The Crystal Ridge Mountain: How it brought three of the greatest civilizations together
The Crystal Ridge Mountain symbolized the great border between North and South. It had been a source of both great material and spiritual wealth to both the Shalamari and the Gorinese Empire. It also served as the basis of an alliance that would later defeat the greatest civilized power in the world (the Veritas).
It was winter 901. Lord Kaiser Anthi Oborski had crosseed the great Crystal Ridge Mountain to see the Khemri King in person to discuss trade deals and possible trade routes through the Crystal Ridge Mountains. After a few weeks of debating, the Lord Kaiser and the Khemri King signed a Mutual-Protection Pact. This was unexpected, and made the Shalamari wary of the Khemri, thinking that they would attack the Shalamari and hence bring Gorin into the war. In order to ease this tention the Lord Kaiser invited the leaders of the two nations to a council in the city of Gorin. In the summer of 901, the very same day that the three nations met to discuss the rising tention between them, the CRA was formed. Initial it began with a trade deal between all three nations, in which free trade was agreed on and NAPs where signed. After the feast, the Lord Kaiser, knowing of the Nurmafer war, suggested that the three nations sign a defense pact. The Khemri King joking said "Why not an alliance!". This was just what the Lord Kaiser was looking for. The Shalamari leader was shocked, but interested, since it was another route to spread Crystalism.
"Why not?" The Lord Kaiser said and it was so, from then on the CRA become a force to be reckoned with. The Great War, which historians now completely seperate from the Nurmafer-Khemri war, forged the allies closer together. Each nation had a benifit for staying in the alliance. The Gorinese Empire needed both the Shalamari and the Khemri to stay alive and be buffer states. Khemri need the Shalamari and Gorin aid to push back the Veritas, and the Shalamari needed the Gorin and Khemri to stablize its religious expansion.
After the Great War, however many thought the alliance would crumble because it had no common enemy. But this was no where near the truth. The three great nations had become closely linked. Trade had prospered in the alliance, bringing the crucial binding element of money into it. The CRA's cultures had also become linked, the Khemri people were grateful to the Shalamari and Gorin for their invaluable aid. The Gorin people to were grateful for the war, as it had provided a great time to develop its technology and hence culture. And the Shalamari to were grateful, for with the destruction of the Veritas, and the Church of One with no military might, the Shalamari could again begin spreading their religion without fear of reprisal from anyone.
Now, with the coming of the Lengel hordes, the CRA have, again, an enemy to focus their military might onto. A war with the Lengel could only bring the already enternally bound nations, closer together.
From the Gorinese Empire
To the League of Civilization
Lord Kaiser Drago Oborski has thought long and hard about joining this, which the Lord Kaiser himself proposed. Instead of joining the League of Civilization, the Lord Kaiser would prefer to keep our alliance's seperate but with the common foe of the Lengel. The task of coordinating an attack of all nations against the Lengel would prove to be a difficult one, so, in that light, we should stay in our seperate alliances, to make planing for battle easier.
The Lord Kaiser is also in agreement with the Shalamari that our pacts should be defensive. We are civilized nation, we do not attack simply to spread ourselves and our beliefs, we attack only in defense, for this is the Honorable thing to do.
To the Lengel Horde
After careful consideration of your offer the Lord Kaiser has come to this conclusion.
1. Lands under his current control will remain so.
2. A 3 year NAP shall be signed between the Gorinese Empire and the Lengel Horde.
3. The Lengel Horde and the Gorinese Empire shall engage in trade via the city of Kratha and the River Wardash.
4. The Lengel Horde shall transfer into the hands of the Gorinese Empire the total of 1000 horses for the price of 1,000,000 Balms (1 EP).
5. The Lengel Horde shall allow missionaries from the Gorinese Empire to enter its lands freely and unharmed, The Lengel Horde have the same courtesy extended to them.
Condition #4 is negotiable (the price is)