Outskirts Treaty

The Outskirts Treaty was an agreement made between the Kingdom of Harte and five countries occupying the Southern Wetlands. In it, the Hartian Empire promised to seize its attempts to conquer those countries, in exchange for favorable trade agreements and an equal promise of peace.

Historical Details

Background

The Harte Empire had been at war with the Wetlands nations since 1010 PD. In three years' time, significant gains had not been made in either direction, and the violence was at a stalemate. Determined to secure the Wetlands' resources, Harte was unwilling to retreat. Even so, it could not ignore the drain the war was on its economy.

West, Central, and East noticed the weakening Empire, but their militaries were also weakened by the war, and thus were not strong enough to win an offensive assault. Therefore, the countries offered the Empire a compromise: they would remove tariffs on resources the Empire wanted, so long as the Empire vowed to remove its military presence from their land and never come back.

The document detailing this agreement was dubbed the Outskirts Treaty. It was signed in 1013 PD. In the decade since, Harte has honored its agreement and kept its soldiers out of the Wetlands. The one exception is within the Avrodian Peninsula. Harte maintains a small presence in the peninsula in relation to its further agreements with Estodia and Vrasia.

Public Reaction

For the most part, the Wetlands nations rejoiced at the signing of the Treaty. With the burden of war lifted and trade open with the Empire, their economies boomed.

Not everyone was pleased with the arrangement, however. Many believe that the Treaty unfairly benefits the Empire and does not provide enough amneties for the countries that were formerly oppressed by it. Why should the Empire be rewarded for retreating when it was wrong to try and conquer the Wetlands in the first place? In addition, the Empire's loyalty to the agreement is strongly based on good faith. At any point it could change its mind and easily catch the Wetlands by surprise.

Despite these doubts, the Empire has made no indication that it plans to go back on the agreement. Peace has prospered in the Wetlands.

Avrodia

While West, Central, and East limited their interactions with the Empire since the Treaty, Estodia and Vrasia have become quite close with it. The two nations' dislike for each other motivated them to petition the Empire for military support in the event of a war. Avrodian Griffins are the most valuable export both nations use to buy this support. Both Estodia and Vrasia are convinced that the Empire is loyal to them and double-crossing the other.

Some suspect that the survival of the Outskirts Treaty has less to do with the Empire's respect for it and more to do with its relationship with Avrodia. The support it gains from the peninsula nearly outweighs what it could have gained by conquering the rest of the south. In addition, if the peninsula does go to war, the Empire could take advantage of the unrest and establish control, giving it an extremely favorable position to conquer the rest of the Wetlands.

Type

Treaty, Diplomatic

Ratification Date

1013 PD

Location

Southern Wetlands

Signatories (Organizations)

• Estodia
• Kingdom of Harte
• Vrasia