Peace Negotiations

[ClarkKent07]

Hey all,

So I am currently returning to a campaign in a homebrew world and one of the side quests will lead them to have to negotiate peace between two feuding tribes.

Summary: A dragon has been receiving offerings/sacrifices etc. as a “representative” of these tribes deity (undecided if they share one or have separate gods) and has enjoyed the free wealth and food this has allowed.
However, recently the two tribes have started warring with one another and in doing so neglected their offerings. The dragon wants the PCs to negotiate peace between the tribes in exchange for a relic they need from him. They can of course choose to battle the dragon but he is several CRs above them and I think they will understand that.

The tribes do not have to be friends, just exist in peace....

I am just looking for some ideas/feedback on how ways to:
1) Provide multiple points where PC actions can influence the end result. Checkpoints if you will.
2) Ideas for what each tribe will want/demand and how the PCs can RP this out.
3) Feedback on the general idea.
Thanks

[EWHM]

Why are they fighting?
Is it a fight based on scarce resources? Is it about trade routes, lebensraum, or water rights?
Is it about personal matters, like the kidnapping of a woman, which might have been loosely consensual, or not?
Is it the result of some young drunken hotheads---who perhaps got liquored up and then raided the other tribe?

Once you answer those questions you can consider whether a reasonable path to peace exists.

For some reason I get the feeling of these being tribes in your world's version of a jungle like the Amazon. No particular reason, just a feeling.

Now, in terms of common cultural resolutions to this sort of thing, here are some possibilities from history. These are just the nonviolent ones.
Peace is made through the exchange of hostages. Usually children of high ranking tribesmen of both sides.
Peace is made through multiple marriages.
A treaty is agreed to dividing the water/lebensraum/resources/trade concessions in a manner that is viewed as being equitable (translation, both sides do better in the net than they would do if they chose to go to war to the knife over it).
The hotheads agree to be punished in some ritual manner agreeable to the other tribe. The other tribe accepts their contrition and requests mercy for the hotheads at some point during their punishment (say at the Nth lash). Think a more brutal version of your older relatives arguing over who gets to pay a bill, not who HAS to.

[ClarkKent07]

I haven't quite figured out why they are fighting yet...alot will depend on if I decide to have them share a common diety or not. If they share then they could just have conflicting view points...if they don't thier gods could be in opposition of one another.

They exist along a coastal region bordered by a crystaline forest.

They clearly haven't always fought..so I do need a trigger event, but one that the PCs can resolve. Also the dragon will demand that none of them are killed in the job...just to add some difficulty for the PCS.

I appreciate the questions and feedback EWHM, helps me think of angles I might not otherwise.