>My understanding was that the "God Learner" movement grew out of the
>studies of the material looted from the Arkat cult after the Silver
>Alliance plundered the central temple of the Arkat cult. The period that
>the God Learners started up was also the same period that the Jrusteli
>commercial empire really got rolling. Is this sequence wrong?
By the time the Dark Empire fell and some of its major secrets plundered (in 740 ST*), the God Learners had already defeated the Waertagi (in 718 ST), controlled Umathela (colonized after 600 ST and deforested in 654 ST) and Fronela (conquered in 725 ST). So while the discovery of creative heroquesting was a real prize for the God Learners, they were already capable of great things before this.
*Interestingly enough, the Sog City Guidebook depicts a Dark Empire around 821 ST. I suppose that when the Genertela Book describes Ralios as being severely oppressed by the God Learner Monks around 825, the final vestiges of the Dark Empire had been destroyed and incorporated.
Vesa Lehtinen:
Me>>Also the Isle of Trowjang is shown being allied to the God Learners.
>That probably means that Trowjang was also, at the time, under the rule
>of New Dragon's Ring.
I, myself, have doubts over whether Trowjang and Teshnos were controlled by the New Dragon's Ring. I prefer to think they were states that owed allegiance to the God-Learner Emperor.
Although I should have realized from the mention of Araslithos the Sage in the Amazons boxed article, that they had a more sophisticated culture in the past.
>However, IMO, the situation with Tolat and Trowjangi has been somewhat too,
>ahem, convenient.
I agree. Something of the type that you suggest may have happened. I think that Trowjang has a lot of rich tombs of these Tolat lords and jungle-covered cities. Of course I'm heavily influenced by the _Sorcerer's Isle_ adventure in one of the Stormbringer Companions. What it was like in the second age is an interesting question although I try and avoid the (dire) Wonder Women Parallel in favour of something more exotic.
FWIW, I imagine Teshnos during this time was overrun by Sorcerous Tiger-people and villanous Darklight Worshippers ruthlessly maltreating the honest Teshnans. Serendip Melib is probably the Taprobane (Sri Lanka) of Kalidasa in all its wonderous detail. A good bibliography can be found in Arthur C. Clarke's 'The Foundations of Paradise' (and, no, despite the title, it has nothing to do with little boys). The Jungle of Fethlon may have been inhabited by a scion of the House of Errinoru but I think they're gone now as no replacements arrived after the Closing.
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