[Hero Wars] Re: Esrolia

From: jeff.richard_at_...
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 20:10:27 -0000

> At 10:23 AM 1/10/2001 -0000, you wrote:
> >Greg Stafford wrote:
> >>
> >> I am not convinced that this is an Esrolian practice at all.
> >>
> >
> >Any good pointers for Esrolian culture until we get something more
> >concrete?
> "There is always another way."
>
> They are not that different from Heortlings except that the social
and
> religious positions of men and women are reversed so that mothers
and
> eldest sisters own property, inherit it, etc.
> also they are much more agricultural than the Heortlings, less
hunting
> They have a greater mercantile base
> They are more accepting of foreigners.
> They have more pacifistic factions than any Heortling society (a
cause of
> constant political problems within the country.)
>
> If you have concrete questions, ask them.

This is also how I've seen the Esrolians as well - I've never viewed them as weird eunuch-folk or as Sir Arthur Evans' ficticious Minoans. (the idea of Crete as a peaceful matriarchy has always gotten a bit under my skin - as a young college student I went to Crete as part of an archeological internship. After spending quite a bit of time looking at the long, pointy swords of the palatial era Minoans and after seeing the fabled Minoan "snake goddess" statue in all of its diminuative glory, I must confess that I view the "Chalice and the Blade" as a complete fabrication.)

I think another principle difference between the Esrolians and the Heortlings is their conception of the role of a ruler. The ruler as warleader is not going to be particularly important to the Esrolians -  unlike the Heortlings. In fact, I'm uncertain how Esrolian rulers would be chosen. Hereditary succession seems inappropriate - perhaps rulers are chosen by a council of elders - "grandmothers". Does that sound right?

Assuming that sounds right, I assume that Ernalda the Queen is the Esrolian rulership figure.

Jeff