Thyonaxes (/θjonakses/)
Thyonaxes was a moderately prosperous trade city important to the history of New Voxelian expansion during the Age of Exploration. Ancient by the time of the War of Reunification, the historic settlement was ultimately destroyed by Coalition Defense Forces in reprisal for attacks against outlying Coalition-aligned settlements belonging to the Free Faces League. The 'Sack of Thyonaxes' was itself an important event because its aftermath was one of the contributing factors to the ratification of the Medial B Accords.
Demographics
Thyonaxes was primarily (>80%) New Voxelian in ethnic makeup, but its presence beyond the bounds of the Voxelian core region meant that a significant minority of Elovisian- and blended-ethnicity people also resided in or around town. Most of the residents paid homage to the gods of irony through the Church of the Unexpected, with Cosmeon, Goddess of Cosmic Irony being the most popular member of the pantheon among Thonaxers due to her association with exploration and trade.
Government
At various points througout its history, Thyonaxes was ruled by a city council, mayor, or regional governor appointed by the Master Harlequin who oversaw the region. This last state of affairs was the case during the period leading up to the Sack of Thyonaxes (see History), as it was clear to the Council of Liars and their Grand Army advisors that administrating the region through democratic means would be difficult with the threat of invasion constantly weighing on the community.
Defences
Aside from a pair of concentric brick perimeter walls (see Architecture), Thyonaxes recieved increasing amounts of Voxelian military support as the threats to the community from without became more acute. Massed tank and auto-armor forces were assigned to the settlement when these became available to the Grand Army in lieu of permanent defensive emplacements, as these units could be quickly dispatched from Thyonaxes to conduct the Grand Army's famous hit-and-fade attacks against CDF concentrations in the region. Unfortunately, during the Sack of Thyonaxes (see History), these defenses proved insufficient, the Voxelian technology of the time being much better suited for offensive than defensive operations.
Infrastructure
Thyonaxes was built alongside its commissure transit station. What originally started as a simple contrivance of hinged wooden supports eventually became a rail depot during the height of steamtech and, with the develoment of dieseltech, came to incorporate an automobile turntable as well. This station provided access to the 'northern' side of Silkenvault via roads in Medial H.
Guilds and Factions
The Navigator's Guild maintained a long-standing presence in Thyonaxes, but began limiting their presence in the city with the outbreak of the War of Reclaimation so as not to have the appearance of favoratism in a region contested by both Voxelia and the Coalition. Other international organizations that were founded after the start of the war, such as the Burning Hearts Social Club and Sorority of Solace, largely avoided establishing permanent presences in the city, though the latter organization did provide medical support to refugees fleeing Thyonaxes before the city fell.
History
Thyonaxes was a resupply point at the commissure transit station from Medial B1 to Medial H3, also placing it along the overland route to the commissure leading into Voxelia's most far-flung colonies in Medial C. Over it's several thousand year history, the city became a symbol of progress, ambition, and culture for the New Voxelian people, but one of opression, rapacity, and hubris for the Elovisian people because of its location in land that Voxelia hoped to 'pacify' for its own interests. Native Elovisians and those who identified with the Lost Tribes in the region worked separately and in concert via sustained raiding activities to frustrate efforts by Voxelian forces to expand further from Thyonaxes, though some also saw opportunities to conduct trade with the distant power through the city.
The outbreak of the War of Reunification between Voxelia and the Coalition of Breakaway Colonies in 9899 AR saw Thyonaxes suddenly on the front lines of a major geopolitical conflict. No longer was the town merely subject to insurgency by frustrated Elovisian locals; the CDF began operations in earnest to take or destroy Thyonaxes, as it was a major logistical center for Grand Army of Voxelia operations in 'northern' Medial B. In 9963 AR, the 2nd CDF Armored Division used their PBA-2 "Pioneer" Main Battle Auto-Armor suits to finally overcome the defenses of Thyonaxes based on the then-new PM "Paladin" Main Battle Auto-Armor suits. The Grand Army defenders were unable to hold against the superior fighting force equipped with more battle-tested armor and were killed wholesale, valiantly holding the line for three full days while most civilians made their escape.
2nd Armored moved into the nearly abandoned town and, recognizing its importance as both a staging area for future Voxelian actions and as a symbol of Voxelia's hold over its colonies, set about razing the city to the ground. Storehouses, banks, and museums were looted and burned. Anti-vehicle mines were seeded along the main thuroughfares to frustrate any search or reconstruction efforts. Civilians and defenders holed up in bunkers and catacombs beneath the city subsequently died from a combination of cave-ins, smoke inhalation, and the severing of supply lines providing vital provisions. Between the mass death caused by the raising of Thyonaxes and the loss of countless important human artifacts, outside observers generally regard the Sack of Thyonaxes to be an atrocity roughly on par with the later Siege of Tartagloam in 9970 AR.
The burning of Thyonaxes had the side-effect of sparking a wildfire that burned across most of Medial B. Firefighting efforts by Voxelia, the Free Faces League, and Manifold Conservation Society forces on their respective faces were ultimately effective, but the environmental damage was already done. The dense smoke cover and acid rains that followed forced the armies gathered in the region to suspend operations for more than a year. Smoke belching up from the commissures into adjacent cubes caused brutally cold winter conditions later in the year and acidified the soil, reducing crop yields across The Human Arc. The Navigator's Guild was forced to revise the Guild Hazard Index for that year, noting that the region had become as dangerous to airship service as parts of the Distal Tesseract. The Voxelian hunger for revenge on other fronts was somewhat tempered by the hunger caused by a famine the likes of which had not been witnessed in the region since the Ventral A Volcanic Event.
It was against this backdrop that the Manifold Conservation Society was able to prevail upon diplomats from both sides of the conflict to come to an agreement about what types of force were acceptible in the prosecution of the War. Efforts to end the fighting altogether over these circumstances were, however, fruitless; the Coalition delegation regarded their forces correctly as having the strategic momentum at the time, and the Voxelian delegation could not overcome their anger and grief over the loss of such an important historical site. Nevertheless, the Medial B Accords that largely banned the use of incendiary weapons was signed in 9965 AR so that the devastating ftermath of the Sack of Thyonaxes would (hopefully) not be repeated.
Points of interest
The old Navigator's Guild hall near the town center was once attached to the local Voxelian public offices. While this brick building was heavily damaged during the initial CDF siege (see History), its lower stories remain somewhat intact and may contain items and documents still considered private by both Voxelia and the Guild. Extracting these items could either ingratiate a brave explorer to the respective faction or, should the documents be leaked to the public, provoke the ire of dangerous actors like the Voxelian Bards-Recursant.
Thyonaxes, as a historical city, had an outsized number of museums, archives, and educational institutions dedicated to the living history of the region. Everything from Lost Tribes artifacts to the works of important local artists to samplings of trade goods from throughout the Medial Tesseract could be found enshrined in small museums and salons all around town. The most valuable and well-known items were looted from Thyonaxes shortly before the town was set alight, much of the rest subsequently being destroyed or lost with the death of their keepers. A few items in the catacombs may still be found through dilligent exploration and a little excavation, and there may be artifacts dating back to the pre-Voxelian days still waiting to be discovered amongst the surrounding sedimentary rock layers.
Tourism
Once a common stop-over for traders, explorers, and officials making their way to the colonies in Medial C, the ruins of Thyonaxes have all but been abandoned save for some enterprising HCSR crews due to its location in an active warzone. Artifacts from the many museums and archaeological sites that once dotted the region now fetch a higher price for their rarity.
Architecture
Thyonaxes had architectural strata as a result of its millenia-long inhabitance. Early buildings were built of timber with fired brick foundations. The city center (or 'Old Town') was encircled with two concentric stretches of brick walls dating back to the early days of town as an outpost sometimes subject to Elovisian raids. Later buildings were often built upon the still-standing foundations of newer ones, whatever artifacts might be found there preserved in the basements for later study. Like with all municipalities found in the modern Medial Tesseract, Thyonaxes was undergirded with vast networks of bunkers to protect people and their supplies from enemy bombardment; during the sack, these underground spaces would become tombs for anyone who failed to escape in time.
Geography
The ruins of Thyonaxes sit on a lowlying, relatively flat savanna surrounding the commissure into Medial H3 (see Infrastructure). The ground is rocky - made moreso by scattered bricks and other such debris just beneath the surface - but not so rocky as to prevent the profuse growth of grasses and the occasional tree (see Natural Resources).
Climate
Like all regions adjacent to the Rostral Tesseract, Thyonaxes and its environs are warm to temperate year-round, with the winter months being more associated with rains than snow or frost. The bright sunlight of the region, lying within the Medial Tesseract, makes it ideal for growing warm-weather crops of all sorts. Summers in the region are hot and relatively humid. Medial B has relatively calm winds even in autumn, with most breezes travelling towards the commissure rather than across the landscape in any direction in particular.
Natural Resources
The region of Thyonaxes was once a fertile savanna that provided ample farmland and grazing area for ruminants. Should any faction manage to put Thyonaxes far enough behind their lines, the environs of Thyronaxes would once again prove valuable as ranch land. Damage to the environment from the ongoing War of Reclaimation (see History) has placed significant strain on they ecosystem, but, with time, the grasslands have been recovering. Penrose fescue is encroaching on blackened, rocky soil of Thyonaxes due to a relative dearth of organized control efforts in the region. Ground water is seeping into the shattered bunkers, destroying artifacts and supplies but spurring the regrowth of plant life and, in many places, providing fresh drinking water for brave urban explorers.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
9963
Founding Date
7570
Type
City
Population
45,000 (peak)
Inhabitant Demonym
Thyonaxer(s)
Location under
Owning Organization
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