Tetrapolis

The Tetrapolis is the name given to a grouping of three cities on WikiCraft 5.0.
Meaning Four Cities in ancient Greek, the Tetrapolis currently includes Kalimor, Kassôn, and Skyhold. The fourth city, Somel, no longer exists on WikiCraft 5.0 but continues to be honoured in the Tetrapolis name.
The cities making up the Tetrapolis (including the now-defunct Somel) were founded in WikiCraft 4.0 and have previously been referred to collectively as the Tri-Cities or simply the WC4 Towns. On 28 June 2023, the three cities of the Tetrapolis were ported on to WikiCraft 5.0, thus for the first time existing in the same world as other major WikiCraft cities such as Dreiton and Haggstrom. The Tetrapolis and its immediate vicinities constituted a new continent on the WC5 landscape, unofficially called Tetrapolitania (Land of the Four Cities).
== Cities of the Tetrapolis ==
=== Kalimor ===
Nestled between thick oak forests, rolling fields, and a tranquil freshwater swamp, Kalimor is widely considered the "First City" of the Tetrapolis, both due to its early date of founding and its location adjacent to the original world spawn. Constructed primarily from cobblestone and dark oak wood gathered from the nearby forest, the town is renowned in the Tetrapolis for its bucolic charm, verdant streets, and quaint village feel (despite its actual large size).
Originally called Kokomo, Kalimor was founded on 14 June 2020 - the same day as WikiCraft 4.0's opening, thus making Kalimor the earliest of the WC4 cities. The city was founded by MC_Zoomer when he built a provisional survival structure (the "Shit Shack") in an area of open field close to the world's spawn. Within just a few hours after its founding, Kalimor also encompassed a farm, multiple homes, and a public workshop. In its first few days, other WikiCraft users such as Cannonwalker and Meiji_1868 temporarily resided in the town before moving on to found other settlements. Marc_Warfury and TsarGar also resided in and contributed structures to the fledling town; the former would remain and be a long-time resident, and the latter relocated to other parts of the Tetrapolis whilst continuing to periodically revisit Kalimor.
At WC4's close on 2 August 2021, Kalimor was a large-sized town featuring several impressive builds by MC_Zoomer including an inn, apothecary, stables, a tourism office, multiple resource facilities (including an autofarm), and a fishermen's district. The town also featured as a stop on the original Tetrapolis Metro, and is today connects the Tetrapolis with the Boneyard, the final stop on the Intercontinental Rail System. Throughout its storied history Kalimor has held a friendly rivalry with Kassôn, and also held the most influence over nearby Somel.
A resurgence in development in Kalimor occurred with the Tetrapolis's introduction into WikiCraft 5.0, first as a separate world in the Multiverse Update on 12 September 2022, then as a new continent in the WC5 world on 28 June 2023. New additions included a library/museum, clinic, public gardens, windmill, and an intricate labyrinthine dungeon discoverable beneath the town's well. It was also during this new era that the town name was officially switched from Kokomo to Kalimor.
=== Kassôn ===
Geographically the largest city in the Tetrapolis (and indeed in all of WikiCraft 5.0), Kassôn is also the Tetrapolis's youngest and most upstart. Situated in the deserts beyond the swamps and rivers of Kalimor, and within close view of the mountains of Skyhold, Kassôn overcame its delayed early development and is today a city of monuments and wonders.
Kassôn (pronounced with a stress on the first syllable and a French nasal sound on the second: KAH-sowh) was founded on 18 June 2020, only four days after the opening of WC4, but late compared to the earlier settlements of Kalimor and Skyhold. The city was established on the site of a razed desert village by former Kalimor resident Meiji_1868, who first conceived the notion of a large, walled city sitting in the desert wastes at the world spawn's periphery. Meiji_1868 set about constructing the walls first, creating an impressive square of ramparts encompassing a vast area. Following this, further development of Kassôn stalled for several weeks until the arrival of TsarGar.
With TsarGar as the chief architect and Meiji_1868 serving as the city's visionary, infrastructural expert, and securer of resources, a partnership was formed and Kassôn grew in leaps and bounds. Early on the two decided that the city would be divided into two main sectors: the "Old Town", consisting of smaller, rougher, more traditional structures built from simple materials, and the "New Town", featuring larger, more ornate buildings. This division continues to give the city its dual character, though the Old Town, long the nucleus of Kassôn, has been vastly outgrown by the ever-expanding New Town. The town featured as a stop on the Tetropolis Metro, and is today part of the Intercontinental Rail System, connecting the Tetrapolis with the Colossus.
With the re-introduction of Kassôn to WikiCraft 5.0, progress on the city's development has exploded, and continues to this day. Notable landmarks of Kassôn include the Great Bazaar, the Military Quarter, the public baths, the pleasure gardens, three places of worship, the Grand Canal, a history museum, and the recently completed Parliamentary Palace.
=== Skyhold ===
The "Dark Horse of the Tetrapolis", Skyhold is significantly smaller than Kalimor and Kassôn, but is just as storied and brimming with curiosities. Situated on (and in) the snow-capped mountains looming high over its neighbours to north and west, rough and rocky Skyhold was actually the most populous settlement in the Tetrapolis at its peak.
Borrowing the name of a city from the aborted Desistance server, Skyhold was founded by Ned_Edgewalker on 15 June 2020 - the day after the opening of WikiCraft 4.0. Ned_Edgewalker departed from the original settlement of Kalimor seeking to carve out (quite literally) his own community in the mountains overlooking the fledgling town. Having built his homestead into the side of the tallest peak, he thus christened the server's second town, and was soon joined there by Cannonwalker. Shortly thereafter TsarGar would join the duo, constructing an underground "Templar lair" connected to Ned_Edgewalker's original homestead. This lair would serve as TsarGar's primary residence for the entire span of WC4, despite his primary involvement with Kasson.
Over time, attempts to develop Skyhold into a city on par with its neighbours came to naught; the remnants of a half-completed wooden edifice intended to be the cornerstone of a medieval village can still be seen in the stony valley near the homestead. As its inhabitants turned their focuses elsewhere, new life was unexpectedly breathed into the town with the arrival of Rosellefeng in September 2020. In a stark departure from the quaint and modest style of Skyhold, Rosellefeng arrived at an undeveloped area overlooking the desert of Kassôn and constructed the Hotel - a massive, multi-faceted complex hewn into the side of one of Skyhold's lofty summits. At the time, it was the largest standalone structure in all of the Tetrapolis, and brought renewed interest to an otherwise stagnant Skyhold.
Since Skyhold's re-introduction to WikiCraft 5.0, no new developments have been made in the town. In this way the lofty settlement has served as a sort of time capsule, preserving the living history of the Tetrapolis and acting as a monument to its original charm and grandeur. Like Kalimor and Kassôn, Skyhold is currently served by the Intercontinental Rail System.
=== Somel ===
Also known as Byblos for much of its history, Somel was once included in the Tetrapolis but is now defunct. Having once straddled the border between the woodlands near Kalimor and the desert of Kassôn, Somel played an important, often contetious role in the history of the Tetrapolis.
Unlike the other cities of the Tetrapolis, which were all founded from nothing by the early inhabitants of WikiCraft 4.0, Somel was a pre-existing village nestled on the edge of the Tri-Cities. First discovered by Kalimori explorers (likely MC_Zoomer) around 14-15 June 2020, Somel's role as a sizeable settlement within close proximity to the fledgling town made it an early and obvious source of wealth and resources; it did not take long for early settlers from all emerging cities to initiate trade with the village and to take an active interest in its welfare. One such settler was Rosellefeng, who fortified the village by encircling it with the famous Walls of Somel. The walls, coupled with the nearby pillager outpost, made Somel an ideal location for adventurers to conduct raids, thus improving trade with the villagers in exchange for continued protection.
Not before long, though, did Somel become a point of rising tensions between the regional powers of the Tetrapolis. Though nominally part of the Kalimori sphere of influence, Somel continued to be developed and fortified by Rosellefeng - then a citizen of Skyhold. This vying for suzerainty ultimately resulted in open conflict between Kalimor and theirs ally Kassôn - who sought greater influence in the village due to its high population of clerics - on the one hand, and the Skyhold-Somel union on the other. Eventually the war ended in a stalemate with both sides reaching a compromise: the Kalimori would remain nominal overlords of the village, the Kassônians relocated several Somel clerics to their city (where they remain to this day), and Rosellefeng was permitted to continue developing the village from within. Among her many impressive builds in Somel was an (unfinished) castle that was, at the time, one of the largest structures in the world.
Though Somel was ported alongside the rest of the WC4 world to the WikiCraft 5.0 Multiverse, it unfortunately ceased to exist with the 28 June 2023 transfer of the Tetrapolis to the WC5 world proper. Despite the village now being extinct, it continues to be honoured in the ongoing usage of the name "Tetrapolis".
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