Arelat

The Dominion of Arelat is a modest, insular kingdom in the middle of the main continent, bordered by Dbugingrad to the North, The Roman Empire to the Northeast, I.C.O.R. to the Southeast, and the contested former lands of Savaguard to the West.

History
Arelat was founded on the 9th of February of 2020, announced and intended to be a small, one man nation serving the purposes of it's leader /u/ScandinavianTaco, an Alexandrian citizen who first lay claim and founded the kingdom, taking for himself the title of Dominus and declaring his primacy over the valley which would lend its name. He was joined almost immediately by /u/joshyutah, a like-minded and diligent individual who was quickly awarded the title Maior Palatii (Master of the Palace) indicating his status as being equal in all but name, and the two soon turned the valley of Arelat into a profitable and cozy home, which each player domesticating the Western and Eastern sides of the river respectively.

Arelat Trade Co. (ATC)
The Arelat Trade Co. was established to support new friend towns with low-risk trade deals. The major contribution to the server was the 'Piston Program' aka 'Compactor Contract' a simple deal to give new friend towns quick access to compactors without the need for a mechanic factory. In exchange for the pistons ATC would acquire a small stake in the new friend towns early exports (stone, bones, fish). Notable deals we're the Jontunhiem (see The Gate of Arelat) stone deal or the Acadia bone exchange. All program towns led to failure and complete abandonment giving the ATC a bad feeling about micro economics. The 100% failure rate has led to a open mind about botting economies and ATC has suspended its anti-bot campaigns in global chat.

The Gate of Arelat
During the ATC trade deals, Joshyutah began negotiations with Jotunheim about acquiring their cobble sock pile. At that time Juntonhiem had made it known that they were hollowing out the interior of a mountain in northern Napistan. Jotunheim had upwards of 44 compacted stacks of cobble with no way of transporting them off the continent. ATC supplied Juntonhiem with a compactor and purchased the surplus of stone. Upon arriving in Arelat a meeting was held to decide whether to sell the stone or use it to build a wall at the mouth of the valley. Without hesitation Scandinaviantaco proclaimed his now famous quote: "'build the wall'"The next day the first blocks of the ' The Gate of Arelat' were placed.

Current Dark Age
For reasons beyond the scope of the game, activity in Arelat declined precipitously in May of 2020. The road up to the main castle was torn up and the entrances to the valley were closed. Since then, there has still been occasional activity by the small nation, but beyond repelling a few raids, the kingdom has largely become quiet and recalled itself from international affairs. However, the kingdom still upholds its claims when challenged.

International Relations
Internationally, Arelat has known relatively few international incidents, warring only once in the War Against Columbian Aggression. Notably, /u/ScandinavianTaco has settled a dispute over horses with a neighboring lord of Savaguard via personal combat in an arena in the capital of Wheatistan, and /u/joshyutah has made numerous ambitious ventures in markets as far as Napistan. Arelat is known for it's sale Arelat Mustangs, a choice breed of fast, typically black spotted horses which have been sold throughout the continent.