> So - how did the Tarshites go form beleiving that Orlanth was the
> best god into believing that Sedenya is the best god? This is the
> bit I don't get.
Hon-Eel tricked her way into their most sacred rituals. We were discussing this last night in our gaming group. What we think happened is that Hon-Eel, who was big into human sacrifice due to her discovery of/becomming the maize goddess, showed the correspondences with some of Tarsh's most sacred rituals involving human sacrifce through Soranna Tor/Ana Gor. Once she was in the heart of their sacred rituals she then showed that Sedenya was an aspect of Ernalda and/or vice versa.
She then ensured that she bore a son to the king, probably again due to her presence in the heart of their sacred rituals, and somehow disposed of the king (sorry, I can't remember names). She ruled as regent in her son's name as the Tarshites, through their Alakoring and Vingkotling heritage, were vulnerable to claims to kingship through lineal descent. I guess that Hon-Eel used her connections to import wealth and privilige for the nobility of Tarsh and show them the advantages of the Lunar way.
Once the a majority of the elite of the country were converted to the Lunar way, the Lunar's worked from the top down to convert the bulk of the country.
The mechanisms that the Lunars used to convert Tarsh do not work so well in Sartar because, in politcal and religious power structures in Sartar, power flows from the bottom up. In Tarsh, power seems to flow from the top down in both political terms (the lineal descent requirements) and religious terms (because of the power of human sacrifice and the organisation thereof).
regards,
Charles
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