Diplomat

Overview

A diplomat is an agent character who may be trained at settlements which have built or already have the prerequisite structures. Diplomats do not have any offensive capability and as such may not take part in battles. The main purpose of a diplomat is to allow the faction from which they belong to establish alliances, trade rights and more with rival factions. The main actions a diplomat may perform are listed below:

• Alliance - Forms alliance between two factions, if agreed to. Forming an alliance may require additional incentive. Alliances can be broken by future aggression towards an allied faction.
• Ceasefire - Ends war with the target faction, if agreed to.
• Establish Trade Rights - Allows trade with other faction. Increases income. Is a MUST for beginning of the campaign.
• Bribe - For an agreed amount of money, a General or Captain or Diplomat from another faction to join your faction. If it is an army it might cause them to disband.
• Single Payment - Gives a one time payment to another faction. Useful for helping another diplomatic action (eg. Map Information) to be agreed to.
• Regular Tribute - Gives a set amount of money times a certain number of years. Often used when granting a request from a faction to cease hostilities.
• Military Access - You can ask for or grant access to another faction, usually an ally. One of the tougher negotiations to complete.
• Give Region - You can give a region to another faction, but you can also demand a region that you desire. Region meaning settlement. This is where negotiations can be lengthy.
• Attack Faction - You can offer to attack a faction for someone or in turn demand that they attack a faction for you. Often it comes with a price.
• Become Protectorate - If you have been beating up an opponent and they sue for peace, demanding that they become a Protectorate will work. They become an ally and you both have military access and trade rights.

Tactics

Diplomats can attach themselves to an army or settlement. While with an army, they are not considered an extra unit, so several diplomats could board a fleet with one army. If two diplomats of differing experience are in the same settlement, the more experienced unit can gift ancillary characters to the less experienced one. They can also be used as a lesser spy. If you place a diplomat next to a settlement, often times most of what is contained there becomes visible.