Kais Kogong

Kais Kogong is a harbor town located on the north eastern coast of the continent of Koganon and is the largest city by population in the Arcadian Altanate. Before joining Arcadia, Kais Kogong served as the capital and spiritual epicenter of the now disbanded nation of Kogongu. The town was originally founded by player Vasya__ on April 4th, 2021 and sits at the mouth of Morgana Bay, not far from Wahat Almarjan. The mayor, as of writing, is Game Glider SKG who originally hailed from Kogongu and gained the title after Kais Kogong joined the Altanate on August 31, 2021. Other notable inhabitants from its past includes the Elder Vasya, a druid and practitioner of the Naist faith, Lixionit, the founder of Starlix Incorporated, as well as the Ashinian Hermit, Hargreevs.

Founding
Following the pre-server events chronicled in the Kaido, Vasya went in to hiding for a number of years, establishing the first house of Kais Kogong as well as the original holy site.

Hargreevs first came to the settlement of Kais Kogong while she was under contract by Grandpa_boob to deliver the virtue rhetoric to new cities and towns in hopes of rallying them under the Lothridge cause. Vasya, at the time the only inhabitant, was not impressed, and introduce Hargreevs to Naist philosophies, teaching her meditation practices at the holy site. The two had several conversations discussing the ultimate goals of existence, with Vasya refuting Lothridge's ideals of power.

The settlement eventually attracted the attention of Game_Glider_SKG, who joined it the first time he came onto the server. Hargreevs joined soon after. The three of them envisioned a city that would be a hub not for warriors and conquerors, but for scholars, philosophers, and artists. The town began expanding as construction of the Great Library of Kais Kogong began.

Early Expansion
As the town expanded, various new structures were added, including the Singing Squid Inn, Game_Glider_SKG's and Hargreevs' adjacent houses. Housings for the nether portal and sugar cane farm were also brought up as to make the town more appealing to the eye. Plans were made for a council building, but were later abandoned, with the non-hierarchical structure of the city taking precedence. The leaders of the town instead met at the back table of the inn in order to discuss the issues that were at hand.

The Tree
On April 9th, a strange custom tree was placed behind Kais Kogong. Its roots went down to bedrock and it sat in a pool of water surrounded by infested stone brick. The grass around the tree is noticeably discolored and it has a beehive, as well as several honey blocks. The inhabitants of the town believed there to be an artifact nearby, but none were discovered.



The Library
The Great Library of Kais Kogong is a massive structure of stone with a vaguely Gothic Style adorned with a prismarine roof and is complimented by a sizable garden which encompasses the building. The structure houses an iron farm (no longer automatic as per server rules) and a public villager trading hall featuring many high level enchantments. As of June 6, 2021 it is not complete as builds of this scale and detail take a lot of time. The library houses an impressive catalog of books, including all current volumes of the Kaido, the Tavras book of the sun, the Codex Abyssus, and the Kren'tir. There are currently over 20 volumes in the library, making it the largest known collection. With the death of Vasya, the then new mayor Game Glider SKG proclaimed in a speech that he would continue the mission of the library, and as of writing, he and Lopov of Gint have been working to refurbish the structure as aspects of the building were left incomplete for many years.

Late Expansion
As the library's construction was furthered, the town's expansion continued as well. The church of Naia, built by Hargreevs, became the second largest structure in the town and was meant to serve as a place of worship for all religions. Months later, player Hateummall and his beloved husband Muhammad were wed in it's quarters with many players in attendance. Vasya added docks to the growing waterfront, and a fishmonger was created by Hargreevs, who was now the highest level fisher on the server. A blacksmith shop and mine were also constructed.

Accession to Arcadia
On August 31, 2021, prominent town resident Vasya died in a poetic scene. Before her demise, Vasya had made an agreement with her former countrymen in the Arcadian Altanate, which had peacefully broken away from Kogongu per an agreement reached in late July. This agreement called for Kais Kogong to be annexed into the Altanate, with the title of mayor being given to Game Glider, who had helped to found the town so long ago, yet had left Kogongu to undertake projects in the Altanate. A funeral was immediately planned for the great Vasya.

Future Plans
A Large terraforming project was undertaken by Vasya on the south end of town in order to create more buildings. Planned structures include a greenhouse, windmills and a bell tower.

Social Structure before Arcadia
Kais Kogong uses non-hierarchical organization in order to function. Though Vasya is technically the "King" of Kogongu because of towny rules, she holds no more power than the other members. Every member has an equal voice in discussions, and none are forced to act against their will. In this sense, it could be compared to an anarchist commune in which all members contribute equally for the good of the group, and resources are often shared between members. A job board sits in the middle of the town so members know what needs to be done, and any member can add to it.

Religious Practices


While religion is not compulsory, Kais Kogong holds strong belief in Naism. The goal of Naism is not power or happiness but rather simply to overcome suffering caused by desire and the ignorance of reality's true nature (impermanence and non-existence of the self). They typically value humility and peace, striving to make the world better in nonviolent ways. Except for Hargreevs, who chooses violence.

They have a large church, although most religious activities take place at the holy site behind Hargreevs' house and at Naia's grave. Vasya regularly practices traditional meditation, while Hargreevs uses fishing as a means of meditation.

Some Naist practitioners choose not to wear diamond or Netherite armour, seeing it as a source of pride and intimidation

The holy sites typically have rock sculptures carved into cones and cylinders.

Although being part of the theocratic Arcadian Altanate, the Altan allows other religions than the state faith of Mufijo to be practiced within the borders of Arcadia, believing people should only convert if they wish to. Thus, Naism is still heavily pravticed in Kais Kogong, although the current mayor Game Glider is a devout member of the Mufijo faith.

Art & Humanities


Kais Kogong is a hub of art and music. They have hosted several art events, including an open mic night and a concert by Sillie_Millie at the Singing Squid. Vasya collected books written by members of the server at the library.

Geography
The surrounding area of Kais Kogong was once a plains biome that has since been wiped away by a large earth works project headed by Vasya in order to diversify the geography of the town. The surrounding area is taken up by a dark oak forest, dubbed the "Cotana" forest. A narrow peninsula exists running along the bay to the northeast, towards Wahat Almarjan, and a mountain range to the west, where Bal Duran is.