Free Cities of Alathra

The Free Cities of Alathra (FCA) is a nation located mainly on the southeastern part of the northern continent, consisting of six towns and several island territories to the south. It is the second largest nation in Alathra after the Ashina Empire, and has played a significant role in the politics of Eastern Alathra following its creation on May 29, 2021. It is also home to Alathra's first turtle conservatory.

HighTide (Capital)

 * Cody29797 (Chancellor, Sealord of HighTide)
 * GreatLemi (Steward of HighTide)
 * KIX_6116
 * Mrblack4123
 * Gongasm
 * Helix_8ea
 * bofamnutz
 * FastPencil86
 * CodywonX
 * Sheepboi121
 * ARiaMARS

Duskenspur

 * MylesDon (Lord of Duskenspur)
 * tiberian3

Evergreen

 * BentoSet (Lord of Evergreen)
 * VioletCheshire49
 * I3renna_I3ug

Uhovia

 * white_flare1506 (Lord of Uhovia)
 * spiceymonkey1349 (Prime Minister of Uhovia)
 * 0utFoxxed (Sir Knight)

Braudwell

 * TheeEndermaster (Lord of Braudwell)
 * _blatypus_
 * SierraTheSergal
 * bloxer123link
 * AngelicGuard

Ewhington

 * Tex0322 (Lord of Ewhington)
 * NelsoTheGamer

Founding
The Free Cities of Alathra was originally known as the Alliance of Coastal States, formed on May 26 between HighTide, Uhovia, and Duskenspur as a defensive agreement against any potential threats from the other nations. However, with the prospect of admitting Evergreen, a landlocked offshoot of Uhovia, the leaders realized that the "Coastal" part of the name would no longer fit. Thus, they decided to rename the alliance to the Free Cities of Alathra on May 29, merging Cody29797's Hightide and MylesDon's Duskenspur into one autonomous nation. They were soon followed by BentoSet of Evergreen and white_flare1506 on May 31 and June 1, just after the Restarting of the Server.

The Fort Gillamore Dispute
On June 7th, the Alathran Independent Press, the primary history-recording organization of Alathra claimed the island of Fort Gillamore, an abandoned territory of NoTown then Mausia that the FCA tentatively claimed. On June 8th, Prime Minister spiceymonkey1349 of Uhovia, enticed by the prospect of having such a prestigious organization operate within the FCA's borders, offered to help set up moneymaking operations on the island, hoping to win the Press's favor and to make some money for both parties in the process. However, in a heated public debate, the Alathra Independent Press refused spiceymonkey1349's offer, insisting on maintaining its independence. Once again, Fort Gillamore was abandoned as the Alathra Independent Press decided to move its headquarters elsewhere.

Ashina-Kingdom of God War
On June 13 to 14, as tensions rose between Ashina and the Kingdom of God over the architecture of their towns, the FCA hoped to remain neutral in the conflict, supporting the freedom of creativity of both towns. However, when Pope Mistapurple attacked the Shepeyes location at Homo Town with lava, the FCA felt it had no choice but to help Ashina intervene. On June 14 at 7:51 PM EST, Chancellor Cody29797 declared war on the Kingdom of God.

The FCA participated in the final siege of Vatican City. Joining the Ashina-led alliance along with Fare-Sesso, the F.C.A. mustered 5 soldiers: Chancellor Cody29797 and GreatLemi of HighTide, Prime Minister spiceymonkey1349 and Sir austinzhu of Uhovia, and Lord BentoSet of Evergreen. After gathering with the Ashina forces, they were designated as the South-Western Battalion and were tasked with advancing up Vatican City's southern slope with the rest of the main army.

On June 14 at 10:30 PM EST, the Southwestern Battalion moved in with the alliance army and marched up the hill to Vatican City. However, when the members of the Kingdom of God failed to show up for the battle, the Southwestern Battalion regrouped with the rest of the alliance army at the southern gate of the city. Gradually, boredom set in amongst the ranks.

Hoping to break the boredom, one Battalion member from Uhovia, Sir austinzhu, dueled with Grandpa_Boob of Ashina, losing the fight but entertaining the alliance troops. The Battalion also partook in the fight against the three Giants that were spawned by Zedd as a challenge. Eventually, the Southwestern Battalion vacated the battlefield, leaving Ashina to claim Vatican City.

The Ashina-Kingdom of God War marked the FCA's first armed conflict as well as its entrance into the wider stage of Alathran politics. From then on, the FCA took on a larger role in peacekeeping as well as international relations, especially with its initial joining of the AUTP and resolution of the Rome-Redwood Dispute.

The AUTP
In the wake of the Ashina-Kingdom of God War, Chancellor Cody29797 was approached by Mayor Crowe of Braudwell with an offer to join the Alathran Union of Township Peace (AUTP), a worldwide trade organization that promised to prevent future wars and to encourage international trade. Hoping to promote peace and to expand the FCA's trade, Cody29797 agreed to join and attend a press conference in New Ashina City with Mayor Crowe, King Shepsicle, Lady Cottage_Goblin, and King RaptorJ6 that night at 8:30 EST.

Although the press conference initially went smoothly, it soon came crashing to a halt when Mayor Crowe announced that the AUTP would not provide military force in order to keep peace in Alathra, or even prevent its members from declaring an unjust war. Chancellor Cody29797, who was told by Crowe that the AUTP was a peacekeeping force as well as a trade alliance, was frustrated by this miscommunication. In addition, with Vasya's and Grandpa_Boob's statements denouncing the AUTP, the FCA's confidence in the AUTP was shaken, and ultimately Cody29797 decided to pull out along with the rest of its member-states.

Rome-Redwood Dispute
On June 16, Rome declared war on the abandoned town of Amkensfort in order to expand its borders, leaving Rome itself unprotected. During this time, one member of the nearby town of Redwood, Tomogoth13, burned down all but one of the buildings in Rome for unknown reasons, though he was soon expelled from the town. Predictably, Emperor SteviusBlockius of Rome was furious at Redwood for allowing one of their citizens to commit this act.

In addition, because Redwood and Rome were so close together, the two towns wanted to merge into one nation, but had a heated disagreement over which town would be the capital. On one hand, Rome planned to create an extravagant capitol building, whereas Redwood, despite only being a collection of tents at the time, had much more manpower and military strength.

As a result, both sides traveled to HighTide in order to convince Chancellor Cody29797 to join their side and help them conquer the other. Luckily, using his diplomacy skills, Cody29797 was able to resolve their dispute, and both towns decided to create an unofficial alliance until SteviusBlockius willingly disbanded Rome.

Braudwell Joins
On June 18, Mayor Henry III, the successor of Mayor Crowe after his unfortunate death at the hands of PIB assassin EpicMasterVic, signed an agreement admitting the town of Braudwell to the FCA, bringing the nation's number of cities up to five.

The Synbio Border Dispute
On June 19, the FCA opened discussions with its new neighbor, Synbio, about their border claims. Because of Braudwell's proximity to Redwood and Khuamont, the proposed border was awkward, to say the least. However, the main point of contention between the two nations was the two villages located in the center of the Northern Continent, just east of the ruins of Xenoarcadia. Both the FCA and Synbio wanted control over the lucrative emerald trade with the natives of those two villages, but could not agreed upon which nation should claim which village. Ultimately, the FCA and Synbio decided to both leave the territory unoccupied, wishing to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Turtle Conservation
On June 23, HighTide created the first known turtle conservatory in Alathra, breeding turtles in order to help stabilize their population.

The Northern Lighthouse Brewery
On June 23, shortly after the rediscovery of alcohol in Alathra, several residents of HighTide partnered with King Shepsicle, a respected businessman from Ashina, to open one of the first breweries in Alathra, the Northern Lighthouse Brewery, named for the lighthouse in which they produced their alcohol. It proved to be a highly lucrative venture, bringing in customers from all across Alathra.

Ewhington Joins
On June 24, the sixth nation of the FCA was admitted, Ewhington, a tiny hamlet to the west of Uhovia.

The Pultria-Lost Wood Incident
On June 28 at 12:55 AM CST, Gwen127 from the town of Lost Wind in Synbio posted a photo of graves created for the "victims of slavery" of Pultria that died under King chickenprism's rule. However, because neither Gwen nor chickenprism clarified that the "slaves" were actually chickens, the other leaders of Alathra believed that the slaves were other players, causing a public outrage against chickenprism. As the day wore on, accusations flew between both sides, with Fred_Book of Redwood accusing chickenprism of sending a mercenary to attack him, and chickenprism charging Gwen127 with intentionally slandering Pultria and even sending death threats, though none of these claims were substantiated.

Nonetheless, these tensions came to a head when chickenprism declared war on Lost Wind at 1:15 AM CST. Soon enough, alliances were made, King Shepsicle of New Ashina City, King ImmaNotScope of Faron, and King Ripesack of Lothridge joining Pultria, and only Lord megadolon, the newly-crowned Lord of Iceburg, joining Lost Wood. As war loomed ever closer, the FCA remained neutral in the conflict, hoping to defend Lost Wind's autonomy but not wanting to risk war with the rest of Ashina.

However, in order to deny Pultria of a war, at 4:23 PM CST, Gwen127 decided to disband Lost Wind, and with ConacoGaming and NaaMannnn's help, disbanded the nation of Synbio altogether to join the FCA. The two nations had already had talks of merging together before the war broke out, but chickenprism still felt robbed of what he believed was rightfully his. As a result, he arranged a visit to Lost Wind to discuss acquiring Lost Wind for himself.

At 9:15 PM CST, King chickenprism arrived at Lost Wind, where he was received by Prime Minister spiceymonkey1349 and Sir 0utFoxxed of Uhovia. King chickenprism immediately demanded that the FCA hand over the town while spiceymonkey1349 and 0utFoxxed attempted to dissuade him, all while people from both sides interjected to berate the other. Eventually, Chancellor Cody29797 was forced to intervene, entering a private conference with King chickenprism.

Eventually, the two parties reached a compromise: King chickenprism would give up his claim of Lost Wind in exchange for being allowed to build an outpost on a nearby hill to the south. While neither side was truly satisfied with the compromise, it was enough to avoid open conflict.

Government and Politics
The FCA's government is a mix of local monarchy and national constitutional democracy, with the rulers of each town retaining some autonomy with the internal affairs of their respective cities. However, for large-scale affairs affecting the entire nation, including declaration of war, the state must conduct a majority vote of either the leaders of the towns or of all of the citizens.

The Constitution
The Constitution of the Free Cities of Alathra was first drafted by Lord MylesDon of Duskenspur on May 30, and outlines the basic laws of the Free Cities, including: The Constitution also provides for emergency powers to override some local laws in times of extraordinary crisis, but for no more than 2 days or until the end of an ongoing war.
 * Autonomy of each town without interfering with national laws
 * Requirement to contribute to daily upkeep payments
 * Military obligation during times of war
 * National citizenship for all town members, which entails:
 * Freedom of movement between national territories
 * Equal rights in each town
 * Compliance with local laws, including switch/building permissions
 * The responsibilities of the Chancellor, mainly to consult with the lords of the other member-towns

International Relations
The FCA is currently allied with the nation of Fare-Sesso.

The FCA has no outstanding disputes with any other nation.

Culture
The FCA is a highly diverse nation, with each of its member-cities possessing unique cultural characteristics, from HighTide's reverence for turtles to Duskenspur's traditions of hospitality. However, the common thread throughout each of the cities is their emphasis on individual freedom and self-determination, the guiding principles of the FCA. Thanks to this freedom, especially of trade, the FCA's overall culture is a mixture of local practices and ideas borrowed from other member-cities.

Landmarks

 * TideFort
 * Duskenspur Gate
 * Uhovia Lighthouse