Roseport

Overview
Roseport is the capital of the kingdom of Rohel. Founded on August 31st, 2021, the town was once one of the largest settlements in the continent of Sparwood, amassing 40+ active players. Originally named Portusburg, the town was renamed to Roseport following the end of the Portusburg Crisis.

Foundations
The town of Portusburg was founded by Wrog, a former council member under King Robar of Myrtana. Following the deposition of King Robar, Wrog and his allies fled from Myrtana, heading south to the Kartek Diarchy in hopes of being granted asylum. After negotiating with Tzar Ferro, Wrog and his followers were granted citizenship, and they settled among the mountains on the north-central coast of the Diarchy. There, the great Castle of Portusburg was constructed, and the town quickly grew around it. Portusburg was in a prime location for trade and expansion, and the now Lord Wrog sent forth messages across Rathnir inviting all to emigrate to his new city. Quickly, the town became a hub of trade, and the populace outnumbered every other settlement in the Diarchy. This was truly an era of prosperity for the new city, and Wrog was trusted and respected by his people.

Rapid Expansion
In the wake of Portusburg's success, many new citizens quickly emigrated to the burgeoning town, leading to a rapid growth in the populace that had never been seen in Kartek before. Unfortunately, this growth came at a cost. Lord Wrog and the city council were unable to manage the great influx of citizenry, and very little was done to curtail Portusburg's rapid expansion southward. Infrastructure suffered immensely as new districts popped up left and right, and a lack of proper screening of new citizens led to numerous instances of theft throughout the town. Although the city council made great efforts to try and contain the problem, Wrog's eagerness to invite more and more citizens into the town only caused the issues to compound. In only a matter of days, the southern district of Dorfstrasse nearly doubled in size, and prominent locals began to complain about the conditions of older districts being neglected and abandoned just as quickly as new houses continued to be built further and further south.

Buktenbyen Border Incident
By late September, 2021, the unfettered growth of the town got to the point that land claims spread across the eastern canal, which had informally been considered the border between Portusburg and the neighboring town of Buktenbyen. The claim of territory on the eastern side of the canal was met with resistance from the populace of Buktenbyen, who's leader, Duke Acon, considered the expansion to be a grave insult. Several citizens of Portusburg also opposed this expansion, yet Wrog and the city council were undeterred, stating that no official document had been agreed upon that would limit Portusburg's expansion eastward. Many town residents regard this moment to be the key factor which led to the Throne Room Incident, kickstarting the Portusburg Crisis.

The Throne Room Incident
On October 6th, overwhelmed by the unrest brewing within the city and the risk of Kartek intervention, Wrog abdicated the lordship and fled Portusburg with a handful of citizens who were still loyal to him. This created a power vacuum, which led Foczo, a prevalent citizen of Portusburg and prophet of Holy Craftism, along with Duke Acon and several citizens of both towns to swiftly occupy Portusburg Castle. Due to a misunderstanding, some thought that Foczo was attempting a coup, which led MetalNinja, who had assumed command of the Town Guard, to initially attempt to stop Foczo, but after being informed of Wrog's departure, aided Foczo in maintaining order. Thankfully no conflict arose, and Foczo and co. were able to dissuade would-be looters from pillaging the town. The Kartek Diarchy stepped in quickly and replaced Foczo with the city council, who seized control of the town, with council member Sinnon being declared the heir to the Lordship soon after. Some wanted Foczo to remain leader, but Foczo maintained that he was not trying to assume the title as lord and willingly stepped down.

Sinnon's Coronation
The next day, a coronation was held for Sinnon. He sat on the throne, flanked by the leaders of the Kartek Diarchy who gave their support. People from across the nation attended and Sinnon was officially declared the new ruler of Portusburg. Foczo and Sinnon kissed to symbolize trust and peace during the transfer of power. Shortly after his coronation, Sinnon adopted the house name of Thornrose.

Kartek occupation of Portusburg
Soon after the coronation, Wrog declared his intention to retake Portusburg and declare independence from Kartek. The city was placed under marshal law with Kartek soldiers forming checkpoints on the bridges and patrolling the streets. Civilians who logged on were informed of the situation and advised to leave. Reports came that Wrog would be invading with his followers and bandits, although the bandits were unconfirmed. The Kartek forces were told to rally at Buktenbyen and the city was abandoned.

Return of Wrog
Soon after, Wrog returned to Portusburg and barricaded himself in the castle. It is unknown how many went with him. Meanwhile the Kartek army rallied at Buktenbyen, numbering around 20, and marched on the city. The Kartek army was formed from former Portusburg town guards, Buktenbyen guards, and other soldiers from the Kartek Diarchy. Soon the army surrounded the castle and negotiations took place with Wrog, who refused to surrender, and at 3:10PM, October 7th, war was officially declared.

Battle of Portusburg
Main Article: Battle of Portusburg While some skirmishing occurred before the battle, Kartek forces rallied at Shwaize Fort an hour before the war officially began, while some remained at Buktenbyen to defend in case of a counter-attack. The forces from Shwaize Fort, numbering over forty, moved to a snowy plateau overlooking Portusburg in the moments leading up to the battle. When the battle began, Kartek forces immediately charged, despite calls from one of the leaders to wait until they were ready. During all of this, poor communication and a hasty charge lead to many Kartek troops to be unable to up with the main army and struggled to find their way into the now heavily fortified Portusburg. Two of the Kartek attackers were killed charging the castle, which was defended by Wrog and 3 others, before the attackers were finally able to force their way in. However, after this, poor communication lead to the Kartek army roaming around in small groups and Wrog loyalists were able to kill a few of the attackers before they were also killed. In the end, the defenders had slain four soldiers while the attackers inflicted twenty casualties, although unfortunately many of these kills were against Portusburg civilians being caught in the crossfire. There were also reports of some Kartek soldiers looting the city, despite several calls against this behavior by the leaders of the battle. Although the battle was a clear victory for Kartek, it did demonstrate a severe lack of organization within its military. After the hour-long fight, the victors celebrated in Portusburg Castle.

Kartek's Dissolution & Frosterium Annexation
On the eve of the final battle to reclaim the city, the Kartek Diarchy suddenly dissolved, leading to instability in the region that was quickly noticed by the neighboring states of Escharia and the Frosterium. In the ensuing turmoil, the Frosterium swiftly annexed what remained of Kartek's realm, including the city of Buktenbyen, which was still a refuge for the majority of Portusburg citizens. In order to ensure the town was still to be reclaimed, Lord Sinnon appealed Hub, one of the leaders of the Frosterium, to send aid for the coming battle and deny Wrog's request for asylum. Once the situation was explained to Hub, he gave his support to the people of Portusburg, guaranteeing a victory for the next battle.

Portusburg's Reclamation
On October 17th, joint ex-Kartek and Frosterium forces descended upon the city, which was totally vacant save for the still-defiant Wrog, who stood alone against them. Wrog was struck down in mere moments, however Frosterium soldiers were ignorant of the situation and began to pillage, eager to loot what few valuables remained in the city. After the dust settled, much of Portusburg had been picked clean, with multiple homes being gutted and partly deconstructed.

Roseport Rebuilds
With the death of Wrog, the name "Portusburg" also died, as it was now tied to the problems the city had faced and which had led to the conflict. Lord Sinnon Thornrose, with the support of his citizens, then gave the city a new name: Roseport. The old Portusburg Castle, now lying in ruins after the assault of both battles, was deconstructed, and plans were drafted to begin rebuilding the city from the ground up, with a much greater emphasis being placed on organizing the existing districts and providing ample housing for new immigrants.

Founding of Rohel
On the 22nd of October, 2021, the Frosterium, which had laid claim to the Gertek region, collapsed, and Foczo Khan, who had during this time led Gertek, stepped back from ruling the region. In light of the Kartek region reunifying under a federation, Lord Thornrose laid claim the land surrounding Roseport in order to establish the kingdom of Rohel, with Roseport as its capital.

Flag of Roseport
The flag was designed by Chief Testy Less, and the meaning of the symbols were determined by the citizenry after the city's reclamation:

"The red field represents those who have fought and died to protect our city. The white star represents the city, with each point representing the following, clockwise from the top: the King, the Council, the Guard, the Land, the Citizenry, and the Chiefs. The Rose symbolizes the blooming of our people, while the thorns that are adopted during wartime represent our ferocity in the defense of our home."

Hillock Games
The Hillock Games are a seasonal event where citizens and visitors from abroad gather to spectate or engage in various challenges, ranging from Parkour tag to arena fighting.

The First Hillock Games (10/9/2021)

 * Parkour Tag Winner: Ghostings
 * No other events were held due to mass chaos involving players escaping the field and ender dragons

References & Further Reading

 * Sinnon Thornrose
 * The Cecilia Library
 * Gustav II