Peace of Nicias (CYOAH!3)


 * This chapter is a checkpoint page, meaning you will have an opportunity to switch the nation you play as if you choose. If you navigated up to this point from a previous checkpoint, it means you have roughly followed the OTL path.

Both Cleon of Athens and Brasidas of Sparta, two of the most outspoken proponents for war in each of their respective states, are dead, and the Peloponnesian War has drawn on now for several years. By 421 BC both states had been forced to the negotiation table in an attempt to end the conflict. For Sparta, the costly defeats at Pylos and Spacteria had resulted in the humiliating capture of a large portion of Sparta's noble class and many more soldiers. The Athenians had been weakened by the loss of Amphipolis in 424 BC, as well as the major defeat at Delium.

The following terms are agreed upon between both sides:
 * All territory captured or conquered by either side will be returned to its prewar owner, with the exception of:
 * Nisaea, which shall remain under the control of Athens
 * Plataea, which shall remain under the control of Thebes
 * This includes the following territory specifically:
 * Amphipolis shall be immediately returned to Athens
 * Athens shall release all the prisoners captured in the aftermath of the battles at Pylos and Sphacteria to Sparta.
 * Temples throughout Greece shall be opened to people from all cities, with the oracle at Delphi having its autonomy returned to it.
 * Athens shall continue to collect tribute from the states under its influence, however, it may not force any state into an alliance if said state refuses.
 * Athens shall agree to aid Sparta should the Helots revolt against Spartan rule.

Some of Sparta's allies refuse to sign the peace, most notably Thebes, Corinth, Elis, and Megara. The rest of the states in attendance, however, do sign, and swear an oath to uphold this treaty for fifty years.

Although the peace manages to last for the next few years, tensions remain high. In particular many of Sparta's allies are upset with the terms of the treaty, and some even consider revolting against Sparta should they not continue to contest Athens. This faction is supported by Argos, another powerful state within the Peloponnese that seeks to rival Sparta for control over the region.

Athens meanwhile is in a position to aid Argos in overthrowing Sparta, while also balancing their vast empire across the Aegean Sea. Conflict is likewise brewing across the sea in the Italian peninsula, where the allies of Athens appear to be threatened by the Sparta-aligned Syracuse, which could lead to a full scale war in Sicily.


 * Continue as Sparta.
 * Continue as Athens.