Aequalis

Location
Aequalis, The Land of Equality, formerly known as "Port Royal" is a large city located in the uppermost part of Ocotlan in the Heartland Region of the Huitca Federation; between Northwest and North-Northwest of Huitca's capital city of Tlahatl.

Religion
Aequalis follows the the constitution of the Huitca Federation which allows for the free practice of almost any religion.

Architecture
Unlike the style of the nations capital, Aequalis sports a medieval style of architecture, as intended by its founder. Many of the city's engineers are required to build in a similar style, and take a tedious application process for the sake of unity and cohesion. Because of this, a majority of the country's population moved into the city for its sheer granduer and beauty, regardless of its incomplete state. Right now, a small portion of the city remains under construction.

Acheivements

 * July 16, 2021: Aequalis is declared the "5th Most Populated City in Rathnir", and "The Most Populated City of the Huitca Federation". The city currently houses more than 50% of the country's population

Lore and History
A majority of the city was constructed by its (no longer speculated) founder, Sycth Centari, but unfortunately with his death the city's lore and history were buried with him, as he suppossedly never shared it with anyone before his passing. According to LilyPrism, the current hoxi (mayor) of Aequalis, 8th Cihuacoatl (Prime Minister) of The Huitca Federation and a former friend to Sycth Centari, there are currently no known records or accounts of the city during its founding, nor what led to its founding, no one even knows whether the founding members of the city still reside there.

That was until another friend of Sycth, Jarno, contacted us and gave us information on someone who did know the lore of the city from Sycth himself. The entries, 2.1 The Founding - 2.3 The Aequalean Invasion, are a paraphrase of LilyPrism's interview with her and Sycth's mutual friend, Lane:

The Founding
Sycth Centrai was the founder and first builder of Aequalis (Port Royal at the time). His first citizens were Lockgan and NUCLEAREIGN who helped him build the city and obtain rescources for it respectively. Unbeknownst to the founder, the city he was building was within the federal territories of The Huitca Federation. Later, the city was then absorbed into the nation and became an official Huitcan city. He was also allied with the nation of Agnarian during its earlier days as a small nation with only 3 towns (the nation would later be under the protection of Huitca). Alongside Sycth, the city was also governed by LoliLily (former IGN of LilyPrism).

The Early Development Of The City
As the town began to grow, more and more new citizens began moving into the city. Partially thanks to this, a wall was built around the city as well as a cliff which was largely thanks to Lockgan. and the city began to grow faster and faster. Around this time, a road was built by NUCLEAREIGN that surrounded most of ocotlan (the island that holds Aequalis) so that players could travel to Aequalis more easily. However, he left Aequalis for a few months after this project was completed.

The Aeqaulian Coup
The most notable historical event of the city was the attempted Aequalean Invasion or The Aequalian Coup against its home nation, the Hutica Federation.

According to Lane, After the fall of Viridian, he decided to plan a way to occupy his ancestral homelands in Huitca, and in doing so he requested the help of Sycth who as you may remember is an ally to Huitca. After their discussion, Sycth managed to convince Lane to completely demolish Huitca if they were ever successful. After much planning, Lane declared war against the Federation. While commencing the war, Lane received news that both The Chancellor's Hand and Bardonia were to aide Huitca during the war, and after much consideration, Lane pulled out of the war for they were outnumbered and outmatched against the powerful nations.

To ensure the safety of Aequalis and himself from Huitca's possible attacks in retaliation for the uprising, Lane and SumoMC, former Cihuacoatl of Huitca, settled on an agreement to divulge Sycth's involvement in the war and betrayal of the Federation for the safety and protection of Aequalis. After the deal, Sycth was decalred a traitor and enemy of the Federation, and was exiled. He canonically died soon by the hand of a god while venturing into The Nether (banned for X-ray).

Coup Aftermath
Lane created a coalition against Huitca in case they ever invaded again, but they never came. With one of its members becoming the acting Cihuacoatl of Huitca, we can safely assume that Aequalis now has an excellent standing with its occupying nation, and although largely unfinished, is a thriving city and unwavering friend to the Hutica Federation.

Battle of New-Awm
Due to either a misunderstanding or an act of defiance on the part of New-Awm, the mayor of Aequalis, Lily Centari, declared war on the nation. This left the city vulnerable to attacks, and the lack of engineers during the hours before the war did not help. In response, Mylenzum Selesti-Centari (PeanutBoota152), an administrator and chief architect of the city, barricaded all the houses and buildings in a single night. To protect the citizens while they slept, he patrolled the whole city with his skeleton horse, Memento, until help arrived.

Shortly after help arrived, New-Awm surrendered and gave its territory over to Huitcan rule. Mylenzum and other troops patrolled the area until the war declaration ended.

The War of Southern Aggression
On July 27, 2021, the Huitcan government announced that the country would go to war, along with Bardonia and the Allium Alliance, against Viodoxia and the Coalition. Aequalis, as the unofficial capital of the nation was the most affected by the war. In the days prior the declaration, Tortugan pirates attempted several raids on the city. The pirates attempted to slaughter innocent citizens and loot their bodies. As a response, citizens were discouraged from entering within the vicinity of the city.

In the midst of war preparations, the Huitcan government announced that they would withdraw from the war, along with Escharia, to maintain the peace within both nations. More walls and defenses were later added to the city to protect its citizens.

Banisment of Lily Centari
On June 28, 2021, Lily Prism Centari was banished from Huitca after a disagreement with the Tlatoani of Huitca and the crime of banditry. This event shocked the whole of Rathnir, as the accusation did not make sense due to prior knowledge of her banditry work for the government, and Lily's great history and service to the Huitcan government. She was stripped of her citizenship and her titles, giving the role of "Hoxi of Ocotlan" to her brother, Necro Mercellus Centari. Lily was later pardoned on August 6, 2021 to the applause of the entire nation.

The Siege of Aequalis
On August 22, 2021, The Kingdom of Councils laid siege to the city of Aequalis. In preparation for the war, Lily Centari ordered all engineers and builders to construct an outer and inner wall the reached the build limit. In the span of only a few hours after the order, the inner wall and the base of the outer wall was largely complete. Later, the Crimson Dawn (Aequalis' group of elite fighters), The Sun Warriors, Lily Centari, Mylenzum Selesti-Centari (IGN: PeanutBoota152), Hazel Freeman Hooves (IGN: FreemanHooves, Aequalis' Head Scholar), and the Emperor of Huitca, Nyk'los (IGN: Infinick) met in the city to discuss their war strategy.

In their discussions, they had discovered that the KoC had lied to every nation around them in order to insight a war on a city full of peaceful builders. Emperor Nyk'los, greatly insulted by this, later exposed the nation's lies to the rest of Rathnir. Lily Centari also started negotiations with Shirokaneza, a few hours before the war and convinced them to abandon KoC.

After the war, it was announced that KoC had won with only a single kill. But regardless of the loss, the city was largely undamaged.

The Age of Seclusion
Right after the war, Lily Prism Centari and the members of Aequalis' administration forbade the entrance of any non-citizen within the walls of the city. This was due to several toxic behaviors exhibited by the members of the KoC and other displays of hostility and passive-aggressiveness towards Aequalis citizens (e.g. The formation of a claim known as, "Tarydaria" by Zayshi, right in front of Aequalis' Southern Gate). This combined with the loss of money and gear during the war, the overall loss of the city, and the amount of work needed to repair the city, heavily damaged the morale of the citizens. Most members of the city, including influencial figures like Emperor Nyk'los and Lily Prism Centari, left the city and temporarliy stepped down from their positions to recover from the stress they obtained during the war.

''(OOC: I find it extremely heartbreaking to see a once lively city fall into great despair, let this be a warning about the effects of toxicity during gameplay. Remember that the people you play with are people as well, with their own struggles, hopes and dreams. Many of them find solace in the community that Stoneworks has created and to see it the worst side of it can only make things worse for them. The Fall of Ellysia was an excellent example of how our community can achieve real-life good together. The Siege of Aequalis will remain in the hearts of our people as one of the worst days in Stoneworks and Huitcan history. To the Kingdom of Councils, you have indeed won, but note that what you have done to my people will forever be etched in our minds forever. No amount of apologies can repair the real-life damage you have caused my innocent children. May whatever gods may be, handle your fate. I wash my hands of it all. Sincerely, PeanutBoota152)''

Credits and Contributions

 * Author: PeanutBoota152
 * Editors: SumoMC, NUCLEARREIGNN, FreemanHooves, arledge
 * Interviewers and Interviewees: LilyPrism, Jarno

Editor's Notes
''Note: As a person who has become rather fond of my home and the people within it, I have made it a goal of mine to create a document of the city. -Mylenzum Illustre de Selesti-Centari (PeanutBoota152)''