I found a small and friendly SMP called the Underground SMP. It is a Java server on 1.21.11 and it is all about living under a giant bedrock wall.
Everyone starts trapped underground and you get to pick one of four kingdoms or areas to begin in. The server runs events where players can unlock certain items that are up above the bedrock wall.
The community is open to all people and they also want content creators to join in too. It sounds like a chill place to meet others and take on the underground challenge together.
Trapped Underground Kingdom SMP
GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPFantasy Modded SMP With Dragons Lore
I found a modded Minecraft SMP that is growing fast and it is trying to get new people in early while the world is still pretty fresh.
The server has deep lore and it is heading into season 2 with a big fantasy theme. The story is about dragons and monsters and the land is supposed to be full of them. With the Ice and Fire mod you can search for dragons fight them and even tame your own.
You can play as a monarch running a kingdom or be a warrior or just be a tavernkeep. There are also other monsters plus custom structures and dungeons to explore.
The world border is kept smaller so players stay closer together then it expands over time. People are encouraged to form settlements and player houses. PVP is allowed but random killing is not the vibe and wars are meant to be more formal.
The server uses a whitelist so you have to apply first.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPJoin Rai Nations Session Adventures
Rai Nations is a session based nation server where people hop on for set times and go on adventures together. It usually hits 20 plus players at peak and there is room to set up your own nation.
The sessions are scheduled in EST on Wednesday Friday Saturday and Sunday so it works great if you want a second home server without spending your whole week grinding. The staff is friendly and helps you out and the server runs plot points and events.
There is a merchants village where you buy and sell items instead of doing villager trading. The economy uses Credits for most things like materials and enchants. There is also Rai Kurrency that is rarer and you can find it daily in chests and it is used for heavier stuff like Netherite enchants.
There is also lore with Unknown Fragments which are five beings that split from the original Unknown. They can cause wacky shenanigans and it ties back to season one where the server barely defeated Unknown and the fragments scattered.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IP