Diplomacy

You can perform a wide array of diplomatic actions; many of these (like trading) are quite practical, but some (like Declarations, Demands, etc.) are purely diplomatic. Provided that you have constructed an embassy in one of your settlements, you can begin conducting diplomatic actions with all other factions who have embassies constructed. All diplomatic actions are proposed in the form of written (private) messages.

Something important to remember, is that the following are guidelines and not rules, feel free to follow them or modify them to your will. You may always sweeten deals by offering resources, settlements, Sirenium and even marrying of your Houses Nobles or your Stronger Warriors. Characters with the  "Ring Icon" are eligible for marriage.

## Trading

One of the most common interactions. You can set up trade agreements with any faction you're not at war with. You can trade Strategic and Luxury Resources for Embers, or for other resources. Depending on the level of relations between you, they may agree or not to more beneficial trade conditions. Settlements may also be "traded" between factions. Note, however, that a faction will part with a city only with great reluctance - you either have to press them with your military power, or offer other cities in return. If you acquire a city via diplomacy, the same rules apply as though you conquered it (without the whole mess of war and losing troops). Trading is of vital importance in A War in Vain. Your empire can't usually become so strong economically as to be completely self-sufficient, and will always need to exchange goods with other factions. If you construct a market, you can send caravans with goods to foreign cities instead of relying in preliminary negotiations.

## Declaring Friendship

If you want to get closer with the other faction, you may invite them to make a joint Declaration of Friendship. Or they may invite you. Such a declaration is obviously only possible if your relations are already at least Neutral, possibly Friendly. The first result, besides improved relations, will be that other nations they're friendly with will draw closer to you, while others they're hostile with will drift apart. Another benefit is that the other nation will become more open to satisfying any demands you make of them. Use this to your advantage!

## Demands

You may make many demands of another faction. Whether or not they comply will depend on relations and the player's boldness:

* Demand resources, embers or settlements.
* Demand that they stop settling near your territory.
* Demand that they stop spying on you.
* Demand that they stop harvesting resources near your territory.

Other factions, on their turn, may also demand stuff from you. If you agree to their demand, know that you will have to spend a certain number of turns *not* engaging in the activity in question. At some point, the promise will be considered fulfilled, and you may go back to doing what you were doing previously. If you break the promise before quite some time has passed, relations between you may worsen.

## Denouncing

You may **publicly denounce another faction**, stating for the entire diplomatic society to hear that they're a bad person and everyone shouldn't trust them. A denunciation will immediately worsen relations with the nation you've denounced, and also with their friends. At the same time, it may **improve** relations with other nations that aren't on good terms with the denounced nation. When another nation denounces you, other leaders will become more wary of you for a time. This may result in a drop in relations, although it's usually not enough on its own to lead to such nasty things like wars. However, it will often not change a Friendly faction's view of you. Denouncing is often used as a prelude to war - the denouncing party may only gain if they already intend to attack, since nations that aren't friends of the denounced will drift apart from them, and may become more amenable to allying with the denouncing party.

(To Denounce, you have to send messengers to all factions)

## Declaring War

You can declare war on any faction you want - an option you have to consider very carefully! Know that the declaration will immediately cancel all treaties and deals, the allies of each side will automatically declare war on the others (including factions which have a Defensive Pact with one of the factions), and trade routes will be exposed to attacks.

You can also ask (or be asked by) other factions to join a war against a third party - this is called forming an attack alliance. If they agree, you can declare war together and attack at the same time, ensuring bigger chances of success. Of course, you will most probably have to divide the spoils as well. Note that when asking another faction to attack with you, you may use all possible "persuasion" methods, such as bribing.

## Signing Treaties

You'll be able to conduct advanced diplomatic activities, known as signing treaties. All of them are beneficial for you, and getting the other faction to accept them will depend on relations. Of course, other factions may also propose signing treaties, in which case you should weigh the proposal's merits.

### Open Borders

A very important diplomatic agreement, the Open Borders is actually the most commonly signed treaty in the game. It is possible for this treaty to be one-sided (i.e. to have only one nation allow the other to pass through its territory). Other factions are usually willing to sell border passage very cheaply, making it an excellent return-on-investment for your units maintenance. Signing an open border treaty with a faction will allow your units to enter their towns, and rest in them (allowing you to not have to spend water on 7th rounds). If war is declared while an Open Borders treaty is in effect, enemy troops are immediately moved to the nearest allowed point outside the border.

### Defensive Pact

When you sign such a pact, the faction you're making a pact with effectively becomes your ally. Whenever one of the factions under a Defensive Pact gets engaged in a defensive war (a war declared by a third party), the other one automatically enters the war as well, on the side of their ally. Obviously, signing a Defensive Pact with a powerful faction can make enemies think twice before attacking you (since this will automatically put them at war with the faction that signed the treaty with you). However, it's pretty difficult to get a faction to agree to signing this treaty. Also, be wary when signing one with a civilization that may be attacked during the duration of the treaty. Attacking or declaring war on another faction will cancel the defensive pact! Finally, you should be wary of signing Defensive Pacts when you are friendly with several other factions. Even if they are friends with you, they may not be friendly toward each other at all. At this point, it becomes dangerous to sign this pact as one of your friends may declare war on the nations that you signed the pact with.

## Alliance

The only difference from defensive pacts, is that Allies will have to help you not only in your defensive wars, but also on offensive wars. However you will also have to join their wars as well, so be very careful when forming alliances. More than 2 players can join Alliances, if all the allies agree with that.

## Peace Negotiations

Peace depends on the two sides' will to continue fighting. If the war is going well for the side that declared it, they will simply refuse any attempts at peace negotiations and continue pushing. If you have started the war and decide that you've achieved enough, you may offer peace to the other side. If they have started and think that they've achieved enough - they may offer you peace. Also, if in any case a side thinks the war isn't going well for it, they may sue for peace. That may often prove impossible - if you sue for peace and they believe they're winning the war, or that they haven't achieved their goals yet, they will refuse to even attempt peace negotiations. Peace negotiations are a lot like trading, where the two sides attempt to reach a mutual agreement to end the hostilities. The crucial factor is who's winning, and how badly the other side is losing. The worse the situation, the more they'll be prepared to offer, or in the other case, the more they'll demand from you to end the war. Cities are often part of peace negotiations, and the most likely scenario when a faction will agree to part with them.