on the Ereautean side had "Bridgetown, Ereautea" as their addresses, paid taxes as Bridgetown and Ereautean residents, and voted as Bridgetown and Ereautean residents.

Significant renovations took place during this era. In 1250, the cable rail system on the People-Mover level was upgraded to implement the no-contact technology that long-distance cable rails were beginning to use. In 1262, Bridgetown City Council passed a budget proposal for a major renovation project for the Midpoint. In accordance to this, the conventional rail lines and platforms for Midway Station were shut down in 1263 and converted into market districts, the existing Midway Stadium was demolished and replaced by a new Midway Station for long-distance cable rail lines in 1265, and a new Midway Stadium was built atop that, opening in 1268.

The Independent Commonwealth:

The economic crash of the early 1300s rendered the cable rail industry obsolete and, in the wake of the 1309 Revolution and the establishment of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun, platform trains became the new norm. With these factors in place, Bridgetown City Council passed yet another renovation project in which, between 1311 and 1316, the cable rail Midway Station was shut down and replaced with market districts and an indoor concert hall. Meanwhile, the market district on the level that was once the old Midway Station was converted back into the Midway Station, this time with boarding platforms for platform trains. Mesh trains eventually began to replace platform trains as the transit norm, and so Midway Station, between 1333 and 1334, was upgraded accordingly. And then in 1348, it was renovated, once again, to service VacTrain lines.

Airship moors, having been in place since the Chadwick era and providing essential business to the municipality, continued to see airship traffic despite the rise in carrier planes in the early years of the Commonwealth. Carrier planes, though, along with platform trains and ships, provided competition for the airship industry. And such pressures on the airship industry worsened with the arrival of a significant expansion in the gyroplane industry in 1320. In 1322, Middle Ereautea Airship Moor, located on the Supports Level, was the first airship moor to close. This was followed by the closure of the Ereautean End Airship Moor and the Middle Combria Moor in 1323. The National Airship Heritage Foundation saved the Combrian End Airship Moor, however, later that year. The Foundation also saved South Tower One (the Airship Moor on top of Bridgetown College). From the 1320s onward, gyroplanes continued to improve, providing more and more competition for the skies. In the 1330s, as mentioned before, mesh trains came to the scene, giving better services than platform trains. By the 1340s, South Tower One, North Tower One through Five, and Combria End Moors were the only airship moors remaining open. By the 1350s, VacTrains replaced mesh trains, leading to the closure of North Tower Moors Four and Five. Then-Prime-Minister Robinson's policies led to an economic boom between 1347 and 1349, and with that came a growing trend for "airship tourism," inspired by the newly-emerged Library of Circlaria. Airship moors reopened around the Commonwealth, and by 1356, all eighteen Airship Moors had reopened in Bridgetown.

However, airship tourism lost its trend when the Esurchian War of the 1360s led people to fear traveling by airship across the Magnumarian. Bridgetown was not directly affected by this initially, as they only dealt with smaller airships that did not travel overseas. However, in 1367, the Esurchians launched a direct attack on the Commonwealth. Their agenda saw immediate defeat but the turn of events led people to fear traveling within the Commonwealth as well. Hardship from the lightfire industry fallout in 1369 dealt yet another blow to the airship industry, leaving only the Airship Moors along the Supports and Moor One (the top Moor) on each Tower open. All of the other moors closed down. Between 1369 and 1380, "airship hobbyists" dominated the scene. They managed to keep the airship industry afloat, although they did not generate the same amount of revenue as airship tourists. As a result, the Airship Moors that had closed were converted into landing pads for gyroplane POD vehicles starting in the mid-1370s. In 1380, another economic shakeup caused the "airship hobbyists" to dash, leaving all of the Airship Moors in Bridgetown to close except for the two held by the National Airship Heritage Foundation: South Tower One and Combria End Airship Moor. The Foundation planned to lay out a more regular schedule of federally-funded specialty tours between Bridgetown and North Kempton. However, in June 1380, the Commonwealth Council voted to eliminate federal funding to the Foundation with regard to the tours. In October 1381, the last commercially-flying airship departed Bridgetown from South Tower One to land in North Kempton. The two remaining Airship Moors in Bridgetown subsequently closed and were converted into POD vehicle landing pads, bringing an end to the airship industry in Bridgetown and the world.

Today, POD landing pads still exist in place of the Airship Moors that once stood in the past. Additional landing pads exist on the rooftops of almost every structure on the outdoor levels of Bridgetown. The People-Mover network now consists of a modern "soft-rail" transit system, the result of a renovation made in 1427. And Bridgetown College, having been part of the Global Academy of Ancondria between 1304 and 1368, still stands but is now, since the 1380s, part of the National Institute of Research and Development. Midway Stadium stands over the level consisting of the indoor market district and concert hall. Also on this middle level now stands a museum. And on the first level, Midway Station still exists with its VacTrain platforms; although VacTrains have not been in use in the Commonwealth since the beginning of the Great Circlarian Pandemic of 1431.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Julina

Library of Circlaria

Earlier Blog Posts

April 1272:

The small unnamed airship drifted toward the lit towers of Bridgetown. But nobody could see the vessel from down below, for it was unlit against the black and overcast night sky with no beacons or strobes to mark its location. That was the intent. Looking out the window of this ghostly aircraft was Clarissa, who was carrying a small backpack. She was ready for the assignment.

"The irony," she thought to herself with a chuckle. They were to moor secretly on the South Tower where the Bridgetown College was, and meet...

"What's his name again?" asked Julina, her new recruit.

"Darryl," replied Clarissa calmly. "One of the Professors, apparently."

Julina pulled out a small orange envelope and was about to ask a question, but Clarissa cut in. "You will be told to open it when the time comes."

"Very well," replied Julina, obediently placing the envelope back in her pocket.

Before long, the vessel arrived at their destination. The engines powered down to a quiet idle as they slid onto the secret moors. Far below sat the "city on the bridge," with its multiple highways spanning across the river marking the border between the provinces of Combria and Ereautea. It was essential that they remained undetected. The door opened to the flat roof outside. They were a thousand feet up and wind was blowing. But that did not phase the three emerging figures who came out to greet them. It was obvious that the person in the center was Darryl.

Clarissa stepped off the airship, where she came face-to-face with Darryl and said in a flat tone, "I was told that there wouldn't be others."

Explosions rang out as Clarissa and Darryl shot spellfire discharges at each other. Clarissa, from her experience, had been quick enough to detect Darryl's left hand reaching for his right wrist, and was quick enough to respond. She dodged his first blow and struck him square in the chest, knocking him down. Clarissa went to deliver the final blow, only for Darryl to knock her down briefly with a discharge of his own. She quickly leapt to her feet again, but it was enough time for Darryl and his two accomplices to leap over her and onto the airship. The door slammed shut and the airship took off with Julina still aboard. Clarissa was left behind.

The spellfire duel was enough to set off the fire alarms in the College, so Clarissa's presence was known. There was only one way to escape: by leaping off the Tower.

She did so, and within a second, she pulled a cord attached to her left arm. A parachute opened from her backpack so that she could float down slowly but stealthily to the street below. When she landed, she looked up and saw the airship fly off to the North. She pulled down her right sleeve and activated her Wrist Radio.

"Julina! Are you there? Can you hear me?"

A moment of garbled ruckus was the response on the other side before Julina's voice responded, "We're headed North."

"Perfect," said Clarissa. "See if you can commandeer the thing and find a place to land." Clarissa found black taxi cab parked along the curb and used a Stun Spell to bust the window open. She unlocked the door, got inside, turned on the engine with a spellfire discharge, and took off in the direction of the airship.

"Got them knocked out," said Julina over the Wrist Radio. Despite being a new recruit, Julina was well-versed in spellfire combat, herself. It was a prerequisite for their line of work.

"Good," replied Clarissa. "Now go find some dark patch to land in."

The airship was getting further ahead, so Clarissa raced ahead in the stolen car. Before long, two police cars appeared behind her with flashing lights.

"Give me a landmark, Julina," said Clarissa over the Wrist Radio.

"I'm trying!" came the response. "Headed West now. The waterway feeding into the River. There's a small town after that."

"Stockton," said Clarissa to herself. She jerked the car to the left onto the first major roadway headed West: Provincial Route 26.

"There's a field lining the side of that waterway after the town," she said to Julina. "Put it down there."

"I'll try!"

And now Clarissa was getting to a threshold. She had to ditch the car and lose sight of the police cars closing in on her. She had a plan, though.

She jerked the car violently to the right, up a small drive that suddenly appeared. She lost control and crashed into a tree, but saved herself with a flash of a Shield Spell that she activated in the moment. She bailed out of the car and took off into the woods while the officers chased after her with flashlights and guns drawn. Clarissa slipped on a Ring of Invisibility and, at the same time, activated a Soul Gem that she had in one of her many pockets, causing the Vision of a terrible monster to appear and emit light while making a thundering scream only described in fantasy literature. The officers were phased for a second, but then Clarissa activated another Soul Gem, creating a Vision of herself taking off in the opposite direction. It was enough to lure them away.

And so she continued toward the makeshift landing site.

"I've done it," said Julina over the Wrist Radio. "I've landed in the field."

"Perfect," said Clarissa. "Start throwing them in the river!"

"Are you kidding me!?"

"I will arrange to have them picked up. Trust me!"

"What-"

"Just do it!"

Clarissa finally caught up to the field. The skid marks digging deep into the moist soil led up to the airship, which had its nose planted into the ground. It was a smooth landing but she was sure that somebody heard. A figure, who Clarissa realized to be Julina, was hauling the crates and throwing them into the river as planned. She caught up to her but then suddenly turned and hurled a Stun Spell discharge toward Darryl, who had awoken and tried to fight back.

"Masks, Julina!" she said, suddenly donning hers as she discharged a Smoke-Screen Spell, which she knew would put Darryl and the accomplices into a six-hour coma and give them short-term memory loss.

Clarissa and Julina returned back to the downed vessel and continued to haul the remainder of the crates, throwing them into the waterway a few yards away. After they did so with the last one, Clarissa led Julina Westward. "There's an outpost for us," she said.

They briefly stopped and took off their masks. Julina reached into her pocket and pulled out a little cloth sack. She opened it slightly to show a glint of the gold coins inside. "A little sample of the cargo I threw in the river."

Clarissa hesitated for a second. They were Deliverers; they were not supposed to touch the cargo at all. It was...

"Against the Code, I know," said Julina, placing the sack in Clarissa's hand. "But it wasn't a certain 'Darryl' was it? And all that cargo isn't really missed by its original owner either."

"How do you-?"

To her shock, Julina pulled out the orange envelope, which had been torn open, and was now holding the Key that had been inside.

"Our hijackers tried to pry this from me."

Clarissa's eyes narrowed in suspicion toward her new recruit. "Are you sure about that?"

Julina sighed as she looked down for a second and then back up. "I am telling the truth, but you don't have to believe me. Yet, it doesn't matter, does it? Now I know."

Clarissa handed back the little sack. "Here's the deal," she said quietly. "Keep the sample. And keep it a secret, even from our Agent. Consider this 'mission accomplished'...on your part, that is. But wait by the phone. You will be hearing back in due time."

With a little hesitation, Julina shook Clarissa's hand and said, "Very well."

Eleven nights later, Julina received her call. She had been dispatched to Elsa Island.

[libraryofcirclaria]

A Meeting in the Basin

Library of Circlaria

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John Richards looked down upon the Isle of Opportunity from the vast window of the Airship Cornerstone, which was due to land in 30 minutes. To the Eastern end of the Isle stood the Torch representing Liberty, to the South the Torch of Justice, and to the North the Torch of Equality. John was no nationalist but he had to admit, for a moment, that the scenery with the three Torches flanked by the circle of Retunian flags, with both the flags and flames waving majestically in the wind, gave him a slight feeling of pride. This was his home.

He took his eyes off of this, however, and returned to his room to pack his belongings. He had an extremely important business matter to address, which required the emotionless and objective side of his conscience. He packed his clothes, his papers, and his business items away before taking two objects he made certain the cabin crew would never see. The first was his talisman glove armed with his talisman. He folded the finger section part of this back so that he could hide it up his arm. The second object was a pocket knife, which he hid in a secret interior pocket inside his jacket. The change in the tone of the engines, the clanking of the moor ropes, and the slight shifts in the motion of the cabin signaled that the ship had landed. So after double-checking everything, he left.

He made his way down the series of gangways and off of the ship with no incident, to his relief. No one noticed. The boarding platform was indoors, and was one of many inside a hangar into which airships went in and out of large entry ports on either side of the building. These platforms stood over a network of parking lots and roadways, as such was the norm all over Remikra. John went down the levels to the sidewalk lining a parkway and hailed a taxi cab bound for the Government Circle of the city of Retun. It was the month of May in the year of 1286, but the region was experiencing a relatively cool spell, hence a good reason for the jacket.

Ten years had already passed since he had graduated from the honorable Cabotton University. It had been so long since he had last spoken with his mentor and best friend, Professor Henry Kaldan. Yet John was afraid to speak to him now, out of shame. How would he ever come clean to Kaldan regarding what had happened since, especially regarding this current mission?

The traffic patterns into and out of the Basin District of Retun were, by design, unusual. The interior of the District, to this day, sits on a disc of land that rotates on a man-made lake once every 24 hours, meaning that each roadway going in and out does so through a drawbridge that changes every hour. Nevertheless, it wasn't long, from John's perspective, until they reached his destination. That was how much he was dreading this.

So here he was, in the Government Circle of Retun, the capital of the Federal Estates of Retun, or, as scholars refer to it in the present-day, the Early Republic. His stop was right in front of the Council Building, which was skirted by a roadway encircling the Great Clocktower topped by the famous Octohedron. He walked along the Council Building up Combria Avenue and saw a billboard indicating a performance happening in about a half-hour in Reverence Concert Hall. John had been certain that this was where he would find his "friend."

And sure enough, he was right.

He filed into the entrance hall on the lower level of the Concert Hall, which was where the Retun District National Wind Orchestra was performing. It was a standing room, and already the musicians were on stage tuning for the performance. While they were doing this, John had an instinct to discreetly slip his talisman glove back over his fingers.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark masked figure suddenly vanish behind one of the side pillars.

John took off stealthily after him while only a few audience members briefly glanced over. Within seconds, John was outside. The figure had gained a distance of half a block, but John was closing in on him, bolting at full speed. The figure turned and crossed through the busy traffic of Combria Avenue and went down a side street. John followed him, barely missing several cars, himself.

To John's delight, the street came to a dead end. The figure turned and started throwing Stun Spells. But John was quick as he parried them off with his Shield Spell and shot back with his own Stuns. A discharge flew right at his head. He dodged it but lost his balance and fell on the ground. The figure leapt over him and started back toward Combria Avenue. But John recovered quickly and, using a two-finger spell discharge trick, struck him at both the feet and the head with a pair of Stun Spells, knocking him out. John ran up to the downed figure and, before the figure could run off again, John pulled out his pocket knife and produced the Superblade, holding it to the man's throat.

"This is done, Mandon!" John said with clenched teeth. "I know it's you! Now hand it over!"

Slowly and obediently, the figure reached into his pocket and pulled out the Wizarding Cross, handing it over to John and then pulling off his mask.

"Professor Kaldan!?" exclaimed John, dropping his Superblade.

"Yes. I know," said the Professor calmly. "And well done. Now I have a lot of explaining to do, if you are willing to listen."

***

Ten days later, John sat awake in the bedroom of his house back in Ereautea. He still could barely sleep as he struggled yet to mentally process the turn of events since his return to Middle Remikra.

It's all in the past, John told himself once again. You're recruited now.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Nephina

Library of Circlaria

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Location and Orbital Pattern:

Nephina, like its sister planet, Juno Minor, orbits yearly around the gas giant, Juno Major. The difference is that Nephina is greater than Juno Minor in distance from Juno Major. As a result, Nephina is passed by Juno Minor once every 2400 years.

Evidence shows that Nephina and Juno Minor were once merged together as a single superplanet and may have been hosting plant life during this time. Approximately 3 billion years ago, however, an unknown cataclysmic event caused the superplanet to split into Nephina and Juno Minor. Such findings provide plausible reasoning behind the striking similarities between the two worlds, especially in their abilities to support life.

Nephina was observed in ancient times before setting below the horizon of Juno Major (relative to the viewpoint from Juno Minor), and was the source of myth and legend. Its resulting absence in the night sky over the following centuries would eventually lead belief in its existence to be subject to skepticism and controversy. Such disagreements ended in 1213, however, when Nephina was observed having reappeared over Juno Major's horizon.

Geography:

With its axis slightly less-tilted than that of Juno Minor, Nephina boasts of five climate "belts": the tropics belt, two temperate belts, and two polar belts. The tropics belt contains most of Nephina's oceans but also has desert regions and tropical forest regions. Here, it is warm year-round with wet and dry seasons. The temperate belts have more land and moderate temperatures. They are the narrowest belts and have four distinct seasons similar to Juno Minor. Vegetation in each temperate zone is dominated by numerous species of trees, grasses, and flowers. The polar belts have constant polar vortices around each pole, each of which shrink during the summer months and expand during the winter months. Both poles are land-based, just like on Juno Minor, while each polar belt has the least amount of vegetation.

There are similar plant species on Nephina to Juno Minor, further supporting the theory that plant life existed on the superplanet before the great splitting. There are, however, no native animals. Instead, rock-like organisms that produce carbon dioxide exist in a variety of sizes ranging from a grain of sand to miles in diameter. No microorganisms (i.e. bacteria) have existed on the planet before the arrival of humans. While the rock-like organisms are multicellular, their cell structures are quite different, in that they are larger and have more of a similarity to plant cells.

No noted cellular species from Nephina seem to pose a threat to humans. Similarly, no microorganisms from Juno Minor seem to harm or even interact with plant or carbon life on Nephina, posing a complete mystery to scientists. Nevertheless, visitors have taken precautions.

Colonization:

On 2 October 1364, the first humans set foot on Planet Nephina. In the years leading up to this accomplishment, a space apparatus, known as the IGLTV (Inter-Global Laboratory and Transit Vessel), had been constructed to conduct rigorous testing practices and eventually transport scientists and aerospace vehicles from Juno Minor to Nephina. And it was from this station that the landers were launched to arrive on the new world.

The first two humans were Mara Kroll from the Commonwealth (ICSR) and Hana Mystera from Gyrosak. The next two were Tom Sortenson from the Commonwealth and Syndol Korvis from Gyrosak. The agenda of the mission was to map out the region of their landing site in a detailed fashion and document its topography. However, matters took a controversial turn when Sortenson placed a Commonwealth flag atop a hill in the area and took a photo that would later be published in a Commonwealth media outlet. This prompted backlash from the Gyrosakian government, who condemned the decision as "an inappropriate act of nationalism," and filed a suit against the Commonwealth under the Circlarian League of Nations. The lawsuit dragged on until the year 1369, when a final decision was reached to establish the Global District of Nephina, an objective, academic-based organization that emphasized a ban on national symbols of any kind (including mottos and anthems). In the years to follow, the Global District would oversee the establishment of a limited number of scientific communities that continue to dominate the landscape of Nephina to this day. In 1372, the Circlarian Space Agency was established; and five years later, the Commonwealth liquidated its program to merge with it.

Although scientific communities are the most frequent of human settlements, businesses and other organizations are permitted to operate on the new world. For example, since 1419, the Commonwealth-based Library of Circlaria has been administrating a facility here.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Circlarian Calendar

Library of Circlaria

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Astronomical Patterns:

The Circlarian and Ancondrian Realms are encompassed in a world that lies on Planet Juno Minor, an Earth-sized body orbiting the gas giant: Juno Major. The Juno Major System, which includes Juno Minor and its sister satellite, Nephina, revolves every twelve years around the superstar: Alphachrome, which has unique properties and provides a very large "habitable orbit zone."

Juno Minor rotates on its tilted axis once every 24 hours, as timekeepers across the world universally mark eight-day weeks. Juno Minor revolves around Juno Major for its seasonal year, which is usually thirty weeks. However, for unknown reasons, such a length in weeks varies from year-to-year, following a regular long-term pattern once for every cycle of 12 years. While scholars to this day are still trying to determine the cause behind this, the Circlarian Calendar keeps a twelve-year cycle as follows: 31 weeks for Year I, 28 weeks for Year II, 31 weeks for Year III, 30 weeks for Year IV, 31 weeks for Year V, 30 weeks for Year VI, 31 weeks for Year VII, 31 weeks for Year VIII, 30 weeks for Year IX, 31 weeks for Year X, 30 weeks for Year XI, and 31 weeks for Year XII.

The Circlarian Calendar Year:

Every week in the Circlarian Calendar contains eight days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Nollsday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each year in the Circlarian Calendar contains ten months, with each month usually lasting three weeks (as in a 30-week year) or 24 days. The months are as follows: January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November, and December. Exceptions to the three-week duration occur in a 31-week year, when May and June each have 28 days, and in a 28-week year, when May and June each have only 16 days.

Every 48 years, Year II consists of 29 weeks with May and June each having 20 days.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Inland Sea Cyclones

Library of Circlaria

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The Inland Sea:

Extending as a shallow body of water into the heart of Remikra, South of Ereautea and North of the Chemko/Zyrtin region, the Inland Sea delivers a warm, temperate climate, with its waters warming up quickly during the springtime and summer, and cooling off quickly in the winter. It has provided an important trade route during ancient times and serves a variety of commercial purposes for Middle Remikra today.

The Wannonian Storm Conveyor System:

Between the Chemkan Mountains to the East and the Magnumarian Shield to the West exists the low-lying Central Plains, which extend from Egdir up to the North Coast of Nintel. During the summer months, this geographical formation channels currents of warm, moist air from the Southern Circlarian Ocean up North over central Middle Remikra, where these currents collide with cold, dry air blowing West-to-East from the Magnumarian Shield. This frequently results in the development of rotating severe thunderstorms that produce heavy rains, hail, lightning, and tornadoes.

Cyclone Season:

Cyclone season spans April through September, during which storms in the Plains will converge and blow out over the Inland Sea. With windshear in place, warm moisture from the Sea fuels these convergences into organized rotating cells; and thus, cyclones are born.

It is important to note that these cyclones are smaller than the supercyclones out in the great Oceans. However, they still prove hazardous to trade traffic through heavy rains, hail, waterspouts, and lightning. Peak winds occur inside the core of each cyclone, and are ranked by Five Classes. Class I spans 31 to 60 miles per hour; Class II spans 61 to 90 miles per hour; Class III spans 91 to 120 miles per hour; Class IV spans 121 to 150 miles per hour; and Class V spans 151 miles per hour or greater. These storms usually originate along the coast of the province of Nintel and blow Eastward to strike an area of coastline West of the city of Hasphitat. This section of coastline has, over the course of history, earned the nickname: "the Cyclone Banks."

Notable Storms:

There are two notable storms well-known to scholars. The first was the Camp Darlington Event of 1160. Camp Darlington was a newly-built retreat situated along the Cyclone Banks within the Wannonian border unknown to Wannonian authorities. The Camp provided a vacation site for notable politicians of Combria, as well as their family members and friends. On 3 June 1160, however, a Class V storm struck the Camp with little to no warning (in light of less-advanced forecasting technology). And the situation was worsened by a so-called "amateur weather scientist," who predicted a weak storm. Most Camp structures were severely damaged or completely destroyed; and out of the 152 guests and staff, only three survived. The government of Combria responded to this with relief efforts and the establishment of the National Weather Bureau, which would later be adopted by the Early Republic.

The second notable storm occurred in 1286. By this point, weather prediction technology had advanced considerably, with the establishment of a grid of tethered weather balloons over the Inland Sea to detect changes in air pressure, wind direction, and air temperature. On 15 April 1286, the grid detected the sudden development of a Class V cyclone located further South and East than the usual path and making a direct beeline toward the city of Hasphitat. The National Weather Bureau sent warnings to Hasphitat, which began making urgent preparations, including the closure of trade markets one hour earlier than scheduled, cancelling outdoor activities, and closing streets for evacuation routes. Furthermore, additional agencies were ready to respond to an anticipated large-scale disaster. Ten miles from the shoreline, however, the storm encountered the cooler currents of the Northern Circlarian Ocean and weakened, passing over the District as a weak Class II.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Scrall

Library of Circlaria

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First played in Wannonia during ancient times, the game of "scrall" initially involved mock armies and spellfire-induced fake weapons, such as archery, of that era. In 1002, scrall tournaments began adapting technological advances such as hot-air balloons. However, leading figures of scrall have since aimed to preserve past traditions of ancient mock-warfare.

Basic Objectives:

The playing field of scrall consists of a twenty-five-square Grid, the only Grid in existence. This Grid is located in the present-day province of Nintel, with each corner pointing in a cardinal direction (North, South, West, East) and each square covering a square-mile. Spectator stands are scattered throughout various locations on the Grid.

Every tournament involves two teams: the Red Team and the Blue Team. The Red Team is based in the West Corner of the Grid while the Blue Team is based in the East Corner. Initially, each Team owns the squares on its side of the Grid while the squares in the center, spanning North to South, make up a "no-Team's land." Each Team has a Jackpot to which each joining member contributes one qor (Middle Remikran currency). And each Team hides its Jackpot in its territory from the other Team. The role of each Team is to plan a strategy to find the location of the opposing Team's Jackpot, to obtain that Jackpot and add the contained sum of money to its own Jackpot, and for the Team to defend its own Jackpot. Spectators will watch as a tournament involves confrontations between Red and Blue Team members, leading to numerous exchanges of mock-spellfire-discharges, archery battles, and events such as balloons being shot down (with safety nets and other protocols recently installed to prevent actual casualties). As the tournament continues, Teams will gain and lose squares on the Grid as territory. And each tournament ends with a winner determined only when a Team's Jackpot reaches a total of one-million qors (Middle Remikran currency). That means that there is no set time limit, meaning that the duration is difficult to predict. The average tournament, however, is usually between ten days and two months.

Changes Over Time:

Scrall had been a staple of tradition in Wannonia until its downfall in 1176. Between 1176 and the early 1200s, the Grid lay mostly abandoned. In 1216, however, Combrian authorities restored it and launched a tournament that autumn. Tournaments were played continuously in the years that followed, even during the wars of the 1240s. After the establishment of the Early Republic (Federal Estates), it came to be that the Grid straddled the border between Junction and Morris Counties in the province of Nintel. However, the Grid, itself, was privately-owned, being a private subsidiary of the National Speculatorium (part of the athletic hierarchy in Remikra). Numerous leagues came into existence during this time, filing into the ranks of either the Red Team or the Blue Team as tournaments continued to be held. Media outlets broadcasted scrall tournaments for entertainment; and, in later years, some players even carried mounted cameras.

When the Early Republic fell and gave rise to the Independent Commonwealth in 1309, the tournaments were discontinued indefinitely owing to political instability in the region. Commonwealth economic policies established income brackets for athletes versus owners as leagues were treated like other businesses in terms of ownership power and taxation. Such policies established financial incentives for smaller leagues and more individual participation opportunities, while tax policies led to lower spectator prices. Scrall, however, fell out of fashion by this time, leaving the Grid abandoned, once again, until after the 1329 pandemic. In 1335, new innovations in balloons, mock weaponry, and safety standards brought back the fashion with a grand reopening. Scrall has been played regularly ever since.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Krylandia

Library of Circlaria

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Hobland:

Straddling the North Pole, the landmass of Hobland consists of three regions: East Hobland, West Hobland, and the Arctic Steppes. East Hobland has towering mountain ranges in its North and plains in its South, and is known for its short summers and cold winters. West Hobland has two sets of lesser mountain ranges that run North-to-South between which lies a long, narrow plain. A set of lower coastal plains lies near its Southern tip. The Arctic Steppes region consists of high plateaus and glaciers, and is cold year-round.

Over the past two-hundred years, East Hobland was dominated by three nations: Noliespe, Notulfa, and the Acrean Republic. Noliespe, the Northernmost country, was a loosely-organized federation of counties. Notulfa, bordering Noliespe to the South, was home to the Reltuvian and the House of Esary, and had a government structure similar to that of the nation of Monassa. And the Acrean Republic, the Southernmost nation, was a Kingdom until 1273 but has since boasted itself as one of the world's most progressive democratic societies.

West Hobland was dominated by the Rinean Kingdom in the North, the Humerian Kingdom in its central region, and the South Coastal City-States at its Southern tip.

Auriellia Skapavia:

Born in 1385 in the Notulfan city of Givenna, Auriellia Skapavia demonstrated talent, from the age of six, in spellfire-crafting. She began university training at age nine and became an Apprentice Spellcrafter at age eleven. In June 1398, at age thirteen, Skapavia received an official Authorization Statement from Cenofan to become the youngest-ever Master Stonecrafter in history.

Political Reform:

Gennos Fortek, then-Government Consul of Notulfa, congratulated Skapavia and her family on the accomplishment and scheduled a formal ceremony of celebration to take place in the Market District of the city of Notulfa proper, and restricted public access in the process. Working-class inhabitants demonstrated contempt over this, however, as it caused major disruptions to daily schedules and flaunted the higher social class' inherited status of privilege. In September 1398, after numerous demands were ignored, the workers began carrying out protests, which led city government officials to place curfew orders. This only aggravated the protestors, and very soon, the protests grew nationwide, giving birth to a Movement of Solidarity identified by a coat of arms featuring a three-pointed star against a red background. The Solidarity Movement expanded beyond Notulfan borders to other Hoblandish nations, prompting Hoblandish leaders to call a Conference in the city of Boken.

In January 1399, the Conference took place, where a decision was made to call an official Convention to take place in the same location four months later in order to create a new power structure to satisfy popular demand. Leaders of the Solidarity Movement were invited along with representatives of Remikran nations. Then-Prime-Minister of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun, James Lawrence Kontacet, sent Ambassador Martin Georges to attend. By the end of May, the Convention formed a compromise by which the nations of Hobland would continue to exist with regard to their power structures, but would each send elected representatives to a Council in Boken, which consisted of two houses: the Assembly of Consuls and the Chamber of Representatives. This would form the democratic government of the nation of Krylandia, which encompassed all Hoblandish nations and would become officially established on 2 January 1400. Such a government would also consist of a Judicial Branch, as well as an Executive Branch, the latter of which would be led by three Head Consuls: the Consul of Government, the Consul of Trade, and the Consul of Defense. Every member of every Branch of this newly-formed government would be directly elected.

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Combria

Library of Circlaria

Earlier Blog Posts

Preface:

Combria is the Northeasternmost province of the Independent Commonwealth State of Return (the ICSR), and borders the Kingdom of the Great North. Jestopole, the provincial capital of Combria, is home to the University of Combria and the House of Masons.

Establishment and Progress:

Founded by William Jeson in 1086, Combria was initially its own nation, over which the House of Masons governed, serving as both the incumbent-appointed presidential council of the nation and the leadership of the hubstone industry. Throughout history, leadership within the ranks of the House of Masons would be volleyed over by two rival families: the Leons and the Kontacets.

Aside from the political contests, the nation of Combria led the Circlarian Realm through a period of technological progress over the next fifty years, as the House of Masons pioneered the invention of automobiles, aircraft, and electricity. By the 1130s, other societies in Remikra, Canticula, and the remainder of the Circlarian Realm began developing their own hubstone infrastructures; and so Combria preserved its brand began to settle into a culture of Combrian tradition in order to shut out foreign competition. Between 1161 and 1162, a series of measures of compromise between the House of Masons establishment and the working classes converted the industrial sector of the House of Masons into a semi-democratically-run organization, with the caveat being that incumbent leadership figures set the rules on candidate qualifications (only Leon and Kontacet family members qualified). In 1165, the national government of Combria re-established itself in the newly-founded city of Hasphitat and separated itself from the House of Masons, which remained in Jestopole; thus, the House of Masons was no longer a government entity. However, the House of Masons continued to serve the growing hubstone industry.

The Early Republic:

Throughout the 1240s, the House of Masons survived a civil war and a succession of transitional governments. Following the establishment of the Federal Estates of Retun (the Early Republic), the area encompassing the Five Original Districts of Combria became the Province of Combria, with its provincial capital in Jestopole and government seat a separate entity from the House of Masons. Twenty years later, then-Prime-Minister Edward Jackson enacted policies expanding on free enterprise and economic growth by initially taxing large business firms. The House of Masons responded to this by establishing itself, on paper, as a non-profit organization and placed investments in lending banks, which loaned capital to entrepreneurs, most of whom happened to be Leons and Kontacets. These entrepreneurs signed contracts calling for shares of profit to go toward "retirement trust funds" for the House of Masons, which would pay out to retiree business executives. Meanwhile, "necessity funds" would be paid out to other business figures within this network. Furthermore, to reduce the possibility of lawsuits and negative publicity, the House of Masons made special business contracts with media outlets.

The 1276 Resolution, which eliminated restrictions on banks and large businesses, helped to simplify the economic structure surrounding the House of Masons, which relinquished its status as a non-profit organization and acquired the businesses with which it previously signed contracts. Also beginning in the 1270s arose the henshale industry, which provided serious competition against the hubstone industry. The House of Masons paid lobbyists to convince county governments throughout the provinces of Combria, Ereautea, and Gymia to pass laws banning henshale cars and machines. This had "patchy" success, with some counties banning henshale technologies and other counties, having encountered lobbyists from the henshale industry itself, banning hubstone technologies. However, in the late 1290s, then-Prime-Minister John Waltman signed the National Transportation Act, which overrode the county-wide bans and allowed for the freedom of choice for car owners between the two competing industries. The henshale industry remained a competitive industry until 1311, when henshale reserves ran dry.

The Commonwealth:

Following the 1309 Revolution and the establishment of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun (the ICSR), sweeping national legislation required every business, including the House of Masons, to become truly democratically-run; and for about five years, the House of Masons was governed by third-party leaders (neither Leons nor Kontacets). In 1317, however, the Kontacet family launched an agenda to arrange contracts with foreign media outlets to endorse Leon and Kontacet candidates to House-of-Mason employees within House-of-Mason property limits. This technically did not violate any legal terms since the previously-mentioned legislative changes still paid respect to the concept of private property. And thus, the Leons and Kontacets effectively regained control over the House of Masons in the years that followed.

In the 1380s, the Leons and Kontacets merged to form a collaborative organization: the Leon-Kontacet Trust, which existed separately from the House of Masons. And through numerous company elections, the Leon-Kontacet Trust legally acquired dymensional-fire businesses throughout the province of Combria, and eventually the entire Commonwealth. In 1399, James Lawrence Kontacet became the seventh Prime Minister of the ICSR as he passed budget reconciliation measures to further the ability of the Leon-Kontacet Trust to lead an effort to "commercialize" the national platform of the dymensional-fire industry: the Library of Circlaria. Kontacet's agenda had a profound influence on the Library, and would continue until the economic shake-up enveloping Remikra between 1399 and 1400. The Library was still in its early stages of development, and investor confidence partially diverged toward the scriptfire industry while the Leon-Kontacet Trust would eventually cease to exist. Nevertheless, the commercial aspects and consistent standards originating from Kontacet's short-lived term as Prime Minister are still present in the Library today. Furthermore, investor confidence has long-since recovered.

Presently, dymensional-fire and scriptfire subforums are integrated, following negotiated mutual agendas formed in parallel to the RAD Party Reunification Movement. This newly-solidified platform dominates the Combrian market while the House of Masons continues to meet the supply-and-demand quotas for the Circlarian hubstone industry.