Zair
| Zair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Approximate Coordinates: | x: 2850, z: 1150 |
| Continent: | Zair Islands |
| Founded: | December 2010 |
| Lead Architect: | nebula7 |
| Contributing Builders: | plusnine, Jomeaga, ridgedog |
| Allies: | Ziraz |
| Related Cities / Areas: | Ziraz, Bridgeport, Vair Hotel |
| Travel: | MetroVox, Magg-Lev |
Contents |
Overview
Zair is a modern resort and trade town located to the west of South Myrtana. The majority of Zair is the work of Nebula7, the original designer. Zair is known throughout Pangea as a major vacation destination, offering numerous amenities to guests. The rich are known to rent out the luxurious suites and floating island suites located around the resort for extended periods of time. The Zair area is composed of two distinct districts: Resort District and the Civic District. As the names imply, all the civil and commerce structures of the Zair establishment are located within the Zair Civic District, while all the resort amenities and facilities are located in the decorative and prestigious Resort District. The Zair Resort is the older sister of the Vair Hotel.
Transportation
Zair is accessible via boat, Magg-Lev, and MetroVox.
Ship
Access to and from Sarindo (Port Pier 4)
Magg-Lev
Access to and from Utheon (Airship Terminal)
S-Line
The MetroVox S-Line line runs from Whatcom at the border of the Lemuria Lowlands to Sealth and across off of South Myrtana, with a transfer to the N-Line at Lehmann Airfield. It is accessible from Zair Station, located on the lower concourse level of the Zair Courtyard. Its completion marked the first intercontinental MetroVox line, linking South Mytrana and the Zair Islands.
History
Zair was formally established in the early 1800s as a gold mine town. Sir Nebula II was the first resident of the islands, after stumbling on them when his boat went astray and became grounded off the coast of the previously unknown islands. Nebula II, the descedant of Voxel Peasant Nebula I, was known as a VoxelSmurf; lacking a voice or personality. Upon discovery of the islands, his crew uncovered gold veins deep within the caves of the island. According to folk lore, Sir Nebula II declared the islands as his, and ordered his crew to construct the port. The original port consisted of a wooden port operations facility and a single fishing pier. Sir Nebula II became a popular and familiar face throughout Voxel Earth as trade routes opened to and from the Zair islands.
The first mine was located near the center of the island, and utilized the Voxelian shaft mining technique. As the mining operatons became larger, the Civic District slowly began to grow. Numerous civic structures, including a community hall, a trade market, a courthouse, and a jail were built during the heart of the Zair gold rush.
The landscape soon changed, as a severe earthquake shook the area in 1900. As a result, the shaft mine and port operations facilities both collapsed. The mine is preserved and portions are still intact, however mining operations have been permanently halted and the area has been deemed a Voxel Earth historic site. The port operations facility was replaced with a modern semicircular structure, and the port was expanded to today's four piers. As a side effect of the earthquake, several new rifts opened up in the earth. A previously unknown race of viscous creatures, the Elevns were found residing in the new rifts. These trolls were night stalkers, coming out and hunting small prey during the night. While there have been no reports of these tiny creatures ever attacking or killing white Voxelians, they have been known to troll the grey Daroians of the North visiting the resort.
When mining operations were halted, the Nebulaen estate was valued at over eleven trillion voxars. With no where the spend the money and store the extensive gold collections, it was deemed the town be turned into a luxurious resort and vacation destination. The Resort District opened in 1907, the one hundredth seventh anniversary of the establishment of Zair.
While no official form of government was ever voted on by the residents of Zair, it is generally considered a Monarchy. The Nebula bloodline has had de facto rule since the establishment of the islands.
The project was officially started on December 6, 2010 by Nebula VII.
One year after starting, on December 6, 2011, ground broke on a sister resort, named Xair. The Xair Resort is a recreation of Zair produced by User:Nebula7 for Holocene.
Resort District
Zair Hotel
The Zair Hotel was the first resort facility built as part of the nebula7 Resort Master Plan Doctrine. The site of the hotel was a large mountain and cliff facade. The hotel was constructed around the mountain, and adjacent lake, and utilized the cliff facade for a natural lava fall and pool as the lobby of the hotel. At the conclusion of construction, the hotel contained 63 spacious hotel rooms, including five suites: the Casino Suite, the Queen's Suite, the Mountain Suite, the Peasant's Suite, and the Lava Suite. Atop the hotel, there is the Resort Restaurant, the Skyhigh Spa, and the Zair Strip Zone, an exclusive strip club for guests of the hotel. Inside the eastern side of the hotel, there is a two floor casino. The casino offers Slots, Roulette, Craps, Texas Hold'em, and Blackjack. In addition, the casino has a feature room and feature table, making it capable of hosting major poker tournaments. On the lobby level of the hotel, there is a spacious ballroom with a 180 degree exterior view of the lake on the west side of the hotel. The ballroom can be transformed into a number of configurations to host a wide array of events. When no major events are taking place, the ballroom acts a theater where guests can watch films nightly. A helipad was added to the top of the hotel in the 1990s.
Zair Towers
Zair has two identical twin resort towers that face each other. The two towers and the courtyard below resemble the shape of a little omega. The curvature and unique construction of the facility make it a well known landmark throughout Voxel Earth. Each of the two towers are twelve floors tall. The ten middle floors each contain two suites. Thus each tower has 20 rooms. The top level of the two towers is an observatory and provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. Roof access is available via ladders in the observation level.
The twin resort towers were not added until the 1980s. They were a replacement for the former Zair Observatory Tower, which had a similar circular construction. The old tower was limited by space and plagued by numerous construction issues, and thus was demolished in the late 1970s.
Zair Courtyard
Connecting the twin resort towers, the hotel, and the port operations facility, the courtyard is a centerpiece to the resort. It's varying levels of walkways give numerous views and angles of the resort's towers and hotel. The courtyard is a three floor area. The upper floor, the courtyard level, is dominated by curved walkways and landscaping. With glass roofing, the lobby level resides beneath the courtyard level and contains the central corridor connecting the main resort structures. Undernearth the lobby, there is the lower concourse level. This level contains a commercial area, including a Sweet Treats, a Catapult Cafe, and it houses the Zair MetroVox station. The level also has the only official entrance to Zair Underground.
Civic District
The Civic District contains a jail, a courthouse, a community hall, and a residential neighborhood. It is also the location of the offices for the Zair port authority, Zair customs, and the Zair government.
Zair Port
The Zair Port has four piers. Three piers are classified as 'light-weight' piers and serve as docks for fishing ships, small trade ships, and other small vessels. The fourth, northern most pier is classified as a 'heavy-weight' pier, and is capable of docking four medium-to-large ships. In addition to the four piers, the port houses most of Zair's balloon pads. The main balloon pad, next to the port operations facility, can dock two balloons. Overflow docking is available on the smaller balloon pads at the ends of each of the three 'light-weight' class piers.
Zair Judiciary
Zair has its own court system and judicial branch. The offices of the Zair judicial system are housed in the customs building, the Jail, and the Zair Courthouse. The courthouse is the oldest government building in Zair and is still in its original form. It was constructed in 1808. The jail was added in 1820, and has been renovated several times. In actuality, the customs building was the first government building built and housed some port operations offices. However, it collapsed and burned down during a battle with Sir Ridgedog in 1824. The present customs building was built in 1926 over the site of the former structure.
The jail serves as a temporary housing for those awaiting court appearances. Unless sentenced to death by firing squad or lava burning, prisoners are exported to the StrongBad Prison after sentencing. It has executed 119 souls over its history.
Zair Hills
The Civic District contains a neighborhood where white Voxel Earth residents can build houses and shops. Available lots are indicated by wooden frames on the ground. While any style is acceptable, builders are strongly encouraged to follow Zair Civic District style and utilize wood, clay, sand, cobble, steps, black cloth, and green cloth into their builds. As of the last census, the neighborhood had 12 residents.
Build Off Competition
Zair hosted a build off in Zair Residential on the evening of January 26, 2011. Seven builders participated in the 45 minute competition for the best structure. The winners were Jomeaga, plusnine, and aitren.
Trivia
- This area was prominently featured in a CaptainSparklez' video and in the Yogscast Panel at Minecon 2011.
- Zair is one of the few cities on Pangea that has been around for over a year. (Anniversary was December 6, 2011)
