Arka

A community and safety-oriented empire controlled by a monarchy.

## Goals

The faction's goals included:

1. Obtaining large amounts of territory. Territory equals to materials, space for builds, farms, and greater control and respect.
2. A well constructed world. The Empire will consist of many cities, along with the Heart of the Empire. These cities will be connected with well constructed roads, outposts with guards, and safety for travelers. All the cities will be surrounded by engineered walls to defend all Citizens.
3. A balanced and flourishing economy. The Empire will be built on trade and commerce, in order to strengthen it's core, and to support it's people.
4. A safe and rewarding community. Crime will be kept regulated along with fair trial and punishment. Those who contribute to the Empire will be rewarded.
5. Peace and prosperity. The Empire will be a safe haven for many refugees who seek shelter from the dangers of the outside world. It is the Empire's job to accommodate for these new people.

## History

### Intro

The majority of the history is written in a first person format from the perspective of CaptainArgus, the emperor of the empire.

### Pre-Server Era

Arka was started as a small faction that was formed relatively late in the pre-server period. The discord was originally developed by CaptainArgus (Argus#7560), and had a very specific political structure.

### Early plans

Upon the creation of the discord, a single member joined at the start (FatalPopcorn), but after a bit more advertising we grew to 25+ members (which was the official minimum member limit in the Factions Assembly discord). After a long few weeks of planning before the server opened, we decided that most of our plans were ready. We would have one team work on setting up the starter camp, while one team rushed to the end to obtain end loot.

As soon as the beta opened, I (CaptainArgus) was able to log on and sat in the sealed queue room for a couple hours while waiting. This gave me convenient pickup priority, because MagicGum began dropping a few items. These items included 3 saplings, two of which I grabbed. Magic deemed the saplings holy, and commanded us to grow them at the heart of our nations. A few days later when the server finally opened, the chaotic beginning full of lag, bugs, and assorted insanity divided us for several days before we could finally get a footing. The original end expedition failed after many members died or gave up due to invisible damage sources from the lag.

### The Mountain Base

After looking for a good base spot, the team settled on a square range of mountains, about 80 blocks in diameter, that we would call our temporary base. Here, we built a quaint village surrounded by towering brick walls and a nearly 30 block tall front gate. The spot was very secluded and we felt safe, so we decided to begin expanding from there.

The base was increased to a few small farms, more fortified walls, and custom terrain where the natural terrain was too rough.

We later discovered that on the other side of the mountain just 200 blocks away another team had settled who were peaceful but did not know our location yet. 2-3 days later we found their village burnt to the ground and riddled with craters.

Soon after we found much of our base ruined - griefed by xrayers who had found our valuables chest and stolen its contents.

### The End Portal

Not too long after the start of the server, Arka was given a claim block by MagicGum (who also spawned several cows inside our now raided farms).The council all voted in favor of placing the claim block in the center of our town, but knowing that the coordinates had been found by griefers I took a much bolder move.

A small expedition of guards, scouts, and the emperor went to the only end portal in the world to find that the end had been claimed by KOTE. However, the overworld portal was still unclaimed, so the claim block was placed directly beneath the portal at bedrock level.

Soon after, uprage spread between many nations towards Arka, especially KOTE, that we had taken the only end portal. I announced clearly that it was not my intention to limit traffic to the portal in any way, but to simply use it as a base location and eventually build a hub around it. This claim however did not stop people from sending every mercenary, soldier, and bounty hunter after us that they could.

### The Build Phase

When initially arriving at the end portal, it had already been turned into a hellscape of random blocks resembling 2b2t spawn by the many people who had come through before. Myself and some builders began the long task of clearing out the whole mess in a large square around the portal to make room for a build I had designed. This was met with several complications:

* As the area expanded, we had to repeatedly move our “base” towards the edges of the claim. This base (which was built into the walls of the portal space we had dug out eventually was compressed into thin hallways with efficiently stacked storage/crafting units in the walls. No images of this base have survived sadly.
* Constant traffic to the end portal meant we needed to build a system of platforms around the portal in order to make sure no bystanders were trapped in the holes we had dug.
* Wave after wave of players with deadly intent. Either unorganized raiders or angered teams made several attempts on my life and the other citizens. Almost all of these attacks ended in failure on the attackers part, since we had learned to build emergency bunkers in all the walls and airlocks to prevent people making it through the doors. (These bunkers were later found to be easily penetrable by enemies, and were changed, but not until a devastating raid)

To the right is a depiction of what the early base looked like, right after the materials were dug out but the build hadn’t been started.

Eventually, after digging, collecting build materials, and building for days, the hub was completed. There aren’t many images left of the build, but there is a video by ClownPierce when he toured the portal (now set to private on the channel, but here is the link anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPpRNh0s8lE). Here is one image I could find of a singleplayer prototype build (the design was slightly changed when built on the server). The final build had a walkway in all four cardinal directions, a door surrounded by glass on the eastern wall that led to the base, and a grand entrance staircase that led to the surface.

### Inside Job

The Arka claim was only open to a select few people who were trusted enough to access our chests and resources. One of these chests was a head collection of all our slain enemies, including bandits, murderers, and attempted assasins that had come for us before. The head collection was very prized, but it was not kept for long.

After announcing that Arka owned the only end portal, the size of the nation increased exponentially. Our numbers went from less than 50 to over 200 in a matter of days, landing us the title of third largest faction, just behind Nexus empire and KOTE. As more and more people wanted to join the empire, the claim had to be opened to a far greater number of people. This caused the limited admin team to perform fewer and fewer background checks on people because it was a very time consuming process. One player that was almost entirely overlooked caused a large amount of havoc. This player's name will be omitted since they later confessed they committed the actions they did for clout. As such, they will be referred to as "Traitor" for the rest of this section.

Traitor was just another player who had signed up for the job of scout, but had much more sinister intentions. Upon being added to the claim, he waited for most of the base to clear out and raided everything. They ended up stealing most of our valuable resources and the entirety of the head collection, running away with it all and becoming extremely toxic.

This led to a global manhunt as Traitor was tracked down for their crimes. Using footage from their youtube channel covering the event, they were located by the Scout Leader and publicly executed by Mig (now the Lord Commander). The valuables were returned to the base and Traitor' head was displayed in the center of the base as a warning to potential future traitors. Unfortunately, the head collection was never recovered, likely destroyed or lost in Traitor' enderchest who quit soon after.

### The Watchers Raid

This event was held significant for how extreme the loss of life was. On an unknown day during the build process of the end portal, several members were inside of the base working on farms, their gear, builds, and more. Suddenly, KOTE members were seen descending the maintenance ladder that led to the portal, fully equipped in maxed gear. Many of the members inside of the base did not wear armor, or some combination of diamond/iron since we felt safe in our claim with the option of bunkers. However, the attack was swift and silent. I was the first person to see them coming down, and darted to a nearby farm room blocking off the entrance right as the raiders came in. I watched as they killed a person who was running through the airlock to the main base, exposing every player who was inside. The 7 raiders flooded in and killed every last player, leaving only me alive who had run to the other side of the base.

As the last player was killed, ClownPierce descended the ladder, and noticing I was still alive, the rest of the raiders and him began attempting to attack me. They began by trying to chorus fruit into the room I was in, succeeding after a few attempts. Luckily, I heard the sounds and had tunneled myself into the walls, where I stayed till the end of the raid.

The aftermath was 6+ dead members and a clear declaration of hostility from The Watchers.

### The Completion of Our Final Home

With the completion of the portal build being open to all, we continued work on greater infrastructure. A large wall was built on the surface near the perimeter of the claim, and farms as well as a battle arena were constructed. Underground, the base was expanded several levels to include a wide network of tunnels that led to the homes of our citizens. The tunnels were well decorated and furnished with personalized details on the outside, as well as custom houses for every player. This network was expanded to include more farms and a large villager breeder underground.

While we only got a few good villagers ourselves, a base containing more was located. While boating over the ocean to reach the raid farm, I saw out of the corner of my eye a small bubble column. This column led to a massive underground base with towering ceilings and expansive walls which seemed to have been abandoned. Inside were several villagers, including a mending villager (one of the rare few on the server), which was meticulously transported back into the heart of the claim. This base was discovered months after the closing of the server to have been built by WolfEclipse from the Syndicate.

### Rising Tensions

A few weeks after Arka claimed the portal, KOTE claimed that the portal had been sealed before them and they requested reparations - in the form of blood. The incident involved an unknown player fleeing KOTE attackers sealing the portal behind them as they ran to the end. This could be easily achieved since the portal was covered in 8 blocks and a trapdoor during the build phase to avoid accidentally falling in. The trapdoor was kept open for all visitors and could be opened with a nearby button in case it was accidentally closed. In this specific scenario though, the button was missing, and the person had closed the trapdoor behind them.

While this lasted less than a day before the portal was reopened, KOTE wanted revenge for “breaking our promise of never closing the portal.” I tried to reason that it had not been done on mine or the country’s behalf, they would not listen.

These increasing tensions and the growing fear of KOTE amongst other teams prompted the creation of the Union of Nations (I cannot remember the exact name any longer, I'll refer to the union by this name going forward). The Union was composed of a massive collection of teams who wished to overthrow KOTE due to their uncontrollable rise in power, especially after they had destroyed Nexus for good (which led to Arka becoming the second largest faction, peaking at 256 members).

The leader of this revolution announced the date and time to the people, and we prepared for the siege.

### The Battle That Never Happened

The date and time of the siege, every Arka member logged on and prepared themselves around the portal. A powerful force of around 20 people had assembled… but nearly every member was from Arka. The other nations in the Union had not shown up, leaving us weak. We decided that we were already there, and we would at least go down with a fight. So on my mark we all charged the end… only to find that the enemy army had assembled themselves at the capital of the Watchers, Athens, and not the home of KOTE. Knowing that our disorganized and small army could never take on an enemy team in their territory, we decided to reschedule the fight to the day after (a day that the Union organizer wanted to do instead.) (I received a lot of hate for doing this… even though it wasn't really my decision. None of the army had shown up, and I decided against taking what few people were there to a slaughter.)

### The End of Trapped SMP

Soon after, the Trapped player count steadily dropped towards 0, and there were no more major events in the history of Arka.

## Structure

### Laws

There was a law system in place that made clear rules on what was permitted within the nation.

Breaking the law multiple times resulted in the accumulation of warnings, which could lead to more severe punishments, including jail time in the nation’s prison.

Doing acts of good would reward citizens with renown, a value which could be used to gain benefits within the nation.

These laws were written before the full rules of the smp were known, so perma-death was assumed to be a feature and murder was treated as the ultimate crime. The laws listed here were only in effect inside of Empire territory (including but not limited to: within city walls/limits, on Empire-built roads, on Empire built nether highways, in Empire mining/excavation territories). Any and all peoples, both foreign and domestic, are subject to these laws when inside of these areas. Those found disobeying rules or breaking these laws would be punished according to Empire law.

List of laws

1. Murder is the greatest crime anyone can commit. Death results in permaban on the server, so those who commit murder, despite the reason, will be executed.
2. Stealing is the act of taking the valuable possessions of another individual or business. Those who steal will be given a warning have to return all stolen possessions 2 fold, and if they cannot pay, then they will be sent to the Empire prisons.
3. Griefing is the act of destroying a person's private property, or the surrounding area. This includes any property in the domain of the Empire, including roads, mines, farms, public and private buildings. The offender will be given 1 warning, and must either pay for all the damage 2 fold, or be sent to prison if the damage is severe enough.
4. Spreading of propaganda is illegal. Those who distribute fliers (written books, banners, named items, etc.) that support ideas that are against the Empire. The penalty is 1 warning.
5. Discrimination and bullying is not allowed. Those who aim to hurt or discriminate against any person on the server and are caught will be given a warning.
6. Inciting a riot. Riots and dangerous rallies are illegal, and will result in warnings for all present, as well as temporary imprisonment for violent rioters. Please note that peaceful protest is legal and can be exercised by all citizens.
7. Scamming. Scamming a person is described as taking part in a dishonest scheme to cheat another individual out of their possessions. Scammers will be given a warning, or jailed if it is a greater sum of money.
8. Ownership of land. To prove ownership of land, Citizens must own and provide a signed grant from the Emperor to officials in court. (There was a system in place to prove ownership of land. Within the city walls, the areas were divided into organized plots, marked by coordinates. Every plot had a deed in the form of a written book item so that they could not be forged.)
9. Raiding or aiding raiders is punishable. Those who conduct a raid on any allied or neutral factions, aid other raiders in doing so (providing gear, arms), or provide the necessary info for others (such as coordinates) intentionally will be punished with immediate banishment.

### Warnings

* Citizens may be warned for committing certain felonies, and these warnings can add up.
* Upon gaining 2 warnings, a Citizen will be sentenced to 3 real-life days in the Empire prison.
* Upon gaining 3 warnings, a Citizen will be sentenced to 10 real-life days in the Empire prison.
* Upon gaining 4 warnings, a Citizen will be sentenced to 30 real-life days in the Empire prison.
* Upon gaining 5 warnings, a Citizen will be sentenced to life in prison.
* If an individual gains more that 5 warnings (if they manage to escape from prison or some other method), they will be sentenced to death.

### Bounties

Players could also be wanted for committing crimes, with various bounties on their heads. This was only used once, however, as punishment was usually very swift.

### Renown

Citizens who do acts of good, assist in the process of detaining or locating a criminal, or support the Empire in combat with risk of death are given renown. The more renown you have, the higher your reputation will rise in the Empire, and the more benefits you will receive.

### Currency

The official currency was the Everdollar, however it was never implemented by the faction that wanted to produce them, leading to diamonds and netherite being used most in trades.

## Foreign Policy

* Kings of the End: Kill on sight/Avoid if possible (relations started positive but worsened over time)
* Merchants' Guild: Business partner
* The Fish People: Peaceful
* Black Market: Business partner
* Omni Seekers: Business partner
* The Iron Line: Business partner
* The Keep: Peaceful
* Empire of Casitine: Peaceful
* The Trade Route: Business partner
* Treaty Council: Terms and agreements
* Everglow Bank: Official currency and bank for the nation
* Fletchers: Peaceful
* Quicksins Mercenary Services: Business partner
* Monkey Kingdom: Peaceful
* The Silent Syndicate: Peaceful
* Micronation confederacy: cool people

## Assorted Media

*From top to bottom*

An old mining camp on the surface of the end portal base. The arena was built next to it later.

Transformation of the surface project after the end portal build was done. This is one of the only images of it. The walls behind the arch go in a perimeter around the edges of the claim, and most were topped with burning netherrack.

An old fishing pond built underground (abandoned at the time of the image) from the old mountain base.

More prototype portal images. This final build was very similar.

Honorable mentions: