Jacinto City

"Jacinto now stands as the last bastion for humanity. A final, desperate defense in the face of impossible odds."

—Queen Myrrah on Jacinto's protection of humanity.

Jacinto, also called Jacinto Enclave and Old Jacinto after its sinking,^[1]^[2] was a major industrial city located on top of the Jacinto Plateau, in the Embry Province off the Tyran coast.^[3] The city was considered one of Sera's more beautiful cities and neighbored Ephyra, the former capital of Tyrus and the Coalition of Ordered Governments.

After Emergence Day, the city became one of the last strongholds for humanity against the Locust Horde, as the granite bedrock within the plateau protected the city from Locust digging.^[4] When the Fortification Act was passed on the 30th day of Bloom, 1 A.E., Jacinto was turned into a fortress, and the city limits had a trench surrounding it.^[5] In Frost, 10 A.E., after Ephyra fell under Locust occupation, the COG relocated their capital to Jacinto City.

Jacinto became the main focus of attack afterwards. In 14 A.E., the Locust began a campaign of weakening the Jacinto Plateau by sinking cities with the Riftworm in order to sink the city to not just to defeat the humans but to drown the Lambent, which were causing an epidemic in the Hollow. The city was deliberately sunk by the COG on 2 Frost 14 A.E. in order to drown the Locust in their tunnels.

History

Era of Silence

Jacinto City was built at an unknown time, and neighbored the nation's capital of Ephyra. Jacinto became one of the most beautiful cities of Tyrus, overlooking the Serano Ocean. Like many other Seran cities, it prospered during the Era of Silence. With an increase of arts, science and culture, the city was the pride of the Tyran nation. The population of the city rose to millions.

Locust War

Emergence Day

Six weeks following the end of the Pendulum Wars, a subterranean race of creatures known as the Locust Horde emerged from the Hollow and began a campaign of genocide against all humans. Every major city on Sera was attacked, including Ephyra. The day became known as Emergence Day, a declaration of the Locust War. A quarter of the human population was killed in the first twenty-six hours.

As the attacks raged on, it became clear that key cities were not being attacked - namely cities located on the Jacinto Plateau. While some cities on the plateau, such as Ephyra and Ilima were attacked, they easily managed to repel the Locust Horde. Jacinto City, one of the largest industrial cities on Sera, went unscathed. It was discovered that the Jacinto Plateau, composed of granite bedrock, prevented the Locust from digging through the plateau. Therefore, Jacinto City was safe from the Locust Horde.

Fortification

In 30th of Bloom, 1 A.E., newly elected Chairman Richard Prescott reinstated the Fortification Act - declaring all of Sera under martial law. Chairman Prescott also announced the use of the Hammer of Dawn to scorch all Locust infested areas, over 90% of Sera's surface, outside the Jacinto Plateau to deny them spoils of war and advancing on Ephyra. Chairman Prescott urged an evacuation to the Jacinto Plateau to be protected from the Locust Horde.

On 33rd of Bloom, 1 A.E., the Hammer of Dawn strikes commenced. After the strikes, all cities on the Jacinto Plateau, including Jacinto City, were fortified into military installations. To further protect Jacinto City, a trench was built around the city to prevent a siege on the surface.^[5]

Many sections of the city were divided into sectors and perimeters with makeshift military bases lining the streets.^[5] Due to overpopulation of holding the last of Sera's population, many citizens became homeless, living in shacks and tents on the streets of the city.^[6]

Relocation

The city and its surrounding area were safe until ten years after E-Day during the Fall of Ephyra, when Ephyra fell to the Locust Horde, leaving most of the Plateau open to Locust attack.

Fifteen years after E-Day, Jacinto City stood as the last stronghold for the COG with Stranded encampments acting as no man's land; cities like Tollen and Montevado are prime examples.^[7] During the Locust counterattack, the Siege of Jacinto began, leading to the city's downfall during Operation: Hollow Storm. Ironically, the COG destroyed the city in order to win the war.^[3]

Siege of Jacinto

In 14 A.E., the Locust Horde launched a massive campaign to sink Jacinto City. Their early assaults were on the cities of Tollen and Montevado, using the Riftworm to sink them. Their initial attacks on Pomeroy Depot and Jacinto Med were unsuccessful, beating a hasty retreat at the hands of Delta One. Soon after, Operation: Hollow Storm was launched. The Locust renewed their efforts, this time in much larger force. Because Jacinto was, for the most part, undefended, the Locust attacks were quite successful, managing to open up a giant sinkhole in the middle of the city.

2112.JacintoConcept — Refugee camps inside Jacinto City.

Fall of Jacinto

During Operation: Hollow Storm, Delta Squad discovered intel that if Jacinto was sunk, the Hollow would flood with seawater, killing anything left inside it. The Locust wanted to do this all along, trying to escape a nasty civil war with the Lambent. After returning to the city, Delta One was sent to the sinkhole in the middle of the city. Using a captured Brumak, they were able to destroy the support beams of the cavern and opened it up to King Ravens, which would deploy a Lightmass Bomb. Delta's Brumak went Lambent, however, and destroyed the chopper carrying the bomb. Delta was then forced to kill the Brumak, using the resulting explosion as a makeshift bomb. As was predicted, seawater gushed into the crater, spreading through the Locust tunnel systems. With Jacinto's remaining population evacuated during the city's sinking, COG command was relocated to Port Farall, and then later to Vectes Naval Base. The sacrifice of Jacinto led to the destruction of most of the Locust Horde as they perished in the flooding of their home.

Months later, KR-239, carrying Marcus Fenix, Victor Hoffman, Miran Trescu, Royston Sharle, Lennard Parry, Mel Sorotki and Kevan Mitchell passed through the area while looking for places to resettle the remnant of humanity with the Lambent Pandemic forcing them off of Vectes. The group was horrified to find that Jacinto was completely gone and had become a vast harbor with no infrastructure left, only a few railway lines, bridges that led to nowhere and a fine old spire leaning at a precarious angle over the waters used as a roost for seagulls. Tresu realized from Marcus' reaction that he had personally sank Jacinto, but Sorotki stated that it was also Dominic Santiago, Damon Baird, herself, Mitchell and Anya Stroud who were responsible. With nothing useful to be found at Jacinto, the King Raven departed again after Mitchell took some photos of the devastation.^[8]

Interwar Period

After the end of the Locust War and Lambent Pandemic, the reformed COG started gathering rubble from destroyed cities in order to recycle it when building new Settlements. Six tons were recovered from Jacinto for the construction of Settlement 5 ^[9].

Notable Residents

Infrastructure

Locust Invasion Map1 — One of the Locust's assault plans for the invasion of Jacinto.

Jacinto City was a host to many workshops, bakeries, a major computer network, and drug manufacturing.^[10] The city itself was a stronghold that gave the COG a fighting chance during the Locust War as its loss greatly damaged the war effort for the COG upon its relocation to Port Farrall.^[11]