User:Brant/Port Dragon

Dragonstone is a city located in Trans-Antarctica, on an island in the Sunshine River delta. It is one of the largest cities in the state and also the third richest. Founded in the 1700s, during the days of the High Penguin Confederacy, Dragonstone is also the oldest surviving city in the state with a population over 100,000. Its easily defensible location on an island allowed it to survive the many wars and political crises that were a major part of Antarctic history.

History
Dragonstone was founded during the High Penguin Confederacy by Brandon Lantell. The House of Lantell ruled lands further up the coast, in present Antarctic Peninsula, while a cadet branch ruled the Kingdom of Ladros. As the population began to move out of the crowded cities and into the vast unsettled land, Brandon, being a younger son with no chance of inheritance, decided to found a city at the delta of the Sunshine River, an ideal place for settlement since the river connected with the cities of the north.

Over the years, the population grew slowly but steadily, with trade moving up and down the Sunshine River, along with other cities along the coast. Many traders from other nations of Antarctica also visited the port, with some stopping there on their way to the cities up north. Dragonstone grew to be one of the largest cities in the area, and also became increasingly wealthy due to all the trade. The wealth of the city made the House of Lantell an incredibly wealthy house and a major player in the High Penguin government.

Dragonstone, after it grew larger than the previous capital upriver, eventually became capital of the province of Nykobing. Soon, it became the political, economic, and social center of the province. Many High Penguin nobles moved to the city, and invested in it a lot, building many elegant buildings and landmarks, making it one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the High Penguin Confederacy. As it was now more prominent, many more traders and people were attracted to the city, furthering its wealth and population.

However, in 1913, Whoot Smackler Whoot instigated a coup of the High Penguin Confederacy, and installed a new regime, Khanzem. In this new regime, High Penguins were persecuted, while other penguins had special privileges and rights. During the war that broke out shortly afterwards, Dragonstone and much of southern Nykobing was a major Good Guy holdout, its easily defensible position at the end of the Sunshine River delta allowing it to push back waves of Khanzem soldiers. Because of this, the nobles in the city were one of the few High Penguin nobles remaining by war's end.

Over the next few years, Dragonstone saw a change of regimes, from the Snowman Empire to Olde Antarctica to Colonial Antarctica. In the STINC conquest that followed after Olde Antarctica, Dragonstone continued to hold out as an Olde Antarctic bastion, with STINC-zachal forces never being able to make it to the city before being overthrown by Puffish forces. By the end of STINC-zachal, the transition of numerous regimes had destroyed or forced several cities to be abandoned. Though many old cities survived, Dragonstone was the only one with a population over 100,000.

The Puffish eventually founded Colonial Antarctica, separating penguins into their own colonies based on species. However, due to Dragonstone's mayor, who petitioned the King, Dragonstone's High Penguin population was allowed to stay. Nevertheless, the city was still heavily taxed like in every other colony, and was home to a large rebel population. When news reached of the first battle of the revolution at Luckyton and Coconut, the city rebelled against the Puffish. A Puffish fleet attacked the town after retreating from their defeat in Acadia, but ultimately failed in capturing the city.

After the war, Dragonstone was a starting point for settlers heading out to settle the rest of Trans-Antarctica. Instead of Dragonstone, the newly settled but fast growing Pengu Town became the capital of the new state in 2001. However, Dragonstone still was an important city, being the only big city for travelers traveling between the newly built towns of Mojave and Aquarius. A highway system was eventually built around the USA, and Dragonstone began to grow again with Highway 1 being built close to it.

Government
Like most USA cities, Dragonstone's government is shaped similar to the national government itself. There are three branches of government, executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is the mayor, the legislative branch is the City Council, and the judicial branch consists of the district level courts and a state level court in the city. Even though Dragonstone is not a monarchy, the Lantell family has ruled Dragonstone for over 300 years, with great support from the people.

Economy
Dragonstone's location at the end of the Sunshine River and south of Highway One, along with having a large port, has made it an economic hub of Trans-Antarctica. Many companies have their headquarters in Dragonstone, and the port of Dragonstone receives constant shipments every day, with goods and other items arriving from all around Antarctica. Trade often moves down the Sunshine River from northern USA and also from eastern and western Trans-Antarctica using Highway One. This has allowed Dragonstone to become one of the richest cities in the USA, surpassing a few larger cities.