History of Falastur
Starting life as a English pseudo-colony, and thus declaring allegiance to England as such, although eschewing involvement in their affairs Falastur grew to be a universally renowned and distinguished sanctuary for those seeking renewal of self in the eyes of others. Furthermore to this day maintains resolutely an uninhibited and cordial immigration policy. Economic power and beliefs in a free market economy within Falastur, have led it to become a signatory of the Knootian International Stabilisation Treaty (KIST). Through a great period of colonialism has it traversed, having moreover, in a different epoch played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars, largely avoided the World Wars, concomitantly escaping Civil War and reluctantly was a staging ground for part of the Cold War, and by way all of these has Falastur emerged through precarious times only to grasp security as much more unyielding, established as a relatively, considerably, extensive political unit.
Falastur before the Falasturians
Archaeological evidence and word-of-mouth stories passed down from the indigenous tribal Kingdom in the Falasturian Islands suggests that the islands have been settled for over three thousand years, although solid proof of settlement only exists for tribesmen from around the year 600AD. Some theories have been made that a Roman ship landed on the island group in around the year 250AD, owing to a small number of texts describing what could be points of interest in Falastur. However, these theories are almost unanimously disbelieved due to the vast likelihood that the accounts are actually referring to the Canary Islands. Whether or not the theory is true, it is certain that the island group has been home to native islanders for longer than it has been inhabited by civilised peoples. Although the actual date of origin of the tribesmen is long lost now, it is generally regarded as fact that a tribal Monarchy had been in place over the islands since at least the 15th Century AD. Before that, it is believed that the tribes lived on as small, independent communities, and originated from Western Africa before that.
English settlement
It was as a result of Elizabeth I of England's colonial policy to counteract Spanish domination of the New World that the Falasturian Island Group was first colonised. A small fleet of four English ships were blown several hundred miles off course in the year 1597, during a voyage to employ the Altantic currents for a circular tour of the Atlantic for future knowledge and reference. Aiming to turn west to cross to the easternmost tip of Brazil, the fleet found themselves blown unexpectedly far south, and round the coast of Africa. Turning west, the fleet sailed only for a day before they found themselves presented with the entirety of the Falastur Islands. Charting the islands, they didn't so much as anchor before returning to England to boast of their discovery. As a result of the accidental finding, a military expedition was sent to the islands the following year, leading to the creation of a garrison on the island.
In the following years, the islands became the battleground for several fierce colonial struggles, with the islands almost being lost twice to the Spanish. With its strategic point on trading routes between Africa and both Europe and the Americas, the Island group proved to be a prize well worth keeping for the English, despite the cost, until the more lucrative island of St. Helena fell into their grasp. Towards the end of the 1600s, the importance of the Falastur Island Group was greatly waning, as was the English's commitment to keeping it. However, it was still not until the early 1700s that a particularly bloody battle around the city-fortress Newtown forced the English to finally reevaluate the necessity of Falastur, and decide to desert the colony.
Colony of Falastur
News of the abandonment of the Islands was hushed in Britain, where the decision, no matter how well-founded, would have gone down badly with the English public, but it quickly spread around the maritime crowd. Indeed, one of the very first to hear of this news was Matthew Terila, an adventurous but aging private sailor who had the good fortune to be in Southampton Docks at the time when the retreating English ships returned. Hearing of the abandonment of the military outpost, he immediately began making plans to capitalise on the free land, before any other nations, or enterpreneurial sailors, could get in on the act. Beginning preparations the same day, it is said that Matthew had his crews (three ships being already in his employ) and two extra vessels shipped and ready to sail in less than a week, and had been granted a Royal Charter to Colonise not long after. Declaring the Falastur Islands Company, he left Southampton with his fleet of sailors and colonists not long after, and arrived at the abandoned port/fortress of Newtown on April 2nd, 1705. Most Falasturians believe that upon setting foot upon the docks, he gazed upon Newtown and claimed "May this place be known as Terila", although new documents have recently been found detailing that in truth the town, later to grow into the sprawling metropolis capital of the Empire it is today, was not named in his honour for several months after the colonists' arrival, and was done so by popular vote rather than Matthew's decision alone.
The garrison of Newtown having been around 3,000 men, with a healthy trading settlement which had not entirely left the area by the time of the arrival of the Terila expedition, there were already a good number of servicable houses for the colonists to inhabit, and thus early life was surprisingly easy for the colony. Although there was at first a discord between the few traders who had remained after the abandoning of the post and the new settlers, but eventually an uneasy reluctance settled which finally fostered mutual cooperation and integration of the traders into the new community. Similarly, while the native peoples around the site had become accustomed to regular interaction and trading with Newtown, they briefly struggled to adapt to the new and more aggressive settlers who had mostly never before experienced non-English citizens, but strenuous work by Terila to aclimatise the two groups to each other, as well as the presence of old and familiar Newtown residents, dissuaged any ill feelings with time, and native traders began to trade greater and greater quantities of goods with the new peoples.
Lacking the experience of an established Colonial Company, the Falastur Island Company settlers largely had to teach themselves to establish their Colony, and in some cases progress was slow, but the group had established a working settlement in a small matter of months. Always the leader of the group, Matthew Terila was eventually invested with the title of Governor by the men of the group in ealy January of 1706, electing a group of ten to act as a Council - the early foundations of the Imperial Senate. However, this group was far from a natural and efficient Governmental body from the start. Indeed, the Council had only been together for a mere fortnight when it experienced its first true crisis. While the colonists under Governor Terila had occupied the fortress and settlement of Newtown, believing themselves to have claim to the entire island, another fortress existed with a much smaller neighbouring village, a little over 150 miles along the coast, itself the location of a second colonial enterprise by an unaffiliated group led by one Charles de Montfort. Alerted of the presence of the second expedition by the Captain of a trading ship, a confrontation over land rights quickly developed, going so far as to prompt several raids between the two colonial parties, and throwing the disorganised Terilan Government into despair and confusion before Terila and de Montfort finally settled their differences. The matter was finally settled after five weeks of hostilities when the Falastur Islands Company bought out the second colonial group, and de Montfort, for a sizable annual fee, agreed to act in Terila's place as Mayor for the second settlement, named Havilah.
Shortly after resolving the matter, he returned to England to announce his triumphs and to seek new colonists, looking to promote regular emigration to the islands, which was to be only a partial success. However, when various corners of English, and indeed Continental European, society heard of the new colony which had promise, and yet a weak and inexperienced enough Government to offer chances for exploitation, it gained a reputation in little less than a decade for being an ideal retreat for outcasted or alienated peoples, or those who simply sought a new life in isolation.
