The Treaty of Nortaq
The Treaty of Nortaq was signed in the aftermath of divine judgment, when the surviving leaders of all races gathered to formalize the peace that Taninsam and Tohu had imposed. It established the principles of coexistence that have governed inter-racial relations ever since.
- Original held in the Hall of Accords, Lorenzia; copies in every major city of Aedelore
The Treaty of Nortaq
Preamble:
We, the leaders of the peoples of Aedelore-Elves and Dwarves, Humans who emerged from the silence, and all who call this world home-having witnessed the judgment of the divine and the terrible cost of our own folly, do hereby establish this treaty.
We acknowledge that the war we waged was wrong. Not merely tactically or strategically wrong, but morally wrong-a betrayal of the purpose for which we were placed in this world, a squandering of the gift that the Dragon Gods bestowed upon us.
We acknowledge that no victory could have justified the losses we inflicted upon each other, and that no grievance, however legitimate, excused the atrocities we committed in its name.
We acknowledge that the punishment we received-the withdrawal of magic, the Age of Silence that followed-was just, and that we deserved far worse.
With these acknowledgments as our foundation, we establish the following principles:
Article One: The Sanctity of Peace
No people of Aedelore shall wage war upon another except in response to direct aggression. Disputes shall be resolved through negotiation, mediation, or appeal to neutral arbiters. The first to break the peace shall be held accountable not only by the wronged party but by all signatories to this treaty.
Article Two: The Right of Refuge
Any being fleeing persecution may seek refuge among any signatory people, and such refuge shall not be denied without just cause. We who were all once refugees-the Elves from Elarion, the Dwarves from the depths, the Humans from transformation itself-shall never forget the desperation of displacement.
Article Three: The Duty of Mutual Defense
When the Void threatens any people of Aedelore, all shall respond as though threatened themselves. No race shall stand alone against the darkness. The divisions that led to war shall not prevent unity against the common enemy.
Article Four: The Preservation of Memory
The history of the First War shall be preserved in full, including the atrocities committed by all sides. Future generations shall be taught the truth of what occurred, so that they may understand why peace is sacred and why war is to be avoided at almost any cost.
Article Five: The Path to Redemption
No crime committed during the war shall be held against individuals who genuinely repent and work toward reconciliation. The gods have judged us collectively; we shall not compound that judgment with endless individual vengeance. Forgiveness is not forgetting-it is choosing to build a future rather than relitigate the past.
Closing:
We sign this treaty not because we trust each other-trust must be rebuilt over generations-but because we have learned, at terrible cost, that the alternative is worse. May our descendants look upon this document and understand: we chose peace not because it was easy, but because war proved too costly to continue.
May the Dragon Gods witness our commitment, and may they hold us to it.