A'shara

A'shara
The emblem of A'shara.
Small City
Country	T'vaqi
Established	10-10 242 TT
Government • № Magisters • % Est. Population	47 0.063%
Area (km2) • Total	233
Est. Population • Total • Density	74,300 318.9
Motto	Power
Demonyms	A'shari, Ashari

A'shara is a city in T'vaqi. It is the nation's largest producer of silicon.

History

A'shara was established in 242 TT shortly after the Second Unification of T'vaqi. Located towards the island's coastline, it was envisioned as little more than a quaint housing district and vacation spot. The area's abundant quartzite caves were viewed as a natural wonder rather than a practical one, and incentivized tourism to the settlement. The settlement's name is the native word for silicon, an impure metal found within the naturally occurring quartzite. A'shara thrived off of tourist income for a century, though it remained a small town with a population lower than 5,000 for most of this time. This century of tourism was one of relative peace; the town could foresee an uneventful, yet stable future.

In 135 TT, a scientific breakthrough was made by 25-year-old High Institute of the Sciences graduate Moso Ila. Ila, a native of A'shara, had spent the prior two years refining and experimenting with silicon extracted from the settlement's quartzite caves. Determined to find a use for the material, Ila developed several silicon purification methods, eventually discovering its properties as a highly efficient semiconductor. Once Ila had discovered this, he rushed to test its possible effects on electrically powered machines. Silicon proved a highly effective component of his prototype machines; Ila had discovered the practical effects of the material in machinery. Sensing the potential profit he could make, Ila began distributing silicon-infused machine parts in addition to the purified material itself under the name A'shara Ivo Electronics. Soon, national attention had been brought to the material; hundreds of factory owners and investors wanted to profit off of silicon as well. Ila had effectively developed a monopoly over silicon distribution, and began funding silicon mining efforts in A'shara.

As a result of the Silicon Craze, the town of A'shara experienced immense growth in the span of less than a decade. Now a silicon mining settlement large enough to be classed as a city, A'shara's population was dominated by the mining workforce. Almost all mining labor was outsourced by Ila's company, which soon grew to become the second largest in the nation. The company, now named IVO, still controls an estimated 90% of domestic silicon production and distribution.

After diplomatic relations were established with other islands post-Calming, Port Silicon was constructed on the southern coast of T'vaqi. A'shara ships silicon to Port Silicon, which then exports the material to the archipelago. In 61 PC, a trade agreement with Hapšâw led to the establishment of Silicon Alley, a trade route between the two islands. Silicon is exchanged for lumber at a ratio of 20 to 1.

Emblem

The emblem of A'shara depicts a cube with a hexagonal outline, the nationwide symbol for silicon. Arrows pointing away from the cube represent the distribution of the material. "A'shara" is written on one side of the cube, while the city's motto ("Power") is written upside-down on the other. A large depiction of the emblem attached to a spinning motor exists in the settlement's bureacratic headquarters, completing one full rotation per day.