Southshire

The Southshire page is being rewritten. Expect the lay-out to be inconsistent for the coming days. The Triumvirate of Southshire is a major power of the -,+-quadrant. Its claims are modest, but densely populated. Mainland Southshire borders Astanna to the east, the Imperial Mountain of Casson to the west, and the Commonwealth to the north. Bonita Springs, a diminutive island just south of Astanna, was annexed in 2019.

Southshire was once the southernmost borough of the Commonwealth. This heritage is not just reflected in the name; the old town of Southend mirrors the famous Westminster canals, and still features dozens of colonial buildings. The identity of modern Southshire is asserted in the new development of Samcester, with distinctive English architecture and tight urban planning. Talented builders with an eye towards contributing are invited to join the Southshire Discord.

As a participant in both UDF and SATO, Southshire falls within the sphere of the loosely-defined World Police.

Founding Era
In the early summer a few weeks after the beginning of the server, Orinnari and StrPlatinum founded Southshire. On the 25th June 2017 they settled on the west edge of the roofed forest roughly 800 blocks away from Westminster, the capital of the Commonwealth. Within a few days the basic layout for the city was created, and so was the council. The town then went under radical reconstruction to transform the then meandering dirt canal into a mirror of the canals of Westminster, although without the ban on bridges.

Building Era
Southshire was gaining a lot of players rapidly in early August to mid September. There were many notable players gained during this time period in Southshire like Charlameme and SamuelV. Many new builds were made making Southshire a unique place to visit and gain it's popularity on the server. The Mami trials also happened in August making a great memory and historical moment in Southshire.

Golden Age
In late September to mid October was the golden age of Southshire. Saren_Solaris, Charlameme, and Baes20 led Southshire through its peak. Southshire was the most active city on the server. There was a rapid influx of new friends during this time.

Decline Era
This period from late October to end of November. StrPlatinum was the leader of Southshire. Lexington declared war on The Commonwealth with Hjaltland joining the The Commonwealth side. This war led to the decline of Southshire for over a month. New friends barely came to the city and The Commonwealth was losing many players due to the war. Morale was at an all time low in this point.

Dark Age
During this age was the lowest Southshire has reached. This occured from early December to early January. This was the period of when no one was on. The war has taken a toll on The Commonwealth. The Commonwealth was a next to dead nation. The only people ever logging on in Southshire was only very few people. The person keeping the place running and still in existence was cinzar. The age was needed to prove that Southshire needed a revival immediately.

Revival Age
During this age cinzar was elected to lead Southshire to bring a new change. This era is occurring from Late January to present. Southshire left The Commonwealth for Yoahtl. This was a very controversial decision that rocked throughout the server. Yoahtl was a nation needed for Southshire desperately needed to help lead the way to restore its age back to its former glory. Many builds have been built during this age. Activity has picked up in Southshire with new shops and new people joining.

Geography
Much of Southshire is covered in a thick, hilly spruce forest. Cape Southend is mostly urban, but the Highlands and the Westlands are still renowned for their natural beauty. The capital of Samchester features some of the most spectacular vistas anywhere in the quadrant.

Cape Southend
Cape Southend is a small peninsula that extends off Victoria Isle, the central island of the Commonwealth. It marked the southern end of Commonwealth claims during the colonial era. The narrow strip connecting to Victoria is Southshire's lone mesa biome, with a vast beach extending to the south. The rest of the cape is typically Southshirean forest.

The forest is densely developed, with only scattered traces of tree cover remaining. The beach area is comparatively unspoilt.

Southend (city)
The town of Southend sprawls over much of the eponymous cape. It is one of CivClassic's oldest settlements. Like many early cities, its buildings ramble in diverse and sometimes clashing styles, but the constraints of the peninsula prevented the usual grid of square plots. The roads are dense, the lots small and irregular. A Westminster-esque canal system imposes a sense of rhythm on the chaotic cityscape, and reminds the Southshireans of their ties to the Commonwealth. The people of Southend have never been as zealous in their canalism as their northern cousins; the canals have featured bridges from the beginning.Southend went through a boom in 2017 and early 2018. The lack of space meant a strict dereliction policy. There has been little development since then, however, which makes Southend unique on CivClassic: most historic settlements were destroyed, went inactive, or simply rebuilt their old towns over the years. Today, the authenticity of Southend is keenly guarded by the Triumvirate. Derelictions are forbidden in the conservation area and discouraged in the rest of town, but Southend is not an open-air museum. New structures are still being built, and settlers of all stripes and sizes can expect a warm welcome.

Before Samchester was conceived in mid-2021, Southend was Southshire's only urban area of significance, and people did not generally distinguish between the city and the nation. To settle the confusion, Triumvir StrPlatinum selected the official name of Southend on June 10th. The name has been historically applied to both the city and the cape, but appears to have fallen into disuse after 2018.

Southend enjoys direct lines to many neighbouring nations and an eastbound connection to the Great Overland Railway. There is a domestic rail to the farms of Terrasilvia.

Oakhurst
Oakhurst is an autonomous region within Southshire that was first founded on 19th August 2017 which was re-established in June 2021, almost four years later. At first, Oakhurst was located in Southend (the peninsular) but after an attempt at borough-ification turned sour, Oakhurst was relocated first to an area known then as The Plantation before quickly being relocated again to an island known as Shen. Oakhurst was then dissolved when its founder, Orinnari, rejoined Southshire in November 2017. Oakhurst has been re-established within Southshire, and with its original boundary and founder. Oakhurst's goal is to be a neat little area to visit while passing through from the old city to Samcester, or vice versa.

The Highlands
to be written

Samcester
to be written

The Westlands
to be written

Respublica
to be written

The Dark Forest Estates
The Dark Forest Estates is a neighborhood in Southshire located on the north-west side of town, on the way to the mesa biome. It serves as a residential zone, with many available plots. There is a requirement that at least one dark oak tree must be present on each plot, and most builds feature dark oak logs, planks, and/or leaves heavily in their design. There is a small local park, and stables are under construction. The slightly elevated area gives excellent views over the side of the island to the water below, and a striking image of the downtown city skyline to the northwest. The estates is also very close to the Nude Beach Resort.

Platinum Tower
Platinum Tower, created by cinzar, is a large quartz building near the center of town. It has several open floors for rent, and also serves as the headquarters of the globally-distributed Yoahtl Sun paper. The latest edition of the paper is available for purchase on the bottom floor.

Southshire Brewery
The community brewery is open to all, with a few public recipes available to get newcomers started. The building is constructed mainly of green hardened clay, with different spruce plank blocks adding a curved, heavily-styled facade and roof. There is an attic full of chests for frequent users of the building to store their supplies and finished products.



Nude Beach Resort
The Nude Beach Resort is a new resort made by ss8308 (SpiderPig) and cinzar. After a long day of work you can head there and have some locally-brewed alcohol. There is a strip club for entertainment, with a beach house for any desire.

The Public Library
A recent addition, a public library near the town center holds books from all over the world, available at one iron/book. It is composed of brick, with quartz columns and roofing. Some of the books on hand include:

-The First Mayor of Augusta (A history of Mount Augusta)

-Wedges, by StarDarkness (a fanfiction)

-The Holy Book of Canalism (Southshire's official religion)

-The Cult of Trevie (another religious book, also religion of Southshire) New books are added frequently, so check it out if you're in town!

Biomes
Southshire includes many biomes in its small area it has. There are many opportunities to set up a variety of farms and small little settlements in each biome. The biomes included are beach, dark oak forest, forest, ocean, river, mesa, and taiga/spruce forest.

Lands
The makeup of the lands in Southshire are mostly into 3 big land masses. The main city is on the biggest land mass which is the dark forest biome. This is connected to the messa biome and The Commonwealth territory. Across from the main land, through the river biome which leads into the tiaga/spruce biome, is called "The Highlands". This is a huge, mostly untouched, territory in Southshire. Very little development has occurred in the highlands with a protected national park. The last main land mass is the island of Terrasilvia. One can travel here by boat or rail from Southshire. This island is the "industrial" island of Southshire. This island includes a big dark oak tree farm, oak tree farm, birch tree farm, and a developing wheat farm. Lots of development is occurring in Terrasilvia, making the island better and more suitable to people.

Climate
The climate is a very warm climate. The forest is next to a mesa and a beach, making the temperature very comfortable. Snow is no where to be seen near Southshire. The warmth allows many crops and farms to be established in the area.

Rails
The train station is located right near the downtown in area. Southshire has rails connecting to The Commonwealth, Yoahtl, and Nymph. The rails connecting to The Commonwealth include Westminster and Arran. The rails connecting to Yoahtl is the underground rail which leads to the junction to go to Falstadt, New Yoahtl City, or Westminster. The other Yoahtl rail is The Great Overland Rail which connects to New Yoahtl City and Westminster. The other rail going outside of Southshire territory is the Nymph rail, which heads into the heart of Nymph. The inter rail goes to Terrasilvia.

Roads
Roads in Southshire are made out of stone brick and stone slabs. The roads are five wide, making a lot of room for your horse and travels. The roads lead through all over the city connecting, connecting to the edge of The Commonwealth territory. There are new expanding roads in The Highlands for future expansion.

Bridges
There is one bridge in Southshire which leads to The Highlands. The bridge is one of the original builds in Southshire and goes through a river biome. On top of the bridge is a spruce tree farm which connects to the train station and The Highlands. It is a great sight to see and shows the uniqueness in Southshire builds.

Bonita Springs
The island resort of Bonita springs, founded by cinzar, is located at °N, °W.