I made up the Larnsti in a moment of inspiration. I however have no clear idea on their political relationship and any ideas that I once had were based on "facts" that are no longer correct (like Broyan being a traditional heortlander).
AFAIK the Larnsti were part of the pre-pharaohic kingdom but sidelined when Andrin became King for the second time. How Broyan ever makes use or contact with them is unknown although I dare suspect that he was trying for some mobility connection.
The nearest grouping of Larnsti to Whitewall that I know of is Gollanstead (DP:LoT p29) and the only reason *that's* a Larnsti place is because it originally was a name and nothing more and I was wondering how a stead could cover a vast expanse of land.
The Larnsti motivations are pretty much up in the air. I do not believe they are aiming for the return of the pre-pharaohic kingdom has that has been something that has already happened while they exist for change.
Lunar Politics:
I think a more complicated set of affairs than the simple division between Dara Happans and Tarshites is happening here. A major factor is the feud between Tatius and Fazzur but a clean split of allegiances over this matter is unlikely.
An interesting possibility that I was reading was the history of Ammanius Marcellinus. He was at the siege of Amida which is a harrowing conflict of a roman town against a massive Persian army that is able to ring it five deep. Amida was so small that the Persian Generals are advising Sapor not to bother investing it but to attack something more rewarding.
So Sapor (who is wearing a Ram helmet) sends a bigwig to demand terms from the city. A sniper on the walls takes a shot and kills the bigwig's son right next to him. In order to avenge the grievous insult to the honor and prestige of the court, decides to level Amida and so the epic siege begins.
Now the comparable event is almost certainly the repulse of the Crimson Bat. I know how Orlanthi Historians like to talk about Whitewall being a magical trap to enslave Orlanth. But was it really like that? When the guns were fired in August, almost everybody believed they would be silent by Christmas and there's other parallels that can be made.
What I think is that the Lunars weren't originally interested in Whitewall at all. They were after the far more glittering prize of Heortland with Whitewall being some two bit village in the wop-wops that will be reduced at leisure. After all Fazzur's in decadent Karse while other Lunars have arrived by sea (which suggests capture of the other ports of Heortland).
The Crimson Bat is the first Lunar force to arrive at Whitewall because it's travelling on a stealth mission from Sartar to strike terror somewhere in Heortland. The Bat's controlling priests decide to refresh the Bat at Whitewall leading to the slaughter of the Bat priesthood and the disappearance of the Bat (somewhere in Pamaltela IMO but that's another story).
The quick invasion of Heortland goes awry and the lunars have to draw up plan B to subdue it. More wounding to their hearts is the repulse of the steed of the Goddess from Whitewall. That must be avenged and the inhabitants must pay!
The aims of the siege will vary depending on the political currents. At some stage, the nuclear option (Kill Orlanth!) will be raised, quickly dismissed, raised again, debated at length, dismissed again. With every setback the Lunars receive at Whitewall, attitudes will harden until such a point that even the doves want Orlanth dead.
I don't believe that the kill Orlanth plot was something that could be cooked up within two years. The Lunars already had an existing plan to enslave Orlanth which still makes an appearance in Lunar propaganda. IMO the Lunars had a vague plan to bring Orlanth of Kerofin to heel, the precise extent was to be determined at some stage near the plan's completion.
Whitewall was never intended to be the pivot of the Lunar plan. It only became one as a result of conscious decisions by the Lunar magicians to avenge it for the insult to the Bat and to punish it for its continued resistance.
Another possibility (and a homeric one at that). As part of the repulse of the Crimson Bat, the heroes of Whitewall have captured the Bat's high priest or at least his corpse. They hold on to it to prevent the Lunars from resummoning the Bat ever again ignoring entreaties by dovish lunars to surrender the corpse in return for their lives. This should happen at the beginning with a proud refusal by Broyan and others. Later on, when the siege starts taking its toll, a potential division will occur when people start wondering about returning the corpse. Of course, it's far too late as far as the Lunars are concerned.
Finally the story of Whitewall's fall need not have happened precisely as laid out in King of Sartar. We must remember that we only have a single source and we all know the perils of intelligence based on such a source. What has been left out? What does the compiler of the CHDP not want people to remember?
--Peter Metcalfe
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