Airhaven

Airhaven (/'ɛrheɪvən/) is a town nestled in the tranquil Hollow Hills of the -,+. It includes a single capital city of the same name, split into five indistinct districts. Airhaven covers an area of almost 250,000 square metres and has a cold mountain climate. The nation has one land border with Resimare and two water borders with Falstadt and Stonewall. With 3 inhabitants, the civilisation is close to being a one man nation in several regards and is mostly treated as such.

The lands of Airhaven remained uninhabited until settled in late 2017. Evidence of only one other attempt to settle the land had been found in what is now Ravinetown. The island was mostly undocumented before settling; only after its coasts were mapped was it claimed by Vale. As Vale fell into inactivity, Airhaven moved allegiances but pledged its own values more than any labels. This is also evident by Airhaven's absence from both the Western and Northern Alliance, although it is a member nation of the Order of the White Lotus.

A stone's throw from the bustling metropolises of Falstadt and Yoahtl, the snow-dusted valleys provide a sanctuary for all players where violence is heavily discouraged and bounty hunting is illegal. The expansive hollow hills underneath provide opportunities for mob hunters, while small farms and abundant spruce growth allow for more passive farming to take place. Despite this, its primary export is its tourism.

Etymology
The name Airhaven comes from two sources; Firstly, the Mortal Engines series by Phillip Reeve contains a fictional town of the same name which is suspended in the air by large balloons, and serves as a refuge from the war-torn ground below for anyone who can fly there in airships. The second source of Airhaven's name is a play on a translation of the German word for Airport, Flughafen, which literally means Flighthaven. Thus, Airhaven can be seen as a portmanteau between Airport and Flughafen.

This simple but descriptive theme continues to the names of districts, such as Ravinetown and Underhill.

History
Airhaven has had a thankfully peaceful history, with close to no dramas or issues with neighbouring nations. Although young when compared to larger nations, it is comparatively older for a one-man nation, having been active since late 2017.

Foundation
After the adoption of Lotus by Impasse, RektTangle left the -,- for Commonwealth. Soon finding the bustling city life to be to his distaste, he moved south to Vale, where he started a building project that had been on his mind for months. He founded Airhaven on the least valuable land he could find: firstly, hollow hills meant that no mining could occur under Airhaven. The biome was Extreme Hills, a barren land fraught with peaks and ravines, and it follows that farming prospects were very limited. As such, the only value the land had was for buildings upon it- which was exactly what RektTangle aspired to do.

The first building erected in what is now central Airhaven was the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower. However, before this, Ravinetown was homesteaded with a small house and two 'beacons' atop the towers, together with the Eight Gates surrounding Airhaven's borders. These were to mark the presence of settlement of the land before the central town was laid out.



Secession of land to Resimare
In February of 2018, RektTangle gave the Eastern coast of Airhaven together with almost all of Eichenfeld to Resimare, a group from Devoted, for no price other than a request to take care of the land well. They continue to have good relations.

Independence
Initially, the land was first registered as a district of Vale, but as activity declined, RektTangle moved to Falstadt and placed the area under its protection towards the end of 2017. Now the land is in a limbo state; it is mostly independent but the lead Shambali is still a dual citizen with Falstadt and frequently travels there to help with projects. Despite this, Airhaven does not inherit several of Falstadt's laws, such as players barred from entering. This is especially important for Airhaven's tourism business because if it inherited Falstadt's limited travel laws, the economy would flounder.

Geography
The city of Airhaven rests on a hilly plateau approximately 25 blocks above sea level, with additional variations in terrain stretching up past y=150 in some places. The mountains and valleys alike are considered sacred, and terraforming more than 0.1 blocks per metre squared to build is illegal. As such, the roads in Airhaven closely follow the hills. Estimates from Airhaven's land area lie between 240,000 and 260,000 square blocks.



Natural liquid in Airhaven is limited to lava and water lakes. However, as the town expands it is introducing areas of water, mostly for aesthetic purposes.

Resimare's canopy forest district, Eichenfeld, lies to the south, the border being the line between the two biomes. Falstadt lies across the channel to the east, past the ice mountains on both sides of the river. The inactive nation Stonewall owns the islands to the north of Airhaven, with Yoahtl lying across the sea even further north.



Climate
Being on an extreme hill, everywhere below y=95 is snowless and experiences rainfall, and, starting in patches, blocks above have snowfall. This causes a curious effect where the road and objects at street level are dry but the roofs of houses are covered in snow. This is also prominent in the water in Airhaven. For example, the Jade Garden's lake is liquid enough to boat on, but the waterfall's spring is frozen at the surface, providing an oppurtunity for ice farming together with traditional farming.

Flora
Natural trees that generated on Airhaven include Oaks, Giant Birches, and the rare Giant Oaks. Introduced trees include Spruces, Giant Spruces, Sakura, and a custom-bred tree known as Dwarf Pine. At its foothills, in Eichenfeld, Canopy Oaks grow. Giant Oaks are protected and harvesting them is a serious offense in Airhaven.



Underground
Airhaven sits on a Hollow Hill, which, as the name suggests, has stone replaced by air between the y levels of 40 and 4. There is a layer of dirt on the floor up to 3 blocks thick, and flowers can be spotted growing in the dark. The underground is almost entirely unlit, is highly dangerous and it is not recommended to leave the safety of the paths without proper preparation.

City
Currently, 5% of Airhaven is urbanised, 35% of which belongs to parks and protected areas. The urban layout of Airhaven is centred around the central Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower. 5 districts, not including the Underground, make up the surface town of Airhaven that spans the entire nation.



The Underhill and Valley districts are mostly for housing and small businesses. Despite its name, Underhill has many suitable launch sites for airships, as well as Valley.

The Luxury district is so named because it contains buildings such as the Palace and Library, together with the Jade Gardens. These buildings are less for purpose and more for aesthetics.

The Industrial district houses the majority of Airhaven's factories. Examples include the Basic Smelter in the Old Forge building, and the Carpentry in the sawmill.

Politics
Airhaven is a pacifist town. It encourages acting with sensibility and compassion, and aims to be friendly with all other civilisations.

Government
The ruling class of Airhaven are known as the Shambali Monks and are responsible for executive decisions such as approving builds and expansions, lawmaking and imposing sentences, and dealing with foreign parties. Currently, the only Shambali is RektTangle.

Law
[1] The line is drawn through the Tribunal of Shambali and is evaluated case-to-case.

[2] 10 blocks altered per 100 metres squared is the limit.

Foreign Relations
Airhaven currently enjoys friendly relations with all of its contacts. Tourism is prominent and most people enjoy visiting the small town.

Economy
The economy of Airhaven is not plentiful, nor is it self-sustaining. As it is mostly a one-man effort, it relies on a lot of goodwill, especially from Falstadt.

Exp Prospects
Being on a single biome bordering a river/ocean, Airhaven's exp production is practically nonexistent. This is further compounded by the fact that terraforming the natural landscape around the settlement is highly discouraged.

Mining
Airhaven has no mines. The hollow hills start at approximately y=40 and continue down to a dirt floor at y=4, with only one or two layers of stone above bedrock. This makes mining for valuable ores impossible. Airhaven imports ore, or more accurately exports mining work while keeping any ore found for themselves.

Tourism
Tourism is Airhaven's chief export and the focus of most of its investments. It is currently ranked as a 5/5 destination by Gjum, and an S rank civilization by Specificlanguage.



Transport


Airhaven has strong links to the HITS and, as an extension, Falstadt and the Commonwealth. Other than this, Airhaven does not have any internal rail as of the time of writing, although a tram service along the main roads is planned for the future. The nation does have an extensive road system which is gradually being expanded to all of the Eight Gates.

Public Access
Airhaven has a few small crop farms which are all open to the public under the condition that they are replanted. However, trees are not available to farm in Airhaven. Logging is controlled, and currently, the only exported wood is spruce.

Architecture
Airhaven's architecture is a blend of Steampunk and Medieval Asian. Inspirations for its many builds include real Nepalese, Japanese and southern Chinese buildings. An aim of Airhaven is to have every build be unique while keeping the overall Neo-Medieval style consistent.

Media
Airhaven's founder, RektTangle, is responsible for many great works, such as the videos 'The Somber War' and 'If Titan was a Netflix original'. Also included in their repertoire include a recruitment poster, Civball comics, surveys, awards, and memes.

The official language of Airhaven is British English.

Religion
Airhaven does not have a mandatory or state recognised religion. However, it draws heavily from Buddhism: Nature is seen as sacred, and pacifism is heavily encouraged.