Alliance for the Light

The Alliance for the Light is a military alliance consisting of four sovereign states located on Continental Artograch (Etrand, Froturn, Dragoc, Artaburro), founded in the aftermath of the Demonic Invasions of Artograch, primarily intended to serve as a mutual defense pact against future Demonic invasions.

Being a nearly five-century old institution, the alliance is now full of cracks in its foundations. When it was first formed, it was taken seriously and ushered in a golden age of ecumenism, friendship, art and trade. As time passed on, the alliance started to exist only on paper. For example, ever since the reigns of King Cairbré I of Etrand, Queen Cairi of Dragoc and King Cael'mus of Froturn, Etrand, Dragoc and Froturn have been allied on paper only, while engaged in a sort of three-way cold war in reality. This cold war almost turned hot on several occasions, such as during the Etrandish intervention in the Froturnish Civil War of 809.

Precursors
The three founding members of the alliance - Etrand, Froturn and Dragoc - briefly formed a temporary alliance two centuries before the Grandfolk Protocol, during Orcish Invasion of Etrand and Dragoc. This short-lived alliance was dissolved as soon as the Orcish threat was minimized. Etrand and Froturn even waged war against each other during the Three Kings War.

Foundation
The alliance formally came into existence in 254 with the Grandfolk Protocol, but it de-facto already existed prior as the three founding members co-ordinated their military operations during the later stages of the First Demonic Invasion.

The Kings of Etrand, Dragoc and Froturn met in the capital of Etrand, Grandfolk to discuss the terms of the treaty and sign it. The Empire of Neressa was also invited into the alliance, but declined the invitation due to their isolationist policies. The Principality of Gabyr and Republic of Keldorn both applied for membership, but were both rejected: they did not want pirates and undead in their anti-Demonic coalition, considering them almost as bad as Demons.

As soon as the Principality of Artaburro was recognized as a sovereign state, it joined the alliance.

Decline
One could argue that the alliance started to decline almost as soon as it started - in spite of being a mutual defense pact, neither of the other two members offered any military assistance to Etrand during the Hulran Invasion of Etrand in 270. To their defense, the alliance was specifically made against demons, and both Froturn and Dragoc were still recovering from the invasions, the military of both kingdoms being in tatters.

During the Cymbairan Wars, none of the other members helped Etrand against Gabyr (citing that it's a war over contested land, not defense against demons), and truth be told, Etrand did not even request their aid. Etrand and Dragoc coordinated defenses against Orcish raids, but not much else came out of the alliance other than annual festivals dedicated to their friendship.

The alliance had a brief revival under the reign of King Bryant I of Etrand, who signed all sorts of treaties with the other members of the alliance, but much of this would be annulled by King Cairbré I of Etrand.

Existence in name only
The de facto dissolution of the alliance that still exists on paper is often blamed on King Cairbré I of Etrand, whose confrontational foreign policy led the Etrand-Artaburro pair down the path of cold war with the Dragoc-Froturn pair. Cairbré himself blamed Queen Cairi of Dragoc, claiming that she violated the sovereignty of her allies by sending spies disguised as druidic missionaries into their kingdoms. Cairi in turn blamed Cairbré's zealotry and religious intolerance for alienating Dragoc and Froturn from Etrand.

Whatever the case, by 750 AEKE, the two pairs of kingdoms were engaged in cold War against each other. Cairbré' s death and the ascension of King Calhoun I of Etrand saw a brief hope of revival again, as Cairbré's adversaries Queen Cairi of Dragoc and King Cael'mus of Froturn attended Cairbré's funeral and assured his successor Calhoun of their goodwill.

For a decade, it seemed like the four countries are finally going to rekindle their friendship, but two diasterous events disagreed: the Carolus conspiracy that ruined Etrand's relations with Artaburro, and the Froturnish Civil War of 809, where Etrandish intervention on behalf of the losing side brought Etrandish-Froturnish relations to an all-time low. King Calhoun claimed that his son's actions were illegal and not approved (while in reality ordering them himself), and while the Froturnish officially accepted his apology, it was clear that they did not buy his explanation. For the following 9 years, Froturn remained in Dragoc's camp. After King Ivahó of Froturn took power, Froturn formed its own camp, making the cold War three-sided, while Artaburro normalized its relations with Etrand.