Treaty of Thronehold

Diplomatic action

Mostly due to fear leaders from the remaining nations met at Thronehold. The participants agreed to recognize Aundair, Breland, Thrane, Karrnath, the Talenta Plains, Zilargo, Q’barra, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, the Eldeen Reaches, Darguun, and Valenar as sovereign nations. When the question of Cyre arose, Queen Aurala gave voice to a widespread sentiment: “Cyre no longer exists.”

Armies of all nations halted offensive operations as word of the disaster in Cyre spread. A growing wave of refugees threatened to overwhelm Cyre's neighbors. Although the panic began to subside when the mists halted at the former Cyran border, the proud, powerful, ancient nation of Cyre had ceased to exist.   These events lifted the diplomatic stalemate, and negotiation by all sides increased significantly. Still, given more than a hundred years of war, even the cataclysmic events in Cyre might not have guaranteed an end to hostilities. As it turned out, a confluence of circumstances and leaders made peace possible despite the monumental barriers.   King Boranel of Breland, shocked by the devastation and distraught at his daughter’s death, greatly desired a pause in fighting. Keeper Daran of Thrane exerted as much influence as she could in favor of peace, and High Cardinal Krozen and his supporters did not resist; in truth, Thrane was spent. Queen Aurala of Aundair had a long history of skillful diplomacy, and she was anxious to shift the conflict from the fields of battle to the tables of negotiation (where she felt she could dominate). Finally, and most surprisingly, the old nemesis of negotiation—Thrane—turned out to be a strong proponent for peace.   The newest royal, Kaius III, advanced a comprehensive plan for the withdrawal of forces and establishment of new boundaries, including the recognition of several independent nations. As a measure of his good faith, Kaius III included the former Karrnathi holding, the Mror Holds, among those new lands. King Boranel offered the moving fortress Argonth as a means to ferry diplomats to summits, and pledged that all who accepted such transport would be safe. Immediately thereafter, the initial group of passengers, a team of Thrane negotiators, were slaughtered in a particularly gruesome manner.   As it turned out, this setback actually aided the peace process. The heroic actions of a King’s Citadel investigator and the renowned paladin of the Silver Flame, Sir Valen Kelain, revealed that the responsible parties were war-mongering agitators from both the Brelish security force and the Thrane delegation. These horrific deeds severely undermined warmongering forces in both nations.   By 996^YK, real negotiations began at Thronehold, the site where the war had begun. Working from Kaius III's proposal, the participants soon agreed to recognize Aundair, Breland, Thrane, Karrnath, the Talenta Plains, Zilargo, Q’barra, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, the Eldeen Reaches, Darguun, and Valenar as sovereign nations. When the question of Cyre arose, Queen Aurala gave voice to a widespread sentiment: “Cyre no longer exists.”   The delegates further reaffirmed House Deneith's role as an international police force and granted it full authority to preserve Thronehold. King Boranel's tenacity and charisma led to one minor Brelish victory (no formal recognition of Droaam) and one major provision (the emancipation of the warforged). King Kaius III's dedication to peace showed when he continued to exert his considerable force of personality at the peace table, despite a desperate famine that struck his country that year. He was later rewarded when both Breland and the Eldeen Reaches offered food to his beleaguered population. The major disputes involved Aundair and Thrane. Queen Aurala demanded the return of Thaliost but was unwilling to concede prewar Thrane lands now safely behind her towers in the east. Thrane, of course, held the opposite stance. In the end, it was Boranel who brought the two sides together by first raising the issue of Old Breland, and then allowing himself to be talked away from its return if Aundair and Thrane essentially agreed to the status quo. The concessions on all sides were ultimately acknowledgments on paper of what had been true for almost seventy years on the ground.