Billet of War

The Billet of War shall be constructed thusly:
The head of the staff is to be a symbol of the challenger.
The segment below is to read H'MHAG, or Mercy in the old tongue. This means that civilians and noncombatants will be spared, and left with enough property to continue life.
The second segment is to read M'MHEG, or Quarter in the old tongue. This means that prisoners are to be taken, and the wounded of both sides are to be cared for by the victor.
The third segment is to read M'NIVEB, or Battle in the old tongue. This means that violence is to remain on the battlefield, fleeing enemies won't be run down and slain.
The fourth segment is to read HERAHY, or Struggle in the old tongue. This means that the battle is to be contained to one singular clash on the field, and once one side withdraws it will admit defeat.
The fifth segment is to read HEMKUHHI, or Duel in the old tongue. This means that champions will decide the battle before any real bloodshed. The two best warriors in the respective forces will fight and the loser's force will simply capitulate.
The sixth segment is to read ALHIHE, or Commander in the old tongue. This means that commanders themselves, without champions or stand ins, will conduct the pre-battle duel themselves.
The seventh and final segment is usually the longest, listing the grievances and suggested recompense that triggered the declaration of war in the first place. While many times this results in a long list of trumped up charges, just as often the words "HIIHE YDALOP EHIHE" (My people can better use it than yours) appear after a coveted plot of land or object, either on the grievances or reparations side (or both.)

History

The Billet of War tradition goes back to the Age of Myth, and presumably has had many iterations and variations over the thousands of years in that time.
Since Year Zero, however, it has remained remarkably the same, and even the non-humans of Seaudyr have learned to respect the tradition because of the unique feature that not respecting the tradition is tacit consent for total and complete warfare.
This tradition has numerous colloquial references. When someone's given offense that requires a response (such as adultery or theft) the phrase "They gave me the short stick" is sometimes used. When someone is shrugging off an insult, "It's a long stick" is used to denote that reprisal will be light or nonexistent.

Execution

A chosen messenger (traditionally the best duelist expected to be on the field of any given battle) will deliver the billet of war to the recipient. The recipient reads the stick, breaks it off at the chosen point, and returns the head and whatever remains of the staff attached to it back to the messenger and keeps the rest as a reminder of what they've chosen to give up.
The commander of the challenging side will often display the returned portion in their war room/tent or as a mounting atop their guidon to remind the troops what the terms of battle are. This second is the most common when only the head has been returned, meaning total and unbridled war has been declared. In this case, the battle cry "Y'TCHETY!" (Just the head!) is sometimes used to remind soldiers that prisoners aren't going to be taken.

Observance

This tradition is observed at the beginning of a war (serving as a formal declaration) and sometimes at the outset of a battle in cases where the commanders themselves were not the challenger or the recipient of the initial billet staff.