Twelve cities built on the basis of individual freedom and the escape from tyrannical oppression. Twelve cities united for mutual gain and prosperity. Twelve cities founded by 12 men who journeyed to the Northern Territories after escaping persecution from the south.

These twelve cities would come to be known as the Corinth Alliance and this was their foundation myth. It was a foundation myth designed to elicit a deep sense of pride in its people. It was a foundation myth that was able to unite people of different origins and different races who shared the same goals. To live a safe and prosperous life where they were treated as equals and free of cruel and abusive laws, taxes, and leaders.

Each day citizens of the Alliance struggled to make their foundation myth a reality. And for many, the Alliance was an ideal society. However, no government is without flaws. No society is free of those who seek to take advantage of others. And no civilization is free of corruption.

How much of the foundation myth is just a myth is unknown. But the foundation of the Alliance by 12 men is widely regarded as truth. It is said that each founder held a different belief on how governments should punish specific crimes, what services the government should provide, and how much tax citizens should pay.

Unable to reconcile their differences each would go on to create their very own systems of governance. However, one thing they agreed upon was the creation of a central government that linked the 12 cities together and controlled basic services and establishments central to each. The central government would be limited in power and located in a capital city separate from the 12 cities. Despite being called an alliance, Corinth became the first federation established on the continent of Alcana.

Today the capital city of Arbela is a large and prosperous city that is home to the parliament, the supreme judiciary, and the military chiefs. With each city sending members or representatives of their government to Arbela, almost every major decision regarding the Alliance was decided here. And today the highest officials of the Alliance, the 12 chancellors of Corinth were meeting to discuss the impending war with Elkia.

***

The room was small and dim with only a large round table and twelve chairs within. With no windows, even during the day the room was as dark as night. Several lanterns had been lit but almost as if the shadows fed upon the light the lanterns struggled to brighten the room.

The musty smell from the lack of airflow was as thick as the solemn attitudes of the 12 men present. The current situation was not good and they each knew a decisive and thorough plan was needed, however, most of them did not want to speak up. Like many of their other meetings much of the discussion would be dominated by the 3 most powerful chancellors of the Alliance.

The chancellor of Carthos, Aris Hovan, was a large heavyset middle aged man with graying hair and a thick husky voice. Carthos was built on the coast of the bearing strait and as such he was most concerned with an attack by sea.

“So the most likely route will be by sea after all. Theo, do we have a time frame of when they are expected to attack?”

Carthos was vulnerable to attacks from the north but building a fortress to guard against northern attacks was a costly expenditure and would require additional soldiers to arm and maintain it. There had never been a legitimate threat from the north so the chancellors of Carthos before Aris had always given the establishment of the fortress low priority.

“Right now we estimate the Alliance will face an Elkian assault somewhere between 2 to 5 years from now. That is a broad range but it is because it is dependent on how long Penrith can hold out.”

“Then should we send aid to Penrith?”

“I don’t think that would be in our best interests. Sending aid to Penrith will only buy us a little more time but the financial and human cost would be very high. Now that Elkia has control of Freeport as well it will be impossible for Penrith to hold out. I think we would do better to invest into our own defenses.”

The exchange between the chancellor of Asmuth, Theo Engel, and Aris was a little unexpected. Penrith represented the largest trade partner for Asmuth outside of the Alliance. If Penrith were to fall the financial consequences would affect the Asmuth economy greater than any other.

“Have we figured out who is backing Elkia yet Theo?”

“Willard, It looks very likely that they are being backed by the Eldoran Empire.”

Credited with many of the most profitable trade deals within the Alliance, Willard Faulk, chancellor of Luencia for nearly 20 years knew better than most the benefits of avoiding war and creating trade deals instead. If Elkia was indeed backed by the Eldoran Empire then a long drawn out expensive war could be expected.

“The Eldoran Empire… what a difficult situation that puts us in. Can we confirm this? The Southern Kingdoms have never bothered with the Northern Territories, why would they start now?”

The Alliance had known of the potential threat and existence of the Southern Kingdoms for many years. It was a problem every leader of the Alliance knew would arise one day, but because of the viability of travel between the north and south, the previous leaders had never planned for a large-scale invasion.

“It is true that the Southern Kingdoms have never been a major threat to us, but that has been because of the difficulty in traveling here. However, it looks like the Empire has developed a system of travel that can move great distances very quickly while carrying far larger loads than a standard caravan. It also looks like they have found a way to get this system through the Kundar Mountains. Our spies have told us the construction of this system may even begin as early as this coming spring.”

Theo had a large network of spies in every major city of the Northern Territories and a few trusted men in the Southern Kingdoms. It was expensive and dangerous work but Theo had always been of the mind that information was the key to success and the more he had the more successful he would be. However, his spies were not infallible. Even he was surprised by the new tactics Elkia had used, and he had no knowledge of the Elkian warships before their attack on Freeport.

“Such a system… Why would they use it to attack the Territories? Surely they must know trade would be more profitable than war.”

War was expensive, especially a war of conquest. Although defending a nation was not quite as costly it still represented a massive financial burden that none of the chancellors wanted to have anything to do with.

“It looks like they have adopted an expansionist view Willard. They wish to unite the continent and rule it under the leadership of their emperor no matter the cost.”

“Pft, unite, what a joke, more like enslave. They conquer other lands pretending to be the savior of the people then indoctrinate them with propaganda under the guise of education. What is their true goal of conquering the nations of Alcana?”

“Their reasons hardly matter now do they Aris? They’ve set their eyes on the Territories and that means we will be dragged into their war. We’ve been sheltered from the violence of the Southern Kingdoms because of the difficulty to move in masse through the Misty Sea and Serpent bay, but if they really have found a way through the Kundar Mountains they are sure to usher in an age of destruction. We must prepare.”

“I agree with Theo, we cannot wait for the enemy to land on our doorsteps before we prepare. But are we sure of which direction the attacks will come from? Do we know anything on the allegiances of the Trade Cities? My Luencia stands no chance of holding off an attack from the Trade Cities.”

On the western coast of Alcana to the north of Elkia were the powerful and wealthy Trade Cities that were rich in both mineral and metal deposits. They were the dominant power of the sea and a strong trade partner the Alliance relied on for much of their coal and building materials.

“As you know Willard, contact with the Trade Cities will be very limited now that winter is closing in and the North Sea has begun icing over. Communication with the Trade Cities will be very difficult until the ice melts in the spring. We will need to rely on messengers, but due to the obstacles we face because of the Expanse receiving accurate information will be very slow. What do you think Aris?”

“I think we should assume we will face attacks from the north. Even if the Trade Cities have not sided with Elkia as of now, they share a border with them and winter is the perfect time for Elkia to attack.”

“The Trade Cities are strong. I have often seen the power of their troops and ships in Luencia. I do not believe Elkia with its mostly ground-based strength will be able to take control of the Trade Cities from the small land border they share. I think an agreement being made would be more likely.”

“That may have been true at one time Willard, but with support from the Empire I doubt they would be able to hold on. Reports from Freeport show that Elkia has acquired a large number of ships. It was one of the reasons why they were able to infiltrate Freeport so easily.”

“Then it is best to assume an attack by sea from both the north and the south. We will need to increase military spending to strengthen our defenses and pay for additional forces.”

“The costs will not be trivial Aris. Have we decided on whether or not we will try selling war bonds? If not we will need to potentially raise taxes to cover the costs.”

“For now I think we should see how successful the war bond program is before considering raising taxes Willard. Raising taxes should be the last resort. We don’t want to deal with widespread discontent in the people right now.”

“Discontent should be the least of their worries. Of course no one wants their taxes to go up, but they will probably like it even less if they are forced to become Elkian citizens!”

“We all know how fickle people can be Aris, but we may not have a choice here.”

“To be able to make decisions without fear of losing your position because of angering the populace, in this way I envy monarchies.”

A point in which each of the chancellors could agree with. Chancellors held power only because the people gave it to them. However, a change in the people could become a change in the leadership. It was a thin line and each of them knew the power they held could be lost in the next selection of chancellors.

“Ah that would be nice, but the problem with monarchies is they sacrifice prosperity for authority.”

“Let’s not worry about things we have no control over. We must also be concerned with the southwestern wall. Elkia will probably deploy a large force to attack our land border.”

From the Zualf Forest to the Bearing strait was the mighty wall that protected the Alliance from land invasions for nearly 300 years. A symbol of absolute might, it took thousands of workers nearly 70 years to build the nearly 600-mile long wall made from materials mined from deep within the Birac Mountains.

“Would they really send a distraction force Theo? The chance of Elkia penetrating the wall is extremely small, but with a large enough force, the possibility is there. Would they be willing to split their forces though?”

“I don’t think distraction force would be correct Aris. The Elkian military is massive and it grows with each city they conquer. There is a limit to the number of forces they can send by sea. It’s very possible they will look to attack our wall as well.”

“So that means we will need to deploy more forces to the wall. With such a large area, are we going to need to conscript?”

“I don’t believe we will need to force people into war Aris. We should be able to increase our numbers by enticing the half-bloods with increased benefits and citizenship.”

Sharing a border with the Zualf forest, many children of mixed blood between humans, Halflings, and elves lived within the borders of the Alliance. Because of social stigma’s, many of them were orphaned by their parents and the question arose of whether they belonged to the Alliance or the Forest. For most half-bloods, the only hope of citizenship lay with service to the military.

“Willard, If the Trade Cities have turned we will need to find resources in other places. I think we should contact Naefir and open up discussions on mining rights in the Birac Mountains again.”

“I agree Theo. We will also need their strength in defending the northern borders as well. Let’s prepare a delegation. It would be good if we can build a fortress along the coast where the forest and the mountains meet. This would go a long way in securing our northern borders.”

“The Fae have always been against military fortifications on their lands Willard. For now let’s leave the strategic planning to the generals.”

“Then we will need to take this for a vote. Let’s set up a meeting with the generals for tomorrow, we will need to present a proper proposal before the full house in one week. Let’s end it here today. There is much to prepare for and very little time in which to do it.”