NorthernEmpires
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| NorthernEmpires | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 View of the town on 19 January 2025 | |||
| Owner | |||
 SFRricraz63 | |||
| Town Members | |||
| 201 | |||
| Assistants | |||
 3368
 irymoon7 | |||
| General information | |||
| |||
| |||
NorthernEmpires is a village on RetroMC, located in a snowy biome not far from DogTown.
It is owned by
SFRricraz63, who co-founded the village along with
3368 on 31 December 2024.
The village uses a unique system of so-called "cities" which function as semi-independent towns. The capital and oldest city is Nordran.
NorthernEmpires is one of the most active villages on RetroMC and has hosted several large community events.
History
Prehistory
SFRricraz63 first joined the server on December 30th, 2024. Initially, he teamed up with two other players, with the intention of creating a town together. When this did not come to fruition as planned,
SFRricraz63 and
3368 decided to leave the town and founded NorthernEmpires on December 31st, 2024.
Early 2025
The village saw significant growth and activity during January 2025, with notable structures like SFRricraz63's Great Fortress, HanSolo20's cabin, 5osi's house, 3368's house and the community wheat farm being completed in Nordran, which at the time was the only city of NorthernEmpires.
On 10 January 2025, the NE Discord server was officially opened.
On 19 January 2025, the Art District, a flattened area specifically for creating pixel art (which is banned elsewhere in Nordran) was opened.
Also on 19 January 2025,
HanSolo20 was promoted to Assistant, followed by
5osi on 20 January 2025. With 5osi's promotion, his town of OshenLake (later known as Osehn) joined NE, becoming its first city with 5osi acting as mayor.
On 31 January 2025, NE joined the Winfield Concord.
On 25 February 2025, the village warp /warp Nordran was created.
On 3 March 2025,
_69fps_ was promoted to Assistant.
On 30 March 2025, SFRricraz63 announced a period of inactivity, with HanSolo20 being appointed temporary Owner.
On [insert date]
_69fps_ was banned by RetroMC staff for X-raying and subsequently demoted on 4 April 2025.
On 14 April 2025, NorthernEmpires surpassed 100 members. However, many of the members that joined during this period did not stick around for long. Because of this and SFRricraz63's absence, the village experienced a period of very low activity.
Late 2025
On Saturday 6 July 2025, SFRricraz63 returned from his hiatus. To celebrate, the first ever NorthernEmpires weekly community event was organized, where more than 10 village members worked together to create a tall tower (Nordran Tower). Construction was led by village Assistant HanSolo20, who is responsible for the design of the tower. In the following weeks, further community events were held each Saturday, where construction of the tower was continued.
On 26 July 2025, the Desert Island Survival event, organized by 5osi and held in territories close to OsehnLake, was held. After a total of 4 weekends dedicated to this event, it was concluded on 17 August 2025.
On 23 August 2025, Spencer199 was promoted to Assistant - he became mayor of the newly founded city of Northbay, located on an island archipelago some distance to the north-east of Nordran.
On the same day, the first part of the Nether Battle event was held, with participants joining either Red Team or Green Team. On 30 August 2025, the main part of the event was held. With more than 10 players in attendance, it significantly boosted the total player count on RetroMC and was considered a big success. Green Team was declared the winner.
On 2 September 2025, the Northbay boat building event took place, with SFRricraz63, Spencer199, and HanSolo20 each contributing a small sailing ship.
From this point onwards, events were no longer held every Saturday, with some weeks being skipped. Starting on 21 September 2025, NorthernEmpires established an outpost in the Skylands.
On the weekly event of 18 October 2025, the community worked together to begin construction on a new station building which would connect NE to the Concord Rail Network. The building was designed by HanSolo20, who guided construction efforts during the event. More than 10 players took part and built about 50% of the building, working under ardous circumstances of considerable lag, with the chat delay sometimes surpassing 30 seconds.
On 8 November 2025, the biggest event thus far took place in the newly renovated Nordran Coliseum: the Great PVP Tournament, which saw 10 participants repeatedly fight each other to the death. The event was a massive success, attracting not only participants but also numerous spectators. The event's popularity was certainly also helped by the fact that a total of $17,500 in prize money for the top 3 finalists was provided from RetroMC funds, organized by longtime valued NE member and RetroMC Admin DogPool_.
On the same day, Diffract_ was promoted to Assistant.
On 16 November 2025, a hide-and-seek event was held, with winners of each round recieving $500 in prize money, once again provided by DogPool_ from server funds.
On 28 December 2025, the first Spleef Tournament was held, which just like the last major events, was very successful and saw rich attendance of participants and spectators.
Starting on 29 December 2025, the NE staff team constructed a build as a group entry into the annual Winter Wonderland Contest.
Notable Structures
Mushroom Chamber
A dark room for farming red and brown mushrooms. One of the oldest structures in the town.
Communal Wheat Farm Building
Located in the center of town, this building provides a reliable food source. It is rarely used.
Great Fortress
Arguably the architectural centerpiece of the town due to its imposing presence on the skyline, this height-limit-reaching cobblestone behemoth was created by
SFRricraz63.
3368's House
Built into the side of a hill,
3368's multi-storey residence features several furnished rooms.
Hans' Cabin
Construction of this wooden cabin was started by
HanSolo20 shortly after joining the town on January 4th, 2025. It features an upper floor made entire of spruce logs, a balcony, overhanging roof and stone retaining wall on the back. It is surrounded by custom-built spruce trees.
Stone Chapel
This rectangular, barrel-vaulted building was created by
PacmanSyu from January 3rd, 2025 to January 5th 2025.
Aether Portal
Emporium
SFRricraz63's shop sells moss stone, diamonds, and other items.
Hotel
The hotel was built by
SFRricraz63 during the middle of January 2025. It is inspired by a motel in the town of Novac in the video game Fallout: New Vegas. Prices range from $70 for a standard room, to $150 for a deluxe room with a balcony.
Ongoing Projects
DogTown Road
Due to its proximity to, and friendly relations with, the neighboring DogTown, the two villages decided to establish a road connection. As of January 19, 2025 the 3 block wide gravel road is still under construction.
Art District
The art district, located some distance away from the town in a grassy area, is intended to provide space for pixel art and other creative builds with fewer restrictions, ensuring it does not visually impact the town itself. The project was originally started by
BeefCheeks1 to create a dedicated area for artistic expression. The project was being continued by
3368, with significant contributions from
CallMeMrSeal and assistance from other users.
Shopping Mall
Construction on the shopping mall, located adjacent to the great fortress in the new town district, was begun by
HanSolo20 on January 19, 2025. When completed, it will contain space for 6 small shops, organised around a central glass-covered arcade. Important contributions came from
Leivu, who helped with initial excavation, as well as
QueenOfAsh,
panda_the_man, and
SFRricraz63, all of whom donated much needed building materials to the project.
Infrastructure
Stargate Network
[WIP]
DogTown Road
[WIP]
Foreign Relations
DogTown and NorthernEmpires are immediate neighbours, with an agreed undeveloped buffer zone between the towns where their claims touch directly. They are strong allies. Both towns share several members and have agreed to establish a direct road connection and a railway link.
The SicilianNecropolis is located roughly [WIP] blocks away from NorthernEmpires, opposite of DogTown. Relations are friendly. There was discussion about connecting the two towns by road, but as of January 2026 this idea has been abandoned, with the buffer zone between the towns remaining undeveloped.
NorthernEmpires and Fieldland have a trade agreement for ore. [clarification needed]
The small village of Arenosa has previously [specific date needed] invaded the Northern Empires' territorial waters, threatening its sovereignity. However, the situation was peacefully resolved and the towns are now in good relations.
Relations with Sebastion are considered "bad", according to
SFRricraz63. [clarification needed]
The village of OshenLake, owned by
5osi, joined the Northern Empires on 19 January 2025, becoming is first city. However as of 22 November 2025, 5osi left the assistant team and Osehn became independent.
The city of RMCURA, owned by a long time Northern Empires member,
Q0AL
have good relations. There is a stargate connecting the two as the two cities are too far to feasibly build a minetrack.
Other Notable Events and Lore
The Dog Massacre
The Dog Massacre of January 19, 2025 is a tragic event in the lore of the Minecraft town NorthernEmpires, marked by the actions of a griefer known as
SKMartin. The incident involved the deliberate killing of dogs belonging to residents
SFRricraz63,
QueenOfAsh and
3368, as well as the destruction of property beneath
QueenOfAsh’s home.
On January 19, 2025,
SKMartin infiltrated NorthernEmpires, targeting three of its prominent residents. The griefer killed several dogs that had become symbolic companions within the town, sparking grief and outrage among its citizens. In addition,
SKMartin griefed the area beneath
QueenOfAsh's house, leaving destruction in their wake. Despite the best efforts of the server’s administrators, the dogs could not be restored, and their loss was deemed irreversible.
One of the most troubling aspects of the event was
SKMartin’s use of a powerful VPN, which allowed them to bypass the server’s security measures and evade bans. As a result, their true identity and whereabouts remain unknown, and they are considered an ongoing threat to the server.
The Dog Massacre has since become a defining moment in the history of NorthernEmpires, remembered as a significant tragedy. Memorials were established to honor the lost dogs, and the event has been woven into the town’s lore as a reminder of the fragility of peace. The community remains vigilant, with increased efforts to fortify the town against future attacks.
The massacre serves as both a cautionary tale and a unifying moment in the town’s history, ensuring that the memory of the event —and its victims— will not be forgotten.