Jacter Alliance

The Jacter Alliance is a confederation of various states in the Jacter Islands and south of Saqqara. Originally consolidated to protect trading interests, it has developed into an economic power, with the main cities growing large and prosperous.

## History

Before the alliance, each of the islands of Jacter were independent city-states, each profiting on the lucrative trade routes from Zenaj to the rest of civilization. In roughly 2860, King Mheq Doro of Monda, the largest of the cities, expressed interest in forming a trade coalition with Tarja, the other major power in the islands. This was officially formed in 2864, with Kaav as a minor member. In 2869, Qarin requested entrance to the alliance, and Kaav was made an official member. The only major cities that remained were Liiq and Dengi, both of which were important to controlling all of the trade routes in the region. King Milti Va Aban of Liiq and the Plutocrats of Dengi were openly opposed to joining the alliance, as they had both political strain with Monda and knew that they could use their trade routes to influence the alliance, as long as they remained separate. The alliance knew this as well.

For several years Liiq and Dengi fiercely resisted assimilation. At first, the alliance tried to coax them in. There were many reforms done to the trade law of the alliance, and benefits were created for newly-joined states. By 2871, it became apparent that such methods would not work. Predicting the next move, Liiq and Dengi both fortified their cities and built up their militaries. In the same year, the young scholar Rosc Bal Dervi became councilor to the king of Monda. He was a fierce nationalist and believed that unification of all of Jacter was necessary for the continuity of the alliance. Just then, it became known that the king of Liiq had imprisoned his younger brother, Jaq Aban, to keep him from usurping his power. Jaq Aban had been a close friend with King Mheq Doro. By the next year, he had been freed and Qarin and Monda were secretly funding his revolution. In February, 2873, Jaq Aban had succeeded and gained the throne. Liiq had joined the alliance.

Now the only obstacle between the alliance and control of all of the major trade routes was Dengi. Unfortunately, Dengi had no revolution to use as a weapon, and the Alliance was wary of open war. Rosc Bal Dervi was furious with this, and left the court of King Mhaq Doro. For the next five years, he wrote pamphlets and letters endorsing war with Dengi, calling to the nationalistic side of the Jacteri people and using fears of Dengi aggression to win over the populous. By 2879 there were open campaigns for war in most of the alliance's cities, and as some of them were republics, their governments wanted war as well. In the fall of 2879, Monda and the other states of the Jacter Alliance declared war. Dengi was sieged 21 times from 2879 to 2901, all of which failed. The dangerous terrain of Dengi's islands coupled with the many pirates Dengi hired to hassle the besiegers and smuggle food into the city made the war impossible to maintain. Although peace was never declared, the Jacter Alliance has not bothered Dengi since 2902, though they are constantly looking for opportunities to weaken the city.