Iria, over five years old, has experienced many cycles of prosperity and hardship. Through it all, the Irian spirit has preserved. In Classics, Iria has had a slow but steady growth. It boasts many attractions, such as the servers largest train station.

Iria
Flag of Iria
Capital CityInanis Island
FoundedEarly 2013
Location10600 -790
DemonymIrian
Website/r/Iria/
DiscordInvite

History

"The unfinished cathedral was just a depressing influence that overshadowed the town and any progress we tried to make. It became our Ryugyong Hotel."[1] — Wolfeyes

Founding and the Corum Years (Early 2013)

Lottosprayer and HorizonLeap founded Iria in 2.0 and were soon joined by Wolf. Iria grew quickly and greatly benefited from trade. However the release of greifers from the Valkyria vault led to the decline of the Corum region Iria was situated in. Though Iria's allies may have fallen Iria kept growing. Soon the nearby Kilfordshire was annexed.

The Post-Corum Years (Mid 2013)

In mid 2013 this growth came to an end. Lottosprayer, the designer of Iria's -and one of the servers-largest structures, a giant cathedral, quit. This symbolic failure corresponded with an ineffective council and eventually Iria saw its darkest hours. INF raiders occupied the town, pearled citizens and destroyed most wealth.

The Revival Years (Early 2014)

After stagnation and inactivity in Late 2013 an "Iria Restoration Committee" was created. Iria grew less isolated as nearby towns were revived or created. Even the cathedral was torn down by owner and rebuilt. Iria continued to trade, helping supply the (doomed) HCF assualt on River's End.

The Renaissance Years (Mid 2014)

 
Irians gather on the steps

The NEA is created, uniting Iria with Fellowship, Garundistan, Bryn and others.

Iria Will Burn: The BMB War (mid-late 2014)

In mid-2014, Iria had a modestly large population, and a strong local economy. Then, a raiding gang who called themselves "The BMB" entered the picture. While poorly armed, they had large numbers. Their tactic of lighting everything in sight on fire was also devastating for Iria, which extensively used flammable wood materials in house construction. The recently completed Providence district of Iria mostly burned to the ground. Many Irians fled, with prominent Irian citizens Tamblers, Fraelyn and Michael leaving to start a new town under Iria that would become known as Sunder. Those who remained were determined, and one Irian, CD, famously put a sign outside house house that read “BMB proof”. The BMB continued to strike Iria, and left signs of their own, placing many signs threatening Iria with messages such as “Iria will burn.” Eventually the BMB were defeated and their base, Stormgarde, was destroyed. The Irians who remained came together to rebuild form the ashes. Many moons later, travelers would still report finding the odd “Iria will burn” sign in the forests and mountains around Iria.

The Eagle Crew War (late 2014)

Sometime after the BMB War, Iria had recovered, and Sunder had become a successful town in its own right. Iria had made friends with an industrious new town in the east, Hjatlland and a new PVPer had moved to Iria named deadkind, who had brought a small band of mercenaries with him, and started an army within Iria. The mercenaries resided in Greenville, a new district of Iria south of the Iria City that had been designed by OfUnknown. A new raider threat emerged, lead by two raiders named Eagle_Girl and Lysika_Lantariel, they began attacking Iria on a nightly basis, and our ally to the south, Fellowship. Unfortunately deadkind was nowhere to be found. But new fighters within Iria and Fellowship such as Jumpysnake and BlackXnt helped protect the town, reducing losses. As Eagle and Lysika enlarged their posse and began hitting new towns and even vaults, Irians remained active in guerrilla attacks against the raiders, particularly a new Irian, TangentialThreat. There were battles in many places, including the snow plains east of Weldon, and Lindor Island, a trading partner of Iria's, located next to Hjaltland. As Eagle Crew increased their power they set up a vault, which Iria snitched. Tangent, Jumpysnake, Tamblers, Fraelyn and the leader of Hjaltland, BlueSylvaer, launched a guerrilla attack against Eagle_Girl and an accomplice, trapping her in a fall trap. While her accomplice was killed, Eagle escaped using ingenious tactics. There was also a diplomatic crisis in this period, when Sintralin - the leader of Fellowship and Chair of the NEA was suspected of being complicit in the Eagle crew attacks. Eventually the Eagle_Crew was defeated, and Lysika_Lantariel revealed his true face – deadkind.

Blood Sweat And Tears: The Industrial Age of Iria (late 2014 (?))

Civclassic

Iria was initially founded relatively close to the center as the town of Normandy. The frequency of early raids led to the migration far east, and Normandy was eventually annexed by Verda. Across the map from most major nations and still secretive due to fear of raids, Iria struggled to attract new players. However much progress was made particularly in infrastructure, an extensive rail system linking the disparate islands and farms.

Ongoing Projects

 
Developments on main island
 
Irian international rail before roof construction

Iria's choice to remain hidden early resulted in a focus on underground infrastructure. Inside an ice cavern lays the underground station, a many month long work in progress. As Iria nears to completing the roof, it is the largest station on the server. Alas, a lack of neighbors restricts the amount of lines that can be realistically used.


References