How Order is Maintained
Under Trelvemacht
The fact that they were able to turn such an obviously crackpot idea as trelvemacht to good account is a tribute to the subtle ingenuity of the Geltveltians. The secret, to simplify a bit, was to use trelvmacht to give the Elves the illusion that they were in charge while still keeping real control firmly in the hands of the responsible and capable Trolls. The Elves are now happier and—more importantly—more productive than ever. It is almost a pleasure to watch them as they energetically go about their shveice, whistling and singing all the while. The result is mounds more Manna for the Trolls, whose magnificent dwellings, powerful vehicles, and splendid clothing are all glorious to behold.
Glitter Gelt. Two other wonderful inventions in particular made this possible: the megaguild and glitter gelt. Glitter gelt must be the most magical and amazing invention of all time. It is impossible to overstate its importance to modern Geltveltian civilization. Indeed, it gave the land its name. It would be quite accurate to say that glitter gelt is the glue that hold the civilization together. You will recall that the hamites gained power by means of swapink. Swapink between neighbors is fairly simple: one merely exchanges one type of Manna for another of equal value. But the hamites instituted swapink over great distances. The old system would not work. For this new purpose they used forms of Manna that had certain useful traits: it was universally valued, was relatively long-lasting, and could be easily carried about. The various types of Manna that met these criteria and were used in swapink were called gelt. They all had disadvantages. Some did not last long enough (like most Manna), some were very rare (which made them valuable but limited swapink), and some were awkward to carry around. What they all had in common was that they were valuable—trelves believed in them. The belief was what made gelt gelt. So why not, some anonymous genius decided, just manufacture belief? Thus glitter gelt was born. It exists simply because creatures believe in it. And once created, it grows as belief in it grows. There are several mechanisms in place to encourage this to happen, but the simplest is this: glitter gelt is deposited with the gelt-master for safe-keeping; the gelt-masters then lend it out to those in need of it. Say someone deposits 100 units of gelt and the gelt-masters then lend out 80 of those units (they always keep some on hand). Because both the depositor and the borrower “believe” in “their” gelt, there are now 180 units of gelt where previously there were only 100. There are many similar tricks that allow the gelt to be multiplied many times over. It is truly a marvelous system and a most affecting testament to the power of faith.
The Need to Believe. The danger is also clear: if belief begins to diminish then the supply of gelt will begin to disappear as fast as it grew—even faster if panic sets in, as it is wont to do. Maintaining belief in glitter gelt is thus the number one priority of the Geltveltian authorities. To that end regular rallies are held to affirm the great strength and continued growth of “our” glitter gelt. There are songs and dances and at the climax of the event the leader calls out “Don't let our glitter gelt die! Everyone who believes in glitter gelt clap your hands and say so loud and clear!” And of course everyone furiously shouts and claps because they all know that the very existence of their society depends on glitter gelt. Civilization and its gelt are saved once again. A most moving experience.
Although gelt originated simply as a means of exchanging various sorts of Manna, the magical properties of glitter gelt transformed it into a new kind of trollstuf. Since glitter gelt can be exchanged for anything, possession of sufficient quantities mean control of the world. Trolls are no longer limited to having to control lots of dirt. Ownership of glitter gelt means ownership of MannaMakers, rawstuf, and even Elves: everything necessary for the production of Manna. The possibilities for trolltolls are now endless.
