Contact and the Dutch Connection
The 17th century brought change. European colonization of North America created new opportunities—and new dangers. The Trust established first contact with European traders in 1624, trading "medicinal minerals" (purified sulfur and lithium from their springs) for tools and books.
In 1642, they independently invented the printing press (simultaneous with Europe, unknown to them). By 1700, their library held 10,000 volumes. They learned English, Spanish, and French from captured dictionaries and occasional captured traders—always killed or recruited, never released.
The Great Decision (1750): The Gudrate debated whether to reveal themselves to the emerging American colonies. They decided against it. The colonists were too numerous, too religious, too dangerous. Better to remain hidden.
But they began to plan. In 1784, they established their first "front"—a trading post in Montreal operated by recruited agents, the beginning of what would become the Vārpas Sovereign Fund.