Then why were the Lunars able to defeat the Carmanians? Why were the Lunars able to defeat Sheng Seleris when he was at the height of his powers and then some? Why have the Lunars been able to defeat Orlanth in the very land where he was born and the Praxians within the confines of their Sacred Land?
To say that the Dara Happan magic works no better than anybody elses is like saying that the Technology of the 19th Century Europeans is no better than anybody elses IMO.
Blimey, and there was me worried that the last message I sent would make me look terribly po-faced for taking what was 'evidently' a joke and treating it seriously...
First off, I have to say I don't have TFS, and so you may well have specific evidence to prove me wrong. But, for the moment, I stand by my assertion. The Lunar Empire has been very succesful, no doubt about that. But as I see it, it isn't the strength of their magic _per se_ that makes them powerful.
To make an (admittedly imperfect) analogy, look at the Roman Empire. Their magic wasn't any better than anyone elses, and they conquered a vast area of land, and several other cultures. And the same sort of things that helped the Romans also help the Lunars; the better military units, the large agricultural and population base, the ability to meld other religions and cultures into their own, all that sort of thing.
Not only that, but I certainly do concede that the Empire makes better use of the magic at its disposal. It has special units working alongside the armies who provide relevant support, something that no other culture has AFAIK (and I admit I could be wrong...). I don't think the magic itself is superior, I just think they use it in a different way. That regimentation is missing from the Orlanthi, although I don't know about the Carmanians.
As for Sheng Seleris, I don't know a lot about this incident other than the bare bones, but I was under the impression that he conquered the Empire and 'ruled' it for a time before they kicked him out. I just don't see magic as being the be-all and end-all, both the Lunars and Sheng were pretty powerful, one of them just eventually beat the other. It's like saying the Allies had better technology than the Axis in WWII because otherwise they wouldn't have won.
Well, that's my opinion - always subject to change as evidence comes my way. Are there any pro-Orlanthi out there who think that Lunar magic is better than the Sartarite sort, and if so, what (if anything) do they think it implies?
All hail the Reaching Moon ('cos its got all the lovely benefits of civilisation not 'cos its got better magic)!
Trotsky
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