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Taiga Hardcore - Populated Republic

Populated and slightly altered version of Λ • Moasl's wonderful Taiga Hardcore map, with the author's permission.

Two towns, several villages all with their own little history, lore, and unique slavic-inspired names. Overall population 11k on default setting.

Reach and provide services in difficult to access mountain and island hamlets for added challenge.

This is a hard map with limited resources that will make you work for them.

The only modded item used in this map is "Graveyard" by gonzaldd.

Lore:

This is a small northern republic set in a rich but remote and inhospitable land of marshes and mountains. The land has spent most of its history alternating between being a province of larger kingdoms and empires, and brief periods of independence, albeit still as a vassal state of a nearby power.

Today, most of the land is backwards and undeveloped, recovering from decades of post-war economic hardship, a change in global economy that has pushed it more into irrelevance, and from recent major rains and floods that have destroyed most bridges and any of the few paved roads and power lines. Outside the two major towns, the population is predominantly rural and settled in lowland villages on key historic trade routes, or in remote hamlets nested in the mountains, river canyons or on far-away islands, living off the lakes, rivers, forests and meadows.

In the wake of social unrest due to the decades of stagnation and the mismanagement of the recent natural disaster, a new, socialist government has assumed power in the Republic. It is up to you to bring development, progress, and state services to every corner of this beautiful republic. Tap into difficult to reach resources via tunnel, bridge, or serpentine mountain pass. Connect all the key settlements with transport and other infrastructure. Expand the existing towns and villages. Industrialise the countryside or preserve it for tourism. Bring the state's infrastructure and values to far away mountain hamlets or preserve their way of life. Develop the historic capital into a metropolis, or build an entirely new capital. The decisions about the future of this republic and its society lie in your hands.

Towns:

- Ryaka
This town has enjoyed relative prosperity due to being situated next to two border crossings on a key trade route along the river. Ideal place to start republic development. The bridge to one of the border crossings may have to be rebuilt. The town's name means "river" in the local language.

- Voyezhna
Historic capital of the Republic situated on a river island in its center. It takes its name from the French word "Voyage", named so a century ago when the French language was popular with the ruling classes. It is a key river trade route crossroads and its name likely refers to the numerous trade voyages that started or ended there. The town has a romantic air to it and is the item of several poems from distinguished poets of the past century. Its main brick bridge connecting it to the mainland has been replaced by a temporary wooden one after being destroyed in the floods.

Villages:

- Vhod
Somewhat well-off village in the north-east near the border, prospering from its location in the valley that is the main access route to the republic from this direction. Boasts stunning vistas of the surrounding high mountains. Its name literally means "Entrance".

- Gorna Ryaka
A long time ago, Ryaka were two villages, Nyzhna Ryaka and Gorna Ryaka. The first, meaning Lower River, developed into the well-off town today known simply as Ryaka, while Gorna Ryala, or Upper River, remains a small village with a splendid view of its grown sister village below.

- Prohodsk
A key stop on the way from Ryaka to the capital, Prohodsk is situated in the only passage between the mountains on the road between the two towns. Its name comes from the term "to pass through". The steep valleys on both sides of the village were once notorious for bandit ambushes.

Uzmarshrut
- A large satellite village of Voyezhna, it has somewhat benefited from its location on a key crossroads near the capital, though it has recently fallen into harder times since the bridges leading to this crossroads were swept away. Its name means "along the way" as it is directly on the road to Voyezhna's main entrance.

- Zhitovo
Another satellite village of the capital at the foot of the mountains, the area between the two is where much of the agriculture feeding the capital is grown, due to many other flat areas to the east and south being too marshy. Hence the village name comes from the word "crop".

- Glaza
A historic military outpost with a commanding view of much of the plains and marshes between the eastern border and the capital. It used to be a Mongol frontier town as the marshes blocked their passage further west. Its military importance has faded during the last centuries and today it is no more than a modest village with an interesting name - "eyes".


- Ostrvny Okhotnik
A respectably big and economically significant village not too far downstream from the capital. Its families have enjoyed relative wealth due to it serving as a stop for merchants leaving the capital for the open seas. Its name means "island hunter" - the area is well known for waterfowl game which is traded by hunters to passing ships and merchants.

- Spoj
Named after the word "connection", modest village in a beautiful location overlooking a river confluence.


Hamlets:

- Ostrovo
Taking its name from the word "island", this is a tiny monestary village just off the main road from Prohodsk to Voyezhna. Like its name implies, there is a small lake with an island in the middle on which a monastery is located. A bridge was never built and access to the monastery is by boat only, though most of the village lies on the lake bank. This is one of the hamlets accessible by road.

- Konyec
The other hamlet accessible by road, and quite large for a hamlet. Konyec was named after the word "end" as it is a dead end situated in a rugged river canyon. Currently the only way in is a precarious road chisled into the cliff side. Since the bridge connecting it to Zhitovo was destroyed, Konyec has found itself almost cut off from the world, but the road in the cliff side is still is use, though the nearest other settlement is very far.

- Lug
A tiny hamlet situated in the forest on a high mountain plateau, connected to the rest of the republic only by dense forest trails known to the locals. It takes its name from the word for "tree" or "forest".

- Ozersk
A small mountain community nested amidst stunning scenery between two mountain lakes, which it takes its name from. Has inspired artists, poets and travelers for centuries.

- Zagorsk
Its name means "behind the mountain" and possibly comes from the inhabitants of Ozersk, with which Zagorsk families have a long standing feud. Zagorsk has a commanding view of the Vhod valley, but is only accessible via rugged mountain trails.

- Vyerh
High-altitude hamlet on the north side of Vhod valley, opposite Zagorsk. Its name literally means "summit". Has been notorious for still retaining many elements of the old pagan faiths in its Christian rites, as well as for rumors of the community still practicing sky burials.

- Ylovik
A tiny fishing village on a tiny island where the river meets the sea. It is thought to be named after a foreign warlord and raider from almost a thousand years ago.

- Vostochik

A high-altitude hamlet in the eastern mountains. Its name comes from the word "east".