Independent Polities

## Relations with Political Players outside the Lords' Alliance

The Lords' Alliance (LA) has a wide reach around Western Faerûn, but there are surprising omissions from the group. Some are out simply because there's little mutual-aid benefit to being in when they're on the frontier edge compared to the bulk of the members. Others polities are afraid of the potential loss of sovereignty. Given that many of these polities have to rely on adventurers for critical security, those are valid fears.

The following is a quick overview of Stonehearth relations with other prominent polities that aren't currently in the LA – or are otherwise directly opposed to it.

Note that the Stonehearth marquisate, the Big-M Marquisate and the Commonwealth are all closely related, but they are technically individual organizations (even if little-m is a subdivision of Big-M). In that respect, there are nuanced differences between the outlook and diplomatic relations between any of those components and any of the following foreign groups...

### **Cormyr**

The relationship with Cormyr could be characterized as a tempestuous love affair, with Stonehearth holding one barony directly and having controlling interests in several others. The Cormyr Crown respects Stonehearth, but doesn't risk a formal alliance as there are fears the marquisate would be unfriendly to the entitled aristocracy of the kingdom.

### **Tethyr**

The relationship with the Kingdom of Tethyr is even closer, and for similar reason: Stonehearth holds a barony in the area in much the same way as a border-protecting marquisate.

### **Duchy of Cape Valen**

Still in the south, along the coast, Stonehearth has good relations with the independent peninsular duchy of Cape Velen (formerly of Tethyr).

### **Amn**

In the south, but less friendly, is the merchant oligarchy of Amn. Given Amn's anti-arcane policies, and their uncertainty to planar-powered divine magic, the distrust is mutual. For those reasons, SMC ships do not visit Amnian ports (and are dispassionate to Amnian complaints about SMC scrolls and so on reaching the hands of the Emerald Cabal activists). Stonehearth initial inertia to relations was based on southern territorial disputes with Baldur's Gate, but the marquisate does not consider Amn a threat.

### **Thay**

To the distant to the east, Thay's reach has had an impact in the virtual Sword Coast backyard. The Thayvian lich Szass Tam was witnessed to have been part of a group that made an attempt on Larloch in 1366 DR (well before North Point was established). Tam was the only one to have survived and it was estimated some deal was cut, though what was traded is unknown and has been surmised as probably not for the common good.

Stonehearth and the Marquisate in general holds the slavers of Thay in very, very low regard. More recently, Thay was found to be contributor to an infernal infestation of Dragonspear Castle, and accordingly there are cold war-level tensions between the polities. Thay is considered a credible but low-level threat.

### **Evermeet**

Stonehearth has never made a concerted effort to reach out to the elven polity of Evermeet. The elven policy of control, responsibility and reckless abandon often results in a posture that's passive-aggressive at best and Stonehearth hasn't seen a need to navigate that relationship.

From the other side, however, the raw power arcane emanating from the marquisate (including "desundering" two land masses), has made human relations top priority for the otherwise reclusive elves.

### **Calimshan**

The sandy southwest corner of Faerûn, relations are overall cool with the ruling Syl-pasha, if only because of the systemic and endemic slavery in the area. In that respect, the Commonwealth (with nearby components of Lantan and Halruaa) consider Calimshan invalid as a nation and otherwise a borderline rogue state.
The Second Era of Skyfire (a proxy war between djinn and efreet) had ravaged the land, knocking the once-enormous capital of Calimport from over 2 million inhabitants to a comparative ghost town of about 60,000. The city has only just begun an unstable recovery (with the everpresent threat of the next round of Skyfire).

Because of that Skyfire, Stonehearth considers elements *within* Calimshan a potential threat. The House keeps careful tabs on the region, both through official diplomatic channels and more extensively, through ongoing intelligence operations by the Sergeants-at-Arms.

### **Mulhorand**

This eastern polity had been ripped from Toril and eventually returned, though given the history of slavery, relations with the Marquisate had been limited at best. In the return to Toril, however, and in their war with High Imaskar, the Mulhorandi received a great deal of unofficial support by logistics: scrolls and potions that were officially "unmarked" (but came in quantities and powers that could only be produced by the SMC).
It is widely estimated that the covert Stonehearth assistance helped overthrow High Imaskari control, and the subsequent banning of slavery in the area was a direct response to Stonehearth's assistance. Official relations between the nations is minor but growing.

## Relations with polities beyond Faerûn

There are enough proximal threats to Stonehearth that official relations and alliances beyond western Faerûn are minimal. That said, there are Stonehearth embassies not only around the world, but across worlds.
There are several embassies in Kara-Tur to the distant east, as well as limited joint-research, especially in terms of climate and geomancy. There has been some interest by several smaller polities of adopting the Charter of Light and joining the Commonwealth and negotiations are moving forward on this.

Similar relations extend west, across the Trackless Sea, to Lopongo, Maztica and Anchorome. Relations are less developed than to the distant east, if only because the resident cultures are less developed – and Stonehearth has enough on their plate just north across the river.

Finally, after the cataclysms, Stonehearth made a mark in the split world of Abeir. In the process of bringing Lantan and Halruaa home, the House allied with certain dragonborn factions, fought off (and declared war against) the Abolethic Sovereignty, and tracked down several primordials, flagging them for eventual "intervention."

Stonehearth maintains four embassies on Abeir, all of which are portal-connected. The conflict with the Aboleths has since dissipated, but is technically ongoing. The extensive dragon population of Abeir has since taken a defensive interest against Stonehearth, largely because dragons are natural weave casters and the primal method largely renders their magic obsolete. That makes Stonehearth a *significant* threat.