Re: Inns and outs

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 13:46:36 -0800


> (as another aside: I'm sure Heortlings must sled on their abundant
> hills in winter, and for that matter use horse drawn sleds for
> transport and hauling in the winter, something that has yet to be
> adequately described!)

And skis, as will be made clear in the next volume.

> Now, BA makes it very clear that there are no inns in Sartar. Yet
> King of Sartar states that on the royal road built by Sartar there
> were periodic widenings (not clear, but I think this specifically
> meant while passing through the Quivini mountains) for use by temples
> and inns.

It could also be a government builing more intended for a messenger service than civilian use (though that is really not Heortling 'look and feel' - much more Lunar).

Combining these two ideas, it is possible that Sartar (the man) established these wayside shrines, and the Lunars used the flat areas for Posting Stations, at which only Lunar Citizens on official business could stop(cf. the Roman Cursus Publicus and Mansiones). Such stations could (and did, in the Roman world) take on the character and function of an inn, mutating from 'official business only' to 'any money's good here' after the Lunars are pushed out.

The Author of the CHDP is writing from the future, looking back at the "glorious" past. He could easily conflate Sartar's original plans (wayside shrines) with later improvements made by the Lunars.

RR

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