The Great Cause was a term used to refer to the Alanciari duty to resist any invasion by the Lost Tribe of Sith, which ruled the neighboring continent of Keshtah Minor. The Great Cause had first been introduced to the continent of Alanciar by the Keshiri exile Adari Vaal who had fled Keshtah following a failed attempt to overthrow the Sith in 4975 BBY. She succeeded in warning the Alanciari about the threat posed by the Sith and the Alanciari developed into a militaristic and industrialized society over the next two thousand years. The Great Cause was disseminated to the Alanciari public through the popular history textbook known as the Keshtah Chronicles and Observance Day passion plays, which were held every ten years.