Acre

The Empire of the Acreans
Acre once stood along the most profitable trading route in the known galaxy -  The Great Spice Road. Every year millions of freighters would ship countless tons of trade goods from the great empires in the galactic north to Lyon and the United Merchants League in the South.

Acre overflowed with riches, it's fleets and armies stood watch over the Spice Road stamping out piracy and keeping marauding nomads at bay. The Shahnshah, the king of kings, sat on his golden throne and grew fat. All the merchants in known space flocked to Acre.

But Acres golden age was not to last. Many generations ago, the great northern empires imposed an indefinite quarantine. Many attempts to breach it were made, but no ship ever returned. Trade dried up, and the riches of Acre fell to ruin.

Since the collapse of trade, the Empire of the Acreans has been able to only marginally recover. The trade routes that connect the United Merchants Neo-Totino have led to the flourishing of a new centre of economic power in the empire, the planet Samarkand, whose merchant princes grow weary of being shackled to the ruins of Acre.

For Acre to recover, the new Shahnshah must make a choice. He may either expand to the south, and break the power of the United Merchants. Or he can look to the north, discover the fate of the lost empires, and reclaim their fallen glory.