The Intellectual and Spiritual Foundations of Western Civilization

It is impossible to recount the origins and history of Haldeven Civilization -- a civilization which, in the greatness of its achievements, outshines all others in the history of this orb, and promises even greater achievements yet to come -- without first considering the inestimable contributions of three great men: Cyrus Gatchett, the Father of Modern Science, Alexander Farther, the Reformer of our Faith, and Mercutio Haldevi, the Intrepid Explorer.

Foremost among these three is Cyrus Gatchett, for without his accomplishments those of the other two might have been well nigh impossible. For it was Gatchett who proved that the Earth is in fact not flat, but rather a spherical polyhedron consisting of twenty isoceles triangles forming its faces. It was he who proved that the Heavens consist not of endless space containing occasional great balls of flaming gas, but instead are a series of incredibly articulated, concentric spheres, turning and returning at differential rates. It was Cyrus Gatchett whose towering intellect created the greatest invention in the history of Man, the Incandescent Converter, which provides limitless supplies of power to drive our industry, and create the modern comforts we take for granted. And lastly, using the principles of logic and science, he repudiated and disproved once and for all the existence of magic, freeing Mankind from the ancient superstitions that once left us cowering in fear of the unknown. This last accomplishment was the greatest of all, especially when one considers that Gatchett himself was the end of a long line of Mages regarded as among the most powerful and influential in the world of his day. What intellectual fearlessness, to disprove the very systems from which his entire heritage and livelihood depended!

Alexander Farther built upon the intellectual achievements of Gatchett, applying them to the realm of faith. Farther invented systematic theology, and showed how all the ancient miraculous stories were, in fact, intended as parables to assist us in the moral progress of the Human Soul. It was he who did away with the ancient pagan superstitions that led men to bow down in idolatry to the images of the so-called Holy Ones and believe in magic. It was he who created the system of moral reasoning, which has enabled us to conceive of a government and church polity based on freedom rather than mindless slavery to religious autocrats.

Last, but by no means least, came Mercutio Haldevi, a man of action more than words, who applied the science of Gatchett and the moral conviction of Farther by sailing ships into the West and discovering these shining lands, which have been named after him. It was a mark of his courage that he did so over and against the superstition and and skepticism of his compatriots. It was a mark of his greatness and patriotism that even without the support and patronage of his monarch, the king of Masovia, he selflessly dedicated the lands he discovered to the benefit of his countrymen. And, having discovered the land intended by the Beneficent One True God for the unfolding of a Civilization based upon the twin englightenments of Science and True Faith, he displayed peerless diplomatic and military skill in establishing and securing the first settlements of our peoples on the eastern shores of these lands.

The Early Colonial Period

Haldevi landed on Isla de Algodón in year 3342 of the current age. There he discovered the atavistic and ignorant Fairy Peoples, a confederation of nations more completely steeped in superstition and idleness than any ever encountered before. His countrymen from the Kingdom of Masovia settled and began to trade on the islands and continental shores of the south. Not long after, explorers from the Kingdom of Waltia set sail and discovered other islands in the north, also occuped by Fairies. In the continental lands they discovered further to the west, they encountered the hideous and barbarous Goblin People, who slavishly served the autocratic Grand Goblin.

Although at first the Goblin people in the north and the Fairies in the south and on the islands pretended to welcome the early settlers of Masovia and Waltia with hospitality, it was not long before they grew jealous of the prosperity we had amassed through our own perspicacity and hard work, and fought a series of deadly wars against us. Despite being greatly outnumbered, the early settlers triumphed over the natives through courage, superior military strategy, and technology.

Approximately a century and a half after the establishment of the earliest settlements, a strange disease began to spread among the indigenous peoples of these lands. The accounts of the plague are pitiful and heart-rending, for these peoples literally wasted away, victims of a kind of living death. The plague wrought such havoc on their societies that within a matter of a few decades, their once expansive kingdoms had vanished, and the lands they formerly occupied fell empty and abandoned. This disease seemed to have no effect on the Waltian or Masovian settlers, which we took as a divine sign that the One True God intended for us to become the inheritors of this land. Those who survived the plagues were in such a pitiful state that out of the kindness of our hearts we took them in and allowed them to be our servants.

At this point, some comment upon our peculiar institution appears to be in order. Numerous visitors to our lands from the old countries have commented with harshness upon the fact that many of the natives of this land now live as our slaves and not as free people. The consternation of strangers is understandable, given their unfamiliarity with the history leading to this state of affairs, and given their ignorance of the beneficent manner in which we practice slavery. The entire question was submitted to the High Priestly Council in 3594, and they settled once and for all that the institution was not only necessary but the most just and compassionate way to deal with the natives.

First of all, in the early days many were enslaved as the result of wars which they themselves started. Second, it is clear that the natives simply lack the moral sensibilities and discipline required of free men. In fact it is we who are most burdened by the institution of slavery, having taken upon ourselves the onerous task of educating and raising these peoples up until they have matured sufficiently to accept the burdens of freedom. The truth is that they are healthier, more kindly treated, better fed, and freer as slaves under us than they ever were as "free" people living at the whim their own tyrannical kings and queens.

The Colonial Wars

The southern colonies, under the control of the Kingdom of Masovia, were united in 3490 after the success of their final campaign against the vile and corrupt Queen of the Fairies, and became the Shushanish Empire. General Buitre led a formidable army into the Fairy interior, and, after fierce fighting, occupied the Fairy capital of Shushan and burned it to the ground. After that, the Masovian colonial capital was erected on its ashes, and disparate colonies were united under the administration of a single Viceroy.

In the north, three major colonies had been established under the rule of the Kingdom of Waltia: the island colony of New Waltia, the United Colonies of Haldeve, and the Commonwealth of Eastonia. After a series of wars against the Grand Goblin were brought to successful conclusion in 3502 by the brilliant General Culverton, the United Colonies secured virtually all of the lands west of the Draconian Mountains, and the March of Nortonia was founded to the west. Among the peoples living further in the interior were a strange race of people known as Dwarves who had been enslaved by the Goblins to work in their mines. As part of the ensuing treaty, Eastonia also expanded its borders inland, occupying three counties inhabited by the strange Halfling people, who had formerly been vassals of the Grand Goblin.

It was during the last decades of the 35th century that the plague was wreaking its greatest havoc on the native kingdoms. By 3510, the native kingdoms were fallen and gone, with the exception of a native confederation of savage Elves in the northlands, known as the Rouvanian League. In 3505, the Rouvanian League declared that it would no longer allow Waltian traders free access to its territories, sparking a long and bloody war with the Waltian colonies. The war finally drew to a close in 3517 and a compromise with the Elven people was accepted, granting Humans rights of trade but restricting their access to the port of Trader's Landing.

It is not necessary here to give a detailed account of the numerous wars that took place throughout the colonial period between the southern Shushanish Empire and the northern Waltian colonies, as other sources can be consulted for this. Suffice it to say that the root cause of these wars was the indolence and greed of the southerners, whose minds are still under the grip of unreformed Hierophantism. At the conclusion of the First Masovian War, the Waltians annexed the Cotton Islands and Puerto del Sur (Southport), which would eventually became the capital of Haldeve. At the conclusion of the last Masovian War at the Treaty of Heilstadt, the Masovians and the Waltians divided the New World between them roughly at the equator. Despite the Masovians' numerous attempts to overthrow the northern inheritors of the True Faith, thanks be to the One True God, the flag of liberty and enlightenment still flies untarnished over our lands.

By the end of the 36th century, it was evident that the United Colonies of Haldeve were outgrowing the paternal colonial yoke of its fatherland, the Kingdom of Waltia. Its economic dynamism and its desire to perfect the institutions and ideals of freedom it had inherited from the old world led it to demand increasing independence. When the King of Waltia refused, the War for Independence ensued in 3598. In 3601, the Nortonians also rose in rebellion. In 3612, after a long and terrible Civil War, the Kingdom of Waltia finally acceded to our independence, and the Republic of Haldeve and the Nortonian Republic were born. Waltian loyalists were permitted to emigrate to the Commonwealth of Eastonia and to New Waltia, which remain loyal to the Crown to this day.

Relations between the Five Nations Today

In 3615 the Nortonian Republic and the Republic of Haldeve entered into Articles of Union and are now formally "the United Republics," though most still think of themselves as "Nortonians" and "Haldevens." The Nortonian culture is very similar to our own, though they prize independence and martial valor even more greatly, if that is possible, than we do. Some Haldevens view Nortonians as slightly less civilized, and the institution of slavery seems to be more prominent a part of society in Nortonian lands.

There is still some bitterness between Haldeve and the Kingdom of Waltia, though lucrative trade relations are maintained with New Waltia, whose economy depends primarily on plantations and manufacturing, and the Commonwealth of Eastonia, whose economy depends mostly on hunting, the fur trade and agriculture. Their cultures are very similar to our own, except that they remain loyal to the Kingdom. The price of the King's protection includes an obligation to pay annual taxes to the fatherland. All major guilds and trading companies in the colonies must be licensed by the appropriate authorities in the Metropole.

An uneasy truce currently exists between the Shushanish Empire and Haldeve. Travel between the Shushanish Empire and the rest of the world is generally tightly restricted, though some Haldeven traders have on occasion gained access to the grand capital of Shushan, which they describe as hauntingly beautiful, and which they say retains much of the ancient flavor of the city from the old days of the Fairy Queen. In recent years there have been rumors of unrest and disturbances in the Shushanish Empire that could lead to a civil war not unlike the one which led to the establishment of the Haldeven Republic. Haldevens generally regard the Shushanians as despicable, greedy, untrustworthy and beneath contempt, though it is only fair to say that the Shushanians feel largely the same about us.

In the last hundred years, the seafaring Rouvanian League has grown completely dependent on trade with Humans. There are permanent Waltian and Haldeven enclaves in the lively, open port of Trader's Landing, though Humans who have sojourned there generally do not like to stay long, given that they are required to submit to Rouvanian law, which is barbaric and restrictive, and given the primitive living conditions under which they must subsist. There is an Elven embassy in Southport, the capital of Haldeve, and in St. Morton, the capital of New Waltia. But these embassies are entirely staffed by Humans who have been hired by the Elves. Each Elven ambassador spends only short periods of time at their respective embassies, usually when there is a need to negotiate trade issues.