Diplomacy

Diplomacy the most important aspect of this game by far.

I want this game to simulate the vast majority of actions a player could take as a feudal lord.
 * There are no enforced deals. Every deal made in this game is Vae Victus, the victor can take as much as they can get their hands and there are no guarantees that the peace will last.
 * Allies and Enemies are just labels. All players are allowed to take game actions against you without declaring war. Your allies can betray you in the heat of battle. Your enemies may fight alongside you for the greater good.
 * I oath. Your actions will have consequences, whenever you make a treaty and then break it you become an Oathbreaker, this will make you the player vulnerable to being ejected from the game.
 * Hostage situation. If your character is captured by another player, you have the option to gain your freedom.
 * Prisoners don’t hear intrigue
 * Soldiers lose moral while you’re imprisoned
 * Execution
 * If someone who is not an oathbreaker is executed it is the same as dying of natural causes (their rule goes to the successor of the domain) unless their domain is occupied. In which case they form a new dynasty and may be culturally and religiously converted.
 * If the executed or exiled player is an oathbreaker, they no longer have any characters. The AI takes over their lineage, they may play as a general to finish the war before dying
 * Exiled
 * To exile a player that play must not rule any of their previous territory
 * They can then either leave the game or they can take their character to another state and ask for assistance
 * Location matters. While not at home you don’t have the opportunity to see the intrigue of your kingdom, you may only do administrative tasks like decide upon buildings to be created
 * Oathbreaker
 * When an oathbreaker dies all of their oaths are null (when not executed)
 * Taking territory
 * When you conquer territory you may give the land to anyone(including yourself)
 * If a player is conquered they may agree to serve the conqueror
 * If a player is forcefully removed from the land(executed/exiled) they may rule any duchy that they once held territory in
 * Royal marriage
 * A way to add your culture to another characters territory
 * Will give away claims to your territory
 * If a duke gets into a royal marriage with a kingdom, the kingdom can claim to have authority over the duchy
 * If a king gives away a royal marriage to another kingdom, that kingdom may claim the throne whenever there is a succession crisis or if they are conquered by a foreign power
 * Alliances
 * An alliance is an oath to protect a third party
 * If two of your allies go to war you should be forced to choose a side and oath break
 * Cassus Belli
 * These are ways to start wars without breaking oaths.
 * These can be manufactured
 * Give kingdoms recourse against those trying to mess with them


 * A lack of treaties
 * Basically if there is no oath preventing you from declaring war on a state there is no reason you can’t declare war on them without breaking an oath
 * If you don’t recognise a territories sovereignty you may claim it at whim
 * The defending kingdom may send troops to fight you without declaring war
 * If war is declared you may attack the kingdom proper
 * If war isn’t declared any action on the kingdom proper is considered an oath break
 * The kingdom proper is territory you recognise they own
 * This allows international powers to attempt conquests on fledging states or dynasties
 * If you are preparing for independence it is wise for you to request recognition
 * This is designed to allow neighbours to squabble over the same patch of land for centuries
 * The tournament
 * A tournament is essentially a mini war with an agreed upon number of combattants
 * he rules of the tournament
 * Number of Combattants
 * The treaty that they will impose on victory
 * Have each player make a separate treaty that the other will agree to if they lose(ignore the treaty of the loser)
 * Have a single treaty that uses the wording of the loser and the winner

Oaths
Oaths are the primary way that diplomacy is enforced in this game. Whenever a solution is resolved diplomatically it is finished with an oath from both parties to uphold their parts of the agreement. An oath is not enforced by the game rules and there is only one consequence fro breaking an oath which is you become an oath breaker to certain affected parties.

Types of oaths

 * Agreement of two
 * This is when two parties make an agreement
 * On oathbreak
 * The person who broke the oath becomes an oath breaker to the other party
 * Religious Arbitrator
 * This is when a head of a religion sends an envoy to oversee the agreement
 * Both parties must share a religion with the head of the religion
 * On Oathbreak
 * The person who broke the oath becomes an oath breaker to the other party
 * The person who broke the oath becomes excommunicated
 * Peace treaty
 * This is when a peace treaty is broken with an act of aggression
 * On Oathbreak
 * The person who broke the oath becomes an oath breaker to the other party.
 * Potential for a war monger cassus belli
 * Covert Oath
 * This is when a character breaks an oath but it is not an obvious oathbreak (eg giving supplies to a rebel faction with a domestic nonintervention pact) The player immediately becomes an oathbreaker however the scorned player does not know. It doesn't appear on the UI, there is no oathbreak popup. It is impossible to tell until they are captured or their treachery is revealed.

Oathbreaker
So you've broken an oath. Now what? Your character doesn't seem any different, your kingdom doesn't seem any different. So what's the deal? Being an oathbreaker won't affect your nation in any tangible way. It will only affect you the player (and maybe some AI's will trust you less). So being an oathbreaker only matters when your character is captured by someone you betrayed. If you don't get captured vae victus. If you are captured, you will remain imprisoned for the remainder of your life or until a treaty is brokered. While you are imprisoned you may be given ultimatums. If a prisoner fails an ultimatum the betrayed may choose to execute you. A prisoner does not fail an ultimatum until they reject it outright. The prisoner will be given a chance to haggle as either a delaying tactic or as an attempt to regain their freedom. Eventually the betrayed will be given a chance to ask for a final offer. Ultimatums can not be used to ask for the things the prisoner can not control. For example a king can not give land they do not own such as that of a duke, can not give up their entire kingdom, can not be give gold without acquiring freedom (all gold given by a prisoner must be in the form of a ransom) and can not stop other people from trying to rescue him eg baron's trying to reinstate the king or an ally try to recover him. If an ultimatum is failed the betrayed may choose to execute the prisoner, if that happens the player controlling the prisoner is removed from the game.

Oaths vs Understandings
There should be a another class of agreement below oaths, that can be revoked at will. Understandings might be a better left for the players to workout, rather than an enforceable action.

Cassus Belli

 * Just Causes
 * If war is declared war on an ally of yours
 * Impeded sovereignty, this can be meet through
 * Unlawful movement of troops through your territory
 * Raids or sieges on your territory
 * Entering into combat against your troops
 * Blockading your land
 * Impositions on your citizens (even if they reside in opposing lands)
 * Treacherous Acts
 * Aiding and abetting your enemies
 * Supplying troops
 * Funding the war (this does not include trade)
 * Encouraging discord in your land
 * Being the same culture as a rebellious group and adjacent to the territory
 * Recognising/Supporting Pretender states
 * Giving supplies to pretender states
 * Crusade
 * Must be called by the pope
 * Diplomats should be able to take advantage of it
 * Eg in exchange for supplies the army needs to do x
 * Barons war
 * If a King decides to change the rules of  a duchy that duke gains a cassus belli
 * Any change that affects autonomy
 * The right for dukes to declare war
 * Default value is they are allowed
 * Increased Taxes
 * Building rights
 * Default value is the king owns the buildings
 * Enforce Religion
 * Default is each duke may have their own religion
 * Allows for the breaking of treaties without becoming an oath breaker such as
 * Alliances/Defensive pacts
 * Peace Treaties
 * Trade Agreements
 * Some treaties can override potential casus belli
 * No foreign intervention oath, this would prevent a declare war on an ally casus belli
 * No domestic intervention oath, this would prevent a declare war on an ally casus belli

Rebellions
 Get a set back in your war egypt revolts.  Populace urban centres are likely to revolt and rebel.  Cultural heritage allows people a better chance to the revolt especially against barbarians.  Religious zeal pushing for revolts. 

Fall of a tributary empire
Former allies who banded together to beat goliath are now at odds with one another. Ruins of the former empire lay scattered throughout their former empire.

Fall of an established empire
In fighting grows in stagnation. Without conquests to increase the amount of areas to rule, you get an increasing number of people striving for the same amount of land. This civil war makes branching out again even harder. This can cripple an empire which will stay standing until it is affected by an outside force