The Covenant

The Covenant is a treaty signed between the significant magical nations interacting on the Prime Material Plane. In existence for at least 15,000 years, the treaty's strictures and tenets lay out the codes of conduct and rules of engagement for all signatories.

## The Covenant

### Language(s)

Originally written in Old Sylvan, now translated into the languages of all signatories

## Description

The central governing document for international relations across the Planes of Existence, the Covenant underpins the interactions between devils and angels, fey and fiends. The signatories meet regularly to negotiate changes to the Covenant in a summit known as The Concordance. While this event must take place no less than once a millennia, it can be called as often as required to settle disputes or change diplomatic customs as required to meet the needs of the moment.

## Contents

A non-exhaustive list of provisions of the Covenant is given below, in order of their appearance and relative importance within the document and its amendments:

### Preamble

There is no spirit of the law, only its letter.

### Article I: The Laws of Hospitality

* Guests must not harm any other guests or residents of their host’s home
* Guests must not report anything they see or hear in their host’s home
* Guests must make every effort to assist the household and other guests while they are welcomed
* Disputes amongst guests must be settled in a manner that will not impugn the host’s honour. As the host cannot take one side of the quarrel without bringing harm to the other guest, and they have the right to call for a trial or ordeal to settle the matter fairly.
* Those negotiating for the release of individuals held in bondage by the host are automatically afforded guest rights
* Those held in bondage are to be fed, watered, and treated with respect
* Hosts may not harm guests, or by inaction allow harm to come to them
* Hosts are obliged to offer food, drink, clothing, and a token to their guests during their stay
* Violation of these terms revokes the guest or host obligations placed upon the parties in question

### Article II: Mortal Souls

The souls of mortal beings shall be managed and assigned according to the provisions given within the Covenant with no exceptions:

* The generation of souls, and their placement into mortal forms shall by wholly the purview of the Spring Court of the Fey
* The removal of souls from mortal forms shall be wholly the purview of the Autumn Court of the Fey
* The Winter Court of the Fey shall retain mortal souls within its care until such time as the soul is collected by its claiming faction

The claim to a mortal soul shall be determined in descending priority, given in order as follows:

1. Deities and similar rulers of factions are automatically granted first right to any adherent of a faith-based system that centres that rulers’ beliefs, teachings, or existence
2. Unaffililated mortals shall thence be decided according to the actions they undertook in life according to the following divisions:
	1. Those mortals who display the character of self-sacrifice, honesty, charity, sincerity, peace-making, or selflessness shall be deemed as Good
	2. Those mortals who display the character of selfishness, deceit, wanton violence, fraud, oppression of others, or who prioritise personal material gain at the expense of others shall be deemed as Evil
	3. Those mortals who display the character of adaptability, flexibility, recklessness, resentment to legitimate authority, arbitrary actions, irresponsibility or a general untethered way of living shall be deemed as Chaotic
	4. Those mortals who display the character of order, adherence to a singular code of conduct, trustworthiness, obedience to authority, reliability, closed-mindedness, adherence to tradition, inflexibility, or who hold a strong sense of justice or order shall be deemed Lawful
	5. Mortals displaying these qualities in equal proportion, or who lack these qualities generally shall be deemed as Neutral
3. By this schedule, deities and similar rulers may lay claim to unaffiliated mortal souls in bulk at each Spring Solstice

### Article III: Neutral Parties and Territories

Territory may be designated as Neutral by this Covenant and subject to special status. Within Neutral Territory violence of all kinds is forbidden, and members of signatory nations may not instigate violence within. This includes actions, words, or intent that would reasonably predicate a violent response from the other party or parties involved. Members may make efforts to defend themselves from violence committed against them, especially where the instigator is not a signatory of this Covenant.

* Special Exemption may be made for territories whose purpose is inherently to facilitate violence, but is otherwise neutral and impartial as territory that exists between nations.

Beings native to the Outer Planes may not enter onto the Prime Material Plane unless summoned or invited there by a native of the Inner Planes

Beings not native to the Prime Material Plane may not bear arms upon that plane either against one another or against the natives of that plane under any circumstance unless provoked

Messengers, emissaries, and ambassadors to a signatory nation are to be protected and given liberty to deliver and receive messages, missives, and correspondence without any fear of harm or retribution for the contents of their borne communication, unless they instigate violence themselves

### Article IV: Dispute and Resolution

If a member of a signatory nation of this Covenant is killed by another member - be it of their own nation or another signatory nation - a close relation of the deceased may claim a weregild in recompense for the death according to the following schedule. The status of the deceased shall be determined by a neutral arbiter, and the sum to be paid calculated by the same neutral party according to the offending party’s wealth and holdings at the time of death. The calculated lifetime potential wealth and holdings of the offending party shall be considered one (1) lay.

 Prince/Princess or equivalent
 Senior noble
 Mid-ranking noble
 Minor noblility
 Landowning member
 Free member
 Peasant/Servant/Hireling
 Slave

Disputes between members of signatory nations, or within the same nation, are to be settled according to the following provisions in order to ensure an equitable method of justice for any member, irrespective of relative social rank or standing.

* The offended party must challenge the offending party with at least one witness present. This can be submitted in written form if the witness is signatory to the challenge.
* A neutral Arbiter shall be appointed from the signatory members to oversee the challenge’s organisation and execution.
* The parties must meet either on a demiplane created for the purpose of the challenge, or on any of the designated ritual battlegrounds designated by this Covenant as Neutral Territory with Special Exemption.
* The offended party has the right to choose the location where the challenge must be met, but the offending party may propose an alternate. No reason is required, but the alternate must be of equal or greater suitability to the challenge, and not unfairly advantage either party. This determination is left to the Arbiter.
* A weapon must be chosen from the ancient options: will, skill, magic, or flesh. The offending party has the right to the first selection, but the offended party may refuse the selection until an agreeable fit is found.
* If the offended party does not appear to the challenge they issued, they shall be declared outside the Covenant’s protection and exiled from their nation.
* If the offending party does not appear, the offended party shall automatically win by forfeit.
* The death of an opponent as part of the challenge is not considered murder and is exempted from liability for a weregild claim. However, death is not the only acceptable condition of victory for a given challenge. The two parties may agree between them on alternate conditions as they desire.
* Irrespective of location, the ritual challenge cloth shall be lain upon the ground, and three barriers whose distance shall be one metre together drawn around the cloth. The challenge must be conducted entirely within the bounds as drawn; failure to remain within is grounds for forfeit. They who flee from the cloth once the challenge has begun are considered outside the Covenant’s protection and are to be exiled from their nation.
* The price of victory or defeat is to be agreed in advance, but the purpose of these challenges is to satisfy the honour and justice of the offended party. However, there is no limit to the conditions so long as they are agreed by both parties.
* Each party must appoint an alternate challenger, to fight in their stead if they become incapacitated prior to the challenge, and to coordinate terms with the Arbiter and the opposing party.

### Article V: Amendments to the Covenant

Any aspirant signatory to the Covenant shall require no fewer than three (3) existing signatories to ratify their application. Further signatories or conditions may be applied on a per application basis as appropriate.

No fewer than two (2) existing signatories are required to propose neutral territory, which must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of existing signatories.

A Concordance must be held no less than once per millennia to review the articles and strictures of this treaty, and make necessary amendments as agreed. Any signatory nation has the right to call a Concordance, and the honour of hosting shall fall to a rotating order of signatory nations in order of signing.

## Known Signatories

* Spring Court of the Fey
* Summer Court of the Fey
* Autumn Court of the Fey
* Winter Court of the Fey
* The inhabitants of the Abyss
* The inhabitants of the Nine Hells
* The inhabitants of Elysium
* The inhabitants of Mt Celestia
* The Flesh Court of Vampires
* The Life Court of Vampires
* The Blood Court of Vampires
* The Lust Court of Vampires
* The inhabitants of the Shadowfell
* Dragonkind
* The Pavilion of Wizards
* Elin Dorhorn, Independent Signatory

## Known Neutral Territories

1. The entirety of the Prime Material Plane
2. All lands and territories held by the Pavilion of Wizards
3. The halls of Valhalla\*
4. The Sky Coliseum\*

\*indicates Neutral Territory with Special Exemption