Source: Politics of Thronehold
Sovereignty
The Treaty of Thronehold established the borders of
the nations of Khorvaire as they are known today, outlining the combination of
natural features and artificial markers that define the outlines of the twelve
signatory nations. The traditional map of Khorvaire produced by House Sivis
recognizes four additional regions—The Mournland, officially unclaimed; the
Demon Wastes, also officially unclaimed; Droaam; and the Shadow Marches. The
latter two are officially part of Breland but are functionally independent.
Q’barra, despite functionally being several distinct nations (the dragonborn of
the Trothlorsvek, the settlers of New Galifar, and the lizardfolk of the Cold
Sun Federation), was recognized as a singular entity under the rule of King
Sebastes of New Galifar. Similarly, the Lhazaar Principalities are best
understood as a loose confederation rather than a unified nation, despite the
treaty formally recognizing the leadership of the Seadragons under Prince Ryger
ir’Wynarn.
Having sovereignty over a region grants a variety of
permissions to a government. The singular most important of these is the
ability to set taxes to fund the government; a government that cannot
effectively collect taxes from a region cannot say they have meaningful control
over it. Of secondary importance are a melange of security concerns, from
border control to internal law enforcement, which are often necessary for the
effective collection of taxes. In Khorvaire, border control primarily exists to
enforce tariffs rather than control immigration; a small group of people that
sneak over the border far away from the roads is rarely a concern worth
expending resources on. By contrast, the roads and other points of travel are
well-controlled to make sure that merchants are paying their fair share of
taxes in the form of tariffs. Since Khorvaire’s governments lack the
bureaucracy to meaningfully implement something as complex as an income tax,
those tariffs make up almost the entire budget of national governments. This
also is why Deneith sentinel marshals and Tharashk bounty hunters are important
tools of law enforcement, as they’re equipped to handle transnational
fugitives.
Sovereignty is a resource that nations can use to
gain benefits, primarily in the form of international agreements like the
Thronehold Accords. One important agreement from the accords was a guarantee of
equal protection under the law— a citizen of Breland is equally as protected by
Karrnathi law as a local. This does not mean that a Brelish citizen in Darguun
can expect the same rights and protections they would at home— it simply means
they are afforded the same rights and protections a citizen of Darguun would
have, which are far fewer. An important exception here is Droaam; King Boranel
declared the Daughters of Sora Kell and all their subjects outlaws, stripping
them of Brelish citizenship and thus any and all protections afforded by that
status. A citizen of Droaam is not protected by the law; they can be stolen
from, assaulted, or even murdered without legal repercussion, while themselves
facing full repercussions if they engage in violent acts.
Establishing the borders that were recognized by the
Treaty of Thronehold was not easy; while nations largely ceased major military
operations in the two years between the Mourning and the final signing of the treaty,
many military commanders conducted small operations to “give their country a
leg up” in the treaty negotiations. The most contested territory lines were
between Thrane and Aundair. Over the course of the war, Aundair conquered and
held what was once western Thrane, cutting off Thrane’s access to Lake Galifar.
With the secession of western Aundair into the Eldeen Reaches, this
formerly-Thranish territory has become valued both as critical farmland and for
the variety of magical resources it contains. Unfortunately for Aurala, this
came at the cost of Aundair’s ancient capital, Thaliost, which was captured
early in the war and then reinforced by the construction of Silvercliff Castle
as the new home of Thrane’s blood regents. Despite her diplomatic maneuvering,
Aurala was unable to secure both Aundair’s new territory as well as gain the
return of its ancient territory; instead, the Treaty largely recognized the
military reality of the time, as it did in so many other cases of disputed
borders.
Currency
The Kingdom of Galifar brought about many trade
simplifications, including a common system of currency; a copper crown is worth
one-tenth of a silver sovereign, which is one-tenth of a gold galifar, which is
one-tenth of a platinum dragon. Production of coins took place throughout the continent
but was most heavily concentrated in the Mror Holds. The minting of currency
remains a valuable industry for the clans; Kolkarun stands out for the way it
has leveraged its extensive copper and silver mines, while Soldorak has the
most extensive gold and platinum holdings.
Without the stability of the dragonmarked houses, and
specifically House Kundarak, it’s possible the Last War would’ve had at least
one nation attempt to institute their own currency they could control. Instead,
the houses refused to entertain such ideas, with House Kundarak taking direct
action to maintain international currency standards. These currency standards
were codified in the Thronehold Accords. Outside the nations bound by the
Thronehold Accords, Khorvaire-produced coinage is often accepted, but there
might be variation. The city of Stormreach, for example, is not bound by the
Thronehold Accords and uses Thronehold-standard coinage with the addition of an
electrum coin worth five sovereigns or half a galifar.
Debt
The end of the war also forced the nations to
confront the debts they had accumulated. In the simplest cases, the treaty
negotiations allowed national treasuries to cancel equivalent debts and balance
their books. In other cases, such as with debts owed to the Dragonmarked Houses
or the foreign nation of Riedra, the negotiations provided an opportunity for
formalizing payment plans and expectations around the debts.
The trickiest of all were the assessments of damages
and the specific invocation of “war debts.” As the Last War had no clear
winner, no nation could unilaterally impose the cost of the war on another.
However, claims of war debts were ripe for bargaining fodder, such as
concessions of territory in exchange for payment agreements. This specific kind
of horse trading also depended heavily on domestic politics; nobles do not
appreciate when their feudal superior trades away valuable land within their
domain.
Theoretically, the web of debts that was recognized
discourages any nation from renewing hostilities, as that would encourage the
defender to default on its payments. Practically speaking, however, few hawkish
members of government concern themselves with existing debts when they call for
renewed aggression.
Trade
Trade in post-war Khorvaire is relatively open; the
Thronehold Accords got most nations to lift the various import and export bans
they had imposed during the war. A few exceptions remain, such as Breland’s
import ban on Aundairian wine (a protectionist measure to support the wine
produced in northeastern Breland). While most bans have been lifted, tariffs
remain integral to international order as well as to government revenues.
High tariffs seek to protect national industries,
with Thrane having some of the heaviest tariffs of all (which incidentally also
take advantage of Thrane’s central location for trade). Unfortunately for
national governments, high tariffs create strong incentives for smuggling of
otherwise-legal goods. While outright illegal goods, such as Dragon’s Blood,
may get the highest profile attention in the national press, the vast bulk of
border enforcement is devoted to simply ensuring everyone pays their fair share
of tariffs.
War Crimes
The conclusion of the Last War was in many ways a
painful look in the mirror, as each nation reflected upon not only what they
had gained but what they had lost in the century of conflict. While war was not
new to Galifar—settler colonialism was built into its bones as it expanded to
cover the whole continent—the complexity and power symmetry between combatants were
new and forced the militaries of the Five Nations to develop new doctrines
about what was and was not acceptable. Each of the Five Nations hoped to end
the war ruling over a reunited Galifar, so, while otherization certainly
occurred, the internecine conflict made it much harder compared to the violent
subjugation of the goblinoids, shifters, or other races that had been pushed to
the fringes of Khorvaire.
From a realist perspective, war crimes are bad
because “war is politics by other means”—in the case of the Last War, an
attempt to claim dominion of secessionist states by force. War crimes
delegitimize the conqueror and instead inspire resistance. A more liberal
perspective recognizes that the residents of Khorvaire are entitled to certain
rights and privileges by natural law. War may be justified as necessary, but
that does not abrogate all rights, especially for civilians.
The Thronehold Accords established a Thronehold
Tribunal to hold war criminals accountable. Of course, without a clear victor
that had both the capacity and desire to punish the losers, there were no grand
trials. Instead, the Thronehold Tribunal exists both as a platform for
diplomatic concessions—these border concessions in exchange for these trials—as
well as to “take care of” unpopular and antagonistic military leadership. Many
of those indicted by the Thronehold Tribunal have fled into hiding, often to
the outlaw nation of Droaam. Unfortunately, the Thronehold Tribunal is
desperately underfunded and unable to hire enough Deneith sentinel marshals or
Tharashk bounty hunters to apprehend these war criminals. Several warbands from
the Valaes Tairn elves of Valenar, however, have offered their services, in the
belief hunting down and capturing a notorious warrior with a brutal, militaristic
bent would be a worthy challenge that would bring glory to both them and their
ancestors.
The basic principles used by the tribubal to
determine whether a particular military action constitutes a war crime are that
military actions should only be taken against military targets and that the
disruption of civilian life should be minimized. As an additional consideration,
military tactics with significant risk of blowback on whomever engages in it or
with generally low cost-effectiveness are much more likely to be found to be
war crimes than those that are effective but come with civilian casualties.
Complicating these guidelines are the complexities around
who counts as a civilian, especially during urban warfare. Ideally, military
forces are clearly identifiable so as both to avoid friendly fire and to
distinguish combatants from non-combatants. In reality, illusion spells and
mundane disguises can make it impossible to distinguish valid from invalid
targets. When this happens, militaries are more likely to violate the rules of
warfare. This is especially true during attempted urban occupations; civilian
resistance can be used to justify increasingly punitive and violent measures in
response. Occupying armies often placed restrictions on magic use in addition
to more mundane restrictions like curfews—a wand used for prestidigitation
might also be used to cast burning hands.
One of the most hotly contested issues is the
question of whether the various air raids conducted by the nations—which
deployed imprecise ordnance that devastated civilians as well as military
targets—crossed ethical boundaries. For the citizens of Rekkenmark, the answer
is clear; the frequent air raids the cliffside port was subjected to failed to
disable the city’s defenses but caused enormous collateral damage to civilians.
Despite this, Aundair and Thrane are united in their defense of this tactic,
blocking the Thronehold Tribunal from prosecuting the commanders responsible
for possible war crimes.
Grotesque Arcana
Beyond the question of determining acceptable targets
for violence, charges of war crimes often revolve around “grotesque arcana”—a
catch-all category that covers the use of magical weapons and tactics deemed
inhumane by the international community. The very nature of these weapons is to
incur collateral damage and civilian casualties, meaning that commanders bear
the moral weight of responsibility for those damages.
One of the regular features of the Thronehold
Tribunal has been charges related to reckless necromancy. Most commonly, this
has been levied against Karrnathi commanders, but almost every nation has
deployed necromancy in some form. The ostensible standard during the Last War
was that Karrnathi necromancers animating their own fallen were within bounds, but
animating the dead of other nations was prohibited. Despite this, most
necromancers who broke this standard are unlikely to be turned over by Kaius to
the Thronehold Tribunal. Rather, that “privilege” is reserved for the wizards
who deployed self-replicating undead. Not only are self-replicating undead most
effective when they feast on civilians first to create an outbreak, but their
ability to create problems for the force that deployed them earned the tactic
international condemnation. Many leaders within the Order of the Emerald Claw
are wanted for deployments of self-replicating undead. As such turning over the
necromancers and priests who leveraged replicating undead was also a convenient
way to eliminate militiant seekers that might stand in the way of Kaius’s
purge.
While the use of alchemy can save lives, such as with the Jorasco healing
potion, it can also be used to take them, as with the now-outlawed use of vile
bile. Over the course of the Last War, Cannith alchemists based out of
Fairhaven constantly experimented with new alchemical weapons; alchemist’s
fire and tanglefoot bags were some of the earliest developments from
these efforts. However, not all alchemical weapons were made equally, and the
side effects of some have been deemed a bridge too far.
Many of the weapons that destroy the soil or leave
behind dangerous magical effects—such as blast discs—are frowned upon but are
still in use and have not been outlawed. With the specter of war still
lingering, it’s been difficult for antiwar activists to persuade nations to
disarm the automated defenses that guard their borders, no matter the residual
cost of life and limb.
As far as the other disciplines of magic, Aundair’s
widespread use of illusion and enchantment raised the most problems. The
evocation spells from the Player’s Handbook are all well within the
bounds of conventional warfare; they lack the sadism or potential for
widespread collateral damage necessary to be considered war crimes—even the
superficially insidious Cloudkill spell is a quick killer without any
apparent side effects. Instead, the agency-destroying illusion and enchantment
schools of magic both provide the horror of friendly fire as well as providing
excuses for other, more heinous actions.
Prisoners of War
War is not a deathmatch. Soldiers may surrender for
any number of reasons; the general tide of a battle turning, failures of
logistics, being cornered, etc. Under the laws of war, soldiers who surrender
are to be taken as prisoners rather than executed. Prisoners of War (POWs) are
expected a certain modicum of respect; as well as adequate food and water and the ability to contact home (most commonly
through Orien’s courier services, but sometimes through Sivis’ sending
stations). Executing prisoners or providing them with poor conditions is
counterproductive, as it only incentivizes otherwise-defeated forces to fight
to the death and inflict more damage upon the otherwise-victorious forces. That
doesn’t mean POWs were never kept in poor conditions; the Karrnathi army
especially had issues, as persistent logistical issues extended all the way to
their ability to care for POWs.
Once captured, a soldier would have to wait either
for rescue or to be freed as part of a prisoner exchange or ransom. Given their
status, members of the nobility were the most likely to be ransomed back, with
the ransom paid off by their family. The rest of the population typically had
to wait for the periodic ceasefires and alliances for a prisoner exchange, an
added benefit to redirections of hostilities.
Members of the dragonmarked houses constituted
special a category of POWs. Jorasco healers, Lyrandar captains, Deneith
corporals, Cannith engineers; all were fundamentally noncombatants accorded
special status— valid captures who could immediately be ransomed back to their
houses. Rates were based on the prisoner’s expertise and rank within the house.
These standards, clearly communicated to the nations and their armies,
minimized personnel losses amongst combat-adjacent roles as the houses directly
supported the armies of Khorvaire.
Notable Villains
Tyman ir’Thiel (he/him), Shield of Askelios and
Illusionist of the Third Circle is an Aundairian noble whose governance covers
a critical portion of the Aundair-Thrane border along the Aundair river. His
favored tactics included using illusion magic to disguise his forces as unarmed
civilians, injured members of the opposing force, or surrendering troops.
Thranish ministers have pointed to the collateral damage brought upon actual
civilians with these tactics, but thus far First Minister Adal has refused to
turn him over to the tribunal unless Thrane were to hand over the entire
peninsula north of the Aundair River, including Thaliost.
Major Maril Lonn (she/her) narrowly survived the
battle on the Field of Ruins, as her forces were deployed to the rear as
reinforcements and able to flee from the Mourning in time. Having started from
the lowest of Brelish ranks, she found that a willingness to use any means
available to her was a reliable way to earn the favor of her superiors. In
particular, she was willing to leverage House Cannith’s most novel and
experimental weapons, regardless of their side effects or collateral damage.
Rabi ir’Aban (he/him) is a former Cyran general now
living in Graywall, Droaam. Known as the “plague doctor,” Rabi’s work with
House Jorasco was disowned by both House Jorasco and Cyre. His collaborations
included funding expeditions to Xen’drik to recover curses as well as diseases.
He now serves as an intermediary between the Dark Pack and the Feral Heart cult
of House Vadalis as they push the boundaries of lycanthropy.
Valpaea ir’Jaranus (she/her) is a former Karrnathi
noble and current member of the Order of the Emerald Claw. Hailing from the
eastern reaches of the nation in the foothills of the Mror Holds, she
frequently deployed self-replicating undead such as shadows. The slaughter of
an entire Cyran village was bad enough, but the resulting swarm of shadows
broke free of the Karrnathi control spells. This host of incorporeal undead was
only brought to heel by a multinational force led by the Sunseekers, an order
of paladins dedicated to Dol Arrah.
Bishop-Militant Ossul Trelioth (they/them) is a
Thranish templar who masterminded the air raids on both Aundairian and
Karrnathi cities. Fires started by alchemist’s fire-based bombs rapidly
spread through the wooden houses of both nations, destroying both civilian life
and property. Their sympathies with the Pure Flame movement have provided
justification for the wanton destruction, as fire also effectively disrupts the
fey connections many Aundairian nobility have cultivated as well as
incinerating corpses the Karrnathi army would otherwise press into service as
zombies and skeletons.
Warforged
The Thronehold Accords brought about a new era for
warforged. First, it shut down the production of new warforged, an enormous
blow to House Cannith after they had already lost their central production
capabilities in the Mourning. Second, it set all existing warforged free— a
truly novel experience for a race that had only existed for thirty years.
Politically, the end of the creation forges was an
enormous betrayal of the already-reeling Cannith. With the (presumed) death of
Baron Starrin d’Cannith, the house was unable to muster a unified lobbying
effort during the Thronehold negotiations. The other houses took advantage of
this, as Cannith’s war profits had begun to threaten the equal independence of
the other houses. Almost every invention of the houses relies on Cannith’s
manufacturing capabilities to be produced at scale. Even for specialized
services, the advancements of the last two centuries have increasingly relied
on Mark of Making-produced magic items. Other houses certainly have artificers
to develop new focus items, but only Cannith has the capabilities to turn a
one-off invention into a common business tool available to even the smallest
thorps. By hitting Cannith while it was down, the other houses guaranteed they
would still be able to maintain their own profits rather than be bullied out by
Cannith’s end-of-line dominance.
Coupled with the prohibition on creating new warforged,
the freeing of all current warforged was the single most serious effort at
disarmament to come out of the Thronehold Accords. A century of warfare had
left the Five Nations increasingly dependent on a mix of drafted and
manufactured soldiers, both of which left service at the cessation of
hostilities. This is not to say that the nations of Khorvaire do not still have
standing armies; it is simply to say that the freeing of warforged represent a
meaningful reduction in warfighting capabilities, especially by the four
surviving nations who employed the overwhelming majority of warforged.
Of course, history and politics are not only
concerned with the grand bargains and schemes of so-called great powers. The
twin decisions to stop all future production while freeing existing warforged
are the two most important events in the history of the race besides their
literal invention.
For warforged, the freedom of the post-war era is a
genuine novelty. While scattered warforged sometimes had the luxury of being a
domestic servant, even they were not truly free. In Breland, the warforged have
tended to congregate in cities, creating tensions with urban work forces about
whether biological differences should be accounted for in wages. On the
opposite end of the spectrum, Thrane and Karrnath have created systems of
indentured servitude to “pay back war debts” allegedly accrued by the warforged—
demanding that they pay for the cost of their own creation as well as the
material supplied to them. These debt systems have functionally reallocated the
warforged from the military to post-war civil construction service. Emerging
warforged activists within these countries have begun to demand better
conditions, but there is still significant organizing to do on this front.
From the warforged perspective, the elimination of
creation forges is extremely controversial. The most public opponent of this
decision is the Lord of Blades, who has pledged to reignite the abandoned
forges in Cyre in the pursuit of building a new warforged nation amongst the
ruins. His pledges to wreak a bloody vengeance upon the people of the Five
Nations have won over the hearts and minds of many warforged. However, his is
not the only perspective; others have called for a peaceful turnover of
creation forges to the warforged community. Even then, not every warforged is
concerned with or even thinks that it would be good to continue their kind,
given the bloody circumstances of their origin and the threat of a new war on
the continent.
Sample Warforged
Anchor (she/her) believes that the best approach for
improving the condition of Thranish warforged is to directly appeal to Jaela
Daran, the Keeper of the Flame. Unfortunately, she’s been given the
bureaucratic runaround and has been unable to speak to Jaela. What’s worse, is
even if she is able to talk to Jaela and plead her case, the eleven-year-old’s
ability to enact the comprehensive policy change necessary is limited by High
Cardinal Krozen’s cynical influence.
Banner (he/him) is the first warforged to be accepted
to Rekkenmark Academy, on the basis of his exceptional heroics during the Last
War. His status is being closely monitored by both detractors and supporters
seeking to dispel or confirm stereotypes about the novel beings. Banner often
doubts himself, concerned by the weight of public opinion placed upon his
shoulders.
Oak (they/them) is a veteran of guerilla campaigns in
the Eldeen Reaches. They’ve settled in Xandrar since their service ended, but
the recent campaign by the local division of the Swords of Liberty is likely to
pull them back into service. They’re still unsure of who to support—Mayor
Garrit Tomraan, or the Red Owl. Garrit has promised to pass new laws supporting
the city’s warforged if Oak helps him with the “Swords problem,” while the Red
Owl has pled the case that the system will always be rigged against warforged
so long as authority is ultimately vested in hereditary nobility.
Seven (they/them) has moved to the pastoral
Aundairian countryside to take up farming. Their presence is not always
welcome, as they are a living reminder of the devastation that took away the
sons and daughters of the community. However, many other community members have
shown incredible kindness and warmth to Seven, believing that if they can find
a new life then so can the world.
The Dragonmarked Houses
The outbreak of war posed both a dilemma as well as
an opportunity for the houses—not only who to back, but also how to maximize
both profits and their future survival. By the end of the first decade of the war,
many of the principles outlined in the War Crimes section above had been hashed
out, and the houses had secured a neutrality that optimized for both profits
and survival. As the war progressed, both houses and nations had to make ad-hoc
decisions about what was and was not permissible.
The result of a hundred years of war was a mixed bag
for the dragonmarked houses; Phiarlan and Orien suffered heavily, while
Lyrandar and Tharashk appear ascendant. When the Thronehold negotiations began,
some parties—like House Lyrandar—sought out more formal recognition of their de
facto territorial influence. By contrast, some of the national leaders, King
Kaius of Karrnath among them, pushed strongly against the rising tide of house
influence and tried to rally the other nations in weakening the privileges
granted to the houses. The Thronehold Accords represent a compromise,
maintaining a modified version of the pre-war status quo under the Korth Edicts
in which the houses are prohibited from holding titles and owning land but are
given a carte blanche to dominate Khorvaire’s economy in return. The houses
reaffirmed their support for the letter of the Edicts as part of the Thronehold
Accords but are keenly aware of a loophole—the Accords only apply to national
signatories, leaving Droaam and the Shadow Marches wide open for exploitation
(the inherently inhospitable nature of the Demon Wastes and the Mournland makes
exploiting the loophole much more difficult there).
Legal Status
The Thronehold Accords recognized members of the dragonmarked
houses as citizens of Thronehold. In conjunction with the rest of the
agreement, this gives them the same legal protections as any other citizen of a
treaty nation without assigning or obligating them to any one country. This
status was less of a direct concern for the houses as much as it was for the
nations involved in negotiations—the primary holdout was Aundair, as houses
Lyrandar and Orien, as well as significant parts of Cannith, Phiarlan, and
Vadalis call the northwestern nation home. Aurala believed that in the event of
future conflict, Aundairian citizenship would allow her to bind the houses to
her like Galifar bound the houses to him a thousand years ago. By contrast,
Thrane, which is not home to any house, moved strongly in favor of the
neutrality provided by Thronehold citizenship. This status also reinforced the
ancient Korth Edicts, as almost all nations prohibit non-citizens from holding
titles and land.
Despite this, the Korth Edicts remain in peril. House
Lyrandar is the largest violator, not only functionally owning the island of
Stormhome but also ruling the nation of Valenar—the Valaes Tairn elves care
little for day-to-day administration and leave it to the immigrant Khoravar. On
another axis, the Korth Edicts prohibit the houses from maintaining armed
forces, with an explicit carve-out for House Deneith — a rule that is
threatened, if not outright broken, by House Tharashk’s facilitation of
Droaamite mercenaries.
Transportation
While all houses operate across national boundaries, the
Thronehold accords account for the critical role played by Lyrandar and Orien
in Khorvaire’s transportation network. The two do not have total control—plenty
of merchant caravans traverse the continent outside of House Orien’s Transportation
Guild, and many captains sail without registering under the Wndwrights Guild.
However, merchants who operate under the guilds benefit from exemptions from
certain tariffs as well as easier paperwork at the borders (these financial
windfalls are balanced by the profit-maximizing membership fees and revenue
cuts taken by the guilds).
Per the Thronehold Accords, papers for passengers on
lightning rails and ships are handled when a passenger disembarks, rather than
mid-transit at the border crossing. Caravans using ordinary roads, however, are
subject to border inspection and taxation.
In the half-century prior to the outbreak of the Last
War, King Jarot invested in expanding the lightning rail, providing
unprecedented connectivity throughout the continent. Unfortunately, the
outbreak of the war brought not only travel and trade restrictions between
warring nations, but also the outright destruction of key passages, such as the
White Arch Bridge between Thaliost and Rekkenmark. The international economic
activity that did continue between allies was often severely limited due to
blockades.
The war’s end should have restored the frequency and
ease of travel that existed under King Jarot, but the Day of Mourning destroyed
key routes both on land and by water. Cyre contained House Orien’s only
remaining lightning rail route connecting eastern and western Khorvaire, a
situation that is unlikely to change soon since the repair of the White Arch
Bridge could not muster sufficient support in the Thronehold negotiations. By
contrast, while House Lyrandar certainly suffered from losing access to the
Rushing River that connected Lake Cyre to Kraken Bay (and, thus, Scions Sound
to the Thunder Sea), it’s actually increased their relative dominance—north to
south shipping now relies on skirting around the edge of the continent through
often-hostile weather, and the rivers that empty into Scions Sound provide the
most reliable way to move between western and eastern Khorvaire.
Mercenaries
House Deneith filled an unusual role in the Last War
as the central broker of independent armed forces for hire. The Blademarks Guild
has a variety of tiers of services. There
are some mercenaries (such as Valaes Tairn warbands) whose services are simply brokered
by the house, others (such as the Darguul goblinoids) are employed by the
guild, and thirdly, the most closely held — forces are house-trained and directly
commanded by house scions. All three were protected by Deneith’s closely
maintained neutrality; even Karrnath, home of the house headquarters, did not
receive any special status or discounts on services. Of the nations, Cyre made
the most use of Deneith mercenaries, trading off its extensive gold reserves
for national defense. This came back to bite the Cyrans not once, but twice,
with the secession of Valenar and then later Darguun.
House Deneith maintained a monopoly on mercenary
forces with the notable exception of mercenaries from Droaam who appeared in
the last years of the war Officially, Droaamite mercenaries are independent
labor that doesn’t pay dues to House Deneith. Practically speaking, House
Tharashk acts as their agent, brokering the process and receiving a cut of their
pay in return. This intrusion on Deneith’s market is extremely controversial,
but the mercenaries of Droaam have been unwilling to work with the Blademarks Guild,
while being considered too valuable for the various nations to forego.
Mercenary forces fought as dictated by their contracts.
Fully independent forces, such as the Valaes Tairn, have no qualms about
fighting other mercenaries in the pursuit of their objective. By contrast,
companies of soldiers led by house scions outright refuse to engage each other,
forcing commanders to deploy them only in locations where the house was
otherwise inactive. Outside of Deneith forces, the gnolls of the Znir Pact are
willing to fight each other but will only do so to first blood; any gnoll
injured by another gnoll immediately surrenders and retreats.
Today, House Deneith has received a special exemption
from the Thronehold Accords to maintain their standing army of mercenaries for
hire. Without an active war, these mercenary outfits have turned to other types
of jobs: suppressing labor rebellions on behalf of nobles, treasure hunting in
the ruins of Xen’drik and the Mournland, or supplementing other forces to
confront supernatural threats. For some, the war never ended — jobs protecting
Orien trade caravans to rural Khorvaire fight soldiers-turned-bandits as often
as they do displacer beasts.
Conflicts
Despite the war’s end, there are some who have not
stopped fighting. The hottest ongoing conflict is between Karrnath and Valenar.
High King Shaeras Vadallia quite simply has little interest in obeying the
terms of the treaty. Valenar raiders strike across the Talenta Plains at the
villages and towns of southern Karrnath, hoping to bait Kaius into renewing
full-blown hostilities. The governments of western Khorvaire have little
interest in intervening in this conflict, and Kaius is not interested in
appealing to the other nations for aid. Instead, he cautions his southern
warlords to discipline themselves and their troops and defend against attacks while
being careful to avoid triggering war.
Alliances
While alliances were in constant flux during the
war, there are very few of them in the post-Thronehold landscape. While Thrane
and Breland were in a joint offensive on the Day of Mourning, that alliance has
long since dissipated; the only remnant is the joint operation with House
Medani out of Arythawn Keep defending the eastern border against incursions
from the Mournland. The only true alliance left is between Breland and Zilargo,
as both nations have pledged themselves to mutual defense. In the northeast
Karrnath and the Mror Holds have a good relationship, but the dwarves have not
pledged themselves to join Karrnath in war if Valenar were to launch a full-scale
assault (although they would happily sell arms and mercenaries to
support Karrnath).