The year is 360 MA. As with every turn of the decade, the Duiran Council
evaluates its place in the world - its progress, its failures, its past
and its future. Thirty years ago, it steered the helm of global
politics. It took the victory of war and turned it into a fair,
sustainable divide of power for all four cities. The continent was
divided into quarters as best as it was able to be divided.

It was the most self-sustaining option available; when one city holds
all of the land, the likelihood of war increases exponentially. Having a
distribution of the continent's wealth provided all four cities with
some manner of territory and commodity generation. It was also a gesture
of good faith and a demonstration of what we stood for, as a council. As
we demonstrate during every Eireachdus potlatch, we reject greed in
favor of more humble lifestyle, as it is our way.

Three world leaders met - the Ard-Dhasani of Spinesreach, Villi
Selannor; the Vanguard of Enorian, Daskalos Qefin; and the Keeper of the
Wilds, myself - to discuss what amounted to the most fair arrangement
possible. Each city had their preferences, and much work was done to
accomodate. The end result was that Duiran made treaty with Enorian, as
well as one with Spinesreach to put in writing that each city agreed to
this division of land. As it was not possible to have three cities sign
one treaty, Duiran and Spinesreach signed into treaty, with the verbal
consent of Vanguard Daskalos that Enorian would honor it. Duiran and
Spinesreach entered into a strategic alliance, to permit the sharing of
supply lines. It is important to note that Duiran and Enorian had
already been in a strategic alliance, preceding this treaty, and that
Enorian shares no such alliance with Spinesreach.

The date this treaty went active was approximately the 6th of Niuran,
333 MA. This treaty was broken on approximately the 21st of Ios, 352 MA,
by Ard-Dhasani Tina Cardinalis, for the following supplied reasoning
(verbatim): "And the land treaty was voided because the terms were
fulfilled long ago, and there was nothing current about it. A new treaty
can be drawn up in the future if the lands need to change."

The dissolution of the treaty signified that one of the treatyholders no
longer finds its terms acceptable. Taken from the treaty language: "This
treaty acknowledges a formalized agreement of the division of various
strategic territories between the city of Spinesreach and the council of
Duiran, including the trade of certain valued territories between
existing powers. The terms of the treaty are as follows:" [ followed by
a listing of divided territory ]

It is worth noting that, at this point, Spinesreach still kept the
alliance with Duiran. It still shared its supply lines with Duiran, and
vice versa. To put it simply, they rejected the document legitimizing it
but kept what they benefited from it. To say that there was nothing
current about the treaty is blatantly incorrect, for starters. Was the
land still divided? Yes. There is, then, something current about it. The
layout of the agreed-upon division required such an alliance, in order
for mutual access. Key points for both Duiran and Spirean land could not
exist without the other's supply lines.

The City of Bloodloch declared war on the Duiran Council on
approximately the 13th of Severin, 359 MA, without bothering to either
break the existing written peace treaty (which existed, hilariously
enough, throughout most of the war), or provide the Duiran Council with
a reason for their declaration.

Simultaneously, the Duiran-Spirean alliance was broken for the following
supplied reason, by Ard-Dhasani Tina (verbatim): "Spinesreach breaking
the treaty with you is not in favor of going to war with you. It is for
the same reason you said you'd do it if Enorian declared on us, hence I
have offered you a peace treaty in its place."

Unfortunately, Tina, when you break necessary supply lines with one city
in order to grant an advantage to the other, it is not the neutral act
you think it is. To offer a nonexistent peace treaty (no written
documentation, no terms, nothing at all) is laughable. To do so on the
heels of breaking a necessary land alliance when it is needed most is
downright mockable.

Spirean treaty would not be worth the weight of the paper it was written
upon. Less, even, for a blank sheet of paper would be worth far more. It
is already presumed that Bloodlochian treaty would be worth no greater,
given their unwarranted hostility and aforementioned mismanagement of
existing peace treaty.


Penned by my hand on the 24th of Midsummer, in the year 360 MA.