Kumaur

Kumaur, formerly known as Kumuur, is a city on the largest of the islands located in the strait that separates South-Western Sparwood and Western Cymru. The town was founded on the 12 of February 2021.

It is currently part of the Province of Silvay though it actively ignores the oversight or ruling of the Hanzerouenn within the Autokratoria of Sirradra. It is one of two Siradrii towns in Sparwood, the other being Kairos, which lies within the county of Kemria, and thus also under same jurisdiction. It is the first frontier into the northern continent, and falls along the border of Eisenland, Aezenfjord, and Tortuga.

The city and surrounding county of Kemria is ruled by Llyre es vel Volaerys, the former Prime Minister of Sirradra.

Founding
Founded by Breton Aerouant and Deltafox on February 12, 2021, Kumaur was originally settled (unknowingly) on land that belonged to the the VIR successor state of Aezenfjord. After negotiations with SirMisterPanda, the owner of the land, the city was granted independence to become the city state of Kumuur (a bastardisation of the Kemrian "Golden City"). Kumuur rapidly began to expand, attracting members form the wave of fourth generation new players. It proclaimed itself to be a Pirate-Republic turned mercantile city state. It is also during this period that ties with the growing Viodoxa where established and began to deepen. This would be followed by an expantion of the rest of the Crescent Islands. The political structure of the town now also began to solidify, with trusted members and a monarch coming to a decision together. It is this very system that would lead Kummur to make the most crucial choice in its short existence, joining the rising nation of Viodoxa.

This decision however, occurred at a sour time as a prior misunderstanding would lead to Azenfjord seeing the prior statement that the settlement was mistakenly placed on their land as disingenuous and revoking the land claims of Kumuur, threatening them with a mass migration to the northern Falkheim-Concord territory of Cymru. This would see representatives from all three cities, notably Valen McSpiegel, Valerie Hirshy, and SirMrPanda deliberating on the future of Kumuur. The conflict was resolved with the Kumuur Accords, setting an alliance that allowed Kumuur to join Viodoxa and had deeper ramifications in forging an alliance between the VIR successor states of Viodoxa and Aezenfjord.

Kumuur had also been undergoing a boom in population with the both the city's player count and area rapidly increasing. Trade with mainland Viodoxa would lead to the creation of the Viodoxan name, Kamarum, also being adopted as one of the region's many names. This period also saw a religious reawakening in the city, with its citizens coming to the realisation that the island itself was cursed, allowing for several cults to spring up in the growing paranoia surrounding it. During this time the Flavian family, royal house of Regnum Fortuna, also sought and were granted, asylum in Kumaur following the coup of Antonius II.

Breton made Augustine Salvay Hanzerouenn in September of that year, during the Reformation movement, and Kumaur was once again being worked on. Refugees from Ryzan, Alfheim, and Chevkri also immigrated to the region, and several colonies were established on mainland Cymru, forming the basis of Silvay. Eventually, conflict with Libertalians over the city of Salapet/Thalassii built on Silvish land led to the Massacre of Salapet and eventually the Libertalian incident in early October, redulting in the mass executions and exodus of Libertalians to north Sparwood, eventually forming the Kingdom of Thalassii.

After the Second Archonate of Viodoxa collapsed in Late October 2021, Silvay was recognised as independant, soon joining the Seratovian State with Kumuur as a county within the province. Silvay entered a golden age during the next few months under Seratova and later the Third Archonate, until war once again came to their shores.

Imperial Archonal Union
By the time of the beginning of the Second Purple Insurrection (also known as Loic's War, The March of the Exiles, and the Viodoxan War) at the end of 2021/beginning of 2022, Kumaur was still in its golden age, with a large population. However, this brutal war of attrition spanning decades slowly whittled down the population of the Viodoxan cities, until eventually Kumaur's population had been reduced to less than half of its original size, and many cities suffered the same fate. By the end of the conflict, Kumaur was struggling to hang on, with only several dedicated residents as the curse and the ocean slowly consumed the town. While physically untouched, the city had more or less died, with many citizens falling victim to the cursed land or diseases, killed in the battles, or simply leaving for other, less war-torn regions of the world.

The better part of two decades passed and Augustine, the Count of Kumaur was growing old, in his will passed the city on to Llyre es vel Volaerys, one of the young ministers of the Union who had taken office under Loic's administration. It is unclear if he made that choice genuinely or due to his mind being addled, but regardless he died shortly afterwards, and his son (and heir) William also died soon therafter, marking the end of old Kemrian culture.

By this time the city was a ghost town and in more or less ruins, but Llyre (and his friend Ryan vom Dirkson) came to the city with the intent to rebuild it. Unfortunately, due to the concurrent events of the Eisenlandian Reunification, Ryan committed suicide on the island and Llyre, unable to cope with the situation, returned to mainland Cymru. It was around this time that a meteor partially destroyed the lighthouse in the southern harbour, and another impacted the southeastern end of the island, triggering the opening of a large sinkhole that released the strange black worms into the soil and water of Kumaur, as well as slowly leeching a strange gas into the air, that upon reacting with the air, quickly turned noxious.

Autorkratoria of Sirradra
Following the Viesten Coup, Llyre once again returned to Kumaur, stationed along the Eisenlandian and Tortugan borders. While some pirates were permitted to enter the city, Eisenlandian citizens were barred from the island under threat of violence. During this time, Llyre and his nephew Reyan Bakura began renovations of the city, tearing down crumbling houses and rebuilding parts of the canal system in order to at least attempt to restore a sense of safety and life into the ruins.

Several years later, Ravennn von Technostatos, a former Eisenlandian politician, defected from the nation and was allowed to join Kumaur despite tensions in the region. It is unknown what happened to him, and despite months of invesitgations, nothing was ever turned up regarding the mass of pulsating flesh slowly spreading through his house or what became of the man. The house was later detached from the main canal system of the city, towed out to sea, and destroyed with a series of artillery barrages from the shore.

In the following decades the city continued to rebuild itself, evntually devloping its own culture and customs as time went on, eventually growing into somewhat of a self-sufficient city state. It functions through its sale and exports of chemical weapons and technology, as well as specialty goods like lotus silk, warped fungus, and sealksin.

Geography
Kumaur is on a volcanic island of the same name off the southwestern coast of Sparwood, between the Eisenlandian Archapelago and Aezenfjord. The island has a rocky shore, multiple coves, and several hills. Much of the land is occupied by open moorland, and sparse trees, while the city itself is mostly built on the water on the southern edge of the island.

Due to geothermal activities, the cliffs on the western side of the island are made of basalt columns, and hot springs dot the island. These springs are frequented by the populace, while the geothermal energy is used to heat the buildings within the city, fuel its various factories, and warm the subterranean farms where the majority of the city's food are grown.

Kumaur's weather is usually cold, and most often gloomy. While it rarely snows, thunderstorms are common all year, and the torrential downpour can vary from rain to sleet and hail. The rare sunny days in Kumaur as seen as holidays and all workers are given the day off to enjoy the occasion and spend time with their families. The sky is usually dark, due mostly to the overcast weather from storms, but in the months leading up to large battles, the arms and munitions factories in Kumaur are pushed to their limits, and the sky is often blackened with smoke and coal fumes.

Government
Kumaur is ruled by the Commissioner of Kemria, Llyre es vel Volaerys. It is a complete authoritarian state under martial law, forgoing some of the guidelines set out by the Imperial Syntagma in the name of safety and efficiency. Beyond the Commissioner himself, Kumaur also mantains a council, made up of seven citizens selected by the leader as recognition for hard work and seniority. The government provides all citizens with the necessities of life, including homes, food, water, uniforms, rebreather systems, and healthcare. These things are provided with the explicit intent to increase productivity by ensuring citizens are in good health and satisfied, ensuring maximum efficiency. This comes at the cost of mandatory work for all able-bodied adults, and children are required to go to school.

The government maintains a strict curfew from 11pm to just before sunrise, with exceptions made only for the night shift workers, as denoted by the identification cards. Anyone found violating curfew without proper paperwork (unless it is an emergency) will be detained for questioning. Entering Kumaur beyond the port alos requires paperwork, with there being three checkpoints set up to process people going in and out: Tau, Gamma, and Alpha.

Wildlife
The most distinctive native wildlife are the black worms, small parasitic organisms originating from the sinkhole or possibly the meteor that infest the island. When they find a host and left untreated, they will consume the host from the inside out, bursting from the hollowed husk as a fully grown phantom. The size of the phantom varies depending on the size of the host, and most phantoms are small enough to be seen as pests and easily killed by an intrepid citizen with good aim or a good swinging arm. However, rumours in the city say that the mad lighthouse keeper, Zhetian, is keeping them under the tower-- Gods knows what sort of things he's doing down there...

Other wildlife is less... dangerous. There are no terrestrial animals native to Kumaur itself, and all land mammals were intentionally or accidentially introduced to the island by human intervention, most prominantly during the Viodoxan era. Introduced species that are now considered native are Kemrian hares, dormice, dwarf flying squirrels, ermine, and winter foxes. Mink are also present on the island, but usually quickly culled to prevent disruption to the ecosystem. Seabirds also frequent the island, along with other species adapted to open heath: most common are the starlings, gulls, petrels, puffins, wild ducks and geese, and cormorants. Inland birds are less common, but crows, sparrows, quail, and blackbirds are also not particularly rare.

Households will keep birds such as doves/pigeons at home, and sometimes these birds escape (which was the case for the wild sparrows on the island), with a colony of wild doves now being a common sight along the northeastern cove of Kumaur.

In terms of domestic animals, most livestock is kept on the mainland of Kemria, especially in Kairos' rangeland, however, pets like dogs (especially hunting and working breeds, though lap dogs have become popular with the upper class), cats, exotic birds, and fish are common. Horses are also kept on the island for transportation and draft, and sheep, yak, and caribou are kept in very small numbers and allowed to graze, with these animals providing wool, milk, and meat.

Culture
While originally a mercantile state, Kumaur's culture has diverged rapidly from the time of the Second Archonate to the modern day Sirradra. Silvish Kemrian culture is completely extinct following the collapse of the Third Archonate, being replaced with modern day Kemrian culture. Modern Kemrian is a more melting pot, with Eisenlandian, Silvish, Kartek, and Tovarishan influence, straying far from the original culture of the region. It is however, still a strongly maritime culture, and most citizens are proficient swimmers and are familiar on and around seafaring vessels.

Religion
While there is no unifying religion in Kumaur, the people of the island are extremely superstitious.

Magic is seen as strange and dangerous, preferring the reliable nature of their own technology to the fickle whims of magic and gods. This leads to a preference for medicine as compared to potions and brews, or even healing magic. When injured, a Kumara will generally prefer mechanical replacements over a magical one, even if the magical solution is objectively "better". However, this also leads to a degree of veneration and supersition around redstone tech, leading to almost a pseudo-religious zeal. People will often pray to or leave offerings to their machines, to the point of near anthropomorphisation of the object, treating it as a living being.

Psychic abilities and extreme mutations are seen as a nearly heretical insult to Kemrian culture, and those showing signs of either are often quickly culled by the Peacekeeper Corps, or otherwise captured, and sent to elsewhere in the Empire if the Council determines their abilities are useful to the Autokrator's will and vision.