The Violet Coalition took effect with the signing of
The Violet Peace. Its members guarantee that they will declare war on
Delos'Nordan under the condition that another member is declared war upon by the High Elven nation. It does not cover declarations of war upon Delos'Nordan, nor does it cover declarations of war by or upon any other nation.
Member-States
The present members of the Violet Coalition are
Fyra,
Ciraeldon,
Rhowyn,
Ganemyth, the
Upmarch, the
Lowmarch, the
Wyldfolk of
The Feral Lands,
Everaldimor,
Montbay,
Farenai,
The Vale, and
Nothgard.
Devania and
Southmoor are also signatories, but it is widely expected they would not participate in any conflict because of their own internal issues.
Should a war truly erupt, it is expected that
Barisea,
Kai'Rin,
Trinea,
Rhydien and
Farholm would also have involvement on the side of the coalition.
Historical Changes in Signatories
The original signers of the treaty were Everaldimor, Farenai, Devania, Nothgard, Rhydien, Ciraeldon, Ganemyth, Rhowyn, Montbay, the Lowmarch, the Upmarch, the Wyldfolk of the Feral Lands, the Kcalsburian settlers, the Yelentsi, the Hill-Wigs, and the Valsh.
The members of the treaty have changed on several occasions since then. Nominally, in order for a signer to be accepted, a convention must be called in which all signing members accept their entry. This has never been the case historically. Nations who signal their interest have routinely been invited to sign on without any international input. Conversely, there is no clause to leave the coalition except by direct petition, which has caused issues in unstable member-states such as Devania.
The Accession of Montbay
The first major change in signatories occurred in 2278, with the
Establishment of Southmoor. The Old Faith tribes within Southmoor always viewed Kcalsburian settlement with hesitation, and they viewed the declaration of a nation as an egregious violation of their rights. Nonetheless, they were reassured that their lands would be respected and excluded from the nation's jurisdiction, and that statehood was merely a formality required to better handle trade and diplomacy - which would benefit both sides. Thus, with its creation, Southmoor signed on to the Violet Peace amidst protests by the tribes.
When Southmoor began its project of centralization and laid out a claim to broadly-encompassing borders, the Old Faith tribes demanded intervention under the Violet Peace's terms for tribal sovereignty. As no party enforced those terms, the Rhyders, Hill-Wigs and Valsh left the coalition. This was among many of the Peace's terms which went ignored or defunct, stripping away all of its details except for the coalition itself. Such precedents have generated fears about the coalition's true veracity for generations.
The Accession of the Vale
The
Founding of the Vale spurred a similar fear as the accession of Montbay amongst the Yelentsi, who had remained despite taking the other Old Faith tribes' side. When the Vale was permitted to sign the Violet Peace, the Yelentsi withdrew.
The Montbayern Tangle
With the dawn of
The Powder Triangle, ties between Barisea, Kai'Rin and Montbay grew ever tighter. While Barisea and Kai'Rin are not formal signatories of the Violet Peace, it was unquestioned until the
Admiral's Coup that they would enter any war in which Montbay was involved. A brief crisis evolved with the beginning of
The Grand Sea War; while ties had frayed between the three nations somewhat, Montbay seemed to signal it would enter on Barisea's behalf. Some Montbayern diplomats suggested they would then trigger the Violet Peace's terms, for they would have not been the ones to declare war (Barisea had!) Ultimately, this circumstance never came to pass, but it further frayed confidence in the coalition's validity.
The Fyran Accession
Confidence in the coalition was reinvigorated soon after the Montbayern Tangle, for
The Marigold Crisis brought Fyra to join its numbers. Fyra was accepted without incident, the first nation in the Kcalsbury Continent to become a signatory. Hopes arose that the Protectorate-Commonwealth might soon join them, making the coalition further indomitable.
The Threat Defeated
Delos'Nordan was dealt an embarrassing defeat by Barisea in
The Grand Sea War. Some nations within Pharos began to question the necessity of the coalition in response. Furthermore, Barisea had now annexed Pharosian land and changed the borders of the continent. There were pushes both to extend the coalition to resist Barisean aggression (heavily resisted by Montbay, among other disinterested nations) and to integrate Barisea into the coalition. Neither succeeded.
The Revansgar Accession
Revansgar signed on to the Violet Peace as part of its declaration of secession. Many members of the Violet Peace objected to this, feeling that an attempt to re-annex the region by Delos'Nordan was both justifiable and inevitable. It was widely understood that Revansgar was
not an official signatory, but the refusal of Delos'Nordan to act against them has made such complaints fade into the background of history. Revansgar was offered to sign on to the Peace again, in a truly official capacity, following the collapse of Southmoor in
The Hill-Wig Revolt. They refused, viewing the implication that they weren't already a signatory as offensive. The status of Revansgar remains controversial, though in practice most see them as one.
The Collapse of Nations
Southmoor and Devania are both signatories of the Violet Peace, but they are also both in a state of societal collapse. The consensus across the continent is that, in the event of war, all factions within Southmoor and Devania are bound by the treaty to cease conflict and participate in the war. The pragmatism of such a policy is laughable, especially in Southmoor, where the Hill-Wigs waging the civil war were once official signatories but were permitted to withdraw.
Fractures in the Violet Peace
Outside the continent, the Fyrans - now a member-state - have openly worried about the reality of the coalition's imminent collapse. That reality has also been accepted openly by Montbay, who has stated its refusal to join any war initiated by their membership in the coalition so long as the Hill-Wigs are recognized as signatories on Southmoor's behalf.
Concerns have been spurred by statements from other members, as well. The Farenese have, in recent years, pursued a more independent diplomacy towards Delos'Nordan. While it has largely been unsuccessful, their negotiators insist any national diplomacy overrides their participation in the Violet Peace. Widespread distrust also exists around the Rhowydian magocracy, the greatly unstable Lowmarch, and the mysterious Vale.
