District 4

### Early History:

In 1722, the Capital established a multiple large pontoons in the Southern River, about 2 mile downstream from the District. The main purpose of these pontoons was to build and maintain warships for the Capital Armada. The pontoon produced a total of 7 warships for the Capital's fleet, before a fire broke out in April 1726. The blaze burned for 1 week, with 1,000 miners from Jafradeen (now District 1) sent in to assist soldiers in putting out the fire. The fire left the pontoons completely destroyed, also sinking and damaging 6 ships that were docked there.

In 1727, it was decided that a new dock was needed. With the Capital's ships falling into disrepair, a solution was needed quickly.

In 1728, the region of Solero was chosen for the establishment of Naval Operations Command of the newly formed Coristrian Navy. A new dockyard was constructed and settlements were built for workers. By 1730, the first ship CN Elverado became the first ship to be produced by the docks, with her keel being laid in March 1730. The ship was complete and launched by January 1731.

Solero was quickly renowned for it's high quality and expertly built vessels. The newly formed Coristrian Navy was largely made up of outdated ships from the Armada. The new Solerion ships outmatched them considerably.

By 1760, the region expanded to building civilian ships, primarily for shipping Companies. The Blue Star Line was based in the district. It's world famous Olympic-Class Liners were constructed in the dockyards of district 4. The company was dissolved in 1990, and only 3 of its ships survive to this day.

In 1800, the first governor, Diego Sisaldo, was appointed. His experience on the docks allowed him to empathise with workers, and rule fairly.

In 1810, Solero was formed into District 4, along with four other Districts. This was opposed by the general population, who to this day still call the area Solero.

In 1836, a munitions depot caught fire, causing multiple stores of shells and explosives to detonate, killing 10 people.

Between 1840 - 1870, the District was the richest District, excluding the Capital.

In 1872, a harsh winter lead to the Christmas Freeze of 1872. Temperatures dropped to a consistent level of -2°c. This froze most of the dockyards, and prevented ships from entering the harbour. over 200 men volunteered to join 'icebreaker teams', which used flames and lamps to try and thaw the ice. This was discouraged by local governments and the navy, both of whom insisted the small fleet of icebreakers were more than capable of dealing with the situation. Over 20 men from 'icebreaker teams' died on the icefields.

### Modern History:

Following a territorial dispute in 1922, in which District 1 claimed one of the waterways District 4 used for trade, a small conflict began between District 4 and 1. The war lasted for 11 months, between March 1922 and February 1923. The war claimed 900 lives, and saw infrequent fighting, mostly conducted through small raids. As a result, the Capital heavily sanctioned both Districts.

District 4 held a mistrust of District 1 following the war, and refused to trade with them. In 1924, the Solero Mines opened, so District 4 could operate independently from District 1. Relations have healed over the last century, but District 4 still does not conduct much diplomacy with District 1.

In 1940, District 4 was hit by a small measles epidemic, which killed 200 people.

in 1980, the District 4 - District 2 railway was built, linking the two for trade.

in 2003, leaked documents from the Capital outlined plans to axe District 4 from the nation. the plans would incorporate District 4 into several other bordering districts , claiming it was "no longer a valuable asset". This caused violent protests across the District. In 2004, the Ministry for District Affairs stated "Any plans to dissolve district 4 have not been, and will not be, taken forward".

### Conflicts:

* **The River Skirmish (1812)** - Naval vessels from Districts 1 fired on ships from District 3 and 4, following trade disputes
* **The War of 1922 (1922-1923)** - Following territorial disputes, District 1 and 4 fought a 1 year conflict, with infrequent fighting and a low death toll.

### Culture:

The people of District 4 are very proud of their maritime heritage. The population is made of of fishers, shipbuilders, keelayers, ropemakers, ship crew, dockworkers and icebreakers. In the winter much of the lakes become ice-topped, this leads to the employment of around 700 people annually to go out on icebreaker ships and create pathways for ships to navigate the icefields. The icefields also provide economic opportunity, as anyone with a license can sell ice from the icefields to other districts.

Traditional food in District 4 includes fish & chips, roast chicken dinner, cottage pie and corned beef pie.

Christmas is seen as a highly important tradition in District 4, with streets and houses decorated and Christmas trees in all communities.

### Employment:

District 4 does accept unemployed people from District 10, but they must pass a fitness test to ensure they are able-bodied enough to work on the docks.