Aurora:New-Amsterdam (South America)
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New-Amsterdam is a small town located in the north of South America. It is the capital of Dutch-Guiana. Its settlers are Dutch. The town was founded on top of an abandoned village that was inhabited by English speaking folk. It eventually grew into the capital of its own independent nation, Dutch-Guiana.
History
On June 24th, 2024, three Dutch settlers went on a mission to claim a piece of land for their own. They succeeded by taking over an abandoned village. After two days, six chunks had been claimed and the foundations of the first building, a church, had been laid. Only three days later, the town established first contact thanks to the visit of Novaiz, a friendly player from a distant island. On June 28th, New-Amsterdam joined the nation of Brazil. On July 13th, a citizen of Casablanca, Morocco, visited JuztinVestigium. This outsider, Facada20hz, wanted to build a farm, so JuztinVestigium gave this visitor one seed of every type. In return he received Facada20hz's diamond sword. A major milestone for the town of New-Amsterdam was achieved on July 16th, when it bought its own nationhood. This meant independence from Brazil, which has sadly caused some friction between the two nations. On July 20th, the very first outsider town, Tabago, joined the nation, of which the mayor is the earlier mentioned Novaiz.
Organization
Together with councillor JuztinVestigium, councillor Christastick and councillor ConfiqSon make up the council or board of New-Amsterdam. On a political level, the town is part of its own independent nation, which ConfiqSon is the leader of. On a religious level, New-Amsterdam is a parish functioning under the North American diocese of the Catholic Church. Since the town is public, everyone can join. An appeal can be made to the council to get acces to a personal piece of land, called a quarter.
Buildings
Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
At the center of town, a church was built by JuztinVestigium. It was completed on July 1st. The church is oriented east, which is indicated by the ad orientam altar. On July 6th, ConfiqSon added a statue in front of the church, holding the local flag of New-Amsterdam. On July 8th, the church was consecrated by the Archbishop of North America, Randov. The consecration also meant the creation of the parish of New-Amsterdam, which falls under the North American diocese. Even though New-Amsterdam is located in South America, the appeal for consecration was made to the North American diocese, because the South American one was inactive at the time.
Undercroft
Beneath the church, ConfiqSon built a hidden undercroft. It contains a treasury room, museum, armory, and an alchemy farm. The undercroft’s main space, the treasury room, was completed on July 3rd. In the museum, the town's history is being displayed, including the completion of new town buildings, churchly affairs, PVP victories, and other achievements.
Town hall
On July 7th, the exterior of the town hall was finished. The official building was constructed by JuztinVestigium. Its flags and architectural design should illustrate the colonial style of New-Amsterdam. This official building is facing the church tower, unifying religion and state. The mayor’s office may be found within this building, as well as helpdesks for legal matters. The town hall flies the Dutch flag, since the founders of New-Amsterdam, now known as the council, have Dutch roots.
Marketplace
On July 17th, a new townsquare together with four stores were realized by JuztinVestigium. The stores are provided with functional shops, which anyone can quickly visit by a nation teleport. The shops are aimed to compete with Mali an Brazil to get the best prices and items. The southeasternmost shop is an automatically restocking potions shop, built by JVCH_GAMING.
Library
On August 5th, the exterior of the town’s public library was finished by JuztinVestigium. The construction of the library proved to be difficult, as its first concept (made out of yellow concrete and deepslate) did not turn out as expected. Luckily, after experimenting with yellow terracotta and white concrete (and later sandstone, oak wood and diorite), the building became what JuztinVestigium had envisioned. The library has two towers, many windows and a partly glass roof, which, in combination with the light colors of its design, results in a bright and vibrant space. Within, one can find lecterns displaying player made books, which were mainly collected by ConfiqSon and Christastick in their expeditions around the world.
Embassies
On August 3rd, Pelhina built the first physical embassy in the capital. Pelhina is a resident of Matsubara, a Japanese town.
Abandoned structures
Next to the mine entrance, one can find a building that had been abandoned. This edifice was not officially part of New-Amsterdam, but was probably left behind by a small unknown community. Currently, it is annexed by New-Amsterdam and kept as a respectful memory of the town’s origin.
Notable people
- ConfiqSon: Mayor and founder of New-Amsterdan and leader of Dutch-Guiana. ConfiqSon is also known for his PVP and trading conquests.
- JuztinVestigium: Councillor and EMC priest of the EMC Holy Catholic Church. JuztinVestigium is also known for being the architect of New-Amsterdam's landmarks and infrastructure.
- Christastick: Councillor and prankster. Christastick has a Dwarven attitude and is responsible for New-Amsterdam's mine.
Expansion
The town of New-Amsterdam has always been looking to expand. The acquisition of its nation status was therefore seen as a great milestone. Despite some rumors, they are not trying to expand by conquest or usurpation. On the contrary, the settlers of New-Amsterdam had considered themselves guests on the continent of Latin America and they wish to diplomatically blend into its socio-political structure. Even more so, they broke free from the nation of Brazil and do therefore not wish to make its current and future citizens feel limited in their self-determination or autonomy.