Guild Pact Terminology

Proposal for Treaty/Pact Terminology
There are those who may have conflicting views of what some treaties, pacts, and agreements mean. In order to foster more equitable communication this is a proposed terminology for future guild agreements. Should guilds desire to make documentation of wars and any other public interests known.

CF - Ceasefire:
A ceasefire will often be declared towards the end of a large war when no terms for ending the war were agreed on in advance. The ceasefire simply means that the two sides will stop attacking each other for a definite period of time while a permanent peace treaty is being negotiated. Sometimes negotiations will fall apart and the sides involved will resume fighting.


Armistice:
A more permanent cessation of hostilities where the signatory bodies agree to withdraw from occupied regions, and refrain from provoking the other parties. Relations between parties generally remain less-than-amicable.


NAP - Non-Aggression Pact:
A NAP bars its signatories from attacking each other. These are often part of a peace treaty at the end of a war. Or used to prevent a war from occuring between the parties involved.


Peace treaty:
This is a general phrase that refers to the terms upon which a war is ended. The details will vary but might involve a time-limited NAP, and instructions for dealing with occupied regions and other things agreed upon by the parties involved.


MDP - Mutual Defense Pact:
Signatories to this Pact agree to come to the aid of the other signatories in the event of unwarranted attacks or aggression against other signatories. Typically, this may require the party being attacked to request assistance under the terms of the MDP, but it is not required for a formal or official request to be received in order for the other parties to act.


ODP - Optional Defense Pact:
Signatories to this Pact may come to the aid of the other signatories in the event of unwarranted attacks or aggression against other signatories but are not obligated to do so. Typically, this requires the party being attacked to request assistance under the terms of the ODP, but it is not required for a formal or official request to be received in order for the other parties to act. A signatory to this Pact may choose to stay uninvolved when they hold identical Pacts with the parties involved.


MAP - Mutual Aggression Pact:
Signatories to this Pact agree to join together to wage war against a specified foe, or against any opponents now or in the future. It does not mandate assistance in purely defensive operations.


Ally - Alliance:
(also known as MADP - Mutual Aggression/Defense Pact): Two or more signatory bodies agree to act as one in manners of offense, defense, intel, and commerce. Attacks against one are considered attacks against the other, and attacks made by one are usually accompanied by attacks made by the other.


Protectorate:
Large guilds will sometimes offer protection to a smaller guild. The smaller guild will then be known as a protectorate of the larger. Usually, the protector guild has significant influence over the politics of their protectorate. Protectors are not restricted to only defending their protectorate and may regulate wars involving their protectorate and see that an equitable peace treaty is arranged if need be.


Sub-guild:
This functions very much like a protectorate although sub-guilds generally have more sovereignty than a protectorate. Sub-guilds are seen to be in the same "family" as their parent guild and may often fight beside one another in very large wars. Also, members tend to flow freely between Sub-guilds and parent guilds. Also called sister or brother guilds when they grow into there own.


Training Guild:
A training guild is a type of protectorate. The difference is that a training guild is meant as a proving ground where players earn membership in the Protector guild. Training guilds do not "grow out of" their protectorate status whereas most protectorates are meant to. Training guilds do not maintain their own politics and diplomacy and instead are directed almost completely by their parent guild. The Leader/Mentor of a training guild will be a member of the parent guild.


GuardPact - Guardian Pact:
The party offering Guardian Pacts agrees to come to the aid of the smaller signatory party. In return, the protected party agrees not to launch aggressive actions against others regions outside of retaliation for attacks and bounties received on regions they control.This can be inferred as a one-sided MDP, where the smaller signatory party is not obligated to come to the aid of the larger.


Bloodpact or Faction Brotherhood Pact:
This treaty is exactly the same as an Ally except that it is seen as a much stronger bond. Any Aggression towards any 1 member in this pact is an automatic declaration of war against all members of this pact. Also All members of this pact swear to never break this pact or attack an Alliance member of any other Guild that belongs to the bloodpact. If any one guild breaks this Pact it is an automatic declaration of War against the other members of this pact.


Vassalage:
The vassal guild owes alliegance to a more powerful guild (aka overlord). Guild policies for the vassal are directed by the overlord guild. Relations between the two guilds should be interpreted as per an alliance, in that actions against one are actions against the other, but it does not always follow that the overlord guild will come to the rescue of the vassal-state.


Family:
Groups of guilds are often referred to as a family. A family may include guilds with bloodpacts, their protectorates, and training guilds. Families often fight together in very large wars. Families are not a treaty so much as a consequence of longstanding friendships. When protectorates graduate out of needing protection, they will often retain family ties to their former protector.


White Peace:
Common agreement used to end a war. Neither side surrenders and the terms will be the same for both sides. The details may vary from war to war.