Exthalion

History
Before the thought of Exthalion was ever born, their existed the ancient and mighty Empire of Orithena. For nearly two and a half thousand years Orithena florished. The government encouraged and fostered the arts and sciences and the empire became the jewel of the world. However external troubles and several decade of low crop yields, plague, and war led to a rebellion of the populous against the intellectuals. The massive tide of destruction that heralded the end of the Orithena was finally ended when a massive volcanic eruption and an accompanying tidal wave destroyed large coastal regions and capital of Orithena. The events together are remembered by many cultures as a time of great cataclysm and the time before a lost golden age. Only the Exthalians remember the truth.

The Empire of Exthalion was founded when scientist, artists, philosophers, engineers, theologians, doctors, lawyers and other intellectuals left their regions of origin during and after the fall of Orithena to found a new society. In this new world fear and mistrust for the esoteric were abandon while ethical and moral principles were to be upheld without violence. Despite the obvious similarities to socialism and communal living, Exthalion was to be a nation of individuals, not a society of social machines. Led by the first Minyatur Teleperion who was called Merilena the structure and foundation was forged for a new order, one which would shake the very foundations of the world. Despite the grand pretentions of the founders, the nation developed in relative secrecy for most of its history. Long an advocate of self reliance the Mathic system which pervaded most of the population served as a serious barrier to all normal aspects of government. Despite the occasional bid by one Math or another for independence from the tedium of the rest of the world, all of which have failed, the Empire has always been internally stable and goodwill of every citizen toward every other was the rule, not the exception. The Empire has among other self imposed tasks, kept a detailed and unbiased history of the world. Even in the ancient era they had circumnavigated the globe. The histories, great works or culture and science, myths and material conditions of nearly every people group is stored or preserved in the records and achieves of Exthalion. The work of other groups who have sought the same end proved invaluable, but every fact was first verified before becoming part of the official records. For nearly five millennia Exthalian waited and watched. The area that is now Exthalion as at various times in history occupied by other polities but Exthalion was not perturbed.

Recent Past
Minyatur Cala'Aman the current Lord of Trancelium was the first to change the policy of isolation. Her was born in 1990 and attained the throne at the age of 10. His first act upon taking the Servant Thrown was to call a Convox and commission a unification and standardization of information. What followed sparked the greatest cultural and scientific renaissance in Exthalion’s history. With the accumulated theoretical and practical knowledge of five thousand years assembled together and made available to all invention and creativity flourished. Using this movement as pretext, a massive modernization and industrialization program began that, together with technological invention and theory “acquired” from other nations, left Exthalion among the premiere nations on the face of the world. The sudden emergence of such a technological and industrial giant was also fueled a massive trade network that emerged almost simultaneously with the reappearance of Exthalion. With their products being distributed all across the world and the inability of most nations to reproduce them, Exthalion expanded quickly and grew very wealthy. The traditions of science and knowledge continued, and Exthalion stood poised to enter a new age of worldwide influence and power.

Former Oganization
The ruler of all Exthalion was the ruler of Trancelium. This individual whose title still is Minyatur or “First Leader” had to receive the support of Concents and the Secularium.

As an empire Exthalion was divided into regions based on the number of Avout per given area. Trancelium is the historic heartland of Exthalion where the first settlers founded the empire. It contains the three oldest Concents and the enourmously influential cities which encompass them. These cities were the three capitals of Trancelium. Valmar the administrative and spiritual capital and the seat of government. Tirion the Economic, cultural, and artistic capital. It was the largest in terms of population. Remote Gondolin was the scientific and intellectual capital where the first, largest, and most important Concent is located. It was essentially the seat of the Mathic world.

The Mathic council rigorously tested all applicants for government office in a series of grueling examinations. Those who passed had to be knowledgeable to some extent in nearly all areas and be dedicated to the principles of Exthalion and service to its people. A second set of tests determined each person’s specific aptitude and their place in government.

The title of Minyatur is nearly impossible to gain. It requires that the holder receive the full consent of all three capitals. The consent of Valmar was earned only by someone who has distinguished themselves as a great leader and diplomat. The consent of Tirion required a great economist, philanthropist, and great empathic ability. The consent of Gondolin required a genius intellect, near savant ability in multiple areas, demonstrated logical and rational thought, and original contribution to the body of knowledge. In the absence of a Minyatur the Concents were nearly autonomous, and Tirion and Valmar directed those areas which they embodied for the empire with a bipartisan council that handled matters of legislation, policy, and bureaucracy.

The current Minyatur was considered to be one of a kind. Delivered to the Concent of Gondolin on the hour of his birth he entered the Millenarian math and quickly showed himself to be a prodigy. By the time he was ten he had accomplished all that was required to receive the support of Gondolin should he seek to become Minyatur. He earned the support of Valmar and Tirion simultaneously when he saved the empire from collapse by voluntarily leaving his Concent and negotiating the internal agreement that prevented the secession of several prominent Concents from the empire. As Minyatur at the age of 18 he has absolute power over the empire. His calling of the Convox, a meeting in which prominent Avout are allowed to leave their Concent and journey to a specific Concent (usually Gondolin) to perform some great work was the first of its kind in nearly two hundred and thirty years, regular convoxs aside. After the Concent he opened the Maths, and allowed Avout to interact with the outside world. He nearly abolished the Mathic systems inherent isolation and began a new age. The Praxic age that he inaugurated saw such wonders as the end of the old political order, which was the creation of the last Minyatur until a new one could be found. The new capital of Kaitain combined all the elements that made the old capitals great while not diminishing their significance.

Modern
In the eight years since Exthalions reemergence on the world stage the social order and government have changed significantly. The Mathic system is a shadow of its former self and now serves only to distinguish the Avout from everyone else. The unified society is still bi-partisan. The stunning intelligence and ability of the Avout is still nurtured, and the number of Avout relative to society as a whole has risen from two to five percent. Avout still perform most of the theoretical research and development, produce the greatest works of art, and develop the latest praxis. Though the last is in conjunction with the “normal” people. There has also been a great movement of people toward the newly constructed capital of Kaitain.

Government
The Minyatur is an autocratic leader. He is able to require advice from society and the Avout. He has set up a new Avout council and instituted a system of election in major areas of the empire. The council is separated into sub councils and each sub council presides over a division of government. The members who sit on the guiding council are selected from among each sub council. The full council almost never sits unless called by the Minyataur. The duty of the council is twofold. One is to carry on the day to day operations of government. The other, far more important, is to enact the will of the Minyatur. Everyone in the Empire is comfortable with the Minyataur being an absolute ruler. He is the most intelligent and charismatic person in the country and ,due to their extensive records, the people understand the democracy leads to anarchy, and that an enlightened despot is the most stable and prosperous form of government, so long as they have an enlightened despot.

The government consists of only about 23,000 people. Because people are willing and energetic about doing what the government says, the vast regulatory agencies and bureaucracies or other governments are not necessary, and more than 99.9 percent citizen is independently prosperous due to the economy. The rest are mostly Avout who still live a cloistered life of contemplation and research.

Economy
Exthalion has an extractive, industrial, and developmental economy. New praxis(technology) has led to mining, forestry and other manual tasks becoming entirely automated with only limited human oversight. The factories are also nearly automated. Such advancements as new medicines, advanced software, and developments in energy demonstrate only a fraction of the empire’s true level of technology, as any technology considered worth of export is one which is not considered a major secret or potential danger to Exthalion.

Culture
The old and slowly fading culture of Exthalion was such: The Concents are semi-independent monastery like communities and structures that house large numbers of Avout, those dedicated to knowledge. They are divided into four internal divisions called Maths based on orders of magnitude for years. These are the Unitarian math, the Decenarian math, the Centenarian math, and the Millenarian math. These communities are also divided into orders of those with similar interest and example is the Edharian order which is dedicated to theoretical physics. While the Maths are kept strictly apart the various order can and often to collaborate on projects. Advancement from one Math to another is not a matter of age but of merit. Those seeking to be “Raised Up” must first undergo rigorous testing by members of the higher Math to determine their mental ability and potential. All members of a given Math are theoretically equal though formal leadership positions do exist. Anyone from the Secularium may enter a Concent if they agree to follow the discipline, the code under which all Avout are bound which includes provisions against unethical research and violence against other Avout among other things. They enter a math depending on their age such that adults become Unitarian, children to late teens become Decenarian, Children who have yet to reach the age of 6 become Centenarian and those who still have their umbilical cord are give to the Millenarians who are more secluded then the other Maths. Most of the theoretical development and artistic creativity in Exthalion is produced in the Maths. Any Avout may leave the Concent and return to the Secular world. If they chose to return, they are treated as new entrents. The Secularium is a bird of a different color. The traditions of Exthalion are such that a high level of education is universal. Those people who decide not to seclude themselves from the world for knowledge to not swear off it. The Secularium primarily concerns itself with the practical and concrete aspects and application of knowledge. In most respects the Secularium functions like a normal society though most people from outside Exthalion would find themselves quickly left behind in normal conversation. The people of Exthalion love nothing so much a rational debate and gatherings of friends often evolve into discussions about the nature of reality, the latest information released from the Maths, or the basis of ethics to name a few popular subjects. Now, the integration of the Avout into regular society has rendered most such distinctions meaningless.

Religion
Oddly enough for a scientific community there is a universal religion. This essentially monotheistic faith is not surprisingly founded on principles of logic. The Divine is given the name Iluvatar out of convention and necessity for a common name. The religion does little more than acknowledge the need for a non-caused creative force to bring the universe into existence. The priests of Iluvatar do not claim any divine revelation, and often take the place of counselors or guides for each person’s individual interpretation of the nature of Iluvatar. There is however a very strong and very public ongoing discussion concerning the nature of Iluvatar carried out by the priests which has led to some generally universally held assumptions such as the unity of Iluvatar and his(its) essential goodness.

Language
The twin languages of Quenya and Sindaran are the common and official languages of Exthalion. Quenya is an older derivative and is the language of the Maths. Sindaran is a more recent and organic language spoken by nearly everyone. Every century a convox is held when both languages are standardized, the grammar streamlined, and the dictionaries updated. Sindaran has a similar though smaller convox yearly for vocabulary and every ten years for grammar.

Art & Literature
A great deal of the literature of Exthalion is scientific, medical, theological, etc journals which allow rapid dissemination of information. The old classics include treatises that introduced such subjects as geometry, calculus, quantum theory, the germ theory of disease, etc. Most people have most of the classics memorized as well as important commentaries and recent work. However due to the huge number of writers and poets other more traditional forms of literature are also common. The common form for prose is to create a work which is entirely universal, containing truths for every age and free from most contextual ties. Poetry is the usual complex and ungovernable force it normally is, and many great love and epic poems have been composed. Due to the lack of myths in Exthalion many poets look to other cultures for inspiration of some kind.

Architecture
The architecture of Exthalion is one of the greatest prides of every citizen. White stone be it marble, granite, or limestone is the building material of choice though reinforced steel is often the core. The style can only be described as a seamless unity of gothic and elvish, New Line Cinemas Lord of the Rings. Tall slender towers and great domes rise to the heavens while long colonnades and beautiful arched bridges cross artificial canals or between buildings and large parks with still ponds invite contemplation. Fountains, trees, and flowers are everywhere, often integrated into the architecture. Architects are among the most respected of people in Exthalion and, unlike other areas were new discoveries often change implementation, changes in the Exthalian architectural style are extraordinarily hard to do. The result is that the new office building put up last year seems almost a contemporary of the nine hundred year old cathedral next to it. Architecture is also one of the most context sensitive professions. When new buildings are constructed great attention is paid to the harmony of the old and the new such that the two compliment rather than clash with each other. Nearly every settlement is laid out according to a unique master plan that covers the expansion of that settlement for generations. In addition to the gothic and elvish roots, inspiration is also taken from geometric forms and graphs of functions. Most settlements when viewed from a bird’s eye view would depict an important central region or building with the main lines of development expanding out in multiple golden spirals while smaller internal spirals and important areas marking their own smaller circle of influence. However many spiral emerge from the center determines the degree of rotational symmetry the settlement has such that a settlement or complex with three spirals would look exactly the same after rotations of 120 degrees.