League of Shadows Treaty

=LOST=
=LOST= is the acronym of the alliance League of Shadows Treaty and is a leading Aqua sphere alliance which recently celebrated their 3 year anniversary. =LOST= is an Imperial Republic which appoints an Emperor every 6 months. =LOST= is also an original member of the Complaints and Grievances Union and is the oldest alliance in the bloc. Since its inception =LOST= has been dedicated to the principles of military excellence, loyalty, personal freedoms, and not taking this game so seriously.

=LOST= is known for its prowess in war, its desire for war, and its lack of idiots. The current Emperor of =LOST= is Mandellav. The Emperor is charged with overseeing all events in the alliance, and ensuring the safety of =LOST= members. All =LOST= policies and laws must not conflict with the =LOST= charter which can be found here: =LOST= Charter

History of =LOST
The League of Shadows Treaty was founded on Valentines Day of 2007 by General Vengeance and Grugbug. At the time it was just called The League of Shadows. Before long the government decided that a name change (for a more memorable acronym) and a theme change (from Aliens to Star Wars) was in order. So the name was changed to =LOST= and General Vengence became Emperor.

It is convenient when discussing =LOST= history to break it down into chunks based on who was the Emperor at that time.

Vengeance Era
General Vengeance was an amazing recruiter. Together, he and Grugbug built =LOST= into a 100+ nation alliance. He was instrumental in the creation of one of Planet Bob's longest lasting treaties, the =LOST= / MK MDP. Not long after this, General Vengeance left =LOST= as he was tired of leading the alliance, and couldn't imagine being in =LOST= as a rank-and-file member. After appointing Barron Von Hammer as his successor, General Vengeance went his own way in Planet Bob.

Hammer Era
When Barron Von Hammer came to the =LOST= throne, =LOST='s Emperor held dictatorial powers. During this time, a loud public outcry was raised against the power of the Emperor and for a new system of government. Thus it was that Hombre de Murcielago, Grugbug, Wargarden, Sinister Minister, Johnny No Legs, and Wyrmon wrote the =LOST= Charter. The Charter outlined a democratically elected government, which has three separate branches: the Emperor, the Ministers, and the Chief Justice. Collectively, members of government are known as the Imperial Inner Circle (the IIC). The =LOST= Charter also specified the right of all =LOST= nations to tech raid (within certain limits), the right to vote for new leaders every six months, and the right to say what you please on the =LOST= forums.

Barron Von Hammer was =LOST='s first elected Emperor, with Sinister Minister our MoFA, Ninmeister our MoW, and Johnny No Legs our first MoIA.

Wargarden Era
The era of =LOST= under the leadership of Emperor Wargarden could be summarized in three ways: 1. Growth without giving a shit, 2. Half-assed Nook and Farming programs, and 3. Using verbal silk to minimize damage and reps during wars.

Growth Without Giving a Shit While not as laissez-faire a style of government as that of Emperor Hammer, and not as boot-up-your-ass crazy as Emperor Vengeance, the era of Emperor Wargarden was, when not at war, a time of steady growth and independence. This time period marks the highest point of =LOST='s individual freedoms, raiding, and general anarcho-syndicalist paradigm.

Half-assed Nook and Farming Programs While actual NS and infra growth was small but steady, this era introduced the idea of giving a push to the nations on the edge of obtaining nuclear weapons. Our Nook-Aid program pushed our top 20 nations into nuclear ownership and provided a handful more enough loot to scrape together nuclear weapons substantially before they would have normally been capable of obtaining them. (A big surprise to some of our enemies in the coming wars.) Also instituted was a Tech Farming Program. Tech deals were coordinated between higher ranking and lower ranking nations. By the end of this effort, when we were so rudely interrupted by the warmongering hegemonic powers, tech in the alliance had increased nearly 50% in a very short time.

Using Verbal Silk to Minimize Damage and Reps During Wars Alas, the inevitable happened and war was brought to us. The BLEU War split the globe and brought about what would later be seen as the final straw to incite rebellion against the despotic powers that had emerged over the last few years. When this war broke out, we knew our enemies would be much larger than us. What we didn't expect was being attacked without a logical chain of treaties. TPF declared war on us, as was expected. We dug in for a long and grueling, and what we assumed would be a losing fight. But there is no loss when victory is achieved through survival. In addition to TPF, the forces of FEAR, OMFG and Failhalla attacked, both sporadically and in coordination. The OWF was greeted with a post from the Emperor calling these alliances out on their bullshit. To their great credit, both FEAR and OMFG came to talk immediately and showed the utmost honor in admitting initial errors and working to smooth over current issues to obtain a cease-fire so we could all move on to legit target alliances. To this day, we have an open and friendly relationship with FEAR (though we've had other troubles, we remain stoic and cordial towards each other) and have made good friends with OMFG, a better group of giant killers there will never be. Valhalla...well, they just pissed us off more. Lapdogs only listen to their masters and their masters remained silent on our dilemma. As the war wound down, reps negotiations between the Philosopher of NPO and Slayer99 of TPF and Emperor Wargarden went smoothly and quickly. =LOST='s fighting prowess, hardened sense of honor and loyalty garnered admiration from both our enemies and our friends. This resulted in some of the lowest terms negotiated at the end of the BLEU War.

After the reps were paid, things resumed. =LOST= broke 1.5mil NS again (back up from .5mil after the war.) More of not giving a shit ensured slow but steady growth, and a sense that things were going to be alright.

Internally, this era and its overall attitude set the kindling for the sparks that would erupt into a fire of changes concerning preparedness for war, economic growth and further rules, regulations and requirements of the membership. For better or worse, the end of Wargarden's Imperial Reign was the end of the =LOST= frontier days and the beginning of the =LOST= Empire.

Mandellav Era
Emperor Mandellav ascended to the =LOST= throne unchallenged during elections. However, that does not mean that the young Emperor did not have work to do during the campaign. Mandellav, with the help of former Emperor Wargarden and the Imperial Inner Circle, revised the long standing =LOST= Charter to reflect certain changes. The IIC decided though that the revised charter would only be adopted if it passed via alliance wide referendum. Mandellav worked to make sure these changes would be favorable to as many =LOST= citizens as possible. One of the major changes included splitting the Ministry of Internal Affairs into two entities: The Ministry of Citizens' Affairs and the Ministry of Economics Affairs. Another major change included a war chest requirement that necessitated =LOST= nations to maintain a war chest and report that value to the Imperial Inner Circle in order to qualify for government sponsored rebuilding programs. Also, the 501st Stormtrooper's Division was dissolved in anticipation of a new division system spearheaded by the Ministry of War. Mandellav, upon learning that he would be run unopposed, delivered a speech promising unprecedented growth in average nation strength, new forums, the benefits of the revised charter, and strong relationships with allies. Under Mandellav's plan and the revised charter, =LOST= members would be expected to give up some personal freedoms for the greater security of =LOST=. Mandellav stressed that these losses would be minimal, but that =LOST= citizens would be held accountable for growing their nations steadily and being prepared for war.

The revised charter referendum passed in a land slide.

Like many great leaders, Emperor Mandellav spent his first week in office on vacation. Upon his return, he nearly thought =LOST= would be pulled into a global conflict. When the threat ceased, another threat would immediately spring up. Eventually though, the Emperor and the Imperial Inner Circle began work fulfilling the promises made during the campaign.

Within the first three months, Emperor Mandellav claimed victory in a lulzy Cold War against long time CnG ally Athens and signed a redundant Non-Aggression Pact with Athens. =LOST= also spearheaded a membership exchange with CnG ally ODN that strengthened relations between the two alliances to much stronger levels. =LOST= also officially upgraded their redundant MADP with the Mushroom Kingdom celebrating 3 years of allied friendship and the =LOST=/Ronin MDoAP received an overhaul to reflect the strong relationship between the two Empires.

=LOST= also labored to move to newer, sleeker forums under the direction of the new Minister of Citizen Affairs, Wyrmon, and Mushroom Kingdom diplomat, bros. Promise fulfilled.

=LOST= surpassed 500 nuclear weapons for the first time during Emperor Mandellav's term with much rejoicing.

To be continued...

LOST= Culture
Our members are fiercely loyal because they know that we all guard each other. No member of =LOST= is afraid to shed infra to help a friend, and we have done so many times. We have fought in wars both major and insignificant, but have never started one ourselves. Each time we have taken the battlefield it has been in defense of a friend.

=LOST= members are generally quiet when it comes to interacting with other alliances, but our ability to remain quiet and watch the world around us spin its political web gives us an advantageous vantage point.

Storm Trooper Academy
The Storm Trooper Academy is the recruit/training alliance of =LOST=. Here new members undergo rigorous practical and written exams to ensure that all of our new members are of the highest quality. Much is demanded of new recruits before they are granted membership. Any nation belonging to the Storm Trooper Academy is protected by =LOST=. Any attacks or harassment of these nations will be treated as an attack on a member flying the =LOST= AA.

Ministry of War
The Ministry of War is headed by the Minister of War, and is responsible for the preparation, organization and implementation of =LOST= military force when needed. The Minster of War appoints Division Commanders to lead =LOST= military divisions. The Ministry of War is also responsible for formulating short and long term war strategies. =LOST= is no stranger to war and has a reputation of being bulldog fighters; the Ministry of War is a big reason why.

Ministry of Economic Affairs
Headed by the Minister of Economic Affairs, the MoEA oversees all resource trading, tech deals, and growth programs in the alliance. The MoEA manages the Nation Building Program which allows young nations to grow very rapidly and quickly transition to tech buying nations.

Ministry of Citizens Affairs
The Ministry of Citizens Affairs, MoCA, is responsible for the recruitment, retention and training of its members. The MoCA therefore oversees the Storm Trooper Academy. The MoCA is also charged with forum administration and keeping the wiki up to date.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for maintaining good relationships with our treaty partners, making friends new alliances, reviewing current treaties, and occasional negotiations when things get hot.

Justice Department
The Justice Department is responsible for enforcement of =LOST= laws and policies. The Chief Justice is also charged with ensuring that new policies fall within the bounds of the charter.

Government Members
These are the current officials that have been elected by bribery, larceny, threats, murder, lies and extortion democratic vote:

These officials will remain in office until December 31th 2010.
 * Emperor = Mandellav
 * Minister of Economic Affairs = Devilyn Caster
 * Minister of War = Cameronious
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs = Rexxar
 * Minister of Citizens Affairs = Wyrmon
 * Chief Justice = Tacoleary

Treaties
Currently =LOST= has the following treaties: