Laria

Laria, originally named Port Crelov, is a town within the United Socialist States of Eldham. It is notable for its location on the sea, scenic landscapes, and beautiful architecture. The city's banner is a blue orchid on a white field - the favorite flower of several of the city's original chief builders.

Founding and Early Days
The town was founded on May 31st, 2021 by a player named Kato (KatoLeAsian) centered around the small Bay of Gabeli on the island of Téntalo. Kato originally built a small, temporary base into the side of the area's cliffs and the river-woven cave that ran between both sides of the island. It was during this period that the building that would become 'The Out' (a noteworthy inn and brewery) would begin construction. One day a small tower and castle was built overnight by a player named Pietri on the top of the island's peak (much to Kato's surprise). In the following days, a player by the name of _Sorray_ joined, which ignited the rapid growth and construction of of the town. The coastal seawalls were raised around most of the island, and residential housing was built around the low-lying coast.

The Old City
It was eventually connected to the cities of Staroslav and Garkogorod through a system of packed ice bridges designed to be ridden on with boats in order to achieve incredibly high speeds and make travel across the Sea of Lélo'É easier and faster. Laria's iceway station was built in the hollow of the hill which used to be Kato's temporary base.

A wall with two spired towers was raised along the width of the island after several houses were built. However, the town continued to grow past this initial protective wall. The wall serves as a line/boundary between what is now called the 'Old City' and the 'New City'. There are plans for a second wall to be built closer to the western end of the island to encompass the New City if/when the last buildings get built.

The New City
In the area of the New City, large scale developmental projects were undertaken. This included the construction of two new residential districts, an open market square, the Great Library of Sorray, the Evergreen Cafe, the Bagel Inn, and Citizen Hall (a courthouse) - all built upon hand terraformed land.

The Dark Times
The week of July 4-10, 2021 marked a devastating series of events that drastically affected the city and her citizens. Early in the week, the USSE's northern neighbors - colonies of Vanakunir - repeatedly showed aggression towards the nation, which eventually spiraled into the Kunir War. Over the course of this fateful week, a seemingly minor and accidental border misunderstanding erupted into a war in which the warmongering leader of Vanakunir decided to annex the majority of USSE territory simply because he could. In the hours before the official war was to begin, the battle location was changed from Kunir to Laria - which left virtually no time for the city to be prepared for a siege.

The Battle of Gabeli Bay was fought on July 8th, and ended in a Vanakunir victory. Vast swaths of USSE land were claimed and annexed in a spontaneous, last minute decision by the leader of Vanakunir, which included the city of Laria - which wasn't originally within contested land at all. This came as a great shock to the citizens of the USSE, and especially to the residents of Laria. The land was then purchased by Welpish. Many of the residents of Laria were disheartened and fatigued from the events of that fateful week. These events also happened to coincide with real life matters of several of the town's leaders, which forced their inactivity. Many residents moved out, and those that remained were relatively inactive.

In one last build project before the official transfer of ownership, Kato and Sorray built a monument just outside the icy cave which first attracted Kato to the location originally. On July 9th, they built two monolithic statues wielding pickaxes. This monument was named 'The Builders', and was built in dedication and gratitude to the original builders and citizens (i.e. those from before the Kunir War) that were responsible for the majority of the city's construction, growth, and culture.

Reignition
In an unexpected, strange turn of events, Welpish offered to sell the land back to the USSE - though for a steep price. Not wanting to be auctioned off to a random bidder, the USSE repurchased some of their lost land (which included Laria). With the town's owner technically no longer being Welpish, Kato was thrust back into a position of leadership in the city as the de-facto mayor (which he didn't really feel like doing, but did anyways).

With the heartlands of the USSE regained, several of the city's primary builders returned temporarily to finally finish construction of the city. Shops were created, and residential housing was expanded - once more breathing life back into a city previously thought broken in the aftermath of the Kunir War. Pietri - the builder primarily responsible for the construction of the city's industrial sector - had raised an entire artificial island which included a lighthouse, a bridge to connect it to the main island, and a loading station for cargo ships. The second set of walls was built to encompass the New City, which were taller and more fortified than the Old City Wall due to advances in technology - not only marking the furthest line of expansion of the city, but also an important milestone in the construction and history of Laria.

Notable Events
The Trial of Jjmoney08032 occurred in Laria (or Port Crelov as it was still known as at the time). The ARS was trying Jjmoney on accounts of war crimes and for violating the terms of their treaty with Ellysia. Apparently being the only city with a courthouse built, the trial was held there. Though he was faced with maximum sentences of exile or even execution, he was only given a small fine.

The Battle of Gabeli Bay - the deciding battle of the Kunir War - was fought at Laria.