History

Governemtn creates first railway but privatizes them to complete fast in 1911.

Eastern-Cross Railway (largest by miles, 2nd in profit)

Eldor Trunk Line (smallest by miles, 3rd in profits to No.1 in profits under Edwin Locke)

Central Railway of Eldor (2nd largest, most prominant and respected in early 1900, almost totally abandoned in modern times due to defered maintaince. 

Early History of the Commonwealth of Eldor

The Niantic and the First Settlers

Before the arrival of Europeans, the island that would become Eldor was home to the Niantic Tribe, a seafaring and agrarian people who occupied much of the western and central regions. The Niantic lived in scattered coastal villages and river valleys, cultivating hardy grains, fishing the northern bays, and crafting intricate wood carvings that are still revered as early examples of Eldorian art.

In the early 1600s, ships from England, Scotland, and other European powers began to appear along Eldor’s northern and western shores. Most expeditions were organized by chartered companies, granted rights by the English Crown to extract lumber, fish, and mineral wealth from the island’s vast wilderness. These companies established fortified towns and company ports — the earliest of which were at Brackenport and Bridgetown Manor.

Indentured Servitude and the Freeman

The early colonial system was based on indentured labor. Workers—many poor, imprisoned, or displaced from Europe—were contracted to work for the companies for seven to ten years in exchange for passage across the Atlantic. Upon completing their service, these laborers were released without compensation, land, or passage home. Most were forced to leave the company towns and fend for themselves in the untamed interior.

Those who refused to sign new contracts or return to servitude became known as the Freeman. They drifted into the wilderness, forming small homesteads and settlements beyond company control. Though viewed as outlaws by colonial authorities, the Freeman developed barter trade with the Niantic, exchanging tools and textiles for food and furs. Over time, Freeman settlements spread across the interior valleys and western highlands.

The Gathering at Painted Post

By the early 1700s, tensions between the company settlements and Freeman villages reached a breaking point. Company militias began raiding independent homesteads, claiming they encroached on “company property.” In response, representatives from various Freeman enclaves met at a neutral clearing marked by a carved Niantic totem—known as the Painted Post—to coordinate their defense and petition for fair treatment.

The meeting gave rise to the Freeman’s Council, a loosely organized assembly that debated grievances and, when necessary, called for united resistance. From this council emerged the idea that the Freemen should govern themselves, free of company law and mercantile exploitation.

The Freeman’s War

Skirmishes between the company militias and the Freeman soon escalated into open conflict. This period, remembered as the Freeman’s War (1748–1756), spread across the northern counties and devastated many early settlements. The Niantic tribe, sympathetic to the Freeman cause, provided shelter and guidance through the forests, though they too suffered greatly in the fighting.

The Freeman’s Council transformed into a provisional government, declaring the establishment of the Commonwealth of Eldor. They sought recognition from the English Crown, believing Queen Victoria (then a young monarch) might intercede on their behalf. Instead, Britain quietly sided with the chartered companies, supplying them with weapons and ships but avoiding open intervention to preserve diplomatic neutrality.

Despite heavy losses, the Freeman militia eventually forced the companies to the negotiating table. With trade disrupted and the colonies unprofitable, the companies withdrew their direct control, leaving Eldor effectively self-governing.

Birth of a Nation

The Treaty of Alwen (1758) formally ended the conflict, recognizing Eldor as an autonomous commonwealth under its own charter, though nominally loyal to the English Crown. To honor the peace and demonstrate goodwill, the Freeman’s Council renamed the settlement of Painted Post to Queensgate, in tribute to the Queen they had once hoped would support their cause.

Over the following decades, the Commonwealth of Eldor would transition from a fragile confederation of villages into a thriving nation — forged by its harsh beginnings, strengthened by its independence, and forever shaped by the tension between freedom, loyalty, and survival.

🏛️ The Founding Era of the Commonwealth of Eldor (1743–1790)

⚙️ Context

Following the Freeman’s War (1743–1750), former indentured settlers and freemen — with allies from the Niantic Tribe — declared the Commonwealth of Eldor.
Their early government blended Enlightenment republicanism, frontier necessity, and native council influence — a confederation forged from hardship and defiance.

⚔️ Founding Figures and Leaders

1. Elias Corven – “The Father of the Commonwealth”

• Role: First President of the Freeman’s Council (later first President of Eldor)
  
  

• Background: Former indentured clerk for the North Atlantic Timber Company who turned reformer.
  
  

• Traits: Educated, idealistic, soft-spoken; a believer in reason and liberty.
  
  

• Legacy: Authored the Charter of the Freeman, establishing land and labor rights; opposed hereditary privilege.
  
  

• Death: 1765, remembered as Eldor’s philosopher-founder.
  
  

2. Captain Arlen Wexford – “The Freeman General”

• Role: Commander of the Freeman Militia during the rebellion; later Minister of Defense.
  
  

• Background: Former Royal Navy gunner turned deserter.
  
  

• Traits: Charismatic, blunt, tactically brilliant; beloved by soldiers.
  
  

• Legacy: Formed the Citizen’s Guard, Eldor’s first organized military.
  
  

• Fate: Killed in 1751 at the Siege of Thorn Hollow.
  
  

3. Chief Tamakwen (“He-Walks-Between”)

• Role: Niantic leader and co-signer of the Treaty of Painted Post.
  
  

• Background: Chief of the western Niantic confederation.
  
  

• Traits: Diplomatic and pragmatic, balancing peace and defense.
  
  

• Legacy: Secured recognition of Niantic sovereignty within the Commonwealth’s charter — a unique act for its time.
  
  

• Later Years: Revered as a symbolic co-founder of the nation.
  
  

4. Thomas Hallowmere – “The Keeper of the Ledger”

• Role: Treasurer of the Commonwealth and economic reformer.
  
  

• Background: Former shipwright and merchant quartermaster who managed trade and supply during the war.
  
  

• Traits: Methodical, principled, incorruptible.
  
  

• Legacy: Founded the Eldor Exchange, stabilizing the postwar economy and funding land grants.
  
  

• Fun Fact: Early advocates of Hallowmere’s policies called him the “common man’s banker.”
  
  

5. Samuel Darrin – “The Silver Pen”

• Role: Principal author of the Declaration of Commonwealth (1752).
  
  

• Background: Bristol-educated tutor indentured to a lumber company before joining the Freeman cause.
  
  

• Traits: Witty, sharp-tongued, eloquent; a political pamphleteer.
  
  

• Legacy: Wrote “The Chains We Make”; pushed for elected governance and abolition of indenture (achieved 1763).
  
  

6. Reverend Jonah Pike

• Role: Moral and spiritual leader of the Freeman communities.
  
  

• Background: Dissenter minister from London.
  
  

• Traits: Passionate, righteous, fiery orator; inspired the freemen through sermons.
  
  

• Legacy: Founded the Church of the Covenant, blending scripture with civic duty.
  
  

• Cultural Impact: His “Oath of Brotherhood” became part of Freeman enlistment rituals.
  
  

7. Lord Henry Vire

• Role: Diplomat to Britain and later President of Eldor.
  
  

• Background: Former company administrator turned statesman; fluent in French and English politics.
  
  

• Traits: Cunning, polished, strategic; understood the subtleties of empire.
  
  

• Legacy: Negotiated the Peace of Queensgate (1789), securing de facto recognition from Britain and symbolically renaming Painted Post.
  
  

• Later Life: Served as a stabilizing post-revolutionary figure.