Amalgama

A community in every sense of the word, the Collective of Amalgama is a mixed people dedicated to serving the common good of their nation, and recruiting outsiders with the promising benefits of their communal lifestyle.

## Quick Facts

* **National Language**:Leth Loret
* **Government**: Communal
* **Current Leader**: The Collective
* **Land (climate)**: River valley (warm temperate, moist)
* **Demographics (estimated)**:
	+ 50% Humans
	+ 35% Elves
	+ 10% Half-Elves
	+ 5% Other

## History

### Origins

The founder of The Collective was Daneel R. Olivaw, remembered to be a peculiar human from an ancient city, now either lost, or so changed as to be unrecognizable. Daneel saw that the city he came from was corrupt, that people lived in slums and there was always a huge difference between classes. People struggled for their own survival or convenience, and few demonstrated genuine kindness and care for others that went beyond the convenience of the moment. He visited many cities, traversing thousands of miles to see if other cultures had managed a solution to the problem of natural selfishness. But everywhere he went he failed to find a solution that mere creatures of flesh and blood could emulate. He spent some time in Mura'kesz with his friend, Afdala, hoping that he may have found an answer. But while Afdala was clever and genuine, Daneel felt that his solution to the problem would be short lived. While he departed Mura’kesz for other inspirations, he took with him his fond memories of Afdala, and the friendship that had grown between them over years.

Neither stories nor the communal memory say where he found his ultimate inspiration, but eventually, Daneel decided upon The Collective. It was a long choice, and one of deliberation, but Daneel realized that he could force people to work together if he made individual cares the care of the whole community.

So Daneel returned to his home city and found his friends. Most refused to listen, dismissing his idea as alien and crazy. Though there are many throughout history who continue to share this view, Daneel eventually gathered to him a group of the tired and destitute, looking for a better chance at a happy life. They traveled then, to a remote spot in the wilderness where they would not be disturbed. And it is there that they spent many days and nights laboring on their plan. Finally, Daneel succeeded in binding together their collective minds, making them eternally aware of each other.

Even those most enthusiastic about his plan found some oddness in the experience. It wasn’t what they had been expecting. But they grew into it, and together they formed a nomadic band, no more than a hundred or so, and began to travel the land looking for others.

But the time came when their group grew too large for traveling. They needed to settle down and take root, establish a place where they could care for their growing numbers. Daneel drew the people to the place he had imagined the plan, finding it to be warm and free of frequent disasters. And so it was that, nearly a thousand years ago, Daneel established Amalgama as the home of The Collective.

After Amalgama’s founding, Daneel made the journey to Mura'kesz to visit Afdala and discuss his success. When he arrived, he found that Afdala had begun his own plan and had been elected to the highest office of Maharaja. While the man could hardly leave now, the two did agree that their nations would  be friends for as long as the two should live. While they haves left us, the spirit of their friendship lives on in the bonds of mutual respect and friendship that bind Amalgama and Mura’kesz still.

### War with the Elves

Peace, of course, could not last. While the new Amalgamites were able to settle and support their tiny civilization, they continued to recruit new members. Some civilizations that they encountered did not like the idea and thought they were forming a cult. Some simply hated losing citizens to a new and, as far as they could see, starvling nation- especially one which did not abide by familiar capitalist customs. Rumor spread among a nearby Elven settlement that Amalgama was kidnapping people and brainwashing them with magic.

Fearing for their people and land, they understandably sought out The Collective and demanded their folk be released. Long discussions took place, accompanied by bribes, threats, demands and insults. Eventually, though they hated the idea, several of the Amalgamites from the Elven settlement agreed to leave The Collective and return. But this solution did not improve matters.

Those that left The Collective for the good of the whole found their previous lives unsatisfying. They felt isolated and uncared for. Making things worse was the fact that they had left lives of hardship to join The Collective and had returned to lives of hardship upon leaving. Even worse, their neighbors and friends looked down upon them when they returned, rather than welcoming them. They spent several years working hard for little benefit, enduring their hard lives and unforgiving neighbors. But then some interesting rumors began to spread. Those people who had returned from Amalgama had been better taken care of there than in the Elven town. The people were equals, with no ruling nobility that reaped the benefits of their labor and taxed them into the ground. All people in The Collective received immediate medical attention when they were sick. The Amalgamites were friends with the land and it always gave them a good harvest. The people didn't care whether it was all true exactly as told, they wanted better and they saw a way to get it.

The leaders of the settlement did not handle the problem well. They imprisoned people they heard talking of Amalgama in a good light. They had cultural pride parades and called the citizens away from their fields every few days for lengthy sermons on the evils of Amalgama. These tactics had to war with the truth spread by those who had once joined The Collective, of course. The Amalgamites are not demons. The Amalgamites are not violent. The Amalgamites really do offer a good way of living. This war of rumors and propaganda achieved two main things. First, it polarized the people. Where before apathy had been a possible stance, now you were either for or against Amalgama. But Amalgama was not just a different civilization to the people- it also represented a way of living. Those who were 'pro Amalgama' eventually mutated into a growing underground society campaigning for representative government instead of an aristocracy. The faction of demonization blamed Amalgama for the societal unrest. The government decided to settle the issue permanently.

More rumors began to spread, this time of war. Amalgama was a small civilization, barely over 500 people at this time. Even a relatively small elven settlement with a trained military should be able to smother it quickly. This was another wrong move for the Elven government.  Those who had once been of The Collective decided that, if it was going to be a war anyway, they had no reason to avoid Amalgama.  But when they left, they persuaded a large portion of the representative movement to join them. As it was an Elven settlement, most of these people were elves.

The Collective was upset to hear that war was coming. Those who were practiced diplomats were upset at the new arrivals. If anything would solidify the Elven government's decision for war against Amalgama it would be losing a chunk of their population to Amalgama. For the first time, The Collective had to prepare for war. They would, of course, try diplomacy first, but they did not expect it to work.

The Elven government was not eager to trade or discuss. They wanted every person who had left their settlement to return, or they would destroy Amalgama and ensure that history would forget it entirely. Working with the full, communal mind, The Collective calculated that the damage had already been done and, if they sent the newcomers back, all they would do is put war off for a few months. If there was going to be a war anyway, The Collective may as well be on the winning side. They sent the newcomers back. But first, they melded them into The Collective.

The local government was pleased with the result, believing they had cowed The Collective. They did plan to drive them farther away eventually, but simply barred them from the settlement for the moment. As you can imagine, this was less effective than barring, say, half elves or humans from the settlement. The Collective is an invisible bond and so the guards had to infer it based on the actions of people. This lead them to heavily question ‘weird behavior.’ The new Amalgamites encouraged this practice, increasing civil unrest and tensions with the local leaders. Being fresh initiates into The Collective, these new members had no tell-tale facial tics or social customs that would give them away, so they remained hidden despite the searches. Having originally left to join Amalgama, they were watched, of course, and several of them were imprisoned on account of ‘questionable loyalty.’ But every action the aristocracy took against them, the new Amalgamites twisted into a fault and a sign of oppression. Amalgama was blamed for this, of course. The aristocracy planned attacks and scare tactics to drive The Collective away and show their people that the Amalgamite’s way of life was inferior, and the Collective retreated farther down the valley, giving ground to the elves. The  Collective’s plan worked, though. By the time the aristocracy had decided to wipe them out, there was far too much civil unrest for them to spare the soldiers needed for a secure attack, and even Amalgama was able to repel the small forces they sent to burn and pillage. They never figured out that even the birds and mountain lions could be part of The Collective, at least not until it was too late.

The Collective secretly assisted the underground resistance, pretending its members were simply upset citizens looking for representation and lighter taxes. Eventually, the aristocrats were either imprisoned or driven off, leaving the citizens to govern themselves. The Collective made a few suggestions, but were respectfully asked to keep their noses out of the elve’s business from then on. With a war averted and their numbers bolstered by new members, The Collective reclaimed its homes and farmland and continued lives of reasonable peace and prosperity for a time. During this span, The Collective’s number chiefly expanded through internal means, broadening the population to one predominantly made of humans and elves, with scattered half-elves and a minority of other races mixed in.

## Structure

The Amalgamites are practically communists. There is no real ‘rich’ or ‘poor’. There are, however, the Collective and the Non-Collective. The Collective consists of the vast majority of people who have bound themselves through the culture’s unity magic (see below). The Non-Collective are those that are not bound by this magic. In practice, that pretty much means outsiders and visitors to the civilization.  The Amalgamites make their homes along the river, though far enough away that the seasonal flooding will not damage them. The Non-Collective are given simple lodging on the edge of the community, also communal, though they only share the space with other Non-Collective.

## Leadership

The head of the nation is the Communal Consciousness, which inhabits all of Amalgama through the unity magic. The people of Amalgama live in wooden structures, often made from living trees, or stone structures made from rocks drawn from local mountains. All living arrangements are communal.

The community makes all decisions together, or else through large subdivisions of minds that are bent to a task. The communal magic makes all of this possible, and also allows the people to share relevant information so all may make an informed decision.

## Law and Crime

Crime is extraordinarily rare in Amalgama. The magic of The Collective makes it so that each person can feel the hurt they inflict upon others of The Collective. Crimes are, in the vast majority, committed by travelers and visitors who do not understand the local ways. Most discipline takes the form of 1) a warning and explanation of wrongdoing for either first offences or minor infractions, 2) Being asked to leave for at least a week for more major infractions, 3) expulsion and severance from The Collective.  (for things like murder, unrepentant and continuous wrongdoing, etc) very very few Amalgamites ever get to this point, and certainly none who are born under the influence of The Collective. Those who join late in life may hold more strongly to selfish habits, but nearly in entirety it is outsiders who are expelled. Even then, their crimes are not common. For those who are simply unrepentant and continuous offenders who have more than earned expulsion, The Collective will protect itself with violence as its last resort, ending the person’s life.

## Trade

Amalgama welcomes basic trade. Sometimes they encourage outsiders to trade, if only in the hopes of persuading more to join The Collective when they see the peace and harmony it brings.

### Exports

They trade river stones and jewelry made from them. They also trade eggs (the lifeless ones, anyway) that they harvest and the animal products they gather, such as wool and milk. They will also sometimes trade their farmed goods, such as grain, onions, potatoes, carrots and corn.

## Magic

Amalgama uses magic for things like water purification, farming, keeping away disease and healing injuries. Magic is also used to shape stone for crafts and building. Druids are common, as are some priests of The Great Spark. Mages and practitioners of the arcane are less common, but still reasonably common.

### Binding

The most striking piece of magic in Amalgama is the magic that binds The Collective and allows them to share information and emotions directly mind-to-mind. It is a central piece of the culture and is the reason Amalgama seems so strange to those that visit. In addition to binding the minds of people, the magic of The Collective has seeped out into the land, binding small herds of animals and long-living trees into the mix as well. Animals, sometimes quite dangerous ones, sometimes wander among The Collective as if the people were no more than bushes. Trees grow together to provide living shelter. Birds will volunteer unfertilized eggs in exchange for some grain or seed. The Collective exists in symbiosis with the environment. This magic tends to affect animals that make their homes in or near Amalgama but has no real claim over fast moving species that are only there briefly, such as fish and continuously migrating birds.

### Swarm-Casting

The collective has also developed a unique style of grand spellcasting that is worked, you guessed it, through The Collective. Members of The Collective can band together in swarms to amplify magic by simultaneously bending their wills and talents toward achieving the same ends, magnifying effects. This is traditionally used to accomplish construction projects, repair or prevent damage from natural disasters, or to put on shows during special occasions. This power has been used for war only once, with terrifying effect. When one thousand minds work to the same spell, you had better get out of the way.

## Landmarks

### The Stone Circle

This is much like a holy place to the community. Large, gray pillars of stone jut from the ground in a wide circle. Each pillar is marked by hundreds of grooves and sigils. The entire space of the circle is cleared of all plants, including grass, and is marked out by rings of square stones, each marked with a sigil. The Stone Circle is devoutly maintained because, while it is not needed to maintain The Collective, it does speed up and strengthen the ritual that invites outsiders into The Collective. The circle itself was built on a low hilltop, safe from the flooding of the river, and is visited daily for maintenance.

### The River of Souls

The River of Souls is the name The Collective gave to the river they live along. It is a wide river, teeming with fish and river stones, at least by the time it reaches Amalgama. While Amalgama has taken root along the river and claimed a large section of the valley for themselves, the river itself is longer and undoubtedly appears on the maps of others who occupy different places along its length, or else cross is or use it as transport.

### Daneel’s peak

On the edge of what The Collective considers the territory of Amalgama there is a part of the valley wall that is shot through with natural caves and a difficult, but still walkable path up the side to the top. It is believed that the founder of The Collective meditated here and discovered the secret to binding minds together in harmony. It is customary that outsiders who wish to join the collective be taken to the winding path and told the legacy of Amalgama so that they might reflect on the depth of the commitment they are making and decide whether it is truly the path they wish to walk. They are encouraged to think on the decision for at least the time it takes to travel to the top and back again, but they need not walk the path entire, or even leave the cave at its base. The path is for a sense of scope and depth, not for the breaking in of outsider legs.

As a side note, there exists a portal at the base of Daneel’s Peak that connects Amalgama and Mura’kesz.

## Social Norms

The cultural norm of The Collective, and therefore of Amalgama, is one of automatic aid. In a very literal sense, the people understand that by helping each other, they help themselves. But they also have the expectation that aid will be repaid elsewhere in The Collective. Everybody contributes, everybody gets fed. People who join or visit learn quickly that, when it’s time to work, work is done.  In exchange for working with the whole, the whole takes care of you. The people do not desire large personal compensation for any service, their end goal is the benefit of the whole, since all resources are shared.

There is also an expectation of absolute honesty and forthrightness.  It is very difficult for a member of The Collective to lie to another member, since they can feel the emotion behind the sentiments being expressed, so after a while  with The Collective, people simply stop trying to lie or be modest.

The lack of modesty means that people don’t have any kind of nudity taboo, nor do they place any real importance on privacy. What one knows is fair game for the asking. What you did last night is generally know to at least a few dozen others. People who live with The Collective eventually lose their sense of awkwardness and shame as well. There are no impolite questions, and The Collective has little in the way of secrets among its members. From the outside, the culture can come across as indecent and impatient, always on the move or in a rush. From the inside, the people move with purpose to aid each other and finish all work that needs doing.

### Expression within the Collective

A note might also be made of how The Collective influences expression. Since The Collective tend to express a lot of emotion through their mutual bond. They don’t need facial expressions to perform the task and so those that are raised in The Collective have tend to have an underused face, if you know what I mean. They don’t quirk their eyebrows for curiosity or innuendo. They don’t smile slyly or wink. These people fall into two categories in the end: either they appear oddly stone-faced, with laughter and smiling being the only ‘normal’ facial expression, or else they practice ‘tells’ to alert others of their emotions. The stone-faced people often change the tone of their voice a little, but their expression fails to match up with the emotion involved. The tells, on the other hand, tend to be exaggerated and, to those outside The Collective, come across as almost parodies of emotions. They pair the wrong kinds of smiles and emotions. They always look like they’re serious, but drop into a ridiculous frown or pout when they are actually annoyed.

There are also a large number of people who join a little later in life, though they are outnumbered by the natives by quite a bit. These people tend to have facial tics appropriate to their culture. However, even many of these people pick up on an Amalgamite practice for eye contact. Most Amalgamites don’t consider eye contact particularly important. They lock eyes just long enough to let you know who they’re addressing, then they may look away, or return to a task they were doing. Many will maintain eye contact if they don’t have anything else to do, but this won’t stop them from admiring the scenery, examining your shoes or taking note of the thread count of your clothes during the conversation.

The circle of Diplomacy *does* practice facial expressions carefully, however. They consider it a useful tool to appear ‘normal’ wherever they go. The circle of Diplomacy also practices tonal inflections and makes a habit of collecting languages among themselves. Sometimes Amalgamites needing to converse with an outsider will mentally ask a diplomat to translate for them, leading to longer pauses in conversation than might be expected, as well as awkward pronunciation.

The Collective's impact it on the way the people live manifests in a strange paradox. The Collective values highly a drive to work for the good of the whole.  However, since the minds are so closely bound, there manifests a kickback of sorts where people express their individuality in broad and diverse ways. Each works for the good of the whole while trying to find the unique talent or idea that they can contribute. People tend to form small circles dedicated to a particular talent and its expression, such as pottery circles. Talents range from things as esoteric as natural philosophy to active diplomacy. There are talent circles for healing, music, poetry, farming techniques, fishing, athletics, animal husbandry, and even a comparatively small circle for the rare sorcery talent. People also dress in wildly different styles, reminiscent of every culture and variant in between.

### Communication within the Collective

The way people communicate among The Collective is a bit strange. They often accent their words and gestures with mental images or impressions. Sometimes members will simply stand facing each other for a moment in complete silence, and then depart, having communicated the important news through mental impressions. This means that people will sometimes burst into laughter or frown deeply without any apparent cause.

The whole community works like a clock, though detractors might say ‘hive’. When a child trips, a parent is reaching to catch it. When a weaver is running low on thread or cloth, someone is bringing them more. The people are simply aware of each other and their needs, no yelling or asking for help required.

### Common Styles of Dress

As a nation made up of people trying to express their individuality (as it pertains to The Collective) it is a common practice for clothing styles to vary in huge degrees. But, it must be taken into account that the climate is on the warm side, with temperatures from 60-100 degrees year round(average, of course. Cooler in winter(45-70), warmer in summer.(70-110)). Long sleeves are very uncommon and short pants or flowing garments are more common, especially in the summer. It is also common enough that people walk around with no tops on. Slightly more rare, but under no taboo, is walking around with almost nothing on.

There is a tendency for people to dress in some way that announces their expertise. The Circle of Diplomats, for example, might decide to decorate their hair or clothing with dark, red stones. The Circle of Weavers might all decide to wear a piece of complex embroidery on a readily visible piece of clothing. Despite these subtleties, river stone jewelry is common on everyone. There are those that dress in Mura'kesz styles, and those that favor the styles of Dyffryn Caidris. Virtually all known cultural styles are represented. Since the Amalgamites do have furs and the like readily available to them, and clothing is freely shared between people (after a good wash, of course), dressing as a sport is something of a fashion in Amalgama. All outfits are designed so as not to get in the way of the days work, but there is a definite sense of flair.

## Non-residents

Amalgama houses people from many lands, but is predominantly made up of humans and elves. Naturally, there are a respectable number of half-elves as well. The reason for this can be found in the History section. Tourists are welcome to visit, and all are asked to consider joining The Collective, though none are forced. Traveling merchants, tourists and all alike are housed communally at the edge of the community. They are asked to work for their food, or else will be sold food for money or resources The Collective can use to buy resources for themselves. It must be noted that, while The Collective value life and do not wish it harm, their chief prerogative is the protection of The Collective. Violence or theft against fellow guests is highly frowned upon, but violence or theft against The Collective is at a zero-tolerance policy. Since the Collective shares pain, any attack on one, even against an animal bound to The Collective, is considered an offense to all.

The Collective itself has some merchants and wanderers they send out into the world. Travelers always go in groups of at least 5, but sometimes as many as 10 or 20, depending on how far they must travel and the practical limitations the environment imposes. These people seek out trade agreements, pick up trade goods, and spread knowledge of The Collective to those who will listen.

The people of Amalgama have always appreciated that there are huge differences between themselves and the Non-Collective. For one, they trust little, hide much, and tend to be self obsessed. They cannot feel the pain of their brothers and sisters, and they cannot tell when each other is lying. They often confuse one meaning for another leading to pointless disagreement, and they value individuality, ordinarily a moral good, for all the wrong reasons. But then again, they are not as one.

The Collective is generally very patient with outsiders, trying neither to offend them nor make them overly uncomfortable. But they are suspicious of outsiders, too. They are not connected and so self interest may prompt them to lie, cheat, steal, or kill for their own benefit. They therefore try to impress outsiders with their generosity and lifestyle in order to convince them to join The Collective. Every outsider that shares a meal in Amalgama hears of the benefits- that a society of prosperity, without violence and prisons, is possible.  That equality is possible.

This does not stop a large portion of Amalgama from avoiding outsiders out of mistrust. It is usually left for those in the diplomacy talent circles to handle visitors. Some outsiders can’t help but notice that they never seem to see the inner parts of Amalgama. The visitor housing always seems to be on the edge of the community, with meals and clothing brought. Many of the people are friendly enough in their own direct and immodest ways, but they always seem to be watched. Those that gain familiarity with the ways of The Collective often feel as if they are conversing with twelve people at once, rather than the one in front of them. It takes a lot of honesty and forthrightness to gain the trust of The Collective, and if you are caught lying or stealing… well let’s just say that news spreads fast among those who can share thoughts directly.