Socotra

The Socotran flag

Socotra's claimed territory

**Socotra**was a faction that existed during the Beta Test. It was created on Beta Day 5 by JackWabbit. It was located on the island of Socotra, between the coasts of southern Arabia and eastern Africa.

Like its real-life equivalent, Socotra enjoyed natural biodiversity (primarily in the form of various kinds of tree), and a peaceful lifestyle. The island was open to tourists and new residents, as long as they were able to follow the faction's few rules as detailed on the bulletin board.

Socotra's primary exports were melon and lapis lazuli, and its primary imports were string and leather.

## Attractions

* Acacia Grove: A small acacia forest, which later grew to include other kinds of tree.
* Animals: Several chickens and a single sheep, providing a supply of eggs and wool.
* Bulletin Board: A board welcoming visitors to the island, and providing rules and instructions for anyone wishing to become a resident.
* Guardafui Causeway and Aden Causeway: Two cobblestone bridges connecting Socotra to mainland Africa and Arabia.
* Jade's House: The island's only house, belonging to JackWabbit. Constructed primarily from native Socotran sandstone, acacia wood, and glass (and some imported North African terracotta), the house boasted a unique and cozy architectural style. It also contained the island's crafting table, furnace, anvil, bed, and enchanting table.
* Monument of Appreciation: A polished granite statue in the shape of a heart, built to commemorate the assistance provided by JoshA20 and PerDeliquium after the Day 6 Disaster (see History).
* Sugar Coast: The island's south coast, devoted entirely to the growing of sugar cane.
* The S U M P T U O U S Wheat Field: A field of wheat, noted for its grand abundance.

## Goals

Socotra's goals were:

* Gaining more members and claiming the rest of the island.
* Staying out of any conflicts.
* Finding and introducing cows to the island.

## History

### Beta Test

#### Beta Day 5

Socotra was established by JackWabbit. The first acacia trees were planted, and work started on Jade's House. The house's construction would take up the majority of the day.

Once the maximum of 10 chunks of land was claimed, small farms were developed, which would later become Cactusville, Sugar Coast, and the S U M P T U O U S Wheat Field. The Bulletin Board was also built, opening a way for interested players to become legal residents of the island.

#### Beta Day 6

Day 6 started with the greatest disaster in Socotra's recorded history. For entirely unknown reasons, the faction known as Police declared war on Socotra, and arrived to kill the sole resident and steal their items. Due to the lack of items, very little progress was made on that day, besides the gradual expansion of Sugar Coast and the Wheat Field.

Later in the day, the offenders were banned, and Socotra received compensation from JoshA20 (a developer) and PerDeliquium (East China). This resulted in Socotra allying with East China, and the construction of the Monument of Appreciation.

After receiving new items, Socotra thrived, incorporating new trees and crops into the island's ecosystem.

#### Beta Day 7

Socotra did not participate in the Battle for Stal.

Day 7 was a day of productivity for Socotra. Once enough iron was mined, an anvil was created, adding to the island's growing list of amenities. The island also welcomed its first animals: some chickens, spawned from eggs generously donated by funnerisbetter (East China). Later, two bridges were built, connecting Socotra to the African and Arabian mainlands. These were christened the Guardafui Causeway and Aden Causeway.

During the construction, Socotra exported melons to several players, and received various goods in exchange. This allowed for the crafting of a bed, an enchanting table, a fishing rod, and a banner to display the Socotran flag.

#### Beta Day 8

On Day 8, Socotra launched an expedition to South America in search of animals. This was ultimately unsuccessful, but potatoes and pumpkins were discovered, and added to Socotra's list of cultivated crops.

A later expedition to North America was more successful- a single sheep was located in the central United States. After a long and arduous journey to the Pacific coast, the sheep was transported to Socotra by boat, and named Joaquin Phoenix.

The nation's excess lapis supply was donated to the Concrete Empire, to assist in their presumed goal of covering France in concrete.

#### Beta Day 9

By Day 9, Socotra found itself confronted with the issue of running out of space. To solve this problem, several farms were moved underground, including Cactusville. Due to their size and cultural importance, the Wheat Field and Sugar Coast were kept on the surface.

For unknown reasons, the alliance with East China was dissolved, returning the factions to a neutral state of relations.

#### Beta Day 10

On Day 10, a small pier was constructed for the purpose of fishing. After some time, a Mending rod was obtained, making Socotra's fishing industry an infinitely sustainable food source.

Socotra donated a great deal of materials and labor to the construction of The Great Gamer Blanket.

#### Beta Day 11

Nothing of significance was achieved by Socotra on Day 11, due to the faction's sole member not being online. However, during this time, an unknown person or group sunk the neighbouring islands of Darsah, Samhah, and Abd al Kuri. Despite Socotra's assertion of unofficial sovereignty over the islands (in the form of signs), no counteraction was taken, due to their small size and general unimportance.

#### Beta Day 12

In commemoration of the beta test's final day, the messages on the bulletin board were changed, and Joaquin Phoenix was freed from his confinement. Socotra's population participated in the fights against Ender Dragons and Withers, and was present for the server's final moments.

### Post-Beta

With the conclusion of the beta test, Socotra entered a period of indefinite inactivity.

## Relations

#### Friendly (trade connections)

* walter (Day 10 - Day 12)
* CIS (Day 10 - Day 12)
* Artralyx (Day 10 - Day 12)
* Concrete Empire (Day 10 - Day 12)

## Trivia

* Though the real-life Socotra is part of the nation of Yemen, the faction of Socotra was independent.
* The Socotran flag is composed of a blue stripe (representing the surrounding ocean), a white stripe (representing peace) that contains the island's outline, and an orange stripe (representing the acacia tree, Socotra's most abundant plant life).
* Parts of the island were not officially claimed by Socotra, due to the limit on how much land a player can claim. Despite this, the entire island, its neighbouring archipelago (Darsah, Samhah, and Abd al Kuri), and the two bridges were unofficially claimed as Socotran territory.
* Socotra was an extremely isolated faction. Until Operation World Storm, the nearest claimed land belonged to Blizziran, located roughly 1000 blocks away, and the nearest warp was Mt. Sinai, located roughly 1600 blocks away.

## Gallery

Socotra's Bulletin Board, containing rules and announcements.Jade's House, the pinnacle of Socotran architecture.Some of Socotra's native flora: trees and cacti.Some prominent Socotran landmarks: the Wheat Field and the Monument of Appreciation.Socotra's location in the wider geographic region.The Socotran flag, displayed on a banner.Joaquin Phoenix, the National WoolgiverThe last image of Socotra, taken mere seconds before the server closed.