I just had this idea for plots, that say, if you wanted to accuse a duke of treason and wanted to get people involved you could promise a baron in his lands a county, or something else, this could also work in many others situations..what does everyone think?
I've been suggesting the possibility of a binding promise for a while but mostly in connection with enticing courtiers, especially claimants, to come to your court. Like, "look, man, I have 1 extra barony in my demesne and no decent steward, how about we fix both of the issues at the same time?" But my typical use for it would be less cynical: I tend to restore previous rulers after using the Holy War CB to take back a conquest freshly made by a muslim or pagan ruler.
I think there should be some bargaining in general, like two dukes who have each a county in the other's demesne, should probably sooner or later decide to swap rather than sporting the same opinion penalty forever and wage senseless wars. I'm not saying the first or second generation but they eventually might. Or a wise king could suggest an adjustment. The same would more likely happen on the country level (because kings things less shy about swapping land and tend to have better advisors country-scale?). For example St. Louis IX released his claim to sovereignty over Barcelona (an old French march from days of Charlemagne) in exchange for a similar release by the King of Aragon with regard to some lordships in the south of France. There was also at some point a creative solution to the English/Norman-French problem about ducal and royal rights: the king of England wouldn't have to kneel but his son very well might, so a son was invested with the French holdings by the French king, to him who did kneel.
I would also like the ability to transfer land to people in whose de iure areas it lies. For example if some Almohads succesfully zerg-rush Portugal and I intervene to save it from extinction, I would like to give e.g. Portucale to their King, I have no use for a duchy there burdened with foreign claims and being entirely in their de iure, while they have alliances with others and this could lead to a useless war within the Christendom.
In short, the game needs an ADR engine (alternative dispute resolution). This should be something like the %% system when ending a war in EU3 but with mutual weighted concessions and the possibility for a unilateral grant/restoration (which could raise your Piety or grant you a trait to avoid it looking useless).
