How would one realistically pull off things like appeasement

>>52672492
>what would realistically cause you to parlay with the dark wizards next door?
Do your setting have ressurection? If yes, that might just be the guy who knows how to kill a person and destroy/lock the soul so nothing comes back.

>How would you feasibly gain passage through their lands without sneaking?
Promise some 10.000 slaves from your campaign. Vampires and necromancers will enjoy that, as will everyone else.

>How would a Dark Lord manage to appear genial in politics when he runs a country filled with stuff like undead minions?
Not attacking neighbors goes a long way. It could try renting its minions as a perpetual engine machine for mills, cranes etc. If the visuals are a problem, simply use heavy clothes or even keep them inside a box with a clockwork outlet.

In the end, people may not like the country, the dark lord, undead, but they will make good business and the taboos might go away in a generation or three.

>>52672492
>>52672767
>If you're a standard middle-Europe-expy kingdom, what would realistically cause you to parlay with the dark wizards next door?
I forgot to add that cursed contracts might make dark magics important. If one breaks the clausules, he/she suffers pain, hunger etc. So your lawyers become versed in the dark arts as to customize each curse to its contract.

>>52672492
>realpolitik
Use real words, please.

>>52672838
>Use real words, please.
Go back to middle school.

Realpolitik (from German: real "realistic", "practical", or "actual"; and Politik "politics", German pronunciation: [ʁeˈaːlpoliˌtJk]) is politics or diplomacy based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral and ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism. It is often simply referred to as pragmatism in politics, e.g. "pursuing pragmatic policies". The term Realpolitik is sometimes used pejoratively to imply politics that are coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian.

>>52672492
What exactly about a medieval fantasy setting precludes this, OP?

Sure the Dark Lord's nation may be a bunch of baby eating monsters, but they're mostly staying in their own borders (Except for the incursion into tiny Kingdom of X, but I don't really care about them anyway)

Going to war with them to purge them from the world might be the moral thing, but it'll ruin my economy. Let's just sign a non-aggression pact and let them do their thing.

>>52672492
>If you're a standard middle-Europe-expy kingdom, what would realistically cause you to parlay with the dark wizards next door?

Because they'll give you access to their dark magic if you ally with them, and grant your kingdom a cut of the spoils once they conquer everyone else.

Jesus Christ, this is basic realpolitik.

>>52672916
It doesn't help that, this being the Europe-expy nation on the border of Mordor, there'll be a lot of Catholic-style templar groups looking for a crusade. And, of course, as genial as he might be, the Dark Lord would also like nothing more than to dominate the neighboring kingdom.

Would the trick be to make both sides seem THAT formidable, that in the face of intense ideologies people just really don't want a war of such magnitude?

And cold-war nations still have border skirmishes, right? So the adventurers could still kill some minions without things turning hot.

>>52672869
>It is often simply referred to as pragmatism in politics
Which you're not using because...

>>52672916
>Going to war with them to purge them from the world might be the moral thing, but it'll ruin my economy.

And that's assuming you'll win. You could easily lose, then you'll have a crippled economy, and be subjugated by merciless conquerors (who can easily paint themselves as the aggrieved party, since you attacked first).

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203KB, 880x651px

>>52672492
>If you're a standard middle-Europe-expy kingdom, what would realistically cause you to parlay with the dark wizards next door?
You're not "a kingdom". The closest thing to "the kingdom" is the monarch. All others, regardless of political system, represent themselves or their direct interest groups. So you have to ask yourself what a certain noble family, or what the representative of the merchant's guild, or what the son of a local pretender, would stand to gain. In the case of pralay with the dark wizards, you know who might stand to benefit from it? The lord who owns a shitton of arable land between the capital and the dark wizards' tower, land he doesn't want trampled, looted and/or cursed by the two clashing armies. Or maybe the general who managed to land himself a seat in the Royal Council who decides that it'd be better to have peace with these wizards for now to take advantage of weakness within the elven kingdom.

>How would a Dark Lord manage to appear genial in politics when he runs a country filled with stuff like undead minions?
Make him someone like Caesar.
>There are Dark Wizards over there and the entire country is divided about whether or not they should send the army there? Don't worry, I'll send some of my "volunteers" there. All farmers in the region will be compensated for any damages of course.
>I have .... "subdued" the dark wizards. All I ask in return is that I be given these recently conquered lands as my fief aren't I generous?
>Undead activity? In my fief? Impossible! There is no evidence of that, just ask your recently deceased informants! Oh, and allow me to offer you this chest of gold
>By the way, please vote for my brother-in-law to become the next High Priest so we can have access to the sacred artifact that can destroy all undead
>What? An undead army is invading the capital? And the High Priest refuses to use the only artifact that could save us? What a great trage-you'll call me emperor from now on.

>>52673014
Because it's a defined concept that is used in discussing history and is introduced to middle school students.

>>52673015
>paint themselves as the aggrieved party
What a perfectly bit of douchebaggery

>>52673037
>Land damage
Honestly didn't think of that. I forgot how valuable simple land is.
>Deniability
>Spies
Also great