Kythnos

Kythnos, also known as New-Kythnos, Oriataun-Kythnos and Sotrania, is a major city located in Serrukan, A.W.E. The current city is unified polycentric agglomeration of three cities in one claim: Kythnos, Oriataun and Kronox. It is the largest city in Oceanum in terms of developed claimed area and population, and second only to Horizonte in Serrukan population-wise. The city was founded in August of 2021 marking it as one of the oldest cities on Eldham. Due to its strategic position it has been a capital of several states: Sotrania and Glanran-Sotranian Commonwealth, and the Grand Republic of Oceanum under the leadership od Dr. Wissam Doxenite.

= History =

First Arrival and settlement.
According, to legend, partial ancient texts and artifacts, the area of the city we now know as Kythnos, was first settled by the mysterious Jorv people. From what is known by fact about them is the lack of long-term or stone shelters and structures created by the people. It is, however, known that they used to at first inhibit the present day Valreach, but later moved south for unknown reasons, excluding war, due to all the descriptions of and found protective gear of the Jorv being always light and almost never damaged. Artifacts of the Jorv, have been found all the way from the Elanorian Realms, up to the southern coast of Oceanum.

After the collapse of the Forge, a small amount of explorers from another group, the Draaken have arrived to region. Old Draaken texts tell the story of their first meeting with the Jorv.

,,''When we (Draaken) first arrived on the beaches, we found a group of beached (Jorv) longboats. In order to establish contact, we chose approached the mightiest of the ships. As we got closer, we were spotted by a scout, who presumably communicated our arrival his King1. The King, immediately, left his ship in order to welcome us. After learning (that) we've come in order to settle, the King, in a gesture of peace and good will, offered us fish and fruit. That is why, when we welcome guests in our houses, we offer them fruit or fish2."''

- Anonymous Author, The Chronicle of Culture.

Essentially, after the fall of the forge, the Draaken begun settling the south of the former Oreuh Kingdom, a region also known as Sotrania. Thanks to the common trade tongue in the region, the people could easily communicate with each other. Soon the two peoples started seeing each other as equals and soon begun intermingling creating the Old Kythnosi culture (also known as the Attano culture). Soon, a sort of a ruling class emerged - The Attano Family.

One of the groups, brought with them a religion worshiping some sort of a Blood God. We don't know if it was a major god or a patron god of the settlement. Ruins of a church of this kind, used to exist only in Kythnos. It is suspected, that this god emerged due to the constant warfare between the Old Kythnosi and the 'native' peoples of the region such as the Oreuh. The religion quickly speared in Kythnos and soon most of the population was worshiping this 'Blood God'. This led to a development of militaristic beliefs in Kythnos.

During the warring period, the Old-Kythnosi asserted themselves as one of the dominant powers in the area. It is widely acknowledged that they were one of the reasons the Oreuh civilization declined, however they were not the one who ultimately destroyed it. The collapse of the Oreuh Kingdom is commonly attributed to the Oceanic tribes, who united in order to put a stop the the Orueh expansion. At the end of this period lot of Oreuh people fled south, in part to Kythnos, in order to escape the dangerous plaguing the north of their Kingdom. This caused a further merged of cultures and created a culture very much resembling the one of Modern Kythnos.

The arrival of the Orueh, brought an unexpected change in ideas of some of the Attano. Some of them, seeing the collapse of the Orueh Kingdom, decided that expansion through warfare would only bring their downfall. When this school of thought was gaining ground, a rival one was created - the militaristic Ryken. They utilized the popular belief in the Blood God as well as their history of warfare. The opposing faction, in order to gain popular support either wrote or popularized the history of the cities founding. Doctrine of expansion, however, was not the only thing dividing the factions of the Attano family. The Raken believed that the city should be kept under their direct authoritarian control, while the opposing side wanted to democratize and let the Orueh people in to the Government. The tension soon caused a brief civil war, which ironically the militaristic group to lose and flee west. Soon they found the city of Rykenor (Rykoria) on the Isle of Fire.

1 Historians note that the Jorv didn't have  a King, the Jorv in the myth was probably an elder.

2 The are no other records of this tradition and neither is is practiced today.

The Tale of two cities.
Soon after the civil war, less then 100 meters west, yet another group of settlers, who called themselves the Saitamans, arrived on an island called Okinawa. Their settlement on the island was soon named Oriataun. About the Saitaman people we know much more then about the Jorv or the Draakans of Kythnos, due to their far later arrival and the fact that the archives in which their history was harbored wasn't burned in the Battle of New Kythnos, unlike the records of the Old Kythnosi cultures. The Saitamans, came from a foreign land, from which they were forcibly expelled due to 'conspiring against the state'. One of the mayor characteristics of the Saitamans and future Sotranians is their mastery over water. This can be seen in several forms, their advanced ships and their draining and flooding projects.

Following the creation of the city of Oriataun, the Saitamans and the Oreuh began mixing similarly to the Old-Kythnos and the Oreuh. People inhabiting the island were soon starting to be known as the Sotranians. The word Sotrania comes from the adaptation of the Oreuh word "Sotrenshja", which when translated means "The Land of Sotren3". Due to the recent archaeological findings, the historians believe that Oriataun was build on ruins of a great Oreuh people. Several structure resembling houses and storage rooms were found. Some in the scientific community argue, that there is no proof of the ruins belonging to the Oreuh, but instead to an even earlier civilization. These claims also have no proof.

During the independence period, the city of Kythnos prospered, with several monuments, some of which didn't stand the test of time, being erected. An example of creations from that time include the Kythnos docks. On the other side of the channel, buildings like the Khan's palace and the Grand UFO of Oriataun were constructed. At the time, the relations between the to cities were not very cordial. Due to their superior numbers and army quality, Kythnos began preparing for an invasion of Oriataun. The Attano intended on integrating the city and its population, but that never came to be because, the People of Kythnos, were then discovered by what was the Second Republic of Oceanum.

The future Grand Republics people, considered the Attano and their settlement to be unlawful squatting on their territory. But due to the large population of the city (over 10 active citizens) and its quick growth the Oceanumite government was afraid to act. Though in the following days, the city of Kythnos came into an agreement with the government in which they became an autonomous city of Oceanum. The Agreement was later scraped for unknown reasons and the city became and integral part of Oceanum. Oriataun didn't follow in Kythnos's steps and remained independent.

A union with Oceanum, proved not very beneficial for Kythnos. Due to the democratic values of Oceanum, the Attanos were either forced to resign or resigned by themselves from not elected positions of power. With a lack of a competent leadership, the city soon feel into a decline with most wealthy citizens and merchants leaving for more flourishing cities such as Hyperion. The city of Oriataun meanwhile prospered. The city state of Sotrania quickly grew in numbers. At this time a great amount of buildings which still stand to this day were constructed such as the docks and most of the southern district. In order to avoid the same fate as the now desolate Kythnos, Sotrania joined the Commonwealth.

3. Sotren, was a great Oreuh king, who had first united the Oreuh city states.

Downfall of Kythnos
The now prosperous Oriataun found itself in a precocious spot. With its ever growing population, the city started running out buildings to sell to its citizens. Sotrania tried to counter this problem by creating boats that were created as temporary housing. The Government knew however, that this could not last. An influential member of the Government - Ulfric, used hist newly acquired wealth to purchase the ruined city of Kythnos from Oceanum. He gained the rights to the city and became the duke of Kythnos. A lot of people then migrated from the densely populated Oriataun to the new promising land of Kythnos. With a mayor castle and several shops being constructed, Kythnos quickly became the de-facto capital of Sotrania. The promising development suddenly came crashing down during Third Political War, known also as the Sotranian Civil War. The only and the decisive battle of New-Kythnos caused the death of the Khan of Sotrania, as well as wounding of several government officials such as Ulfric or Badui. With the government of Sotrania non functional and its armies scattered to the winds, nothing could stop the Aquatosi armies (former allies of the monarchist faction) from devastating and looting the city. Due to that all records kept in Kythnos were destroyed as well as several historical monuments build in the Attano era. The entire population of Kythnos left the city, most of them to Oriataun and Rykoria.

After the battle, a large amount Oriataun citizens, including traurig and Booper, set up humanitarian relief efforts in Oriataun in order to help the Kythnos refugees. A lot of temporary tents and kitchens were set up, however the city could no afford to keep them up for long, since the food supply was running out. Meanwhile, Badui sized control of the government and signed a treaty with Oceanum, making Sotrania and autonomous province within it, in exchange for Oceanum marching its armies to relieve the siege of Oriataun. They were successful in saving Oriataun, however the damege to Kythnos was already done. After the battle only a few citizens returned to the city of Kythnos.

After the death of the Khan and her father dukasv, Booper became the Queen of the Autonomous Province of Sotrania. She together with Duck, organized a colonization effort to the islands to the south, today known as Potusvielle and Ducksburg. When Duck led the organized efforts oversees, and created cities, Booper stayed behind and focused on repairing Kythnos and reorganizing it. For the first time ever the cities were trurely united, though Oriataun clearly held the dominant position. During this time another series of mayor structures were created such as the Sotranian Parliament, the Oriataun city district and the Oriataun-Kythnos Metro line.

With the creation of Othmyrr, Sotrania was incorporated into the province of south Oceanum. In order to protect the national identity of Sotrania, Booper fought tooth and nail for Sotrania to become a separate province. Her efforts were very successful with even expanding the province into the Verastanian Wasteland and the lands of Kronox. This proved very beneficial shortly, when the consulate collapsed. Booper ceded her position as well as power to the Sotranian Government in exile led in the main part by Ulfric, Badui and traurig, ensuring a legal and bloodless takeover.

The second life for Kythnos.
Following the liberation of Sotrania, its cities entered a short period of prosperity with several businesses developing in the city as well as countless citizens and families returning. For a period of several months the city slowly developed, with the Government more worried about stopping the Invasion of the Dandelion Empire then building new parks. The weakened Sotrania was then invaded by Glanra, who illegally tried to size power and form the Glanran-Sotranian Commonwealth. After the following crisis Booper invited Oceanumite troops to take over continental Sotrania and integrate the nation back into Oceanum, as the nation was not able to stand on its own.

This was proven to be the right choice as soon the Director of Oceanum, Wissam Doxenite who developed the city more then any previous owner. He led the rebuild efforts of obsolete structures, gathered lost works about the city as well as people who once lived in the city back. During his term the population of the city grew from 3 to over 40 citizens. He also led the efforts to tame the expanding Verastaian Wasteland, and tried to make Kythnos the capital of the Grand Republic.

The Crusader Reign
After the resignation of Wissam, TheUnholyCrusader has taken charge of the city. He similarly to Wissam led a large amount of building projects, creating the famous Roofless District, rebuilding the city castle in a new style as well as creating several new houses for the poorer. The future of the city was looking bright, with the construction of the national archive on its way and the city becoming a central location for Federation of the Southern Stars.

This however did not last. As the entire Southern Stars fell into decline, Kythnos well with it. When the Federation joined A.W.E at last, even the oldest and most dedicated citizens abandoned the city, leaving only Crusader there. He would however not spend a lot of his time in the city - instead he was doing everything to keep whatever was left from the Stars alive.

The Tale of Kronox.
Kronox, used to be an integral part of Kythnos, reaching at one point over 14 citizens. It is now however buried beneath the shifting sands of the Verastenian Wasteland. Kronox, was first founded in May of 2022, as a squatter settlement on the border of Sotrania and Oceanum, due to the frequent raids of Kroners into Kythnos, their city was invaded and conquered by a brigade of 4 Sotranians. After a lengthy talk, with the Oceanumite government, all the squatter territory was sold to Sotrania.

Kronox, was then repurposed into a fishing village. After invasion of New Kaltaria by Glanra the main fishing waters of Sotrania have been lost. The city continued to prosper, with even a high-speed road, being constructed along the coast leading to the city. After the collapse of Sotranian government and the second invasion by Glanra, the city quickly found itself a par of Oceanum, where it was largely ignored, due to the main revival efforts being put to life in Kythnos. The worst for the city, was however yet to come. With the construction of Sosuko in Kumura, the primordial forces of the Verastanian Wasteland were angered. The removed wildlife and sand, quickly moved westward, covering all of Kronox and reaching up to the walls of Kythnos. Most of the cities treasures and people were saved, however the city was not as lucky. The city has not recovered to this day.

The Modern City
On the 10th of August 2023, Booper has regained the mayorship of Kythnos after Crusaders resignation, and a third life for Kythnos came. Expansion and development for city soon followed. With several new players, including Dampf, Donce and Trakitu, and returning ones as well, the city grew to become the most active in Oceanum. The projects of previous mayor Crusader were completed, ruins destroyed and new buildings constructed. Most of them in the central part of the city. Several new religions emerged from the city as well, including Donce's Flowerism.

Several members, who showed great interest in the city as well as promise quickly formed the City Council. The body is made out of 3 individuals: Booper, Dampfkoma and Traurigcamper. All of them worked together sharing the burden of governance in order to keep the city flourishing. The triumvirate was able to grow, develop and culturally expand the city. Dampf was able to recruit over 90% of all citizens to the city. Booper is always overseeing everything, all the builds issues and suggestions. Traurig is always building and gathering money for the city and helping everyone.

During this time, the city is expanding rapidly. Several new projects are issued by Dampf and completed each day by citizens. New bridges, houses frames, destroying ruins - all is happening. The city is currently working on 4 extensive projects aiming to make the city better then ever before. To revitilise the straits, to revitilise the city center, to build the national assembly and expand the city further northward into the plains getting more livable space.

However, the city isn't only working on physical projects. The arts and culture of Kythnos are growing as well. Several new documents and essays by Viper delve into the nature of old peoples and religions of Kythnos. Who were the Ourech? What did they believe in? We know all of that thanks to him.

Currently the city is on a trend to become one of the most important cities in Oceanum. A bright future looms.

= Geography =

Location
The city is located on the continent of Onthukhan, on the southern hemisphere of Eldham. Kythnos lies in the south of Oceanum, at the coast of the Sea of Fire. About 200 meters east of Hyperion, the capital of the Grand Republic and a bit over 250 meters north of Horizonte, the capital of the Federation of the Southern Stars. Across the river, only 150 meters to the north lies the Attano city of Drakonholm. The city sprawls across the coast, all the way from the island of Oriataun, through the Verstanian plain up to the Verastenian Wasteland in the East, with the mayor source of fresh water coming from the nearby Mahran river. The city, with over 80.000 sq meters in area, is the second largest city by area in Oceanum, after Altera, but its the biggest city, if only developed area is counted.

Topography
The highest point of the city is marked, by the Oriataun Magnolia, on the Oriataun mountain reaching over 128 meters tall. Other geological formations in the city include, the Oriataun Plateau, the Kythnos Lowlands and the hills of the Verastanian Wasteland. The only river fully encased by the city, is the Oriataun divider stream, flowing from the Oriataun mountain into the Sea of Fire. A couple of natural and artificial ponds exist in the borders of the city, most notably the Northern and Southern Oriataun Fishing ponds.

Soil
The city is located on rather poor quality soil, further deteriorated by industrial development. The cities podzolic soil are not ideal for large scale farming, causing low requirement plants like the Kythnos Wine Grape, to be the favored crop. However, a small amount of rye is farmed on the edges of the city, where the soils hasn't been thoroughly degraded.

Climate
Kythnos is located in a temperate maritime cool climate zone, meaning, that the temperature, is rather stable throughout the year, be it on a colder side of things. The city experiences a large amount of rainfall throughout the year with precipitation being the highest in the summer months of November, December and January. A city used to be prone to large waves and storms coming from the southern sea, however recently, with the creation of the wave-breaker known as Judako this is no longer the issue. The city is still relatively windy with winds having the average speed of 10m/s.

Cityscape
Kythnos is a unique city in the architectural scence - it combines building styles of several builders and architects as well as several genres of build styles. From the Eastern climates in the western Oriataun, through the Medival styles of Kythnos, up to the nigh elven structures of the Verastanian Wasteland, the city has the biggest diversity in all of Oceanum and the Southern Stars as a whole. And whats interesting, is the fact that these styles don't fight with each other, some say they even fit together neatly, giving the place a certain charm.

= Demographics =

Culture
Kythnos is currently inhabited by a mixture of cultures: the Sotranians and the Kythnosi. The Sotranians live primarily along the coast, with being a majority in West of Oriataun and the Verastanian Wasteland. The Kythnosi inhabit the areas further into the continent where they are the majority. Recent immigrants inhabiting Eastern Oriataun and the New City are slowly growing in numbers, with sizable Azcorian and Oceanumite families moving into the city.

"Many aspects of the present day Kythnosi culture mirrors that of the Sotranian culture, save for their clothing being more Greek and their buildings being more Germanic in their style. Through the years, the Kythnosi retained their building style, even mimicking the styles of the Viodoxan culture through building homes close together and creating community buildings for sharing and utilizing resources. The Kythnosi people are closely knit much like the Oreuh people, albeit they tend to keep to themselves for the most part. During the Winter Solstice, the people celebrate their arrival to Oceanum and the founding of Kythnos alongside the Sotranian people. Some of the Ryken come to celebrate as well, though tensions between the two cultures linger to this day."

- Jake Jem, Culture Spotlight the Kythnosi

The Sotranians of Kythnos, for the most part have lost their seafaring traditions, as fish died out and people settled down, a need for sailors decreased. Most of the Sotranians in the city now find themselves known for their architects - though few they are among the best in Oceanum. It is worth to mention that a sizable amount of seafaring Sotranians still inhabit the Islands of Potusville, Atlas and Ducksburg, with the tradition still kept. These Sotranians are the descendent of Sotranian colonists from the time of annexation of Sotrania into Oceanum for the first time. Because for a long time the relations between these two groups were cut, they developed into their own group known as the Solandians.

The Sotranians are known for their more international way of life, always wearing the most popular clothes and reading the newest books. This cannot be said however about their approach to food. It is exceptionally rare to find a restaurant in Oriataun selling a food that has originated from outside the city or its closest neighbors. Almost every restaurant in Kythnos sells some of the most popular elements of Sotranian cuisine. This includes but is not limited to: Sotrania Wine, Kythnosi Garlic Bread and the Red Lamb - which was disseminated by the socialist government after the collapse of Othmyrr. In contrast to the Kythnosi, Sotranians are known for their individualism, with most houses separated from each other. Its known, that once you enter the ancient walls of Oriataun, the loud chatter of Kythnos disappears with people rarely talking outside.

Religion
At the present moment there are two relevant religions in Kythnos; Flowersim and the ancient Ourech religion.

Flowerism is a religion cultivating the tree of life, with plant life being at its core. Its followers are know for wearing flowers, as well as saplings in holy times such as prayer or church holidays. Donce's religion follows five commandments:

''1st. The highest priest is me.''

''2nd. We worship the Tree Of Life which symbolizes Life and Death, Peace and Hate, kindness and greediness and etc.''

''3rd. We don't drink alchohol.''

''4th. You mush have a green suit and a Leaf hat.''

''5th. The sacred place aka our church will be my garden where the Tree Of Life grows.''

- Text from the sacred script of flowers.

= The Gallery =

 Sources: 

- Ulfric

- Booper

- Magnus Attano

- Jake / Jem

- Republic of Sotrania