Pact of Greyhawk
This pact led to a formal cessation of hostilities between Iuz, Furyondy/Veluna, Keoland and allies, Nyrond and Urnst, the Scarlet Brotherhood, and a representative of Ivid the Overking. Those not included were the humanoids of Pomarj and Bone March, Ratik, the barbarians, other Aerdi rulers, and the exiled leaders of vanquished lands.
The global political picture regarding accepted boundaries is reflected in the world map, of course. Free trade was permitted, in theory, between states and nations, but distrust has minimized it. Of course, certain powers wrung their hands at their inability to control the enthusiasm of certain rebel mercenaries, humanoids, or partisans within their lands. These powers expressed their deep regrets at not being able to wholly prevent skirmishes from within their lands (Iuz’s representative feigned especial regret at this), so peace is not exactly complete.
As far as the Free City is concerned, the major change produced by the Pact is that permanent ambassadors of the major signatories are now resident in the Free City. In theory, this is to allow any breaches of the Pact to be discussed by these representatives on short notice; this stipulation in the Pact was at the insistence of the Scarlet Brotherhood, masters of intrigue and espionage. Nerof Gasgal, of course, added the fine print that ensured payment for the privilege of keeping an ambassador in the city.
Carl Sargent. Greyhawk Adventures, From the Ashes, Atlas of the Flanaess, 1992
The Treaty of Greyhawk (also known as the Pact of Greyhawk) is the peace treaty which ended the Greyhawk Wars (582 to 584 CY). The Greyhawk Wars take their name from this treaty.
Remembrance Day celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Pact of Greyhawk.
The Flanaess-wide conflict which lead to the Treaty of Greyhawk was engendered by Iuz in 582 CY, when he posed as Vatun, planting the seeds of war with the Thillonrian tribes.
The whole of the Flanaess was absolutely flummoxed when the puppet states of the Scarlet Brtherhood brought forth a proposal for a "grand truce" to be affected which would cease all hostilities in the Flanaesss. The true reasons behind this remained forever unknown. One group, however, took it as a slap in the face the the Scarlet Brotherhood had offered the peace talks—the priesthood of Rao.
Though many were reluctant, all the major nations of the Flanaess eventually came to the negotiating table.
The peace conference where the accord was signed is known as the "Great Council". The Council met at the former government seat of Greyhawk, the Old City Great Hall (T21). It lasted six months.
On the day the Pact was due to be signed, Rary conspired to murder the "entire attending diplomatic corps." The plot was discovered at the last minute, however, by "several members of the Circle [who] entered the hall for a last-minute inspection of the site before the signing." An explosion rocked the Great Hall and a great magical duel ensued. The priesthood of Rao, along with other ambassadors and diplomats, had to "watch helplessly as a botched attempt to assassinate all the ambassadors turned the city into a battleground in a matter of minutes." In the end, two members of the Circle of Eight (Tenser and Otiluke) were left dead in the aftermath.
"Fearing further disruptions, the delegates hurriedly signed the Pact of Greyhawk."
There is some minor difference in various sources regarding the month of the treaty's signing. It is additionally notable that though there are dates for convening and signing, there is no date for ratification.
The original source says the council for writing the Pact was convened in Harvester 584 CY and the treaty was signed six months later (making it spring 585 CY). Additionally, the "Year of Peace" (post-Wars) is set beginning "in the early months of 585 CY."[10] (e.g. Readying or Coldeven in spring)
Remembrance Day (Readying 14) celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Pact of Greyhawk. It was first celebrated after the signing in 586 CY.
However, other later sources only mention one date—when it was signed, which in those sources is cited as Harvester 584,but, those sources refer to that as the end date for the Greyhawk Wars. However, for the Great Council to have been six months long, and after the truce was declared, this would mean it was convened in Coldeven 584 CY, which would incorrectly mean it would pre-date other known events of the Wars.
The basics of the Pact is that it "fixed borders and mandated an end to hostilities. The armistice allowed "no invasions, no massed battles, no attempts to claim territory." The Pact further states that the signatories "cannot countenance full-scale battles or war."
Within the stipulations of the Pact are intricate details which include terms such as what actions are, and are not, permitted. One example of this is permitted crossing of national borders to rescue kidnap victims or prisoners of war.
"As part of the Pact of Greyhawk, all the major players in the continent’s political games have ambassadors in the Free City of Greyhawk."
While Greyhawk was not directly involved in much of the warfare of the Greyhawk Wars, it was able to take advantage of the situation in the signing of the Pact to enlarge its official borders. The Domain of Greyhawk grew enormously at the Wars' end, laying claim to most any area protected by her army.[18] Because Narwell and Safeton were independent cities, they signed pacts of association with Greyhawk[19] at about the same time as the convening of the Great Council. This meant that when the Treaty was ratified, they were protected under the same provisions as Greyhawk.
Though many borders were clarified or established by the Treaty of Greyhawk,such was not the case with the Vesve Forest. There were no clear borders defined for it. However, a border between the Empire of Iuz and Furyondy was created,and both nations "licked terrible wounds across a newly formed border and miles of physical and emotional devastation."
"The Yeomanry signed the truce only after the border between it and the Sea Princes was clearly defined."
The Nyrond-Aerdi border (called the Almorian Borderlands) was also established in the truce, and it was considered a very dangerous front in the Year of Peace following the Signing. One of the points stipulated in the Treaty was that Nyrond had to give up the lands surrounding Millenium, though the Nyrondese forces there were permitted to quit the lands safely.
Because the Pact delineated Nyrond's borders, King Archbold III felt unable to aid the folk of the Adri, because building a road even the short 40 miles to the Adri would be considered an act of war for violating the treaty.
The year following the signing of the Pact of Greyhawk is known as the Year of Peace (585 CY),[31] though this is something of a slight misnomer. There was "peace" in that there was no longer continent-wide wars, but there was still some strife, skirmishes, and though a much-reduced level of hostilities.
Raids and forays were frequently denied as being ordered by national rulers.Rulers often claimed such were "due to poor discipline, retaliations, preemptive strikes against warlike preparations and so forth. ...The ambassadors ... blame the other for skirmish battles and trot out their own excuses."
Furyondy, though, continued to work against Iuz, seeking to "deal a telling blow" against him, heedless of the Pact. In direct violation of the Treaty, King Belvor IV began the Great Northern Crusade to reclaim the lands taken by Iuz in the Great War. Also, "once the Pact of Greyhawk was discarded by Furyondy and Veluna in 586 CY, other nations also disregarded it and began claiming or reclaiming territory they desired."Afterward, the Pact is no longer in force.
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