Gunggum

Gunggum is a town in the northwest of Plagos. It was found and settled by Jokarva in late October, and became the first seat of the confederacy of Plagatéa right after its founding. Gunggum was apart of the Plagatean Empire, but is no longer the Capital. Gunggum is now a town of the Gunggum Exclusive Zone of the COE, governed by Visilian Arthur Gregor. In present day the city is now preserved by the government of COE

History
The northwest of Plagos used to be settled by a race of which little is known about today - the Quartz people. Their name came from the fact that they were able to grow trees which would bear quartz, and would thus use this as their building material. Gunggum was founded on the ruins of an old Quartz people city, and the town hall was built on one large circular base of quartz. Eastern Scholars point its founding to the Ukorii, an ancient group from centuries ago before they resettled the area when Jocarvas began settling the area.

Early History
In late November, Jocarvas, a citizen of Junea, Escharia, had a conflict with the mayor who falsely accused him of killing him and stealing some items. Jocarvas was narrowly escaped and fled to the north of Plagos, where he stumbled upon a massive sphere of water floating above a hill top, with a small forest of quartz next to it. He founded Gunggum on December 22. The city would become an important as it would become one of the main cities in the first Plagatean state. It would eventually be incorporated into the first Empire of Escharia, as the capital of Nordumer province which stretched over most of Plagos. Following the Ascension, the site would also fade into irrelevance before being covered by sands and the land absorbed into Goshuma.

Re-discovery
This was the last that was known about Gunggum until March 12th. An Arinovlan citizen on a cartography expedition known as SerfBort_ rediscovered the site and took an interest in it. After completing his expedition told others around Plagos of a long lost city of the Plagateans, he resolved to return there and dig out the site in order to discovered what lay underneath the mountains of sand. He brought with him curlyfries_64 and a couple volunteers coming later in the excavation, those being Thyfuto and prnghat11.

The first signs of civilization visible through the mountains of sand was a path of polished andesite on the eastern side of the site and a canal system leading to Tengaesal the capitol of Goshuma on the western side. As excavation continued a canal into the site itself was discovered, a boathouse and a home were unearthed. A previously buried path leading upwards produced the entrance to a large meeting room, It was speculated that this was the site where the heads Plagatean Confederacy would meet formally to discuss matters of state. As excavations reached its climax the temple of Sylene itself was uncovered detailing the backstory of the city and instructions of a ritual done by the temple.

What once was indistinguishable from desert was converted by the end of the excavation to the Flower Forest that it truly was underneath. At the conclusion of the excavation, it was reported that its owners in Goshuma never utilized the site and had no plans to. With that revelation SerfBort_ petitioned the leader of Goshuma to annex the abandoned city along with a path to Arinovlan land. Goshuma graciously gifted Gunggum to Arinovla free of charge.

Rebirth of Plagatean Empire
New_Prometheus, a player in the Plagatean Empire, bought Gunggum from SerfBort_ in October 2021 and continued it's vast expansion; the removal of the quartz village and meeting hall became his first pregorative, and so he acquired the assistance of a talented builder and political activist, EarthlyWorlds. They, together, joined House Shigetada and reformed Gunggum into a Plagatean beauty.

Large castle rises high in the centre of the town with the hallmark Plagatean architecture found in the various settlements across Plagos. Alongside the castle in the centre, a small hamlet sprawls out along the western half beside the gatehouse, and a moat of spikes sits just below the exterior. Running through the centre of the town is a river, originating from far South and following all the way up to Tengaesal, the Capitol of Plagatea.

Gunggum was the seat of House Shigetada, a noble family in the Plagatean aristocracy originating from the original Shogunate.

Makabi Incident
After the collapse of Lunaris Empire in late 2023 Gunggum was seized by The Empire of Kartek - Fjelheim and incorporated into a new province of Makabi. Makabi proceded to merge with other ex Lunaris provinces including COE at the time and forming the triarchy.

After COE gathered inteligence of Makabis betrayal The Empire of Kartek - Fjelheim backed COE in the conflict thus transfering all of Makabis land to COE.

Present Day
After the COE gained independence from The Empire of Kartek - Fjelheim Gunggums position as a seperate province idea was quickly rejected by COEs king Visilian Arthur Gregor. He insisted a creaton of Gunggums Exclusive Zone for it to be preserved and maintained as a historical site of Plagos Continent. As of right now Gunggum is a part of COE as an exclusive historical zone where it is prohibited to live in the borders of this Zone.