History 20: The Apex Time Bomb

This is History #20, and as such it should go off with a bit of Alternative history. If something happened, but hasn't effected the World we're on now, is it still history? Well that's up for debate, yet this story will still be told. The Fourth Age had more players join than most Realms have ever had over their lifetimes. 500 players joined, leaving their mark in some way. It was the Age of reckless behavior and destruction. Many builds were laid to waste through many different means.

Some made their name in this Age, and others were lost to its History. Some were destroyers of the World like Xaasty and The White Rose; others were saviors of the people like Salmon and Solo. Some just liked building like Quadrangle01 and Oregon. In any event, they all knew the Fifth Age was inevitable. The world was changing in a much better way. Spawn relief efforts were underway and the Realm was reaching capacity far too often. It was a true revolution, the likes of which were never expected to happen. The World needed stability and so it came.

The official Mercian Server opened on December 9th, 2019 to much success. The initial day saw 17 players online, surpassing the previous limit of 11. The Server cap was set to 45 and, with the Lag virtually removed overnight, expansion began. It seemed to truly be the next Age of Mercia realized. Aůka was officially released shortly after the Server went online and Mini-Games were being released without fear of adding too much lag. Taurinum was released shortly thereafter, along with the First Quest of the "Fifth Age". The Imperial City was also officially completed during this time. The World reinvigorated player retention, though with a few troubles with Recruiting. Recruiting for the Server was difficult but aside from that setback, it seemed the World would continue to grow.Boy, were we wrong.

On January 5th 2020, the unthinkable happened. Due to a previous mixup with the subscription, Apex had deleted the Server in it's entirety, reverting us back to the day it started. One whole month of work was lost, bases were destroyed, cities laid to waste. Players were demoralized and, it was thought, this would be the official end of Mercia. Players expressed disappointment and loss of interest, but these weren't normal Minecraft players.

These were Mercians.

These were players who gave their blood, sweat, and tears to a Realm they've called home for Months and the community was not going to let this die. Not this way. Through a community decision, we reopened the Realm and brought back the Fourth Age. Despite it being destroyed yet again, we all gained the confidence to once again venture into the Fifth Age. Wardens were introduced and building efforts began throughout the world. The influx of new players from an easier recruiting method allowed for massive expansion, overshadowing even the Server. It took months to get back to this point, but Mercians have the determination to get anything done.

We're now in a much better position. Much more cautious, much more knowledgeable, much more adaptable. We can take on any challenge Mojang or anything else throws our way and stand tall. If you're reading this, you too are a Mercian, regardless of your join date. The Time Bomb, as it's now called, nearly ended us. It's a sad and unfortunate series of events, but we've managed to come out stronger on the other side. I know I've mention this many times throughout this story, but I'll say it again.

Mercia will always stand tall.