Treaty of Greyhawk

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The Treaty of Greyhawk (also known as the Pact of Greyhawk) is the peace treaty which ended the Greyhawk Wars (582 to c.584 CY). The Greyhawk Wars take their name from this treaty.

Remembrance Day celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Pact of Greyhawk.[1][note 1]

Background

The Flanaess-wide conflict which lead to the Treaty of Greyhawk was engendered by Iuz in 582 CY, when he posed as Vatun, planting the seeds of war with the Thillonrian tribes.[2]

The whole of the Flanaess was absolutely flummoxed when the puppet states of the Scarlet Brtherhood brought forth a proposal for a "grand truce" to be affected which would cease all hostilities in the Flanaesss. The true reasons behind this remained forever unknown.[3] One group, however, took it as a slap in the face the the Scarlet Brotherhood had offered the peace talks—the priesthood of Rao.

Though many were reluctant, all the major nations of the Flanaess eventually came to the negotiating table.[3]

The peace conference where the accord was signed is known as the "Great Council". The Council met at the former government seat of Greyhawk, the Old City Great Hall (T21).[4] It lasted six months.[5]

Day of the Great Signing

On the day the Pact was due to be signed, Rary conspired to murder the "entire attending diplomatic corps."[6] The plot was discovered at the last minute, however, by "several members of the Circle [who] entered the hall for a last-minute inspection of the site before the signing."[7] An explosion rocked the Great Hall and a great magical duel ensued.[6][7][8] The priesthood of Rao, along with other ambassadors and diplomats, had to "watch helplessly as a botched attempt to assassinate all the ambassadors turned the city into a battleground in a matter of minutes."[9] In the end, two members of the Circle of Eight (Tenser and Otiluke) were left dead in the aftermath.[6][7][8]

"Fearing further disruptions, the delegates hurriedly signed the Pact of Greyhawk."[6][8]

Date of signing

There is some minor difference in various sources regarding the month of the treaty's actual signing as opposed to when the Wars "ended". It must be noted this is a pedantic distinction and the details of when the hostilities ended and when the pact was signed is largely an academic point, and is included here only for edification for sake of informed choices.

The original source says the council for writing the Pact was "convened" in Harvester 584 CY and the treaty was "signed" six months later[5] (making it spring 585 CY). We also know "in late 584 CY... the Pact of Greyhawk had been drafted and the war was ended but for skirmishing in the far-distant lands."[10] Additionally, the "Year of Peace"[11] (post-Wars) begins "in the early months of 585 CY"[11] after Patchwall 585 CY[12] (e.g. Readying or Coldeven in spring).

Remembrance Day (Readying 14) celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Pact of Greyhawk.[1] The first anniversary was celebrated in 586 CY.[note 1]

Further, the original source recounts, "For two long years (582 to 584 CY), the nations of the Flanaess had schemed, murdered, and warred against each other."[5] Then includes the Council and counting six months after Harvester 584, making the signing in 585. Later sources change this slightly, recording "the wars raged for three long years,"[9] and "for three years, the whole of the Flanaess flew banners of war,"[13] again making it 585 CY when counted from 582 CY.

However, other later sources only mention one date—when the treaty was "signed"[13] or it's "ratification"[14]—which in those sources is cited as Harvester 584. Those sources refer to that date as the end of the Greyhawk Wars rather than the end of hostilities with a treaty and a later signing. However, for the Great Council to have been six months long and to have been after a truce was declared, this would mean the Great Council would have to have been convened in Coldeven during spring 584 CY (instead of just before Brewfest). This would create an unusual situation in which the truce and convening of the Great Council would inaccurately pre-date other known events/hostilities near the end of the Wars—such as the Day of Dust and the Battle of Blazebane which already are recorded taking place *before* the treaty or signing.[15]

Thus, we have a short timeline for when:

Truce first effected 584 CY
Council convened Harvester 584 CY
Treaty drafted late 584 CY
Signed 6 months later
Ratified

None of these are strictly or necessarily the same, though they may be—but the end date of the Wars in many sourcebooks is most commonly calculated and referred to from the date of the Truce mandated by the Treaty.

Terms

The basics of the Pact is that it "fixed borders and mandated an end to hostilities.[13] The armistice allowed "no invasions, no massed battles, no attempts to claim territory."[16] The Pact further states that the signatories "cannot countenance full-scale battles or war."[17]

Within the stipulations of the Pact are intricate details which include terms such as what actions are, and are not, permitted. One example of this is permitted crossing of national borders to rescue kidnap victims or prisoners of war.[18]

"As part of the Pact of Greyhawk, all the major players in the continent’s political games have ambassadors in the Free City of Greyhawk."[19]

Borders

While Greyhawk was not directly involved in much of the warfare of the Greyhawk Wars, it was able to take advantage of the situation in the signing of the Pact to enlarge its official borders. The Domain of Greyhawk grew enormously at the Wars' end, laying claim to most any area protected by her army.[20] Because Narwell and Safeton were independent cities, they signed pacts of association with Greyhawk[21] at about the same time as the convening of the Great Council. This meant that when the Treaty was ratified, they were protected under the same provisions as Greyhawk.

Though many borders were clarified or established by the Treaty of Greyhawk,[13] such was not the case with the Vesve Forest. There were no clear borders defined for it.[22][23] However, a border between the Empire of Iuz and Furyondy was created,[24][25] and both nations "licked terrible wounds across a newly formed border and miles of physical and emotional devastation."[14]

"The Yeomanry signed the truce only after the border between it and the Sea Princes was clearly defined."[24]

The Nyrond-Aerdi border (called the Almorian Borderlands) was also established in the truce, and it was considered a very dangerous front in the Year of Peace following the Signing.[26] One of the points stipulated in the Treaty was that Nyrond had to give up the lands surrounding Millenium, though the Nyrondese forces there were permitted to quit the lands safely.[27]

Because the Pact delineated Nyrond's borders, King Archbold III felt unable to aid the folk of the Adri, because building a road even the short 40 miles to the Adri would be considered an act of war for violating the treaty.[28]

Signatories

This list includes some major specific signatories to the treaty; there are likely more.

There are no rulers mentioned in attendance at the Great Signing, but rather the involved parties are only called "delegates", "ambassadors", "representatives", and "diplomats". The actual signatories were either proxies/plenipotentiaries or the agents' authority to sign was by "implied ratification."[26][note 2]

Non-signatories
Some nations notably did not sign the Pact. The Pomarj (consisting mostly of humanoid tribes), as well as "Bone March, Ratik, the barbarians, other Aerdi rulers, and the exiled leaders of vanquished lands."[29]

Aftermath and dissolution

The year following the signing of the Pact of Greyhawk is known as the Year of Peace (585 CY),[33] though this is something of a slight misnomer.[34][35] There was "peace" in that there was no longer continent-wide wars, but there was still some strife, skirmishes, and though a much-reduced level of hostilities.[13][16][31]

Raids and forays were frequently denied as being ordered by national rulers.[16] Rulers often claimed such were "due to poor discipline, retaliations, preemptive strikes against warlike preparations and so forth. ...The ambassadors ... blame the other for skirmish battles and trot out their own excuses."[16]

Furyondy, though, continued to work against Iuz, seeking to "deal a telling blow" against him, heedless of the Pact.[14] In direct violation of the Treaty, King Belvor IV began the Great Northern Crusade to reclaim the lands taken by Iuz in the Great War.[36][37] Also, "once the Pact of Greyhawk was discarded by Furyondy and Veluna in 586 CY, other nations also disregarded it and began claiming or reclaiming territory they desired."[32][38] Afterward, the Pact is no longer in force.[39]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ a b Remembrance Day is a notable example of the differences in the dates of the Great Day of Signing. The source (Dragon Annual 1999) notes "It's first celebration in 586 CY marks the date on which the Pact of Greyhawk was signed the year before." This follows the Wars boxed set, having the Great Council convened in Harvester 584 CY, and signed six months later in Coldeven 585 CY. Thus the first anniversary was in 586 CY.
  2. ↑ a b Sargent, Carl. The Marklands. 1993. "the Overking, whose representative signed the treaty ..."

Citations

  1. ↑ a b "Holidays of Greyhawk".  Dragon #A1999 (Annual 1999), p.19.
  2. ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.2-9, Adventurer's Book.
  3. ↑ a b Wars (1991), p.24, 29, Adventurer's Book.
  4. ↑ The Adventure Begins (1998), p.122.
  5. ↑ a b c Wars (1991), p.24, Adventurer's Book.
  6. ↑ a b c d Player's Guide (1998), p.11.
  7. ↑ a b c WGR3 Rary the Traitor (1992), p.7.
  8. ↑ a b c Wars (1991), p.24.
  9. ↑ a b Guide to Hell. (1999), p.17.
  10. ↑ WGR5 Iuz the Evil (1993), p.49.
  11. ↑ a b From the Ashes (1992), p.73, Atlas of the Flanaess.
  12. ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.47, Campaign Book.
  13. ↑ a b c d e Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.16.
  14. ↑ a b c Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.47.
  15. ↑ Ivid the Undying (1995), p.145.
  16. ↑ a b c d WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.38.
  17. ↑ a b WGR5 Iuz the Evil (1993), p.73.
  18. ↑ WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.36.
  19. ↑ WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.9.
  20. ↑ The Adventure Begins (1998), p.62.
  21. ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.50, Campaign Book.
  22. ↑ Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.53, 142.
  23. ↑ WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.50.
  24. ↑ a b c d Wars (1991), p.29, Adventurer's Book.
  25. ↑ WGR5 Iuz the Evil (1993), p.28.
  26. ↑ a b c WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.85.
  27. ↑ Ivid the Undying (1995), p.148.
  28. ↑ WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.84.
  29. ↑ a b c d e f g h i From the Ashes (1992), p.6, Campaign Book.
  30. ↑ Ivid the Undying (1995), p.5.
  31. ↑ a b WGR5 Iuz the Evil (1993), p.46.
  32. ↑ a b Player's Guide (1998), p.12.
  33. ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.73, Atlas.
  34. ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.9, Atlas.
  35. ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.20-21, Atlas.
  36. ↑ Player's Guide (1998), p.12, 24.
  37. ↑ The Adventure Begins (1998), p.20.
  38. ↑ The Adventure Begins (1998), p.31.
  39. ↑ The Adventure Begins (1998), p.5.

Bibliography

———. "Campaign Journal: Risen from the Ashes." Dragon #191. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
———. "Campaign Journal: The Sea Barons." Dragon #206. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.
———. From the Ashes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
———. Iuz the Evil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
———. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995 (unpublished). Available online:[2]
———. The Marklands. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, Dragon magazine #195 95
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, Dragon magazine #AN4 19
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess 9, 20, 46
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, From the Ashes: Campaign Book 3, 5-10, 65, 84
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, Greyhawk Wars: Adventurer's Book 24
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, Ivid the Undying 5, 36, 148
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, Ivid the Undying 5, 36, 148
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 16, 47, 53, 142
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, Player's Guide to Greyhawk 11, 12, 23, 24
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, The Adventure Begins 5, 19, 20, 31, 62, 119, 122
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, The Scarlet Brotherhood 6
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, WGR4 The Marklands 4, 9, 10, 36, 38, 50, 74, 84, 85, 88
Greyhawk, Pact of (Treaty of) Kingdom Treaty, WGR5 Iuz the Evil 2, 4, 6, 28, 40, 46, 49, 73
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