"The Collectivist Manifesto", By Cririk Adom (Page 1)
A spectre is haunting the Basin -- the spectre of Collectivism.

While in many social communities collectivism has been met with fear and
distrust, the Sovereign Commonwealth of Hallifax has embraced this
superior social credo to create the most efficient, cultured, orderly
and structured organisation seen in the history of Lusternia. All cities
that came before the Commonwealth are naught but barbaric communities
which rule through fear, oppression and disorder. It is from their chaos
that the Commonwealth was created, the beacon of Civilization, Culture,
Art and Science that is the natural supremacy within the Basin.

The complex order of the city makes it difficult to understand to
outsiders and younglings, and it is for this that I have sat down with
my fellow compatriots and penned this guide into collectivism. Continue,
read, and soon you too shall agree that Collectivism is the highest form
of society.

In service to the Commonwealth,

Cririk Adom,
Archmage of the Centre of Aeromantic Engineering

Submitted for approval to the Board of Directors on the 21st of Methril
539 C.E.
Approval granted on the 7th of Elohian, 541 C.E.
Publication pending editorials until the 1st of Ashmonth 545 C.E.


"The Collectivist Manifesto", By Cririk Adom (Page 2)
Freedom is disorder.

There are many societies which profess the freedom of their citizens.
Communities in which the freedom of its members is ensured and no laws
exist in order to facilitate this freedom. This is a wonderful ideal,
but in practice, it is flawed. In a free society, individuals will be
free to manipulate and overrule others, an opportunity which is abused
by those who are egocentric and without scruples, leading to a society
where these individuals take advantage of the freedom of others. In such
a society, these individuals will vie among themselves for power,
abusing their own freedom to ignore the freedom of other citizens and
use it to their advantage. This will lead to a society that is chaotic,
where little is clear and where the strong end up abusing the weak.
Freedom leads to disorder.


Despotism leads to class struggle.

The opposite of a free society is a society ruled by certain
individuals. This is the form of most societies in the Celestine Empire
today. In such a society, the ruling class is rigid and individuals
reinforce their position in this class by making it virtually
unassailable by the other classes. This leads to a struggle between the
members of the ruling class and of the classes beneath them, causing the
higher classes to abuse the individuals beneath them. This is
inefficient and benefits only the egocentric individuals of the highest
class, not society as a whole. A common way in which ruling classes
consolidate their power is through religion, in Celest for example, the
teachings of the Supernals are used to mollify the populace and justify
the positions and actions of the ruling class. These teachings are
interpreted in a way in which anyone going against the established order
will appear to be a dissident and a heathen while those who follow the
teachings of the Supernals will be content in their position and not
rebel against the ruling class. As such, religion is the opium of the
masses.


Collectivism is order.

In Collectivism, it is not the individual but the collective of society
as a whole that benefits from the labour of its citizens. All provide
for the collective and the collective provides for all. In such a
society, order grows from the absence of egocentricity: all serve the
collective to the best of their ability and all have their proper place.
Any citizen may aspire to any position and grow through the orderly
structure of society to fulfil the job of their preference. This ensures
that all are rewarded on the basis of their effort, satisfying and
protecting the individual through the structure and strength of the
collective. In Hallifax, this ideal is realised by the highly organised
caste system.


"The Collectivist Manifesto", By Cririk Adom (Page 3)
The Caste System

The efficient structure of the collective of the commonwealth comes from
the incredible efficiency of the Hallifax caste system. The system
ensures that each member of the Commonwealth can serve the collective in
a manner fit to his or her abilities and take pride in the knowledge
that without their contribution, the commonwealth would not function as
it does. The caste system is the cornerstone of our society, without it,
we would be empty like Celest without the Supernals or Magnagora without
the Emanations. The system ensures that all find their proper place in
our great society and that all can function efficiently and appropriate
to their rank.

The first tier are the servants without rank or freedom, the indentured
servants. This tier is not technically part of the caste system, as one
does not choose to become indentured. Instead, this tier ensures that no
one is put out on the street and forced to beg on the streets of the
glorious Commonwealth. When a citizen of the Commonwealth builds up a
debt that can no longer be paid off, they become indentured to the
person they owe their debt to, who then becomes responsible for them.
Once they pay off their debt they regain their freedom and become
regular servants once more. Indentured servants serve the Commonwealth
indirectly through service to their owners, who have paid for them,
therefore, the proceeds of their efforts defer to their owners instead,
as a way to pay off their debt. As such, indentured servants do not
qualify for rewards of any kind.

The first real tier of the caste system encompasses the employed
servants, guards and the proletariat. The workforce of the city, the
engine that makes the economic engine of the Commonwealth function, this
caste is only contested by the indentured servants for size. Many of the
servants and proletarians eventually choose to progress to the second
tier, but many more take great pride in their position and serve as a
tradesman or labourer for their entire lives. Without the contributions
of these hardworking citizens, the Commonwealth would falter.

The middle tier consists out of the bureaucracy, tradesmen and
merchants. These individuals ensure the economic welfare of the great
commonwealth or occupy themselves with altering or upholding the law
that ensures the structure and order of the Collective. These
occupations are of average respectability, there is some discussion by
some who argue that the higher bureaucrats and merchants qualify as
members of the gentry (and as such, members of the lower tier of the
higher caste) however, such ideas are liberal interpretations of our
laws and as such are both inappropriate and threaten the stability of
the Commonwealth. These individuals do not qualify, nor are they
respectable enough to be considered part of the gentry.

The highest caste of the Commonwealth consists out of our most esteemed
Scientists and Artists. These individuals ensure the superior technology
and knowledge as well as our superior culture through which we have
established ourselves as the highest society in the world today. The
professions held by these individuals are very respectable and ensure
their position among the gentry of the Commonwealth. Without the
inventions and creations of the higher caste, the Collective would not
exist and our society might never have progressed beyond the despotic
nations and barbaric communes that the rest of the races have shaped.

The beautiful caste system that governs the collective provides for all
and ensures that all have a purpose and contribution, ensuring their
individual happiness, irrespective of their origin or position. Some
individuals contribute more to the collective than others, but all
contribute equally.


"The Collectivist Manifesto", By Cririk Adom (Page 4)
The Superiority of the Commonwealth

The superior community of the Commonwealth of Hallifax is ensured by the
constant contributions of the Collective as a whole; the lower castes
support the Collective and allow the higher caste to ensure Hallifax'
scientific and cultural supremacy. It is these two aspects of society
that any civilization requires to progress beyond barbarism and rise
beyond the achievements of one's peers. Hallifax has established
superiority in both these aspects; our cultural achievements by far
surpass those of anyone else in the realm in quality and our scientific
progress is widely spoken of and respected.

The current position of Hallifax as a vassal to Celest is sometimes
interpreted as a position of inferiority by those who are unaware of the
particulars or logic behind this arrangement. The position of Hallifax
in the Holy Celestine Empire is mutually beneficial from several
perspectives. First of all, the Celestine Empire as a whole ensures the
stability of the basin, leaving the Commonwealth to focus on those
aspects that are of primary importance, namely, the Arts and Science.
Furthermore, the friendly connections between the four cities allows the
trade relations of Hallifax to be expanded beyond the city boundaries,
allowing the economic health of the Commonwealth to improve even
further. Last, the agreement of vassalage ensured the monopoly of mining
rights of precious gems which are required by the Institute, which the
Empire conceded in return for our participation in the Empire. The
Empire has been an arrangement that has been beneficial to the
Commonwealth and ensured its supremacy over the other civilizations in
the basin.

The current situation of the Commonwealth can only improve, and our
natural superiority shall only be strengthened by the Collective. The
city of Hallifax is the pinnacle of civilization that stands at the top
of the cultural tree of the basin. So it has been and so it shall always
continue to be. It is the Logical conclusion.