New Lisbon is a kingdom in Brick City composed primarily of Newark’s sizable Portuguese population.
History[]
Pre-War[]
New Lisbon occupies a site that was once known as “The Neck", due to the appearance of the curve of the Passaic River. As the city of Newark became more industrialized, the area became known as The Ironbound, due to the heavy presence of heavy industries and a coarse network of railroad and trolley tracks around the neighborhood. A working-class community sprung up around the factories, primarily composed of African Americans from the south, Eastern Europeans, and Portuguese (from both Portugal and Brazil).
The Ironbound avoided the economic decline that much of the city began experiencing in the 1950s thanks to the close-knit ties that the area’s Portugese community forged with each other, and with others. This is why the cityscape in the area avoided being knocked down to make way for the Interstate Highway system and instead grew into a vibrant neighborhood nicknamed Little Portugal.
Post-War[]
Newark was targeted during the Great War, but the city avoided complete destruction thanks to laser turrets at Newark Airport that diverted and/or destroyed most of the bombs and missiles. The city did not avoid the riots and chaos the followed. The Ironbound neighborhood, thanks to the efforts of Miguel Oliviera- “the town mayor”- avoided much of the hardest looting and rioting. He organized the close-knit residents of the area to defend their homes and places of business from the looting masses when it became apparent that order had broken down and that the city and state government no longer existed. One of the keys that allowed the community to survive was the walls and blockades around the neighborhood that were quickly erected. The community came together to watch their own while ensuring that outsiders were unable to tear down what they had preserved.
The small community in the Ironbound was one of the first Post-War communities that the Catholics from Basilica stumbled on when they began exploring the ruins of the world. The men and women of the community still clung to their faith, and the two groups quickly formed alliances. The Portuguese survivors gave the Basilica explorers food, equipment, and relics from Catholic churches in the neighborhood, and the clergymen began administering services to them.
In 2099, the men and women of the Ironbound were contacted by the clergy of Basilica concerning the future of their faith. Miguel Oliviera, like others, supported Bishop Thomas McMillan being proclaimed Pope of the East Coast Catholic Church. In exchange, in 2102, Oliviera was given a special title by the newly elected Pope Thomas I. The Pope named him Fidei Defensor et Rex Fidelissimus Catholicissimus- “defender of the faith and most faithful Catholic King”- and declared him of ennobled blood. The Portuguese people of the area praised the move and accepted Miguel Oliviera as their formal leader. King Oliviera, in his first royal decree, declared the neighborhood a New Lisbon that would be a beacon in the darkness that would support Basilica in reestablishing and spreading Catholicism.
King Miguel Oliviera died in 2112 and was succeeded by his son, Pedro. King Pedro ruled over New Lisbon from 2112 until 2130, when he died of pneumonia due to the Great Winter. His son, Cristiano, succeeded him and ruled New Lisbon from 2130 until his death in 2163. King Cristiano’s son, Marco, succeeded him and ruled the settlement from 2163 until 2188.
King Marco died without a male heir, so for the first time in New Lisbon’s history, a woman ruled. Queen Raquel reigned from 2188 until her assassination by a right-wing nationalist in 2201. The queen was succeeded by her son, António, who ruled from 2201 until 2220. A year before his death, King António helped broker the Brick City Alliance, bonding the various settlements in the ruins of Newark into a somewhat-cohesive unit. When King António died, his son, Tomás took the throne.
In 2237, King Tomás brokered a deal between Brick City and the Federal Republic of Libeteria to form an alliance to wipe out the Newark Pirate Association, a network of pirates operating in Newark Bay and the Arthur Kill. Over the next two years, forces from the Federal Republic of Libeteria and Brick City- most of them from New Lisbon- fought to eliminate the pirates that harassed them for years in the conflict that would be known as the Harbor War.
Tomás ruled New Lisbon from 2220 until 2246. Upon his death, leadership of the kingdom went to his only child, Beatriz. Queen Beatriz Oliviera has ruled ever since.
Since the end of the Harbor War and the elimination of the Newark Pirate Association, the kingdom has renovated and repaired a Pre-War locomotive and have restored partial service across the Dock Vertical Lift Bridge, shipping goods across the Passaic River, through the ruins of Harrison and Jersey City, to be traded with buyers across the Hudson in New York.
Economy[]
The largest export that the kingdom sends out to the rest of the world is weapons. The royal family controls New Lisbon Arms, a large manufacturer of weapons and bullets. New Lisbon Arms is in constant competition with the Libeterian Newberry Arms Company as holders of the largest regional market share. The Libeterian manufacturer currently has the edge because of their location in New York, but the smiths from the kingdom have more materials and have only just begun tapping into the outside market of the rest of the local area, let alone other parts of New Jersey.
While the kingdom uses caps, they use a gold standard-based currency as well. The majority of the gold that the kingdom obtained came from a train wreck that was salvaged long ago, when the kingdom was first founded, but much of it has come from other nearby settlements, such as Basilica, Junkport, and the Federal Republic of Libeteria. The kingdom mints three coins, with values of roughly one, five, and ten caps. Formally called escudos, the coins are more commonly referred to as reis- kings- because the different kings struck on the coins denote different values. The one-cap escudo has the visage of King Miguel Oliviera on it. The five-cap escudo has the visage of King Marco Oliviera, and the ten-cap escudo has the visage of King António Oliviera.
Government[]
New Lisbon is ruled by a royal family, the Oliveira dynasty. The Oliveiras have ruled New Lisbon since the settlement came into existence. The family patron, Miguel, was ennobled by Pope Thomas in 2102 for his efforts in keeping the Catholic faith alive in the Portuguese community of the ruins of Newark. His descends have controlled the small kingdom ever since, all the way up to its current leader, Queen Beatriz Oliveira.
While members of the royal family are installed in positions of importance, one does not need to be in the royal family to be appointed to such a position. So, while the leader of New Lisbon’s army, Coronel Filipe, is the brother of the queen, the leader of New Lisbon’s treasury, André Mendes, was appointed to the position because of his intelligence and knowledge of economics.
Layout[]
The kingdom is roughly four-square miles in the eastern ruins of Newark. Its northernmost boundary is the Passaic River, while its southern boundary follows the curve of Interstate 78. Its easternmost boundary is New Jersey Route 9, while its western boundary is McCarter Highway. During Prewar days, the neighborhood was one of the densest in Newark.
New Lisbon is walled off from the rest of the world, which is one of the ways that it has remained so stable and secure over the years. The kingdom keeps a handful of manned crossings open for individuals to come and go. In addition, two bridges, the Jackson Street Bridge and the Dock Vertical Lift, cross the Passaic and allow people to travel to and from New Lisbon to the ruins north.
New Lisbon has a handful of important sites within it. The home of the royal family, O Palácio do Rio Passaic, Passaic River Palace, is in the ruins of a former smelting and refining factory located on the banks of the Passaic. Located roughly in the middle of the kingdom is Parquet do Independência, Independence Park. The site acts as a town hall for the kingdom, with official proclamations and events being made there.
Relations[]
The Kingdom is something of a vassal state of Basilica. The two realms have had an intimate relationship for centuries, connected by their shared faith. The kings and queens of New Lisbon have, over the years, ensured that their population remained primarily Catholic. In return, the popes of the East Coast Catholic Church have named the rulers of New Lisbon ‘defenders of the faith’ and have granted them spiritual legitimacy to their rule.
New Lisbon is much more open to outsiders than Terminal City, but it, too, is a walled settlement with strict and stringent rules regarding who is allowed in. Generally speaking, outsiders are allowed in during daylight hours, but only residents are allowed to be within the walls when dusk arrives and all entry points are closed. Those that are found lingering in the settlement are punished, depending on who they are and why they are still in the city. In most cases, such punishments are usually being held in jail overnight and being temporarily barred from the settlement, but in some cases, punishments can get as harsh as lengthy jailtime or even death.
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