Free Cities of Alathra

The Free Cities of Alathra (FCA) is a federation spanning across almost the entirety of the continent of Arith. The federation consists of 17 largely autonomous city-states, each with their own elected senator. Since the fall of Aquandavia, the FCA's claim as the largest nation have gone largely uncontested.

The early days of the FCA, or what is now called the "Early Free Cities", was dissolved on August 7, 2021 following a political divide between its members. The two rivaling fractures became the Federation of Arith and the Kingdoms of Arith. The hardships during the Elyrian-Entente War rekindled the comradery between the Arithians, making them re-establishing the Free Cities of Alathra on October 9, 2021.

The Old FCA (May 26 2021 - June 14 2021)
Initially, the Free Cities of Alathra served as a small defensive alliance between three towns against Ashina, the largest and most powerful nation in Alathra at the time. During this period, the three founding members, HighTide, Duskenspur, and Uhovia, primarily focused on building their own strength to prepare for any potential war. In addition, they began to assert their authority in the land within their borders, wishing to keep out any foreign interests.

Founding and the First Constitution
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 of Uhovia on May 31 and June 1, just after the Restarting of the Server. Soon after, on May 30, Mylesdon drafted the First Constitution of the FCA, creating the Senate consisting of the three town leaders and outlining the basic laws of the FCA.

Because of High Tide's central location and large population, it was made the capital of this new nation, and Cody29797 was given the honorary title of Chancellor by Lord MylesDon and Prime Minister spiceymonkey1349. As Chancellor, Cody29797 would manage the overall operations of the FCA such as foreign affairs and the military while taking counsel from the Senate.

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 to the continent of Prospit to the east.

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 FCA 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 Expansion Era (June 14-July 3)
After the Ashina-Kingdom of God War, the FCA became more involved in Alathran politics, having gained recognition as a military power from the other nations. In addition, the FCA began to invest more energy into building international relations, especially with its new western neighbor, Synbio. The FCA would also dedicate itself to defending the autonomy of smaller nations against the larger, more aggressive nations, remembering its original intent to defend its members' independence against Ashina. However, this increased involvement would soon lead to backlash from the FCA's neighbors, most notably in the Pultria Crisis, which would cause a total reform of the FCA's government.

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.

The Northern Lighthouse Brewery
On June 23, shortly after the rediscovery of alcohol in Alathra, several residents of HighTide opened 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" that died under the rule of King chickenprism, ruler of Pultria. 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 with 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 or Pultria, which was one of their allies.

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. Likewise, Chancellor Cody would be allowed to build an outpost to the east of Savage Crow, the capital of Pultria. While neither side was truly satisfied with the compromise, it was enough to avoid open conflict.

The Pultria Crisis
On June 29, Emperor AlphaSpade of the First Icesteel Empire declared his intent to annex the island nation of Petroselinum. Soon, King chickenprism subjugated AlphaSpade and the Icesteel Empire, continuing with AlphaSpade's plans to conquer Petroselinum.

By June 30, Kongongu, New Reno, and Brittania Bay had all declared war on Pultria. Because of its alliance with Pultria, the FCA was reluctant to declare war, but also wanted to defend Petroselinum's autonomy as it had with Lost Wind and Synbio. Ultimately, on June 30 at 3:18 PM, Chancellor Cody29797 issued an ultimatum to Pultria: cease its expansion or have the FCA break its alliance and declare war. King chickenprism chose the latter, and so the FCA declared war on Pultria.

The FCA led the alliance of Kogongu, New Reno, Brittania Bay, and Fare-Sesso which quickly crushed Pultria in the Battle of Petroselinum. However, during the battle, the FCA's army faced numerous disciplinary and communication issues, such as firing upon Pultria before the battle started and most notably sieging Savage Crow, the capital of Pultria, after the battle ended. Vasya and Hargreevs of Kogongu denounced these actions as encouraging the very colonialism that the alliance was fighting against. Facing massive pressure to correct these mistakes, Chancellor Cody29797 resolved to reform the FCA's government and foreign policy.

Romanus Silva Joins
On July 1st 2021, Romanus Silva joined the FCA with watchoftartarus leading the town. Soon, Romanus Silva would become the largest city in Alathra, bolstering the FCA's military might in the days leading up to the War of the Assassins.

The New FCA / Isolation Era (July 3-August 7)
Following the Pultria Crisis, the FCA was in dire need of reform. The military was out of control due to lack of military commanders, the nation's bank was often running low due to lack of taxes, and the other nations of Alathra began to fear the FCA's growing power. Furthermore, the Senators were concerned about entangling the FCA in foreign conflicts similar to the Pultria Crisis Thus, Chancellor Cody29797 held a council with the Senators over two days in order to draft a new government for the FCA.

The Second Constitution
On July 3, Lord watchoftartarus drafted the Second Constitution of the FCA. The main changes to the FCA's government were:

Later, more bills would be passed for the creation of a highway system called the Tideway and a team dedicated to the hunting of artifacts such as the Blessed Dagger, though it would later be disbanded after the Senate learned that the Blessed Dagger did not exist.
 * The Isolation Bill: The FCA is forbidden from engaging in foreign wars unless the conflict affects the FCA directly or the Senate votes 100% in favor of intervention.
 * Homegrown Protectionism Bill: Only towns originating on Arith may settle; any outside nation that tries to settle or colonize Arith will be met with hostility.
 * Professionalism Bill: Citizens are encouraged to grind military-related skills, such as swords, axes, taming, etc.
 * A 15% tax on each of the towns.
 * Military Reform: The FCA military is assigned 2 Generals and 4 Captains of the Archery, Cavalry, Infantry, and Militia.

The Death of the FCA
Historians attribute the fall of the FCA to its massive size and large distance between towns, making communications difficult, as well as the FCA being more of an alliance between city states, each who felt little to no connection to the other.

On August 7th 2021, the FCA was officially dissolved. This was due to long growing tensions between towns within the nation. Negotiations were held between the loyalists and those wishing to break off in an attempt to hold the country together. Out of this, the Kingdoms of Arith was formed. The KOA was not well received among those still within the country and was seen as a compromise that neither side truly wanted. Shortly after, those loyal to the FCA decided to create their own nation to carry on the legacy of the FCA which led to the creation of the Federation of Arith.

Government and Politics
The Second Senate was formalized on July 3rd along with the national military. The nation passed the Isolationism bill which has caused them to keep to their continent and not engage in conflict unless provoked, attacked, or the senate overrules with a 100% vote.

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 currently is isolationist avoiding international relations.

The FCA is currently allied with the nation of Fare-Sesso and Winterhallow.

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