Aurora:Baranof
The Empire of Baranof is a North American meganation led by thebestLung and GrayMold9, originally founded on January 5th, 2026.
The underlying nation went through many names: Bering Sea, Sitka and Kuiu, before Baranof was settled on through consensus with the staff team and nation members. At the time of writing, this nation has 1800 residents and 75 towns, making it one of the most prominent nations founded during endgame Aurora. It is also the 3rd largest nation on Terra Aurora by resident count, and ranks 15th in terms of land area.
The current capital is the metropolis of Alberta, which is based in the Alaskan region.
History
Early Days
Player thebestLung was originally became the nation leader on January 5th, 2026. At that time, the nation was considerably smaller, with around 300 residents and 1300 chunks of land distributed between 14 towns. The nation was originally named Sitka, after much deliberation with staff (although this claim would later be disputed). The majority of the resident count came from the town of Tomorrowland, which was the largest town on the server at that moment. This accolade brought the nation significant traffic and allowed for rapid growth. The majority of the expansion came about through strategic acquisitions and partnerships formed by thebestLung. The nation formed a chain of towns deep into the Alaskan region, with trusted Tomorrowland residents holding these extensions.
Soon enough, a small nation named Baffin Island was available for sale. Even though it was on the other side of the continent, the nation was promptly purchased and ran as a colony. The capital, Dyer Bay, was rich in terms of history. This acquisition was a rather significant milestone, and marked the first signs of expansion for the nation. Baffin Island was promptly looted for resources by thebestLung and Tomorrowland councillor Koemi, and the capital was rebuilt afterwards.
Merge with Alberta
By the time the nation had reached 549 residents, thebestLung approached Allags, GrayMold9, bobbyjoe47 and Skaless, the founder and leaders of an influential nation in the region named Alberta with the proposal to merge. Alberta alone had 450 residents at the moment, so merging would make the ensuing nation almost 1000-resident strong. It was an enticing idea, but letting go of one's national identity is never an easy idea to entertain. GrayMold9 took a few days to think it over, often retreating into bong sessions in solitude to mull the pros and cons of such a merger. GrayMold9 was a noble leader after all, and decided to put national interests above personal scepticism. In the end, the following agreement was made:
- The capital was to be renamed Alberta, in order to ensure proper representation for the dissolving nation, which had a large population from the real life region of Alberta, Canada.
- GrayMold9 and bobbyjoe47 be granted Chancellor rank in-game and be appointed as co-leaders of the nation along with thebestLung in a joint partnership.
- bobbyjoe47 be granted a pink "Sheep" title in-game.
Aftermath
The nations were merged on the 20th of February, 2026. The merge was the first significant union between two major nations after the release of the nation-merging feature. The nation instantly shot up to #3 on the /n list rankings and gained global recognition across the server
In the coming days, the merge was met with overwhelmingly positive internal reviews, with the citizens mixing in well and being able to form a friendly internal community.
This was not enough though, and Baranof kept viciously expanding into the neighbouring areas, until a very strong foothold was ultimately established over the region. Within weeks of this merger, the population had already climbed to 1500, which was a 300% increase for either nation were they to continue running independently.
Government
Leadership
- King thebestLung - Co-leader
- Graymold9 - Co-leader
- bobbyjoe47 - Honorary Co-leader
Aristocracy
- Skaless - Crown Prince
- jupebean - Crown Princess
- Allags - Special Advisor
High Officials
- Ciptoprolol - Sectoral Leader
- Koemi_ - Sectoral Leader
- Wolfminer33 - Leader of Military