Lennox

Lennox is a nation situated in the North of Rathnir, named for its people the Lennoxer who originally settled in the region in around early March 2021, the nation was founded by a player named Buzzb. Known for its beautiful architecture and many controversies surrounding land claims, Lennox is subject to much praise and criticism by much of the player base. It's Capital city is Dragoonia which is known for its architecture, some of the most notable buildings include the City Square, The Lennox house of Light and Sirius' Pyramid.

Culture, Myths and Ancient history
The Lennoxers are believed to be the descendants of an ancient warrior people known as the Dragoonids. Very little information concerning them survived to the present day, and so, only the very basics of their culture and history can be described without any speculations.

The Dragoonids were natives of Yularia, the island in northwestern Rathnir where the modern nation of Lennox would one day be established. They held fire and light in very high regard, to the point that every single one of their weapons had the enchantment Fire Aspect or Flame, making them very skilled in magic for their time. At some point, an unknown enemy made their numbers dwindle to such a way that their very existence was threatened. The remaining Dragoonids would gather in a city named Khonopeos and, in a last act of defiance, unleash a devastating flaming spell. The destruction caused by this spell was such, most of the island would be turned into a desert, and the remains of the city would be blackened by the fire. It is said that in its ruins lay a terrible secret.

Despite the supposed self destruction of their civilization, a small number of Dragoonids would survive though it is unclear what happened to them afterwards. Its only after many centuries that one of their descendants would reappear in recorded history, when Buzzb founded a city in the south of the island, and named it after his ancestors, and thus, planting the seeds of what would become Lennox.

Current day culture

Dragoonia: One of the main characteristic of Lennox’s culture is its focus on knowledge, be it with the Dragoonia’s Library of light, the temple of Lux which house several libraries, or the very symbol of the country, the Sphinx. This fascination could be due to how badly recorded their ancestors’ deeds were, pushing the modern day Lennoxers to try to fix this problem. That would also explain their conservatism, which cause them to dislike any style of architecture that is not Dragoonid in origin. An exception would be the city of Ramtopia, which has a building style that is very different for reasons that shall be explain in another section. Reading this, one can ask themselves how those people were converted so easily to Lux, a faith originating from as far as Solisos. The answer is that this religion does not actually clash with Dragoonid culture, which already respects light and warmth. Also, despite the distance between the two countries, Solisos and Lennox share a lot of similarities, be it the desert environment, the size, or the architecture, that while not exactly the same, is still very similar. Riverrun: The history of the settlement starts with The Inquisition. After having a vision telling him to travel east and to look for a pagan shrine made of sand, the Grand Inquisitor set out with a small band of warrior priests for his journey. They found the temple in Rathnir and built a fortress around (and above) it. Riverrun started as a small trading settlement where local tribesmen would sell goods to the Inquisition. As more time passed and more pilgrims came from the west, it became a decently sized city, having a mix of the cultures of Western Empire and local Yularan tribesmen, and would later be integrated to Lennox following the Coalition war. June: the village was founded by a group of nomad that originated from all over Rathnir called "the Children of the Ruins", who's goal was to gather knowledge. However, by the time of the Battle of New Dorrasterock, it would be nearly abandoned, before being rediscovered by Lennox during the great Northern March, repopulating it. Tea is one of the local specialty

Zar'Roc: This is actually the name given by the Lennoxers to the old Sand Republic capital, which was also rediscovered during the great northern March. Sadly, before that, time and thieves had the time to damage the city, in addition of being corrupted by an evil spirit

Last words to the Dragoonids

A book named "My Last Word to the Dragoonids" would later be discovered by the Pharaoh Sirius in what he would only reveal to be “black ruins buried under the desert.” To this day, the ruins’ location is still secret. The content of the book is as follows:

May the Giver of Fire allow this text to survive what will soon happen, and the centuries to come after.

''Know that, despite the dark times we are currently facing, I am proud of you all. We, through our history as a people, survived many trials that would have utterly destroyed any lesser tribe. Not only did we survived, we also grew stronger each time, be it in number, in might, or wisdom, proving that we, the Dragoonids, truly are the reincarnation of the mighty Darakon. But… even he, after his numerous exploits, still had to met Death. And so I am afraid that we will have to join him soon. The enemy’s armies are on their way to Khonopeos, outnumbering us ten to one. I may not have been the greatest chief, but take my words, has they are the last. This won’t be just a massacre for us, but for them too. We are working on a special ritual for some days now. And if you have found this book, you should probably have already guessed the ritual’s goal. If you ever come back, that is. Our separation hardly left any chance for a reconciliation, even if you somehow returned before the enemy reach us, because I still stand by my point. I would rather end things now, than see my people face greater and greater suffering, even if it is for gaining more power along the way. This is a very dangerous bet that despite my warning, you still took. Always keep in mind the tragic fate of our father Darakon.''

Mephet, Chief of the Dragoonid tribe.

Following this is a poem, or possibly a song. Sadly, it was impossible to translate it without loosing most of the rhymes and complexity. Here’s a rough translation:

Darakon, stronger than a thousand

Darakon, the child of the gods

Darakon, the father of the brave

Born under rain and thunder

Child on the rocky mountain

Already more than a man’s might

Every night a trial and a fight

Creatures birthed by an iron serpent

Endlessly eating itself by the tail

Darakon, stronger than a thousand

Darakon, the child of the gods

Darakon, the father of the brave

To the deep ocean he traveled

His divine strength as his weapon

A single fist flew and ended the fight

The mad beast would still circle

ascending high into the heavens

The cycle of nightly battle was broken

Darakon, stronger than a thousand

Darakon, the child of the gods

Darakon, the father of the brave

The Gods would gift and punish him

He would be reborn greater and greater

And fight stronger and stronger enemies It seems that this Darakon was not just a figure revered by the Dragoonids, as a statue supposedly depicting him was found near the ruins of the Sand Republic, and that he was heavily tied to rebirth and growth.

The Great Northern March

The Coalition war and the fall of the Bardonian Empire would hugely benefit the at the time small kingdom. Not only the population would rise again and Riverrun would join Lennox, but without Bardonia, the northern half of the island would be left uninhibited, allowing for a massive colonization of the land, doubling the size of the country. Numerous ancient cities, like June or the Sand Republic, would be rediscovered, along with ancient structures and ruins. The old TSR ice road would play a capital role in this endeavor, linking the two part of the island together, and being use as the basis for a northern highway system

Buzzb's reign
The history of Lennox is mostly comprised of its struggles to find a land to settle on as well as it's great and extensive building projects. Initially a squatter settlement on TSR land, the squatter nation then known simply as Dragoonia was founded upon the foundations of the current capital city of the same name. Through encounters with many new players passing by Lennox began to build up a small community, in late March 2021 the land was ceded to the Sterling Crownlands. Following this Lennox then resettled to what is now known as the Buzzelux where it set up its second city Fort Dragoon, for a while the people of Lennox prospered on the isle finishing the ambitious construction projects set out by the then Pharoah Buzzb, amongst these projects was the Lighthouse which later became a staple of Lennoxer Architecture.

On April 7th the Sterling Crownlands suddenly dissolved and the city of Dragoonia was incorporated into Lennox, this marked the beginning of a golden era for Lennox. During the so called "Golden Era" the population of Lennox grew rapidly and as a result the city of Dragoonia grew rapidly with the notable construction projects such as the lighthouse and the pyramid being completed.

The golden era soon came to an end after many misunderstandings involving the territory known as the Buzzelux, Kostarion the nation situated to the North of the Buzzelux had claimed the island beforehand however when the leader of Lennox asked to claim the island a few weeks later the previous owner of the island (Carvay) gave the island to Lennox. Due to this the ownership of the island has been disputed, the people of Lennox built a city on the island where as Kostarion abandoned the island however claimed the island before Lennox. A compromise was put in place where in neither Nation was to receive the island and instead the island would be ceded to Ryzan and be under the effective control of the then governor of the island Buzzb.

Soon after a small unlanded nation then known as the Britannics wanted to gain some land in the area of the TSR in order to found their own nation, the former Pharoah Buzzb agreed to a union of Lennox and the Britannics leading to the renaming of Lennox as the Empire of Lennox. Another small nation known as the Empire of the White Raven contacted the Pharoah Buzzb to show their interest in acquiring land in the area so that they may expand their small island nation. The three nations formed an alliance in which they planned to take uninhabited TSR land, with the Pharoah Buzzb taking measures to make sure that no religious or cultural sites belonging to the TSR were to be taken. However these demands were ignored by the Empire of White Raven who plotted to attack the capital and grief roads in the area without negotiating land claims with the TSR, this came under major scrutiny of the Pharoah Buzzb who planned an alternative route of action for Lennox.

On the 17th of April a Kostarion spy leaked documentation published by the leader of the Empire of the white Raven which outlined his nation's plan of attack for conquest, this was leaked along with messages from Members of all three alliance members, the manner in which these messages were leaked put significant emphasis on Lennox's role in the plans of the Empire of the White Raven despite never specifically agreeing to go along with these plans. As a result the now fallen Empire of Bardonia declared war on Lennox only a few hours later then declaring war on Empire of the White Raven soon after that, this call for help was done in the spirit of the now also defunct trillium alliance.

On the 17th of April the Pharoah Buzzb stepped down as the leader of Lennox announcing Sirius to be his successor and Sans_Liga to continue his role as Grand Vizier, prior to his abdication as Pharoah, Buzzb comissioned his last building project a series of defence towers around the island which were designed to protect the people of Lennox from incoming Bardonian invaders. As well as this 80% of the population of Lennox was forced out due to fears of more spies being within the country, meanwhile the Britannics were forced to disband and the union was ended.

Sirius' Reign
Following Bardonia’s declaration of war, Buzzb not only stepped down as the pharaoh, but also disbanded Lennox as a whole. But upon learning this, a recently arrived citizen named Sirius would try to bring the Lennoxers together and recreate the nation. And not only this would work, but the following day, Buzzb himself would bring shulker boxes to Sirius’ pyramid, containing presents, such as heads and enchanted books, but most importantly, a book in which the now former pharaoh would recognize him as Lennox’s new ruler.

At the time, Sirius only had been in Lennox for a handful of days, and not much longer in Rathnir itself. His first true act as a pharaoh was to engage in diplomacy with the various parties involved in the war, convincing Bardonia to not invade. However, he has been told of Bardonia’s expansionist nature, and so he started to prepare. Thinking that a future invasion would happen on the southern coast, he would build multiple forts there, and connect all of them with a secret underground ice road network. The remaining ice would be used in Sirius’ second grand project: the ice highway, which would link Dragoonia, the Vallian empire, and the city of Ramtopia, an abandoned settlement north-east of Lennox which was integrated and expanded.

During and after this, the population of the country skyrocketed, going from 4 to 30 people in the span of a few weeks, making Dragoonia the island’s biggest city. Among those newcomers was Rambo, who became Ramtopia’s governor, and Spyral, both of who ended up as Grand Viziers.

This period would also see the border expand, not only to the west to include Ramtopia, but also eastward, making Lennox in control of most of Yularia’s southern coast. After Owyndorr’s downfall, a small colony was created on a small peninsula in the north-east of Sylvtör, called Madeira. However, this colony would not last long, as it was revealed that this land belonged to Halgë, a small country on Rathnir’s northern border. This gave rise to a lot of tension, to the point that Sirius even considered invading and annexing them. However, the threat of Bardonia joining the war made him change his mind, and give the land back.

The next big event after that was the adoption of Lux as a religion, the details of which shall be narrated here:

But outside of Lennox’s border, Bardonia was expanding again. And one after another, the kingdom’s allies fell, regardless of the help that was sent to them. Baykonia, Wivamovia, the Vallian Empire, Halge… All of them were eventually integrated into the ever growing empire. Even The Sand Republic was eventually dissolved, and all of its land to given to Bardonia, which would leave Lennox surrounded on all sides.

But before declaring open threats, Bardonia would engage in more underhanded diplomacy. A book would be found, which would read “you are doomed. We have spies on the inside”. The book was signed by an individual named Hernicii, a member of the Bardonian government. Following this, signs ordering the Lennoxers to leave their land under the threat of unnamed consequences would be found. While raising suspicions for spies, the inhabitants did not left. Soon after, a chunk of the bridge would be destroyed near Dragoonia, and one last threat was found, accompanied with a banner depicting a yellow flower.

During this time a number of construction projects were made by the then PM Buzzb, who returned after a while, these included the planning of the Bazaar, Harbour and expansions onto the east side of the Island. All of these projects are now nearing full completion. Around this time a large percentage of the nation went inactive after an influx of new players into the server, further harming Lennox's already dwindling power to defeat Bardonia.

And the 10th of June, an ultimatum was officially declared by Bardonia to Lennox, offering a simple choice. Join, or war. During the negotiations, the empire’s motives would be revealed: since The Sand Republic gave all its land to Bardonia, but since it also gave land to Lennox before that, it meant that Lennox also belonged to Bardonia.

Sirius would finally choose to surrender, seeing how little hope they had at winning a full war against the empire, especially without Ryzan’s support.

Bardonian era
Immediately after the conquest of Lennox, there was a mass exodus of players from the nation. This meant that many of the more ambitious projects took months to complete, as well as this a cultural genocide happened, despite the Bardonian government not implementing any policies to harm Lennox, the simple fact that Lennox lost the majority of its population as they fled meant that there were few people to sustain the Lennoxer culture.

Soon after Lennox gained some territory from islands south to the mainland. As well as this Buzzb entered negotiations to transfer Riverrun to the province of Lennox, however due to anger from leaders of Askonia this never happened, despite Riverrunians requesting for the transfer.

On the 26th of July a world war broke out, with Pharaoh Sirius I declaring independence from Bardonia and plans were immediately drawn up for a battle plan with collaboration with other rebelling states such as Ryzan, Valle, Axum, Halge (former) and many others. Almost immediately the free city of Riverrun announced its independence from Bardonia and immediately joined Lennox. Spyral the Grand Vizier declared his neutrality from the conflict due to his honourable belief that Lennoxer independence should be secured through diplomacy and not bloodshed.

After coalition and rebel forces convereged on New Dorasterrock, finally defeating residual Bardonian forces, Lennox secured its independence fully and began expansion into more of the Yularan Isle, gaining custody of the long-abandoned city of The Sand Republic, which became known as Zar'Roc. In the coming days as Syltor began to adapt to the status quo, the territory of Riverrun formally joined the kingdom of Lennox. The isle of Yulara experienced a fragmentory existence, divided between the nations of Halge, Lennox, Ostland (later Neu Savras), Valle and Daelyria, who owned the stretch of land known as Taran'bak, just outside the Lennox capital of Dragoonia.

Post-Occupation Golden Age
Recognising the need for a united Yulara, alongside a united Syltor, Grand Vizier Spyral Ulburnr began the process of forming the Solar Alliance, which was a defencive pact to slow or halt a re-occurence of an invasion of the isle. The addition of Halge, Valle, Baykonia and later the United Commonwealth served to add stability to the region.

Over time, Lennox began a gradual recovery from the Bardonian occupation by increasing in population and expanding its towns and infrastructure. Riverrun began creation of a system of Western Canals, reaching as far as Novia, Valle's eastern settlement opposite the isle of Luperkania. Dragoonia expanded its ice acqueduct system, enabling island-wide access to approximately 95% of Yularan settlements. It was at around this point that the Lennoxer towns of Theritea, June, Nermou and Marlhold were created.

Dragoonia in particular had a unique resurgence, constructing the Temple of Lux, and beginning work on the Grand Bazaar Shopping District, as well as a fully continuous acqueduct link accross the entire city. The eastern coastline of the city particularly saw an expansion, recieving more new citizens who developed housing and coastal pathways.

The sale of Taran'bak by the Daelyrians to Daelyrian nobility without consultation of Lennox officials served to create a briefly uneasy period during the Dragoonian resurgence, since the territory sat immediately outside the eastern Dragoonian walls. The new territory renamed itself to the Kingdom of Credia, creating their capital of Thelysia. While relations were briefly tenuous, Lennox and the fledgling nation soon established and amicable respect for eachother. The Kingdom of Lennox joined the Syltor League in order to further secure their independence from foreign interference, working closely with Syltor states to ensure regional stability.