V. Diplomacy

- Document System -

The Sengoku Application includes a formal Document System used to create, record, and recognize political agreements between factions.

The Document System exists to:

formalize political relationships,
establish obligations and concessions,
create legal and political evidence,
publicly legitimize agreements,
and provide mechanical recognition for certain actions.

Documents are not magically binding. Their power comes from:

the reputation of the signatories,
the authority of witnesses,
the political consequences of violation,
and the willingness of others to recognize or enforce the agreement.

Once ratified, eligible mechanical effects are automatically recognized by the application and Control.

Social and political consequences beyond these immediate effects are enforced primarily through roleplay, reputation, Honor, and wider political reaction.

Creating Agreements

Documents may be public, private, or secret depending on how openly the parties wish the agreement to be known. They may involve only two factions or several at once.

Players may use documents to create treaties, alliances, declarations, trade agreements, marriage contracts, hostage arrangements, vassal agreements, or other custom political arrangements recognized by the game world.

Secret agreements are possible by limiting visibility and relying on trusted witnesses. Some players may even create unwitnessed private agreements known only to the signatories, though such agreements carry much less public legitimacy and are harder to enforce politically.

Each document records the participating parties, treaty clauses, relevant dates, witnesses, signatures or seals, and visibility settings. Agreements are timestamped in both real-world time and in-game seasonal time.

New agreements may supersede, amend, or rescind older treaties depending on their wording, recognition, and the parties involved. Verbal agreements remain socially valid, but they carry no automatic mechanical recognition within the application.

Witnesses and Recognition

Witnesses help establish the legitimacy, accountability, and political recognition of an agreement. A witnessed document generally carries more weight than an unwitnessed one because other factions can be called upon to confirm what was promised and judge whether the terms were honored.

the Bakufu,
religious sects,
allied clans,
neutral intermediaries,
or respected political authorities.

The authority and reputation of the witness matters. A treaty witnessed by the Bakufu may be treated as legally or politically valid within the existing order of Japan, while an agreement sanctified by a sect may carry religious and social weight.

Some agreements may remain entirely secret, witnessed only by the participants themselves. Such arrangements provide secrecy, but they sacrifice public legitimacy and are harder to enforce politically if the agreement is later disputed or broken.

Territory and Legal Authority

Control of territory in Sengoku exists on several levels at once. A clan may hold land by force, administer it in practice, or possess formal legal recognition over it. These forms of control often overlap, but they are not always the same.

Military occupation means a clan physically controls a Location through armies, garrisons, or immediate force. This may allow the clan to tax, defend, or administer the Location in the short term, but occupation alone does not necessarily make the claim legitimate.

Administrative control refers to a clan’s practical ability to govern a Province. A clan is generally considered to administratively control a Province when it controls the provincial administrative center and the majority of Locations within that Province, either directly or through vassals.

Legal ownership represents recognized political title and legitimacy rather than immediate physical possession. A clan may legally own territory it does not fully control, occupy territory it does not legally possess, or dispute ownership through diplomacy, warfare, the Bakufu, or the Imperial Court.

The Document System is used to formally transfer recognized territorial claims. Military conquest may seize a Location, but documents, titles, and recognition help determine whether that conquest becomes accepted authority.

Treaty Clauses

Declaration of War

Formally declares a state of war against specified parties.

Declarations of war may strengthen political legitimacy and publicly justify military action. Any number of factions can declare war in a single treaty and the target will become aware of the declearation.

You must have another party witness the delearation to truly formalize it.

Peace Agreement

Formally ends a state of war.

Peace agreements may include:

reparations,
hostage exchanges,
marriages,
territory transfers,
tribute,
or political concessions.

Alliance

Declares the signatories to be allied powers.

Alliance obligations are determined by the agreement itself and may include:

military cooperation,
mutual defense,
trade obligations,
political coordination,
or non-aggression.

Breaking an alliance without justification is generally viewed as dishonorable.

Territory Access Agreement

Permits military movement through controlled territory.

Access may be:

temporary,
conditional,
limited to certain regions,
or restricted to certain purposes.

Once you have permission to move through an area, being attacked by those who granted you access would be considered dishonerable.

Cede Territory

Transfers recognized ownership of a Location or territory between parties.

This is the only way to formally transfer administrative authority over a location to another clan and repersents recognition and formalization of the transfer.

Handing over territory in this way doesn't add instability to the region.

Transfer Agreement

Allows the transfer of resources, wealth, or other assets between parties.

These agreements are commonly used for:

tribute,
reparations,
trade arrangements,
gifts,
or political payments.

Hostage Agreement

Formalizes the exchange or surrender of hostages between clans.
Hostages serve as political guarantees of good faith, loyalty, or treaty compliance. Both player characters and eligible non-player dependents may be exchanged as hostages depending on the terms of the agreement.
Mistreatment or execution of hostages is considered an extremely serious political act.

Vassal Agreement

Formalizes a subordinate relationship between a lord and vassal clan.

Terms may include:

tribute,
military service,
loyalty,
succession obligations,
or territorial responsibilities.

Vassalage relationships are often unstable and may shift through war or politics.