Lazuli

= History =

Originally prided as the 'garden city of civcraft', Lazuli is a large, abandoned region located in the (+,-) quadrant. It was founded by SomethingSaucy not long after the demise of the nearby historic city of Rift. Older parts of the city have a complex and uneven system of roads, while more recently developed areas adopted a similar grid-style transport network similar to Columbia.

Lazuli experienced explosive population growth during the early summer of 2012, leading initially to dramatic suburban sprawl. The government's solution to this was to make all new residents settle in planned subdivisions, which alienated new residents. As most of the government grew inactive and its residents quit the server, Lazuli rapidly fell into decline and is now almost entirely abandoned. Travellers to the area today report an eerie sensation exploring the area as the capital city is still very much intact - but strangely deserted.

Trade and expansion
Lazuli was the capital city of the Republic of Lazuli, which included the Greater Lazuli Region, the ice-mountains of Glaciem, the industrial underground mines of Sable (later renamed and revived as Ouroborealis), the knights watch of Castle Black in addition to the Lazuli Mining Outpost located on the edge of the world.

Due to its proximity to first Rift and then Atlantis, Lazuli was initially an important center of trade in the (+,-) quadrant and remained that way for many cycles. However, as the development on the server shifted towards the (-,-) and (-,+) quadrants, its location became more of a hindrance than a benefit.

Following the attacks by several raiding groups, Lazuli underwent a substantial change in government and policy focus, bringing Lazuli into its golden age. Under the new government (headed by long-time resident Ttocs_is_Awe), vast infrastructure projects were completed, providing citizens with a multitude of benefits. One of Security Councillor Nate_Magic's most notable achievements was the implementation of a snitch-block network surrounding Lazuli Central in order to immediately detect any intruders entering the city's proximity and to log any greifer activity within the vicinity of the wall that the network was topped by. The successful completion of this security network was another major selling point for the city's promotional board - then headed by International Relations Councillor Lem0nland9111.

As councillor responsible for land use and allocation, Logic_Man is credited with building Lazuli's international-class Senate while reigning in Lazuli Central's previously out-of-control urban sprawl and unequal development. The latter was carried out by pre-planning real-estate options in somewhat restrictive subdivisions. These subdivisions successfully solved the crises they were designed to fix, however they later caused issues of their own.

The most popular development in the city quickly became the impressive Lapis Arena which hosted several international tournaments during the golden age of Lazuli.

Pumpkin Jacks' Raid
Lazuli was the subject of one of the most notable battles on the server, that of the Pumpkin Jacks' raid.

From the Jacks' perspective, here is an account of the raid


 * The Pumpkin Jacks Infiltrated Lazuli after picking it as a target
 * The Pumpkin Jacks launched a surprise attack on Lazuli with TNT, declaring war on Lazuli.
 * Lazuli Ambassdor (Toshibi) brokers a 24 hour peace treaty
 * Lazuli Breaks Peace Treaty and ransack one of the Pumpkin Jack Bases
 * Lazuli Captures spy after discovery post base
 * Lazuli Sentences Spy to imprisonment (Judge,and executioner was spiritual leader.)
 * Pumpkin Jacks free Prisoner
 * Pumpkin Jacks enter peace negotiations with Ttocs_is_awe, a council member of Lazuli. (Done after attacks by Scylla and crew, Lazuli looked weaker so we decided would rather not kick them while they were down)
 * Peace talks are flat out refused by other council members, under any condition
 * Jacks change rules of engagement to Capture and loot chests to &quot;Capture, Loot, Destroy&quot;

The Downfall of Lazuli
At the peak of Lazuli's golden age, the satellite regions comprising the Republic had by and large been abandoned or fallen into disrepair as citizens flocked to the prosperous Lazuli Central. However, such success could not last forever.

Within the same week that Columbia's government disintegrated, both of the server's most populous cities collapsed, casting doubts by many on the wisdom of settling in a city at all. But while the City of Columbia had frequently been the center of drama and scandal, Lazuli had always maintained a stable and peaceful existence and its sudden abandonment came as a surprise to many.

Lessons Learned
The mystery behind the almost overnight exodus of citizens from the Republic is attributable to several causes.

Plagued by a host of issues - and a thinly stretched council - Lazuli showed several warning signs before its ultimate demise. The first of these was the restrictions placed on travellers meaning to trade with the city. Lazuli's dead-locked portal meant that players (both domestic and foreign) were consistently trapped inside the portal room, with no means of escape save for returning to the nether. This irritated both those trying to access the city and those who had the permissions to open the gates as these players were continuously running back and forth to let travellers in or out.

The second warning sign was a combination of a scarcity of land available (due to the physical limitations of the wall, the time-consuming development of subdivisions to meet demand and the monopoly that the municipal government had on selling land) and an increasingly vocal 'homeowners association' attitude towards newer residents from older residents - particularly where perceived inferior buildings were being created next to more expensive properties.

The collapse of Columbia is seen as the catalyst for change on the server, and indeed the catalyst for migration out of Lazuli. Cities were not the safe haven's they once were and their leader's so bogged down by politics that positive upheaval was nigh-impossible. A nostalgia for the open country with no restrictions and no irritable neighbours was back - and where Lazuli is concerned, was there to stay.

Legacy
After the fall of Lazuli important Lazulians Ttocs_is_Awe, NateMagic and SomethingSaucy were involved in the creation of the Maester Alliance, this can be seen in the logo of the Maesters where the two dragons represent the founders SomethingSaucy and Ttocs_is_Awe who surround a stylised fire that represents the founder NateMagic. To this day those that wish to join the maester Alliance swear an oath in front of 2 dragons overlooking a fire. Other Lazulians such as Logic_Man became important maesters.

Trivia

 * The region is named after the Lapis Lazuli vein that was discovered beneath its territory by early settlers.
 * Before the development of the 'Parched Fathoms' subdivision, Lazuli residents had manually mined over half of the neighboring desert biome to rock. The desert was returned to much of its former 'glory' upon the creation of Lazuli's first sand generator (developed by Tyrothalos).