Gehenazar

The City of Gehenazar, formerly known as Atoxa or Gehenna, is a city within the State of Atoxa. It was first created as a small village and labor camp named Kestchya. It lays at the Northern foothill of the Felsig Mountains which were some of the largest mountains on all of Stoneworks and a former site of severe Neihenspried infection. North of the city is the integrated former city of Swindongrad or Communia. To its far East is the city of Vostroya. The city is surrounded by frigid tundras, taigas, and mountain ranges. For its past history as a labor camp and its 'creepy' modern aesthetic, it has a reputation as a 'Halloween town' and for the occult.

It is renowned for its local cult to the Oxinto god Tégo'O and its use of spruce, deepslate, and blackstone in its architecture owing to its aforementioned creepy aesthetic. It has numerous large townhouses, factories, restaurants and more. Directly outside of the city is also a small town named Krakozar. Both names derive from the word 'Ozar' meaning 'City' in the native Lo'Oi language. It is unclear the etymological origin of 'gehena' but it is believed to derive from the Lo'Oi word for pity 'géheré'; meaning that the name may literally mean 'City of pity'.

Kestchyan Times (58-135)
Before the modern city of Gehenazar was founded there existeda settlement named Kestchya, a penal colony. It was originally founded in the year 58 (June 6th 2021) by a player named kora789. The penal colony existed there before to the Neihernspried spore cluster infected the mountain top after its original home in Adamantem was burned. A quarantine zone was set up around the mountain by the People's Army and a research facility was built to research the fungus. The research facility was later abandon for unknown reasons. Most probable cause is that the Neihern flower that sprouted causing the fungus to spread into the facility. Soon after the Kestchya penal colony was abandon as well with its founder kora789 leaving the server.

Founding (135-144)
Gehenazar was founded in Year 135 (March 19th 2022) after a wave of migrants from another land came to settle onto the ruins of Kestchya. Permission was given from the willing USSE government and the owner of the unused land for the migrants to settle. These migrants would come to call the new city Gehenazar after the Lo'oi Elder who guided them died after succumbing to illness upon arrival. Local legends told them of a local Atoxan named Zaloralon who died on the mountain top and whose scream scared off the evil spirits of the forest to protect the worshipers of Tégo'O.

The city would remake the old prisoner dining hall into a Temple to Tégo'O. With its new U.S.S.E resources and with the Gehenna’s religious motivation the citizens of Gehanna build up a town center and expand into the surrounding valley, called by the locals as the Valley of Zaloralon. The Gehenazarans would also establish their own local government that was open to all members of the town to participate in.

Growth (145-159)
Before then there was a slight dip in population most likely due to many of the originals Elders of the first wave dying off. The population was rapid enough to cause Gehenazar to lose National Assembly representation briefly before getting it back. While the town was initial closed to outsiders the decline in population prompted the town quickly recruit new citizens from outside of the town. Over time population growth rebounded.

In 145 (April 27th 2022) it was discovered that the food supply of Gehenazar has been contaminated with the Neihernspried fungus. Not only contaminated but gone unnoticed at least three years as reported by Mayor Magnolia Sweete in a public message sent out to the citizens. It seemed however that the fungus, which supposedly had infected the whole town, didn't have any adverse effects, instead it seemed to benefiting the town by allowing the wheat to grow better in the winter soil and the sheep to give red wool. During the time of the discovery it wasn't entirely known the full extent or effects would have on Gehenazar and its population. As a part of the growing town Magnolia would manage to negotiate a merger with their northern neighbor, Swindongrad who had a dwindling population. At this time the city was renamed Atoxa after the state of Atoxa that is was in.

Recruitment would still go on and the town would come to be the second most populated in the USSE for a month. Mayor Sweet left her position in the town as well as the Executive Government to volunteer in the Hansa Socialist Revolution in Rathnir in the Republic of Hansa. She would die by bayonet. The city would elect her daughter Aster Cornaro to be Mayor.

Atoxan Crisis (160)
During the Mayorship of Aster Cornaro a controversy took place over Aster Cornaro's misuse of mayoral authority. Having grown up in the royal court of Refuge City didn't appreciate socialism. In an effort to avoid getting money from the government to fund development alongside a general apathy for the USSE, she decided to take out a loan of four hundred twenty thousand dollars from the Bank of Manzland, a former rival of the USSE. This loan would be put into a hedge fund that would gain the town passive income to be able to spend on building projects. So was claimed by Mayor Aster.

However the town claim would need to be held as collateral for the bank in order for the loan to be taken out. After a few years the Commissar's Circle would finally figure out the detail because of paperwork listing a bank official as the town owner. The Bank would offer to sell the loan to the USSE as a way to defuse and tension which the USSE accepted.

USSE would demand payment immediately from Aster and remove her administrative status in Gehenazar. Aster would be investigated and did not cooperate with paying back the loan. She would be exiled for treason mainly for giving the town to a foreign power. However other issues were raised about Aster's Mayorship including: having a city discord and for having an illegal city government. Most of the town would leave for a town claim given to then by the former leader of the Alodian Federation DJ, which was named Robeleduk, or Grassy Gap in Lo'oi. Its location now being within the Grand Duchy of Samora. The only remaining citizen would be kora789, the original founder. The General Secretary would appoint DeathByCannabis to be the new Mayor of Atoxa

Return from Exile and Merger (186-)
Former Mayor Aster would be lifted from exile and granted access back to Gehenazar which would prompt several of the remaining Atoxans to settle back allowing for the town to be resettled. However by the end of the return, only 2 Citizens remained. Aster and Rebuldir. The City would undergo efforts to fix its image. First by renaming itself from Atoxa, which was also the name of the state, to the Lo'oifed version of Gehanna; Gehanazar. Secondly by removing all remains of the Neihern infection from the town in a citywide purge of any spores.

There would be small population growth and a small XP farm and Honey Factory would be produced to help meet the demands of the Great Serronan War but the population of Gehenazar would remain small only ever a handful of citizens. During this time the son of Mayor Aster Cornaro, Thanis was appointed as the manager of the local Worker Council before his subsequent exile for counter-revolutionary thought relationed to racist remarks.

Over several years the population would decrease from death or citizens migranting away to places such as city of Robeleduk in Grand Duchy of Samora or Nizkaya. After a period of time even the Mayor Aster moved out of the city and resigned her post as Mayor. This would propmt new initiatives in the USSE to merge cities the City of Gehenazar merged with the City of Vostroya.