You got it!
Now, I would like to humbly throw my name into the hat and extend you an invitation to the lands of Wysteria.
After over 150 years – two years in real life – of history as part of the Kingdom of Ertia, I and a group of adventurers set off in search of our own lands. The result is Wysteria, one of the Empire's fastest growing Grand Duchies and a place where a supportive and resourceful community meets vast opportunity. Accompanied by the stalwart Count Merry and joined by the excellent Count Liserett O’Kleefe and good Sirs Squire, Chronnis, and Mimo, we have taken great strides and would love to welcome you to join in the makings of a great land!
Fast progress is being made on our way to becoming a powerful and stroried realm:
- Perched on a breathtaking savannah plateau, the walled port Capital of
Gallen is the seat of government and houses Wysteria's ambitious and fast-growing Parliament , a political experiment dabbling in local elected representation that makes us unique among the Empire; the gleaming commerce district - dubbed "the White District" for its liberal use of polished white diorite in construction - combines with the busy docklands to make the city the economic hub of the realm, though it doesn't stop there: the capital city also includes vast mines powered by beacon technology that Gallen's chief engineers have tinkered with in order to provide extraordinary mining yields as well as a convenient double-blaze grinder steps from the nether portal.
- The plains are home to Liserett's sprawling - and still growing! - city of of
Chester-le-Ford: a community with more than its fair share of Marseean influence from the O'Kleefe family's ancestral homelands, Chester-le-Ford is a production and equestrian epicenter. The two cities are linked by a winding river road that shows off some of the best aspects of Wysteria: the lovely landscape.
- Further afield are the burgeoning towns and counties:
- Merry, a man truly in tune with the growing seasons and the lives of plants from wheat to watermelon, proudly heads up Wysteria's agricultural base from the town of
Maes, nestled amongst the green plains of the Crop District.
- The hardworking and expedient gentlemen known as Squire and Chronnis have taken the deserts of Wysteria's north-west to task: the growing county features the cozy town of
Vyrth built on the slopes and banks of sand dunes as well as an under-construction resort and artificial lake area.
- Mimo, a newcomer to Wysteria, has ventured off across the great Sea of Tranquility that forms Wysteria's southern border to set up a great outpost set to grown into a great port city on the way to Gallen.
As you can see from the biome map directly above (each yellow flower is a main city corresponding with the official map at the top of the post, while the red-circled area is plotting for potential outposts) , the land itself is very well suited to a multifaceted realm with nearby biomes including plateaux, deserts, beaches, plains, savannah, swampland, expanses of ice plains and wintry taiga, many extreme hills and mountains, and lots of rivers snaking through the earth and winding around mountains and plateaux to complete the picturesque landscape. With Merry, Liserett, Squire, Chronnis, Mimo, and myself nearby, Wysteria offers a great combination of close support and plentiful resources one one hand and truly vast stretches of unexplored and claimable land to make your own on the other. It is a land where anyone can pursue their goals and have a hand in the forging of a deep new history.
[ A quick note in regards to potential building: great forest spots suitable for a potential village abound, ranging from the areas in the central north-east (a bit closer to central Wysteria and Gallen) to the wedge of forest across the ocean to the south (a lovely, more remote spot). ]
The people of Wysteria have an old saying - now the realm's official motto - , a maxim descended from the first settlers of Laborate over a century ago:
In labor, as in all else, success through perspective. This comes from our belief that greater knowledge, greater effectiveness, and greater appreciation for the world around us can be achieved by learning from as many perspectives as possible. From discovering a more efficient mining technique to appreciating a new culture, Wysteria always welcomes the opportunity to learn from others; we share your values of personal growth and learning, and dedicate ourselves not only to spiritual growth and reflection (see again
Ertian Reflectivism) but to educational innovation as well. To this end, Gallen especially has made great investments in education, including recruiting wise scholars of enchanting (lore off: villagers with enchantment trades ranging from Mending to Unbreaking 3 to Protection 4) from across the Empire, building a thriving paper- and book-production industry, and, just recently, completing construction on our new observatory as the first part of a greater University.
If you’re interested, I’ve included a few more pictures of Wysteria and its environs:
Both a fair ways off from neighbors and close to the center of the East, Wysteria’s location allows for unimpeded expansion while remaining in the thick of international business and community; we maintain strong ties with Ertia (not far to the north of us) and are a mere 10-minute travel via the fully complete Nether Lines to the Imperial Isle (the diplomatic hub of Hermertia) and Mount Empire, the future Capital City of the Empire.
A shot of the capital city at night: Gallen has a commanding view of the waters around. Though the city has never come under attack, it never hurts to be prepared; the city's height and view, not to mention the stout covered walls, make it a nice defensible location. Plus the walls make a great launching point for the Elytra wings, scavenged from the End by a Wysterian expedition.
Gallen's Wysterian Parliament: the colors of the Duchy are on full display as they flutter in the breeze outside this now storied legislative building. The main building houses the Parliamnet Chamber while the two adjoining side structures hold the Laborer's Council (an appointed advisory/quasi-legislative body you can read about in a short story
here) and the legal library (the domain of royal scribe Jenkins, a recurring character in my lore who I use to poke fun at an old communal tradition in a bit of a meta story
here).
A shot of Gallen’s dock’s : complete with two cranes, market stalls, ore processing, and a majestic trading vessel of Dawnstarian craftsmanship, the city is well-known as a maritime trading hub. Special facilities have also been created to host fishing derbies in the future – these are spur-of-the-moment contests we have to see who can fish the best loot in a short period of time, and they are a blast! Also seen are the walls of Gallen; the city sports a commanding view.
I am Guildmaster of the Merchant's Guild, an organization dedicated to fostering trade in Hermertia. The role of the Guild encompasses both the spread and the direct facilitation of trade: our current projects include the establishment of Trading Posts in major cities across the Empire and looking into collaborating with other realms to establish a pack-mule trans-nether delivery convoy. Gallen is home to the main hall of the Guild. Said Hall is in the foreground; the deep black of the polished andesite used in its construction contrasts with the gleaming white that makes up the walls of the rest of the buildings in Gallen's Commercial District.
There is much too much impressive architecture on the part of Liserett in Chester-le-Ford to give a full representation here; that said, here is a shot of part of that city's famous stables, while the city's cherry-blossom garden of peace is visible in the background.
And, last but not least, the nether lines. In a world 82 thousand blocks wide, the great realms of the Empire are connected by vast nether lines that render travel through that hellish dimension safe. Each realm generally brings their own unique aesthetic to the lines that pass through their area; I have Liserett to thank for the lovely and varied architecture of the Wysterian nether that connects all major cities and towns for easy access.
Lastly, I'll point you to the
Imperial Archives section on Wysteria: this collection of forums contains Wysterian news, files on our history and lore, and short stories that shed a light on our internal dynamics.
If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to shoot me a pm with questions or post them here! Good luck in choosing, and I look forward to welcoming you to Hermertia.
I promise you should you choose me as your liege I'll be nothing but giving, helpful, and a huge jokester. I wish you the best no matter your choice and I can't wait to see you at some point in your journey, good luck!