The Great Truce

Twenty years ago, on this fateful day, the gods of Halintar spoke to us. After endless eras of noble defense against one other, they did something unheard of- they made peace. Now, all mortals can life together in harmony, without the horrid plague that is war.
-Gixen Jhor, bronze dragon emissary.

Historically, Halintar has been known as a volatile, war-wracked continent. Six Dragon-Gods rule over the realm, and were sworn to protect the mortals that live within their designated territories. Because of this heaven-bestowed duty, as well as each dragon’s individual moral codes, conflict was inevitable. Even the Dragon-Gods themselves believed that it was their duty to “conquer” the other gods, to prove their own mentality as heaven-blessed… until, of course, the Great Truce occurred.

No one is quite sure when or how the deities discussed this truce. However, it’s a popular theory that the idea was spurred forwards when Jihaia Pyx, Ester’s right-hand dragon and favorite daughter, was felled on the battlefield by a stray fireball launched from her own militia. Something changed in the Dragon-God when Jihaia passed, and left a lasting impression strong enough for her to move to end the eternal struggle between her godly kin. That was two hundred ago, but the iron will of the Silver Serpent was indomitable, leading to the truce that happened twenty years prior to the current times.

Below is the document itself, written into the Book of Ages for all of eternity.

### The Great Truce

#### Preface

We, the great Gods of Halintar, have always fought to protect our people. But today, we do so in a way we never have before. Today, we put away our differences to bring a new era to our beloved realm, and to unify the mortals. Today shall be a day renowned in the Book of Ages as a historic day, one that will be remembered forever as one that shall forever change the way that we live.

#### The Agreements

Ornhurthi, Aurajrygat, Skaeren-attiuri. The primary deities.

Vorcoisig, Siofmeaista, Dartakaqumado. The secondary deities.

The Dragon-Gods known to mortals as Ester Pyx, Dinante, Tephra; Paradoxie, Karomatzu, Balktan. These gods were brought, together, in secret, to discuss how to ensure peace among each other and their peoples. These agreements were drawn out to provide for all the Dragon-Gods ideologies, from the strictest of rules to the widest of freedoms. For each god there were regulations and profits for those who followed them.

#### The Statute of Ornhurthi

The kingdom of Ester Pyx is strong and upholds the law as the ultimate form of goodness. Her regulations are set as this:

* Stay within the Great Northwest when indoctrinating new peoples to her religion.
* Do not prevent other gods’s religious followers from moving about her territory, unless they speak heresy of her own.
* When punishing criminals, do not kill those that do not originally live within her territory- she may punish as necessary, and exile them from her lands permanently. If they return post-exile then execution is acceptable.
* Return the contested land south of the Forktongue River to Karomatzu, and mountainous peninsula to the northeast known as the Cove Peaks to Paradoxie.
* As the kingdom with the most “living space”, she is in charge of taking in any refugees of cataclysmic events until they are able to return to their true home.

#### The Statute of Aurajrygat

The kingdom of Dinante is difficult to live in, but prosperous and free for those who survive. His regulations are set as follows:

* Capture and punish criminals fleeing from other kingdoms when requested; especially those who have committed the vilest of crimes.
* When necessary, enforce some rules put forth by the sand elves of the north.
* Do not further hinder the exiles and underdogs of the southern badlands, and consider them equal to the northerners. Even if they do not join his own religion.
* Restrict long conversations with unwilling strangers to one hour at maximum.
* Protect the outskirts of his territory from the untamed ferocious creatures that dwell within it. They do great harm to the other regions if they traverse the non-sandy wilds completely unchecked.

#### The Statute of Skaeren-attiuri

The kingdom of Tephra is wild and untamed, allowing a life of isolation and primal instinctualness. Her regulations are…

* Occasionally checking on larger settlements to ensure their safety and that their basic mortal needs are met.
* No more burning down villages or towns “for fun”. Restrict destructive behavior to within the molten regions of the territory.
* Critical defense of current territory is fine, but attempts to claim more will break the truce and result in the rest of the dragons attacking her as punishment.
* Do not over-tax the resources of the nearby farms and settlements without providing equal aid in some manner.
* When practicing necromancy on intelligent creatures, obtain consent from them before death or from their loved ones; either that, or resurrect their spirits as sentient and uncontrolled undead.

#### The Statute of Vorcoisig

The kingdom of Paradoxie is colorful and rich with foreign activity. Her regulations are as listed below:

* Encourage trade between the outside world and the inner regions of Halintar.
* Crack down on pirates and the pillaging of other ships, foreign and otherwise.
* Do not restrict outside races from learning at the schools of magic simply because they are different; if they are able to use the magic, they should be allowed to be taught how to hone it.

#### The Statute of Siofmeaista

While not the friendliest of territory, the swamplands and dry mountains of Karomatzu’s kingdom have their own benefits. His regulations are as follows:

* No more kidnapping of intelligent creatures for any reason.
* If he intends to continue taxing the nearby settlements, he must offer some semblance of aid in return; wealth, weaponry, or whatever else they may need to survive.
* When it becomes unbearable to the mortals, he must take the occasional trip to the lowlands with his brood and exterminate the excess population of monstrous and devilish beings.

#### The Statute of Dartakaqumado

The ferocious attitude of Balktan and the violently-defended sanctity of his region intimidates outsiders and protects against foreign invasion. His regulations are listed below:

* Restrict the destructive behavior of his people to the Sea of Salt and the closer land to it, ranging ~30 miles away at the furthest.
* Do not spread his vile, blasphemous “religion” into the surrounding regions. He may keep it to himself and him mortals alone.
* Keep his kin from infecting the nearby, out-of-territory waters. If they must go, send them individually in different directions to prevent excess salinization, or away from Halintar.