The Treaty of Phellia

Following a long period of nearly constant warring between the newly united kingdom of Sarnios and its neighbors, even the warlike Sarnians would come to yearn for peace, wishing to properly establish and organize their new state, which they did not have the time or resources to do ever since its establishment.
Seeking to end the hostilities at a point where their military efforts were bearing fruit, Heleus I, the first Regnaros of the kingdom of Sarnios, had the Treaty of Phellia drafted and offered to his opponents with terms surprisingly agreeable by all parties. Some took this as a show of weakness and continued to fight even despite the favorable terms, but with most of their allies signing the treaty and entering peace, they were quickly made to submit by sarnian forces and offered none of the concessions their more cool-headed former allies enjoyed.
The treaty would be essential in stabilizing the new kingdom and reestablishing the sarnian domain as a center of trade and culture as well as warfare and starting the Sarnian Gold Age, a long period of relative peace that would last almost a century and a half.

Document Structure

Clauses

The treaty, dealing with no less than six political entities, was complex and contained many sub-treaties that addressed term for specific participants, however, the most important outcomes were as follows:

• Sarnios would hold on to the former Ostrian regions of Licantra and Berum and would return the Sword of Pilantros and the western half of the Kellum region to the Ostrians;
• Sarnios and the Ketan tribes would return all their territories to their original owner, reestablishing the pre-war borders;
• The kingdom of Fonnair and principality of Jeles would have to pay tribute worth 5% of their yearly income to the kingdom of Sarnios for twenty years and raise all trade restrictions towards sarnian traders;
• The Lotheran republic would cede the region of Thelucca to the kingdom of Sarnios and would in turn be given the region of Thelpis.

Caveats

The treaty established the Southern Continent Peace Pact - a sarnian lead effort, ratified in the treaty, binding all constituents to declare war on anyone who would violate any clauses in the treaty and to actively launch a punitive military campaign alongside the other participants against the offender. This pact would be solidified by the military might of the kingdom of Sarnios' new regional power status who had the means of enforcing it, while also giving the defeated states the right to band together against future sarnian aggression.

Historical Details

Public Reaction

The document was generally accepted throughout the defeated countries, with protesting voices being quickly shushed as to not agitate the new regional power and risk a less favorable outcome. The territories annexed by the kingdom of Sarnios were less receptive to the outcome of the wars and some unrest did spring up, however it was quickly put down by sarnian authorities and eventually died out as the Sarnian Golden Age lead to unprecedented prosperity in these regions.
The response from the sarnian homelands was much more critical, however. While war weariness was high to the point of making the regnaros draft the treaty, the popular response to its clauses and to peace itself was negative. Many leading politicians sought to fan these flames further, hoping to weaken and possibly even overthrow the new autocratic regime for their own gain, claiming that Sarnios gave up the war when it was on the offensive and could have demanded or taken more. Separatist movements started to appear throughout some of the former city states and the country faced the threat of civil war.
Heleus, however, approached the unrest with his usual collected authority and strength of character and appeared before the crowds of his capital of Thallas. He would then address them in one of history's greatest speeches, called by a later philosopher named Eutresius "...the speech given by the first and last monarch deserving of his title in all of history," appealing to his people's sense of duty and honor and the concept of war winning peace and prosperity, leading to unparalleled greatness and wealth.
His speech sent ripples of pride and emotion throughout the kingdom, calming most of the protests and rebellious attitudes. Those that remained defiant were asked personally to stand down and discuss their demands or be put down violently. Some defied and were decisively defeated and punished, discouraging the rest from further antagonism towards the regime. Heleus would thus reinforce the newfound piece and weaken his opposition through not only military means, but political and diplomatic means as well, showing strength of character as well as benevolence and willingness to lead a dialogue, an approach that would solidify the monarchy despite none of his successors possessing such a sense of natural authority and open mindedness.

Legacy

The treaty would usher in a long period of stability in the region and establish Sarnios as a true power, giving it time to reinvent itself as a powerful monarchy and paving the way to its eventual world superpower status in later eras.

Type

Treaty, Diplomatic

Medium

Vellum / Skin