nedal2001

Don't mean to hijack, but everything OP said about this game is spot on. This a screenshot of a coastal town by a bay.

Looking forward to this!

Thanks! I remember you from a loooong time ago (I believe 2000s on Simtropolis and SC4D!) How have you been?

500-510 AD In 503 AD, the First Head of Council under the new agreement – Patrick Brickson – fell ill and died, naming his son, David Brickson, as his successor before he succumbed to the eternal sleep. Unfortunately for the rest of Aliphiara, David was nothing like his father – his first plan of action was to change the title Head of the Council of Elders to King David Brickson. With the support of the Aliphiaran Church, headed by Father Helmann, Brickson declared himself the first King of Aliphiara and demanded the entire land pay homage and recognize him as its rightful ruler. There were two major issues with the proclamation – the fact that the Council of Elders was almost 50% represented by the people’s choice in elections, and the fact that the extent of influence Nahervue had on the rest of Aliphiara was almost zero. When Nahervue was founded by the five Founding Families (Brickson, Borelle, Hajar, Gaulle, and Siena) around 50 AD, it was a tiny settlement on the banks of the Bay of Hope and the White River, slowly growing over the centuries to become the center and hub of trade in Aliphiara. The rest of the Aliphiaran population were comprised of nomadic Goran tribes, some numbering in the thousands, with many of them having numerous warriors within their ranks. There was always a respect between the settlers and the indigenous, and it even got to a point where several Goran families gave up their nomadic lifestyles and settled in Nahervue. Patrick Brickson, the First Head of Council, had a plan to promote further trade with the Goran tribes by extending the routes traveled by the Nahervue merchants further inland, reaching tribes that had not initiated contact with the settlement. David Brickson, however, had other plans – he wanted to march the Nahervue Forces north through popular Goran nomad spots and demand loyalty and obedience, with the price of not doing so being death. Having first announced his intention to do so upon becoming the Second Head of Council in his acceptance speech, David Brickson shocked the settlement with his declaration that he was also to be anointed King of Aliphiara. Almost everyone took exception to the surprise announcement, but none more so than the Goran people living inside Nahervue. When the response to his declaration was received coldly, David decided to step back from his claim and beginning planning his “invasion” of Aliphiara. In the meantime, the young leader announced that the Aliphiaran Church was to anoint him God’s choice when it came to leading the country, and thus his claim to becoming King was legitimate. In support of his claim to become King of Aliphiara, the leader of the Aliphiaran Church, Father Helmann, announced that the Church was recognizing David Brickson as the first one true King of the land, and paid homage to the new “King” by kneeling in his presence. Powerless to stop the new dramatic turn of events, the Founding Families could only watch as the last vestige of their influence over the town got taken away from them. Once again, the East End area of Nahervue became a fortified zone, all the way from Church Square to the new Svanby Farm situated at the far east of the town. The Fort of Elders, the seat of power of the new Brickson “monarchy”, was taking in recruits everyday with the promise of pay and food as Brickson began building up his army. As Nahervue grew in population, so did the ranks of the Nahervue Forces, and by 510 AD, David Brickson was ready to lay siege to the rest of Aliphiara. Led by his uncle, First Commander Hans Brickson, the newly appointed “King” marched his troops and mounts north at the beginning of the spring in 510 AD, ready to force the rest of the land to bend the knee. The landscape to the north of Nahervue, where the conquest of Aliphiara by David Brickson began. During the early years of the 6th century when David Brickson was raising an army to take Aliphiara through force, Nahervue saw a spike in its population thanks to an influx of settlers (comparatively) coming in from the Old World. It was very rare in the 500s to travel so far west from Europe – in fact, other than Aliphiara, there was no other point further west that was known to the European settlers and explorers. Patrick Brickson, the First Head of Council, commissioned the Nahervue Logging Company to construct two additional ships that were capable of carrying passengers across the ocean to Europe and back. In total, by the year 505 AD, the settlement of Nahervue had 3 ships that were making rounds in Europe attempting to bring in additional settlers to the town. David Brickson put his father’s vision to good use but for the wrong intentions – he began actively recruiting peasants willing to go to war for Brickson with the promise of payment and a free land once he is victorious. Given the collapse of the Roman Empire in the years before, there were mercenaries and former soldiers who were looking for new opportunities, and Brickson – through the wealth of the family – seized it. Most of the new settlers in the first decade of the century that found their way to Nahervue built their homes in the poorer western part of town, centered around Riverside Road, Wheater Pass, and Brohmassi Lane. All three roads led directly to the Fort of Elders, which meant by the time 510 AD rolled around, David Brickson had his personal militia centered around East End and the Nahervue Forces – under full command of the Brickson family through David’s uncle, Hans Brickson – occupying the western part of the town, effectively surrounding Nahervue with soldiers loyal to his cause. Riverside Road, as a result, saw several homes constructed alongside its stretch from Fort Lane up to the corner with Tree Lane. These homes were houses built for the new militia Brickson was forming, as opposed to farmers who were looking for empty spaces behind their homes to grow their crops. Riverside Road, already known as the poorer side of town, was perfect for such homes – because the banks of the White River was so close to the road, farms were impossible to grow and as such the farmers tended to take land to the north and east of Nahervue. This made Riverside Road the ideal place to station the new militia and their families. In a few years, Riverside Road went from being known as the home of the least influential families in Nahervue to becoming the home of warriors and militants which Brickson used to subdue the rest of the town with. As Brickson was spending the settlement’s resources and coin into building up the Nahervue Forces, another crisis was brewing in town. Since Brickson’s intention of forcefully invading the rest of Aliphiara became known, the Goran residents of Nahervue were slowly leaving and not coming back, choosing to unite with their ancestral tribes in preparation for what was to the march northwards. Not only that, but Gorans stopped coming into Nahervue altogether, decimating the local economy. Market Road, which used to be teeming with Goran traders and customers for the Nahervue-produced products, were no longer coming, leaving the Nahervuean traders to buy and sell only amongst themselves. While still remaining the heartbeat of the town, Market Road no longer was witnessing the crowds it used to, and the coin being spent and circulated quickly dried up. A similar economic collapse caused the uprisings in the late 5th century, but this time around, the Nahervue Forces – under the command First Commander Hans Brickson, uncle of Head of Council David Brickson – had the rest of the town scared. The First Aliphiaran Golden Age saw Nahervue develop to become one of the most dynamic and eclectic settlements despite its small size – now, however, Nahervue was rows of wooden houses with the presence of the Aliphiaran Tudor style almost totally wiped out save for a few remaining examples around town. Per capita, one of the wealthiest settlements in the world (assumed) became poverty-strickened. The Riverside area of Nahervue, overlooking what would become known as Five Points. 510-520 AD In Spring of 511 AD, around 3,000 heavily armed troops began marching north from Nahervue, with the long-awaited “invasion” of Aliphiara commencing. The Goran tribes were nomadic, but they frequented certain locations often because of their fertility and/or access to water. Those were Brickson’s first targets – his plan, led by his uncle and his First Commander Hans Brickson, was to set an example by killing a few Gorans and having the rest spread the word. He predicted his march through Aliphiara would be quick and painless, with white flags being drawn as they advanced forward, followed by the construction of small stations and forts near the popular Goran meeting spots to maintain control. It did not play out like that. The Nahervue Forces were met with fierce resistance from the first battle (The Battle of Landras), and instead of being an enjoyable stroll through the Aliphiaran countryside, the Nahervue Forces took heavy losses despite winning the battle. David Brickson was furious, and called for a settlement to be founded near the site of the battle with the intent of never having any Goran tribe come back to the area again. The settlement of Landras, named after a small hill that was used for grazing cattle and a few days march north of Nahervue, was the second ever settlement founded in Aliphiara – the official date for the founding is stated as 511 AD. It also was a representation of another setback for the Brickson family in their quest to turn Aliphiara into their personal dominion. After the Battle of Landras, it became obvious that the Goran tribes were a lot more prepared for battle than initially thought – their peaceful ways and demeanor were misleading as they had numerous warriors within their ranks that had experience in war. Goran tribes have – for thousands of years – attacked, ransacked, and looted each other, and despite the general pleasant relationship between Nahervue and the tribes over the past few hundred years, after the Battle of Landric there was no longer any doubt about the fighting ability of the Gorans. Hans Brickson suggested to his young “king” that Nahervue take the victory at hand, develop the settlement of Landras, and further invest and build its army before they continue its advance forward. Reluctantly, David Brickson agreed with his uncle’s assessment and gave First Commander Hans Brickson two years to build up his army before a further push north. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in Nahervue, trade between the settlers and the Gorans had stopped completely, much to the dismay of the everyone in town. Coin was starting to run scarce, and farms were overproducing as the supply outweighed the demand. The Council of Elders, now playing the role of council to the “king”, suggested to David Brickson to increase recruitment of settlers – and not just warriors – from the Old World to Nahervue in order to help regrow the local economy and have it self-sustained within itself. The two main products of Nahervue – produce and fish – had seen a giant drop in their demand, but the Nahervue Lumber Company had seen its business spike upwards thanks to the increased demand of housing along with other artisanal craftsmen such as blacksmiths and carpenters. With the increase of soldiers came the need for weapons, and that is why these craftsmen had seen additional business. Still, the general economy of the settlement was far off the glory days of the First Aliphiaran Golden Age (300–470 AD), which had seen the settlement of Nahervue flourish as well as strong technological advancement within the Goran tribes thanks to their exposure to the settlers. Now in 511 AD, the recession that the settlement was going through was being seen in the construction of new houses. There were no more double story houses, no more Aliphiaran Tudor homes, and no more gardens – it was simple wooden homes slotted next to each other. The vibrant and colorful homes of Market Road and its adjoining streets were burned down in “Burning of Nahervue” on August 7th, 498 AD, and in their place came the basic wooden homes that now populated the settlement. It was not only the fact that they were much more expensive to build, but there was also a fear factor – anyone with coin saved up was scared to show it as David Brickson had his eyes on everyone’s wealth as he poured money into his project – the Nahervue Forces and the subsequent conquest of Aliphiara. For the duration of the 510s, Nahervue continued to struggle – farms collapsed, businesses closed down, and coin continued to become scarcer as Brickson hoarded whatever wealth he could find. Incidentally, soldiers and warriors from the Old World continued to pour into the settlement, so Nahervue continued to grow, but little wealth came with the newcomers and so they were more of a burden than they were a contribution to the growth of Nahervue’s economy. By the time 520 AD came around, while the population of the town had risen to around 4,500-5000 people, its economy continued to stagnate. The Goran tribes continued to stay away from Nahervue and with good reason – David Brickson had lives up to his word of continuing his march through the Aliphiaran lands and had now a substantial portion of south-eastern Aliphiara under his “control.” His vision of forming settlements as his troops advanced forward was also slowing coming to life – a number of small settlements were founded during this time along with permanent guard stations to protect them. The bad news is, a number of them died out after a few years as the comforts of Nahervue were not found in the still harsh wilderness of Aliphiara. The Goran tribes also spared no mercy – they were continuously raiding these settlements and killing its people. While the Goran tribes were mostly pushed out of the areas around Nahervue, they were still raiding all across the Nahervuean frontiers and getting into skirmishes and battles with the Nahervue Forces almost daily in different areas. David Brickson was 38 years of age by 520 AD, and had a son called James Brickson whom he had anointed Crown Prince in 518 AD – James Brickson was born in 512 AD, so he was 6 years old when he was made “official” heir to the throne. With his eyes turned on expanding his kingdom for his son, David Brickson unknowingly (or perhaps knowingly) was lighting out the flame of hope of prosperity for the rest of Aliphiara. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MAJOR EVENTS 510-520 AD April 511 AD: What becomes known as the Brickson Conquest of Aliphiara takes place as David Brickson, ruler of Nahervue and self-anointed king of Aliphiara, begins marching over 3,000 soldiers north to subdue the nomadic Goran tribes that populated the land. The Battle of Landras became the first battle in the Goran War, and it also became the site of the first Nahervuean settlement outside of the town. September 512 AD: David Brickson, married to Inessa Sienna, has his first son born, calling him James Brickson. March 515 AD: With skirmishes on the slowly expanding Nahervuean frontier becoming almost a daily occurrence, First Commander (and David Brickson’s uncle) Hans Brickson falls ill and passes away at the age of 51. In order to retain the influence of the Founding Families in his circle, he names Ghareeb Hajar as the new First Commander of the Nahervue Forces. Under his first instruction, two more ships are built to help deliver more soldiers from the Old World to Nahervue to support the conquest campaign. Ghareeb Hajar is 32 years old at the time of his naming as First Commander, and is known to be a sharp, objective strategist with full loyalty to Brickson and his cause. September 518 AD: David Brickson officially names his son, James Brickson, as Crown Prince on his 6th birthday, with Brickson himself being 36 years of age at the time. Any hope that there would be an elected ruler for Nahervue through the Council of Elders – which still existed but was basically a tool for Brickson and wielded no power in terms of ruling Nahervue – was dashed, and with it any hope of change in the fortunes of the settlement. Nahervue in 520 AD.

The sprawl is starting to look incredible! The downtown core is also starting to develop.

This is the settlement of Nahervue in approximately 510 AD.

June 24th, 464 AD and August 7th, 498 AD – Two days that shifted the course of Aliphiaran history forever. The former became known as the “Battle of the Brickson Estate”, the first armed conflict in the history of Aliphiara as a nation that saw hundreds killed and brought about the fall of the Nahervue Forces and rendered the Council of Elders useless. The latter became known as the “Burning of Nahervue”, where an enraged mob burnt every building of the Aliphiaran Tudor style – an architectural style that came to represent corruption of excessive wealth. By the dawn of August 9th, 498 AD, the death count had risen to over 100 and there was not a single building in the Aliphiaran Tudor architectural style (associated with corruption and unwarranted wealth) that wasn’t burnt to the ground. The Gaulle boy, who was being hunted by the angry mob, was given secret shelter by none other than the Brickson family. He was brought to them in the middle of the night by the heads of all four families, and they pleaded with the head of the Brickson family (Patrick Brickson) to allow the David Gaulle and the remainder of their families to shelter with them. They told Patrick Brickson that they were there and pleading because it was the only way to save the everyone’s life, that the mob had destroyed all their properties and homes, killing many along the way. In return, they promise to put aside all hostilities and welcome the Brickson family back into Nahervue society and politics as the new Head of the Council of Elders, a new position that would be given only to a Brickson going forward. As it was, David Gaulle was hidden until he was given safe passage to the Old World, never to return. However, the events he set off shifted Aliphiara’s history in a new direction in one swoop. The days that followed August 7th, 498 AD and the “Burning of Nahervue” were ones of extreme tension. The mob had found out that the rest of the Founding Families were hiding in The Claws and demanded that the Brickson release them so that they could face justice. Patrick Brickson, on behalf of the Founding Families, negotiated a deal that ended up being accepted. The deal stated that the Founding Families would be allowed to return to their lands to rebuild in peace and could only keep 25% of their wealth. The rest would get fairly distributed to each man, with the exception of prisoners. They would get to keep their businesses and any assets that were still of use, such as the untouched boats down at the Nahervue Docks that belonged to the Hajar and Borelle families. The Council of Elders was to be voted on every 5 years, and would include 4 new seats bringing the total to 10 – the 5 Founding Families, the Gora Elder, and 4 new spaces that would be given to democratically elected officials that did not fall in any of the former categories. The Head of the Council would be the head of the Brickson family, and he/she would serve as defacto President for life. The seat of government would be the Fort of Elders, and the Nahervue Forces were to be reorganized and headed by new First Commander Hans Brickson – Patrick Brickson’s brother. At the turn of the 6th century, the Brickson family was firmly entrenched as the land’s most influential, with their militia acting as the defacto patrol and peacekeepers of the town. Just a few years ago, the town was perhaps one of the most energetic and free settlements in the entire world at the time – now, almost all signs of wealth were erased at the hands of an angry, hungry mob while power and control belonged only to the Brickson family now. Patrick Brickson had consolidated power by appointing his brother the First Commander of the Nahervue Forces while he was named Head of Council for life. That being said, Patrick Brickson was a good person, one that had the development of Nahervue in mind. Unfortunately for the settlement, he fell ill and named his son, David Brickson, his successor as Head of Council. To be it bluntly, David Brickson was young, brash, and self-obsessed. He used the power that his father had consolidated and turned it into his own personal weapon with one goal in mind – being declared King of Aliphiara. For the first time in Aliphiaran history, a Nahervuean leader would demand the knee of the indigenous Gora tribes, claiming to be God’s chosen king over the land. His obsession with naming himself King over all of Aliphiara would set off the events that would lead to the First Goran War, pitting the Nahervue Forces against what became a united Goran militia.

So I started playing NewCity last night and this game is just oozing with potential. Seriously - the potential is limitless. If you can get past the graphics, this game has the look of one that has limitless depth. Plus - it doesnt even look THAT bad. Look how naturally that downtown core developed on its own. The current population is around 75,000.

The Brickson Estate In 288 AD, a fight erupted between Terrence Brickson, head of the Brickson family, and Father Dissinger of the Church of Christ and fellow member on the Council of Elders, over a proposed law presented by Father Dissinger requiring the collection of a Church Tax to support it. Brickson opposed even entertaining the law at the Table of Councils, and the ensuing argument spilt out into the streets and onto Well Square and Market Road. In defiance of a Council of Elders decision forcing Terrence Brickson to step down and anoint a successor, the Brickson family withdrew completely from the Council of Elders and proclaimed they would “govern themselves.” In response to the Church, the Brickson family constructed the biggest house in the history of Nahervue in the Roman architectural style. This was an insult on both levels – the Church preached against such obscene displays of wealth, and the Church of Christ (which later would become the Aliphiarian Church) was opposed to the Roman Empire and its use of slaves. Just down the road from the Church itself on the corner of Brickson Way and Ring Street, the Brickson Estate instantly became Aliphiara’s largest residence and the land’s second largest structure after the Fort of Elders when it was finished in 298 AD. The Roman style that it was built was in itself a point to the rest of Nahervue’s influential families about where the Brickson allegiances ran and with who. Shortly after officially moving in, Terrence Brickson announced that he was opposed to the Council of Elders as the ruling entity in Nahervue and wanted to instill a Republic inspired by Rome. This would begin what was known as The First Family War, although the beginnings of it were not violent in a physical nature. The five Founding Families and the Gora family were split for the first time in Nahervue’s history after the construction of the Brickson Estate and the official message it sent out: on one side were the Council of Elders backers which were the Hajar, Borelle, and Sienna families, and on the other side sat the Brickson and Gaulle families, which ironically were the richest and poorest amongst the Founding Families. On the outside and taking their consistently neutral stance sat the Gora family – the largest single family in Nahervue, and its most fractured. That is the story of how the Brickson Estate got built – the first show of wealth and power in the history of Aliphiara, completed in 298 AD and almost 250 years after the founding of Nahervue. It was also the first visible sign of the power struggle that was brewing in the Council of Elders between the two sides, with the Church firmly behind the Council of Elders. The Brickson family continued to have a low level representative in the Council of Elders for the first period of the First Family War before withdrawing completely but personal guards became a normal sight around the Brickson Estate after the family moved in. The Stone Towers of Nahervue and the Docks The Nahervue Docks are as old as the town itself. Initially just a single pier to help support the Hajar and Borelle families as they were fisherfolk, the Nahervue Docks had become an extension of Market Road and its activity, being called by Jos Brickson as “the engine that works so that Nahervue may survive.” In 300 AD, the Nahervue Docks were also the official entry and exit point of Aliphiara. The HOPE V – Nahervue’s latest sea ship – would dock once a year for a few months in summer before heading back to the Old World with its Nahervuean crew to recruit new settlers. The Stone Towers of Nahervue were completed in 180 AD, with the two towers representing equal strength between the two factions of Aliphiara – the local Gora tribes and the Old World settlers of Nahervue. Before the construction of the Fort of Elders, they were also the symbol of power and HQ of the Aliphiaran army. They now serve as both the army’s outpost and the official points of entry and exit from Aliphiara, but more than anything, they serve as a strong first sight for anyone arriving in Nahervue – a sight of power. The Fort of Elders The Church of Christ served as the meeting room and office of the Council of Elders since it was constructed in 75 AD. With the town growing bigger and more residents to be responsible for as well as the fact that Church Square was amongst the busiest junctions in Nahervue so there was always someone seeing who is coming in and out, privacy was a growing concern. The Council of Elders had also recently mandated Haggard Tims as the first ever First Commander, in charge of the security and maintaining the peace of Nahervue. First Commander Tims had 28 men under his command but was getting increasingly agitated as he had no base to command his men from. He was a highly respected man in the Nahervue community and his word carried a lot of weight, so when he threatened the Council with resignation if they did not take his request for a base to operate out from and serve as the forces’ headquarters, everyone paid attention. First Commander Tims, who was also personally in charge of the safety of the six Elders alongside their personal men, sat in many Council meetings, along with many other influential people in town. The idea came up a late winter’s night in 223 AD, when the temperature had dropped in the negatives and there was literally no one out on the roads. First Commander Tims had pulled all his patrol teams from the field for their safety and had stuffed them in the Stone Towers before heading over to the church to attend the meeting. He showed up and announced he could no longer continue to be responsible for the town’s security with have a central point. Incidentally, just before Tims had walked in, the conversation was about finding a new home for the Council to operate out of as the space in the Church of Christ had just become too small. That is when the idea came up that why doesn’t the town build a fort to compliment the Stone Towers and serve as both the seat of government and the seat of the Nahervue Forces. The idea was put to a vote, and almost all the registered residents of Nahervue over the age of 18 cast their choices in what became the first ever public vote in the history of Aliphiara. The results were positive for the construction of the fort, which almost immediately was dubbed the Fort of Elders by the townsfolk. It took about two years to build, slowly jotting up from the sea and towering majestically over the Bay of Hope. Each of the six Elders had their own chambers, and there was large meeting room and reception/dining hall. The Forces side had rooms filled with enough beds for over 200 men as well as three rooms that served as the base of operations for First Commander Tims. The Fort of Elders was officially completed in 226 AD. The most striking feature of the Fort of Elders was the fact that it was built on water. Of course, it was very shallow water, but it was by far the largest project of any sort taken on in the history of Aliphiara. It immediately became Nahervue’s most distinguishable feature, eclipsing the Stone Towers in both stature and notoriety. The fort was built at the mouth of the White River, a mass of stone that would come to represent chaos, violence, and death in the future. The Church of Christ The Church of Christ was completed in 78 AD, making Nahervue one of the first settlements in the world let alone the Old World that became a Christian town. It was a preacher called Peter Carpenter, who claimed to have learnt directly under Christ, that brought the religion to the land, and he also became the first Father Carpenter of the Church of Christ. The Nahervue Cemetery lays directly behind the church, the burial grounds for the entire town. The Church of Christ wields a decent amount of power politically in Nahervue, and the current head of the Church of Christ (or Aliphiaran Church) was Bishop James Gaulle was closely aligned with the Council of Elders, sitting in on meetings and having his say. He is at complete odds with Terence Brickson, whose obscene displays of showmanship and wealth goes against everything the bishop stood for. Unfortunately for both of them, they were neighbors – Church Square was just a couple of minutes walk from the Brickson Estate on the corner of Ring Street and Brickson Way. And finally, I will leave you with some shots of Nahervue in 300 AD.

Today I'm just going to post some pictures of Nahervue I have laying around before the update. Summertime in Nahervue (approx. 300 AD) The first snowstorm of the winter season. (Nahervue, circa 300 AD) The Brickson Estate, started in 288 AD and completed in 298 AD, on the corner of Brickson Way and Ring Street. An aerial shot of Nahervue (around 260 AD.)

YEAR: 250 AD POPULATION: 2,263 Grove Pass Around 240 AD, a member of the Hill family built his home right behind the Market Road stands just past the Siena orange grove behind the Market Road Inn. Over the next few years, a few more families would build next to the Hill home, almost all the way down straight to Brickson Way. A trial was worn between the Market Road and Brickson Way next to the orange grove, and thus is the story of the creation of Grove Pass. Grove Pass was the result of the village of Nahervue getting bigger and more crowded, especially around Well Square and the Market Road area. There was even a new blacksmith in town, Jinas Asded, who opened up a business on the ground floor of one of the new houses built on Grove Pass. Over time, the market stalls on Market Road began expanding onto Grove Pass, right on the fence of the grove itself.

YEAR: 230 AD POPULATION: 1,942 The Nahervue Logging Company In 228 AD, the ship HOPE III returned with not only its Aliphiaran crew, but also with three families from Rome itself. They were well-off merchant families who had gotten in trouble with an influential senator – in the middle of the night, he confiscated their businesses and put all of them, including the children, in prison. Through their own influential connections, they managed to escape two nights later and it was arranged for them to travel across Europe to what is today the French Riviera. It was there that they met the HOPE III crew, who sold them on the idea of a fresh start in an unknown, beautiful land. Just one week later, they were on their way to Nahervue, Aliphiara. Like the Gora tribesmen and women that joined the settlement and continued to do so, the three families were welcomed into Nahervue and were formally given the family name of Romana. One of the businesses the Romana family had experience in was logging, and they immediately saw an opportunity in the sector. Meeting with the Elder Council, they got approval for a business license and were given a chunk of land on the Aliphiara Road a few miles out of town. They immediately did well – a place where the inhabitants of Aliphiara could buy logs without worrying about cutting them down themselves was a life saver for them. It did not take long for the Nahervue Logging Company to become Aliphiara’s biggest and most successful business.

Hey Korver! You probably dont remember me - we use to comment on each other's CJs/Diaries here at Simtropolis and SC4D 10-15 years ago! You have done an unbelievable job with this one, bro. Incredible. You were always great at this, but you have taken it to another level. If I had to vote for Top 5 or even Top 3 CJs of all time, True Earth would definitely be on that list.

The Fort of Elders The Church of Christ served as the meeting room and office of the Council of Elders since it was constructed in 75 AD. With the town growing bigger and more residents to be responsible for as well as the fact that Church Square was amongst the busiest junctions in Nahervue so there was always someone seeing who is coming in and out, privacy was a growing concern. The Council of Elders had also recently mandated Haggard Tims as the first ever First Commander, in charge of the security and maintaining the peace of Nahervue. First Commander Tims had 28 men under his command but was getting increasingly agitated as he had no base to command his men from. He was a highly respected man in the Nahervue community and his word carried a lot of weight, so when he threatened the Council with resignation if they did not take his request for a base to operate out from and serve as the forces’ headquarters, everyone paid attention. First Commander Tims, who was also personally in charge of the safety of the six Elders alongside their personal men, sat in many Council meetings, along with many other influential people in town. The idea came up a late winter’s night in 223 AD, when the temperature had dropped in the negatives and there was literally no one out on the roads. First Commander Tims had pulled all his patrol teams from the field for their safety and had stuffed them in the Stone Towers before heading over to the church to attend the meeting. He showed up and announced he could no longer continue to be responsible for the town’s security with have a central point. Incidentally, just before Tims had walked in, the conversation was about finding a new home for the Council to operate out of as the space in the Church of Christ had just become too small. That is when the idea came up that why doesn’t the town build a fort to compliment the Stone Towers and serve as both the seat of government and the seat of the Nahervue Forces. The idea was put to a vote, and almost all the registered residents of Nahervue over the age of 18 cast their choices in what became the first ever public vote in the history of Aliphiara. The results were positive for the construction of the fort, which almost immediately was dubbed the Fort of Elders by the townsfolk. It took about two years to build, slowly jotting up from the sea and towering majestically over the Bay of Hope. Each of the six Elders had their own chambers, and there was large meeting room and reception/dining hall. The Forces side had rooms filled with enough beds for over 200 men as well as three rooms that served as the base of operations for First Commander Tims. The most striking feature of the Fort of Elders was the fact that it was built on water. Of course, it was very shallow water, but it was by far the largest project of any sort taken on in the history of Aliphiara. It immediately became Nahervue’s most distinguishable feature, eclipsing the Stone Towers in both stature and notoriety. The fort was built at the mouth of the White River, a mass of stone that would come to represent chaos, violence, and death in the future.

YEAR: 220 AD POPULATION: 1,335 The Docks The Nahervue Docks were initially built by the Hajjar and Borelle families, two of the original five that founded Nahervue. It was just one pier and a few canoes, and at that time, the main diet for Nahervueans was mostly game meat and vegetable stews. With members of the Gora tribes joining Nahervue that specialized in fishing, the traffic around the pier grew and so a second one was constructed around 110 AD, which was about 60 years after the founding of the settlement. Now, the Nahervue Docks feature five piers that are buzzing with activity every dawn and morning. The Borelle and Hajar families still reel in the biggest catches, although the Gora family does have substantial catches, as well. Fish has grown in importance for the locals as it has become more of a stable in the Aliphiaran dishes, and fresh catches are much sought after. The Nahervue Docks are the only official point of entry and exit into Aliphiara and is overlooked both symbolically and physically by the Nahervue Stone Towers. Once a year, the ship HOPE III sets sail to Europe to buy supplies for the rest of the village, an endeavor that is led by the Brickston family and is funded by the Elder Council. Market Road If the Nahervue Docks is considered the breath of the town, then Market Road and the Nahervue Market should be considered the pulse. Every morning, almost every farmer, fisherman, hunter, gatherer, and craftsman line up Market Road in their stalls hoping to catch a sale. Whether its Atlantic salmon or deer, strawberries or kale, spears or ceramics, almost every essential item in life back in those days was available in some basic form. Stretching from Well Square just north of the docks along Market Road to Church Square, the Nahervue Market is not only a place for someone looking to buy or trade. Every Saturday and Sunday are Market Days in Nahervue, and the town and Goran travelers congregate onto Market Road to socialize and meet up. Just east of Well Square sits the Market Road Inn, which was built in 212 AD and is owned by the Sienna family (one of the five original families). The most popular spot during the evening and especially during the weekends in town, the Market Road Inn and the Church of Christ are the social centers of town. The Market Road Inn The Market Road Inn was built in 212 AD and is owned by the Sienna family, one of the original five families that founded Nahervue. Before they constructed the inn, the Siennas had a strawberry field on the land, which they subsequently removed and built both the inn and their own personal house instead. They also did a personal orange grove behind the inn, the only one in town. Having witnessed the increase in trade activity especially during Market Days first hand thanks to the land’s location right at the beginning of the market, the Siennas saw an opportunity catering to Gorans that came down to town and were staying a couple of nights. The only place to stay in town formerly was the Farm Inn, located on Blackwell Street just off of Cypress Road – in other words, outside of Nahervue proper. The Market Road Inn was in the dead center of town, and its pub/restaurant was the most popular social location in town. Breakfast was also a big thing, especially during good fishing days when the fishermen would come in during the morning after a long night of fishing. The Market Road Inn also had the distinction of being the first formally registered business in Aliphiara. The Elder Council, hoping to create some funds, mandated that every operating business should be registered and given a license in its field, as well as pay taxes on its income. Although there were grumblings about it, everyone kind of understood that it was needed as the town was growing and investment had to be put in it. The Siennas volunteered the Market Road Inn to be the first to register, making it Aliphiara’s first ever official business to start operating in 218 AD. Nahervue Recap in 220 AD Although the population of Aliphiara remained an unknown at this point, historians estimate anywhere from 60-80K people lived on the island at the time. What is known is that 1,335 of those people called the town of Nahervue their home. The only permanent settlement in all of Aliphiara, Nahervue was the land’s center for trade, travel, entertainment, and anything else one did at that time. Situated on the southern coastline of Aliphiara overlooking the Bay of Hope, the town was founded in 50 AD by settlers from Old World (Western Europe, Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean, etc.) Inhabited by several tribes of the same nomadic people called the Gora, the relationship between the tribes and the settlers began friendly and had remained friendly until today with no issues. In fact, several Goran families settled down and changed their lifestyle over the years, becoming residents of Nahervue and taking on the last name of Gora. Nahervue is governed by the Elder Council, a body made up of the Elder of each one of the five founding families (Brickston, Sienna, Gaulle, Hajar, Borelle) and an Elder of the Gora family. Together, the six Elders govern in the Elder Council out of the Church of Christ located at Church Square. Over the course of the town’s first 200 years, the relationship between the Elders was cordial and relatively friendly – there were a few scuffles of words here and there, but nothing that wasn’t worked out almost immediately. Almost all the Elders were decent, good people who had the survivability and prosperity of the settlement as their priority. While the Roman Empire was expanding and subjugating, freedom with little governance was thriving in the North Atlantic. Most of the residents of Nahervue were farmers, but a good amount were fishermen and hunters. Over the last 20-30 years, however, a few specialists have started their trade in Nahervue such as carpenters and producers of ceramics. The Brickston and Borelle families were known to be Nahervue’s richest, but all of the founding families were wealthy, with the exception of the Gaulle family – what happened to them is a story on its own. Generally, that is what makes Nahervue’s economy, and the town sponsors a trip by the Hope III sail ship once a year with a young man from each family to buy supplies. Other than that, however, there is still very little communication and contact with the outside world. It would be another 600 years before the Vikings visit and another 1500 years before the beginning of the Trans-Atlantic sea movement. Finally, here are some pictures from around Nahervue in 220 AD, and the last picture is Nahervue through the ages so far.

It had taken me two days with my horse and cart to make it down to Nahervue, where I had been told to take the Cypress Road until I arrived to The Farm Inn just out of town. It was a pleasant enough stay and all the other guests at the inn that I met during my two night stay were Goran. Of course, I was down in Nahervue to purchase supplies and products – it was cliché to say it, but they really did have the best stuff. The Nahervues (as we called them) were creative, smart, and hard-working – they had come to Aliphiara around 150 years ago, and since then our two cultures have blended so well that a lot of Gorans decided to settle in Nahervue, so much so that it was now the town’s largest family! I stepped out and breathed in the fresh morning air. It was Sunday so it was Market Day in Nahervue and all the farmers, fishermen, and hunters would have their products on full display for sale. It was about 15 minutes of walking to get to Sparrow Square from the inn, which represented the beginning of town. Sparrow Square was where Borelle and Cypress Roads met, and the intersection looks like a sparrow, which where it got its name. It was well-known in town that Sparrow Square was also the unofficial border between the “rich” and the “poor” – namely, the older, more accomplished families and the recent settlers in town. East of Sparrow Square, the farms got progressively larger while they got smaller in size down Riverside Street to the west and the area in between. Ring Street was when Nahervue really started, and it just so happened I needed to head down to Church Square, which was conveniently situated on Ring and Market Streets. Church Square was where the Church of Christ, built around 120 years ago, was founded by Priest Carpenter. These days, it not only served as a place of worship, but was also the location of the Elder Council official meeting hall as the governing body of Nahervue had a special room inside the church just for them. Church Square was significant because it was where Brickston Way, Ring Street, and Market Street met, making it one of the most important connection points in the town. I handed the herbs to Father Bordeaux which he had ask me to bring for him next time I came to town and made my way down Market Street to the Nahervue Market. It was the regular sight – Gorans walking from stand to stand seeing what the latest offering in Nahervue was, and settlers who were looking to trade their goods for another. This is where the Nahervue residents got rich – several years ago, the Brickston family became the first farmers to grow crops to sell as opposed to just live. Since then, several have followed that business model, although the Brickstons remain Nahervue’s wealthiest family. The Stone Towers of Nahervue – what a sight to see! The Stone Towers were built around twenty years ago in 180 AD as a symbol of Aliphiara’s unity and strength. Two towers were built, each representing an Aliphiaran faction – the Settlers who had come from the Old World, and the Gora tribes that were indigenous to the land. The Nahervue Docks were the only way to get in or out of Aliphiara, and so they were the logical place to build what would become Aliphiara’s first ever military buildings. The Stone Towers were Aliphiara’s first attempt at creating a sense of national unity by rallying its people around a unifying cause. Finally, are some shots of Nahervue in 198 AD! Here is a comparison of Nahervue through the ages:

Built to showcase power to visitors, the Stone Towers of Nahervue were the first military buildings erected in Aliphiara's history. They were constructed around 120 years after the founding of the settlement of Nahervue, which would put their completion around 180 AD. Two towers were erected to symbolize the unity of the settlers that came from the Old World and the local Gora tribes - a tower for each, of equal strength. The pictures below were taken around 200 AD.

YEAR: 120 AD POPULATION: 584 The town’s population grew from 412 to 584 over the past 20 years, mostly from new births and new Goran families settling down in Nahervue. One of the new Gorans to join the village was also a carpenter, the first time a carpenter joined the settlement. The rest were hunters or fishermen, with the latter becoming an especially lucrative business for those involved in it. The Nahervue fishing pier had become overloaded so a few years ago, the Elder Council voted to build an additional pier to support all the new fishermen who had become residents of Nahervue. The Hajar and Borelle families were the only ones from the original settlers that were fishermen by trade – the rest of the fishermen were all from the Gora family. Fish was a big part of the diet in Aliphiara, which is why during market days, the fishermen would have great success selling their catches, especially to visiting Goran customers. The Brickston family had become the wealthiest in Nahervue thanks to their foresight to develop farms for commercial purposes and not just for survival. Their extra crops ended up finding a large untapped market in the Goran tribes, and they ended up developing the largest farm in Nahervue – the Brickston wheat farm. The Brickston Estate was constructed just opposite the wheat farm on Market Street, and then the family bought the rights to the land behind and next to the estate from the Elder Council for further agricultural development. In the end, all their investment paid off, and the Brickston are now the wealthiest family in Nahervue. A few years ago, the family funded the development of what has become known as Brickston Street, which went from Well Square to the Brickston farms. The reason so many Gorans would come down to Nahervue during the weekends was because of Market Day. Nahervue’s residents had started setting up stalls a number of years ago as the amount of Gorans who started coming to the village for suppliers grew exponentially, eventually making it an official Market Day every Saturday and Sunday. Everyone would try to sell their extra stock, whether it was meat, fish, vegetables, or fruits. Market Day had become the single most important thing in the Nahervue economy. Around 120 AD, the Roman Empire was still at its peak, and Europe was probably the best place to be in and live. Aliphiara barely had any contact with the rest of the world, although its existence was known and noted by all kingdoms at this point. Nahervue did receive a ship running away from the turmoil in the Middle East (lol) that had the Falah family on board, so word of Aliphiara and the settlement of Nahervue had reached almost everywhere in the civilized world. The economy of the town depended on its production, whether it was produce, meat, or fish. It had developed into the center of trade in Aliphiara and had made the townsfolk comfortable and wealthy. With the population of the town having eclipsed 500 residents and heading towards 100 years of existence, Nahervue was officially a successfully established settlement. Pictures of Nahervue. Comparison of Nahervue from 100 AD and 120 AD.

It has been around 50 years since the settlement of Nahervue was first founded, on the banks of Hope Bay where the White River empties out, in the land of Aliphiara. The village has grown since then, almost doubling in size to just over 400 residents, with a new generation replacing the dying one and a few more families from the Gora tribe settling down in it. It started becoming a tradition that every weekend, on the main stretch of road leading out of town, the townsfolk would set up small wooden stalls with their products (whether they fished, farmed, or hunted) on display for other townsfolk but mostly visitors from the nomadic Gora tribes to purchase. The road became known as Market Street due to the fact it would literally turn into an outdoors market during the weekends. Initially, the settlers had assumed that the Gorans numbered in the few hundreds, but it was later discovered that the Gora were made up of many internal tribes, and whose numbers were actually in the tens of thousands spread throughout Aliphiara. Around 75 AD, the townsfolk began constructing a new church at the end of the Market Street stretch. The Christian religion came to Aliphiara through priest named Peter Carpenter who had learnt the ways of Jesus while growing up in Jerusalem before moving to Nahervue. The church was named the Church of Christ, and it also became the official meeting room for the Elder Council and official town business. The Brickston family, one of the original five families that founded Nahervue, grew the first farm developed for commercial purposes in Nahervue. With the demand for their wheat outgrowing their old farm, they built the largest farm in the village with the aim of selling most of their wheat as opposed to stockpiling most of it for personal use as the others had been doing. The Goran tribes had increased their numbers in Nahervue looking for products, and the Brickstons gambled that the number would continue to increase and with it the demand for their wheat. They were correct. With a growing population and more Gorans looking to settle in Nahervue, the Elder Council approved a plan to develop a road from Church Square through the woods all the way down towards the banks of the White River. Plots of land were put up for sale by town, while the trees that were cut down were also sold by the town government to those looking to build houses. Due to the nature of the road, it was named Ring Street, connecting Church Square with the end of West Market Street. The growth of Nahervue in its first 50 years was mostly internal and local - only a few families from the Old World had made their way to the village looking for a new life. With the Roman Empire at its peak, Europe was experiencing peace and prosperity as well as the spread of Christianity. Tucked away halfway between Europe and North America sat Aliphiara, ready to make its mark on the history of the world.

POPULATION: 208 Nahervue saw a few more families from the Gora tribe join the village over the course of the new few seasons, and by the time the second winter rolled around, Nahervue’s population had eclipsed 200 people. Every household had a trade, be it farming, hunting, or fishing – overwhelmingly, however, most of the residents lived off of the land. Vegetables, especially ones that were popular in stews, where favorites, such as kale, spinach, collard greens, and leeks, while the Sienna family were known for their strawberries. The Elder Council was still made up from the heads of the five original families which was causing a bit of animosity with the newer settlers, especially the ones that belonged to the Gora tribe. Understandably, they stressed that since they were now permanent residents of Nahervue, they should rightfully get a say in village matters. After an internal meeting between all the Goran families, they decided to combine and pick one head to represent them in the Elder Council, which now had six members after initiating the Goran into their ranks. It was Edameh Gora, the tribe’s declared head, who championed what became the first step of the Aliphiara’s national transportation infrastructure – a path trail inland that led to known Gora positions that they took throughout the year. Although skeptical, the idea of earning income trading with the Gora was a tantalizing prospect for settlers who had no means of buying or selling except with themselves. The new path trail made transporting vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat from Nahervue to the Gorans feasible and profitable. The expectation was that the trial would allow the Nahervue traders to make the trip north to seek out their income – what was not expected was when the Gorans themselves starting using the pathway to come down to Nahervue and look to trade there! At first, it was once every couple of weeks, but after a few months, Gorans coming down to the settlement had become a daily occurrence. In what was considered Nahervue’s town square just east of the well, some of the families began setting up market stands to make it easier for the visiting Gorans to trade. Nahervue in the Fall and in Winter. Nahervue looking west in the Summer and in the Winter. Late afternoon shots of Nahervue - the last two pictures is of the road that leads out of town. Aeriel of Nahervue and the land around it.

Lol, spot on! I got the Banished vibes hardcore as well detailing this.

With a population of 34, the settlement of Nahervue entered the second half of its first year preparing for the winter that was coming ahead. Small farms run by each family propped up, and the Hajar, Borelle, and Gora families fished the White River, which was filled with abundant catch. To help unify and simplify decision-making, the Elder Council was created, with each family having a representative in it. The first decision the Elder Council took was to send a few of the young men back to Europe in hopes of recruiting more families to join them. Having repaired the ship called Hope, it set sail back to tour Europe and hopefully bring with it more people to settle in Nahervue. Almost a year after setting sail back to the Old World to recruit new settlers, the ship Hope reemerged over the horizon with a few new families and the young men who had led the ship there and back. Nothing had changed in Nahervue for the returning settlers other than a few new farms, but everyone got to work building the houses for the new arrivals. As they did with the Gora family, everyone pitched in and within a few short weeks, the newcomers had their own accommodation. Winter in Nahervue was similar to the as-of-yet-undiscovered New England, with relatively snowy winters scattered with harsh winter storms. The residents of Nahervue did a good job of maintaining their farms, switching to harvests to ones which can withstand the winter months such as kale, spinach, broccoli, and parsnips. Hunting parties also experienced success during the clear winter days, returning with a lot of elk and deer. Even the fishermen were able to go out into sea during the calm and clear days, fishing up crab, tuna, and lobster.

Land – nothing could have been more welcoming to Grant Brixton and everyone else on board the small ship Hope after weeks at sea. The ocean had gotten rough, and a few days into their journey, the would-be settlers and adventurers were completely lost with nothing but blue all around them. The sight of the protruding hills in the distance had some of the ship break down into tears. Brixton and the other passengers had no idea where they were, but they were glad to finally be on solid ground, not least because the ship itself looked like it would not make it past another few days without sinking. In total, there were five families on board Hope – the Brixton, Gaulle, Hajar, Sienna, and Borelle families – and 26 passengers, including children. All had left Europe to escape the Roman empire and begin a new life for themselves. Stories and legend about the Vikings discovering a new land to the far west were the motivation behind setting sail, but the trip had not gone as they had hoped. The newcomers to the land did not know if this was the place that was in all those stories of old, but what they did know was that this was where their adventure was going to end – this was going to be their new home. Housing was the most crucial and necessary need for the new settlers. Thankfully, the new settlers had brought with them all necessary material to build five houses and in a matter of a few weeks, the structures were up and ready to be inhabited. They kept themselves alive foraging fruits and vegetables as well as hunting small game in the nearby forest, and they had plenty of fresh water from the river that was close by. They also constructed a small pier, while two families (Hajar and Borelle) each constructed some fishing canoes so that they can fish. Around two months after the creation of the settlement of Nahervue (roughly translated into View of the Beautiful River), a hunting party which had ventured further north than usual chasing after a relatively large boar spotted a group of humans. After making contact with them, it became quickly obvious that their new friends were in fact a local tribe. After a few weeks of communication, it had become known to the Nahervue settlers that the locals were a nomadic tribe that travelled throughout the woods of the new land, surviving on produce and game. According to tribe, which was called the Gora tribe, the land was called Aliphiara, which meant Heart of Life in the common Gora spoken language. Considering the diverse background of the newcomers to Aliphiara, accepting two families from the Gora who wished to live a settled lifestyle as opposed to a nomadic one was not an issue. The two families chose to live in the same house as one, and asked to be given the Gora surname, which was accepted by the elders of the five other families. Using the strong wood found in the nearby forests, a wooden house was built and the Gora family formally accepted into the settlement of Nahervue.

In the mid-21st century, climate change led to global catastrophes that nearly ended humankind as we know it. Massive tsunamis and flooding coupled with extreme natural disasters changed the Earth that lasted years, leading to loss of life in the billions. Towards the late 21st century, the extreme weather and disasters began to subside, leaving a handful of people to lead humanity back to relevance. Much was lost – technology, recorded history, and almost everything that had been accomplished by the human race was gone and had to be rediscovered. Our story begins with a group of survivors a few dozen years after the Great Storm in what would be modern-day Ghana, West Africa. Earth’s temperature was permanently disrupted, and the environment in Ghana was now similar to the Mediterranean and Central Europe. Rediscovery of human advancement and technology was relatively rapid, and government, although limited to small areas, was recognized – unfortunately, most governments were oppressive in their ways. The world now operated under one currency, the Earth Dollar, which the New United Nations was responsible for printing and distributing. This specific group of survivors were outcasts from neighboring cities that were escaping prosecution and valued freedom. Seeking shelter from the rain, the small group of settlers built shacks, and to feed themselves, they planted a wheat field and hunted the local wildlife. What started out as a few families doubled in size in a very short timespan as word got out of the new settlement. The extra hands meant that the settlers could plant a corn field, as well, leading to excess food crop which they took to the closest city and sold for Earth Dollars (EDs). The population of the new settlement, called Hope, now had a population 34, with corn and wheat fields that are the town’s only tradeable goods. The pictures below show the beginnings of this new settlement. Welcome to the story of Hope!

The story of Hope had spread throughout the region, and what had started out as a settlement of outcasts was now attracting not only those with no where to go, but also well-to-do families that valued the freedom Hope afforded them. On the corner of Walter and Maple Streets, relatively nice homes were constructed by some of the wealthier families that had moved into the town. These families contributed significantly to the economy of Hope, helping to further the development of the farms around the town – one family in particular, the Terring family, acquired a large number of cattle that they had graze behind their home, and the selling of the milk and meat became their primary business. The Hope Council was formed to run the affairs of the town, and would convene every Friday at the Lord’s House Church on Walter Street. The church was the meeting spot of the town, and the Friday meetings were attended by all. With the population of the town growing beyond 200 people, it had become important for the residents to have some kind of leadership to help guide the growth and prosperity of Hope. While the cattle were owned by Terring, the farms were all the property of the town, and the income provided from the crops were distributed equally amongst all the families. Of course, that did not mean some of the families did not start operating side businesses – the Brook family, for example, now had a couple of trailers in their logistics company to help transport goods not only to and from Hope, but also other settlements in the area. The Glass family began working as the primary contractors in Hope, building everything from walls to houses, while the Hodom family opened up a design and décor office and helped fabricate furniture for the town’s residents. The Hope Council was eager to see the development of the town, and the first project they unanimously voted for was the upgrading of Walter Street – they wanted to turn the muddy dirt road into a cobblestone street that connected all the way to the primary road on the outskirts of town. They had enough EDs saved up to make the project happen relatively quickly, and once they were down with Walter Street, the paving of Maple Street would begin.