Minoc
From MoongatesWiki
TownsBritain |
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
Ever since the loyalist-rebel conflict began, Minoc has played a significant part in the feuds, battles, and politics of Sosaria. Ever since the first Crown of Thorns wars, Minoc has been considered a vital strategic point in northern Britannia, much due to its position as the leading industrial centre of the realm. Baron Robert Dart was issued by the Great Council to ensure the first loyalist presence in the north since Vesper's declaration of independence, as a result of the royalists recent success in reclaiming the northern lands as part of the Kingdom. The Britannia Guards played an essential part in reclaiming Minoc and Cove as crown cities, and acted as the town's standing guard in these turbulent times.
Moongates wars
See also: Moongates wars
During the Moongates wars, Minoc was again the centre of Sosaria's attention, as the moongate to the town became unstable and unusable. A series of strange events follows, as the leader of the King's Guard, Cardinal Brown Moses is convicted for the murder of the Captain of the Guard, Igneous Neo, and for treason against Robert Dart. Over months of feuds, backstabbings, murders and trails, it was revealed, much thanks to Cal Soulshadow of the Darkcloaks and Ruadnit Troi, Captain of the Rangers, that Brown Moses was an imposter, and that the good Brown Moses had been kept captive in some sort of magical maze. The situation escalated as the Vesper Militia performs a magical ritual in an attempt to restore the moongate, leaving Minoc. Vesper then formed an alliance with the Knights and Mages of Kha, the Army of Kaldor and the Vesper Trading Company, outnumbering the Britannia Guards and the Barony of Minoc. Minoc was then claimed by the Vesper Militia as a part of Vesper, as the royalists called for reinforcements from allies. The Duchy of Trinsic and the FFL answer their call, and under the command of Cardinal Moses, they launch what is later to be known as the second great war on Vesper. The royalists lost, however, and Minoc remained in the rebel hands. Not longer after, the moongate starts operating normally. It is still not known what caused them to start working so suddenly. No longer cut off from the rest of Britannia, Minoc becomes a liability for Vesper, and they return to their hometown, leaving the Guard and the Barony of Minoc to deal with the damage left behind.
The Minoc Campaign
When the southern magnate Jalabhar Xho came into power as Minoc's first rebel Baron, the city 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, with few regimes lasting more than a couple of months. After the Mooogate wars, Vesper ruled the town and its surrounding lands through an appointed despot. During the battle for Minoc the local citizenry were briefly under loyalist rule, though their combined forces were eventually overwhelmed by the so-called Northern Alliance of Vesper and Cove many years later. The city has since been held directly by Vesperian forces, annexed into their territory as West Vesper. This act of evident expansionism is the cause of significant tension, not only with opposing loyalist forces, the Yew Militia and the Britannia Guards in particular, but also with their fellow rebels in Cove. Local citizens are increasingly disgruntled with direct rule from Vesper, with some even pitching in on the northlands declaration.
