To this point, I have been very coy about the political implications of Downalla. This is a complex world in itself, and it’s up to each reader to come to their own conclusions about its situations. But I think it would be remiss of me not to offer some commentary on events in Downalla, if only to make it clear that none of them are equivalent to statements of my own ideals. I think that matters in the Western Continent are particularly important to discuss in this regard.
The Western Continent is not the Americas in a different form. It bears similarities to them; but possibly only through the subconscious imaghination of those who owned the Mirlín, which indirectly shaped the planet’s current situation. But while these lands are not analogous to America, they do in some ways relate to what the Americas should have been and what they could yet still be. To begin with, it was not right that an Éalfarsc military company should have become involved in the Taigruz Empire, which was itself a morally corrupt institution whose policies subordinated some peoples to others. It was not just, either, that Drust seized the ancestral lands of the Taigruz, however wickedly they were ruled. Yet in one small way, I can agree with the political project initiated by Sundershar: that it represents a democratic, non-racial society built to some extent on co-operation.
Sundershar is not a society which I would desire; it is effectively a mercantilist, fairly right-wing place, with little interest in the world beyond its walls. But for me, Sundershar stands in contrast to the values adopted by the Emperor in Mydrei, and for me, that is its value. On the issues of migration and multiculturalism alone, Sundershar has taken a position that I, as an outside observer, can support. You cannot stop migration or cultural mixing, but you can reap the benefits of such processes, if they are done right. Sundershar represents a recognition of mutual respect, that multiple peoples can come together and build something, however flawed this may be.
Emperor Emgast’s policies illustrate the other side of the coin in this regard. His is the wrong way to approach the movement of people. Not only is he forcing the most vulnerable in his society out, but he refuses to accept the fundamental value of the indigenous peoples of the Gwaldr. His is a spirit which has long held sway in our world. Yet there are so many alternatives, of which Kirdan and Darnust are only two representatives. Kirdan is not my political hero, either, but in the situation as it stands, his ideals match most closely to my own. His goal of destroying the monarchy would bring a great many benefits to his country, as would his pragmatism. Kirdan believes in working with the world as it is to achieve a better one: he understands that a fair settlement in the the Gwaldr is not the driving out of Drust settlers. The course of history, for better or worse, has led to this state of affairs. To him, the only solution is a radical restructuring of the settlements in a spirit of solidarity. The replacement of earthly law with the divine is not permission to ride roughshod over the earth itself.
Kirdan’s religiousity is also something I am not in favour of. I am personally atheist, while he holds nothing in higher regard than the law of the scriptures. But in the the context of Drust’s society, such a position is easily comprehensible. And, as I have previously stated, I cannot make any pronouncements as to the reality or otherwise of Downalla’s gods. It is a world completely separate from me. Perhaps the imagination which fuelled the Mirlín gave birth to gods; or maybe divine forces aided it in creating the universe. I simply don’t know.
Darnust’s extreme individualism is to me at best callous; at worst, it threatens the very foundations of life on the continent. The end of the Forest might bring wealth; but gold cannot be breathed nor used to make shelter. His instinct to decentralise power is entirely correct; but to place it in the hands of each individual settler would be equal to making a million little kings. It would not create a society of mutual respect.
These are my thoughts on the situation pertaining to the Western Continent. Others are free to think as they please.