Minoc

From MoongatesWiki

Contents 1 Towns 2 History of Minoc 2.1 The Moongate Wars 2.2 The Minoc Campaign 2.3 The Border Wars 3 See also Towns Britain Buccaneer's Den Cove Jhelom Haven Magincia Moonglow Minoc Occlo Skara Brae Trinsic Vesper Wind Yew

Minoc is found in the northeastern region of the realm, nestled within the mountains. Although initially a community of artisans and gadgeteers, recently-discovered precious ores have turned it into a mining town. Minoc is essentially a rough-and-tumble frontier mining town. Furs are common, given the cold climate.

The Gadgeteers Guild is located in Minoc in order to provide easy access to the materials they need: the metals and ores, and the raw lumber. Minoc produces most of the raw materials such as ore and lumber for Britain, Magincia, and Vesper. Its inventors and gadgeteers design many of the nifty things found on sale in Vesper, but manufacture of these things tends to be moved to Vesper after the initial design is done here, in order to have quicker access to the marketplace.

History of Minoc

Throughout the loyalist-rebel conflict, Minoc has played a significant part in the feuds, battles, and politics of Sosaria. Ever since the War of the Crown of Thorns the township of Minoc has been considered a vital strategic point in the north of Britannia. With the city of Vesper newly independent, Robert Dart would be commissioned by the Great Council to ensure a stable source of "Royal" authority in the region. Although a military man of peasant stock, he would take the title and graces of Baron, establishing himself as despot in a town traditionally governed by public assembly. The Britannia Guards played an essential part in reclaiming Minoc and Cove as crown cities, and – along with Dart's militia and the Knights Templar – acted as the town's standing guardforce during those turbulent times.

The Moongate Wars

See also: Moongate Wars

The outbreak of the Moongate Wars – named for the disturbance and eventual collapse of the local moongate, which triggered the conflict – saw Minoc host once again to the armies of Sosaria. A series of strange events followed the portal's ruin, as the leader of the Britannia Guards Cardinal Brown Moses found himself charged with the murder of Captain Igneous Neo and treason against Robert Dart. After months of feuding, backstabbing, murder and stalled trials, the Cardinal would be revealed – thanks to Cal Soulshadow of the Darkcloaks and Captain Ruadnit Troi of the Rangers – as an imposter, with the true Brown Moses held captive in some manner of inter-dimensional dungeon. The situation escalated as the sorcerors of Vesper performed a magical ritual in an attempt to restore the moongate. Vesper then formed an alliance with the Knights and Mages of Kha, the Army of Kaldor, and the Vesper Trading Company; significantly outnumbering the Barony and its royalist supporters. After a round of frantic battles the Vesperian allies would promptly announce the annexation of Minoc into the Republic. Taking refuge in the wilds, the surviving royalists called for reinforcements. The Duchy of Trinsic and the Fellowship for Light answered the plea. Under the command of the restored Cardinal Moses the combined loyalist forces renewed the campaign against Vesper. Despite their best efforts and doubled size the loyalist alliance failed to retake Minoc, leaving it firmly in the rebels' grasp. Not long afterwards the moongate began to funciton normally, though it remains a source of much debate as to how this came about. No longer cut off from the rest of Britannia and easily reached from all corners of the land, Minoc became something of a liability for Vesper, as they lacked the means to hold it in the event of another war. The Republic's Militia gradually withdrew to their neighbouring hometown, leaving the Britannia Guard and Barony of Minoc to clean up in the battle's wake. Despite winning by technicality, the loyalists would ultimately lose out, as Baron Dart would soon dissappear only to be replaced by a wealthy merchant with a pro-Vesperian agenda.

The Minoc Campaign

See also: The Minoc Campaign

When the Nujel'mid magnate Jhalabar Xho came into power and carried Minoc from the royal camp and into allignment with Vesper, the town found itself set on a course of bloodshed and brutality. For years to come the powers of Britannia would squabble for control in the area. Few regimes lasted more than a couple of months, though the Republic's patronage and defence remained constant. During the The Minoc Campaign the local citizenry were briefly returned to loyalist rule, though the combined forces of the Kingdom were eventually overwhelmed by the Northern Alliance of Vesper and Cove. The city would henceforth be held directly by Vesperian forces, officially annexed for a second time as West Vesper. This act of barefaced expansionism would be the cause of significant tension, not only with opposing loyalist forces – the Yewish Militia and Britannia Guard in particular – but also with their allies in Cove. Local citizens became increasingly disgruntled with direct rule from Vesper, with some even pitching in on the short-lived northlands declaration. As his last act as Lord Protector of Yew, Klion D'Gar began a rapid campaign of reconquest, rallying both the Britannia Guards and the newly formed County of Skara Brae to victory, securing the town under Yewish occupation.

The Border Wars

See also: The Border Wars

Though Minoc had been returned to the royalist fold it remained hemmed in by the Vesperian Northern Wilds to the east and the Covian Crimson Plains to the west. Furthermore, both its moongate and main road were firmly under rebel control. Thusly surrounded and with its borders uncertain, a fresh round of fighting seemed innevitable.

See also

• Barony of Minoc