- "So this is New Ephyra. Home to industrialists, techno-fascists, reactionaries and cowards."
"Yeah. Also decent food, clean water and showers." - —Garron Paduk and JD Fenix speaking about New Ephyra
New Ephyra is the capital city of the reconstituted Coalition of Ordered Governments, founded some time after the end of the Locust War and before the Swarm Invasion. It is located on the Jacinto Plateau close to the ruins of Old Ephyra, the previous capital.
History[]
Interwar Period[]
Following the end of the Locust War, the COG built the city of New Ephyra outside the ruins of Old Ephyra to serve as its new capital city. It began as a large encampment managed by the surviving COG personnel including Anya Stroud. At the time, future First Minister Mina Jinn was living as a Stranded nearby and the first time that she met Stroud who would become her mentor, she was invited to live at the New Ephyra encampment.[1]
On the 25th anniversary of the end of the Locust War, First Minister Mina Jinn gave a speech to New Ephyra's citizens, highlighting the pivotal battles and conflicts of the past and the bright future that laid ahead for the COG.[2]
Swarm Invasion[]
A Refuge for Humanity[]
After the revelation of the Swarm threat, COG First Minister Mina Jinn insisted upon evacuating the survivors of humanity to New Ephyra and concentrating their forces on protecting the city. Jinn rejected warnings that it could be setting humanity up for a last stand and other plans such as training more Gears or reactivating the old Hammer of Dawn satellite network. With the help of Kait Diaz, many former Outsiders were convinced to travel to New Ephyra and join the COG.[3][4][5]
Battle of Old Ephyra[]
New Ephyra was threatened by a surprise Swarm offensive in 42 A.E. The Swarm emerged in the Old Ephyra ruins, accompanied by the massive Kraken and began advancing toward the city, forcing the defending COG Gears back, particularly after the Hammer of Dawn targeting beacons were destroyed. The COG and Delta-One made their final stand on New Ephyra's defensive wall. The Railguns mounted on the wall kept the Kraken at bay briefly, but the defenses were in danger of being overrun. Delta's robotic companion JACK sacrificed himself to act as a targeting beacon for the Hammer of Dawn, killing the Kraken and destroying the attacking Swarm forces. As a result, New Ephyra was saved but Old Ephyra was completely destroyed by the Swarm attack and the Hammer of Dawn strike.[6]
Layout[]
New Ephyra at night
New Ephyra was a planned city, designed by the COG to maximize the productivity and livelihood of the citizens. It was built by using the raw materials salvaged from Old Ephyra with its construction largely mechanized and automated. New Ephyra largely resembled the smaller Settlements, but was far larger in order to accommodate hundreds of thousands of citizens.[3]
One side of New Ephyra was built against the mountains for natural defense while the rest of the city was guarded by a massive security barrier. This wall had a few railguns which were used during the Battle of Old Ephyra. All major roads in the city were designed to lead to Government House to make administering the populace more efficient. On the hills above the city lived the wealthier inhabitants who are either close with the government or entrepreneurs who owned the city's big companies. There was also an industrial district for manufacturing where DB Industries operated a largely autonomous factory that also employed thousands of technicians within the city.[3]
The key infrastructure assets for New Ephyra are also located outside the city. This included New Ephyra Air Field, a maritime port and a hydroelectric dam.[3]
Population[]
New Ephyra was home to at least hundreds of thousands of COG citizens, many of whom are under the age of twenty-five due to a post-war population boom and COG pro-family public policy. Those who lived during the Locust War still made the majority of the population, while those who were adults during the Pendulum Wars are slowly retiring or passing away. The city is currently reaching the maximum population capacity, motivating the COG to build new Settlements a distance away to repopulate its territory.[3]
DeeBees also made up a significant portion of the population, performing the necessary work that was too dangerous or exerting for humans. The standard of living in New Ephyra was much higher than Outsider communities or Picker groups with citizens benefiting from organized prosperity, assured security and advanced technology. However, personal freedoms are somewhat limited by the Government. There was a nightly curfew with DeeBee patrols ordering the citizens to remain on their property. The citizens required permission to leave New Ephyra for the other settlements and it was difficult to leave COG territory for the Wilds. Jinn also monitored much of the city by using the DeeBees' cameras.[3]
Known Locations[]
Appearances[]
- Ephyra Rising
- Gears of War 4 (First appearance)
- Ascendance
- Gears 5
- Bloodlines