Jerziburg

Jerziburg (pronounced "YERT-see-borg") is a large stronghold/keep founded on 20 June by user JohnRCC.

Journey North
On 18 June, user JohnRCC (who had previously been living on a small farm North of Uxmal) packed up his belongings and set off North, with the goal of creating a settlement sufficiently distanced from other settlements to act as a hub for the surrounding area. Roughly 2.7km North of Greenhaven, JohnRCC found an NPC village which he decided to settle in and create the hub out of. However, soon after settling, a number of zombie attacks and creeper explosions had brought the village to its knees and killed all the residents, so he was forced to flee.

Founding
JohnRCC fled to the large mesa to the East of the village, whereupon he decided to build a stronghold that would be completely free of enemy mobs. Thus Jerziburg was founded. He worked on building the curtain wall for 4 days, after which he began building the various towers and halls that would make up the keep. The first structure to be completed was the alchemy tower, where he currently takes residence.

Assistance
On the 22 June, JohnRCC enlisted the help of user Shakken for the mining operation. The pair agreed to split up mining duties: JohnRCC mined cobble in the quarries; Shakken searched the caverns beneath for ores. 2 days later, Shakken left Jerziburg to assist another user in their building project; whether or not he will return is currently unknown.

Location
Despite being located in the far North of the world (less than 0.5km away from the Northern-most limit), the mesa upon which Jerziburg stands is bordered by a wide array of different biomes. To the North-East lies a hilly desert, to the West there is a flat plain (where the original village once stood), with a jungle just beyond. To the South lies a large taiga, covering hundreds of square kilometres and containing several frozen lakes. Jerziburg is extremely remote, with the nearest user-created structure being approximately 1.3km to the South-East.

Current
● Curtain Wall: The curtain wall is 18 metres high at its tallest point, and is 5 metres thick. It takes the shape of a slightly outwardly-bowed square, with elevated watch platforms on each of its corners. There is a wooden-bordered gate in the centre of the Western wall. Each of the 4 sides to the wall has an access staircase on the inner side.

● Alchemy Tower: The alchemy tower was the first structure within the walls to be completed. It is a circular tower with a pointed wooden roof, consisting of 3 standard-sized floors and a smaller 4th floor inside the roof. Although only the 4th floor is currently furnished (as it is where JohnRCC has taken up residence), it is planned to contain a library, an alchemy lab and an enchanting room on the other floors.

● Feasting Hall: The feasting hall connects to the grand tower, and provides enough seating for many users to dine at once.

● Guest Tower: An offshoot from the feasting hall, the guest tower contains two guest bedrooms with amenities and a lounge area. Guests can access the feasting hall via a descending spiral staircase. There is a bridge between the guest tower and the alchemy tower as part of the inner walls.

● Forge: The armourer's forge lies to the left of the gate into Jerziburg. It consists of four furnaces, a crafting bench and a double chest. Its primary function as of 26 June is to smelt any mined cobble back into stone, to be crafted into stone bricks and used to build the rest of the structures in Jerziburg.

● Quarries: The quarries are 2 8m x 8m pits dug just to the North of Jerziburg, at the bottom of the mesa. They were dug as an efficient method of gathering cobble to be used in the construction of the curtain wall. There is a small house near to the two quarries that is used as a home by Shakken.

● Gottwald: The Gottwald is a planned forested area within the castle walls, between the Feasting hall and the curtain wall. Its intended use will be as a place of calm and relaxation in the castle, as well as being a source of wood for construction projects.

Planned
● Grand Tower: Planned to be the largest structure in Jerziburg, the grand tower will comprise most of the living quarters, the kitchens and storage area. The ground floor will contain a reception hall, complete with throne.

● Crypts/Catacombs: The caverns beneath Jerziburg are in the process of being developed into a network of catacombs that will serve many functions, such as housing chests for storage and providing passage to the bottom of the mesa on which Jerziburg is located. One of these catacombs is currently the quickest way of getting to the quarries.

● Transport Links: Although no plans for official transport links have been made with the Travellers Guild, there is a tentative plan to build a minecart line between Jerziburg and the spawn area. As yet it is undecided whether this will be constructed over-ground or in the Nether.

House Jerzi
To fit with the medieval theme, JohnRCC created House Jerzi ("Jerzi" being an altered phonetic spelling of the initials "JRCC"). The house's arms are quartered purple and white, with an orange flower in the two purple quarters. The house motto is "Don't look down". Flags and banners in the house colours can be seen around the castle, and JohnRCC himself wears a House Jerzi-themed skin.

Mining
The primary mining establishment for Jerziburg is the pair of quarries located North of the keep. However, there is an extensive system of caverns below this, as well as a network of user-created tunnels through the mesa itself. As yet there is no designated strip mine, but the lower levels of the cavern are still abundant in coal, iron, redstone and diamond.