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.

Archaic Arelat (February 2020)
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.

Expansionist Age (February 2020-May 2020)
The initial claims of Arelat consisted of the main valley and the adjacent land immediately to East. The majority of the region was sparsely inhabited, and this set the foundation for further expansion in the months to follow. The second expansion was in the wake of the Ez2War, in which Arelat provided material and modest manual support to The Coalition. Arelat expanded to claim territory contested directly to the north, which they liberated through the force of their arms.The third expansion came after prolonged negotiations between Arelat and Savaguard. Savaguard had just completed their controversial annexation of Unitas, a state which had a sparse presence in the region. Arelat, who had been farming and developing the land in their absence, now found itself in a potentially compromised position. However, in exchange for an Arelat Mustang and recognition of Savaguard claims, the King of Savaguard ceded the valley to Arelat, and in doing so further legitimizing their own position. Arelat is the only nation to have ever been ceded land from the notoriously expansionist kingdom. The fourth expansion came as a result of negotiations between the nation and I.C.O.R. and a number of local parties, a negotiation which in part led to the events that culminated in the Treaty of Serenity. The expansion gave Arelat a river port and significantly enhanced the kingdom's ability to access the wider world.

The Dark Age (June 2020-)
For reasons beyond the scope of the game, activity in Arelat declined precipitously following 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. There were no further expansions, and the nation was deliberately neutral in the Great War. However, the kingdom did retain some degree of activity, and still upheld 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.

Arelat Trade Company
The Arelat Trade Co. was established to support newfriend 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 Gates of Arelat) stone deal or the Acadia bone exchange.

The Gates of Arelat
During the ATC trade deals, Joshyutah began negotiations with Jotunheim about acquiring their cobble sock pile. At that time Jotunhiem 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 the famous quote: "Build the wall." The next day the first blocks of the "The Gates of Arelat" were placed.