>>> However the difficulty I have is that Tarsh provides a high proportion >>> of the basic infantry for the invasions and occupation. That's usually >>> the arm that suffers the worst casualties. So either the units will >>> be continually be being reinforced. Or, more likely, units will be >>> sent home to rebuild and be replaced in the interim. Whichever, there >>> are going to be a significant proportion who weren't recruited at >>> those times. >>I'm not talking about those foot troops, but I'm talking about Fazzur's >>family retainers joining up his elite cavalry force. Fazzur's family has >>holdings in Sylila as well, and I guess he will be quite well connected.>>Take a look at Champions of the Red Moon to see how "regular" military >>units are firmly joined to household interests.
> The question then is how big this force is. I'd seen it as a large
> bodyguard - maybe 50-100 cavalry. You seem to be talking about a
> regiment or perhaps more. Given that the army of Tarsh only includes
> six regiments of cavalry that appears a lot.
That's the Army of Tarsh without Fazzur's troops, IMO (and IMG). Basically, a contribution to the Cavalry Corps for the conquest of Dragon Pass, units created by Fazzur for the kind of Blitzkrieg actions he led into Volsaxar when Euglyptus botched the invasion of Esrolia in 1605.
In Dragon Pass terms, I am thinking of 3 to 6 units equal to the mounted Sartar city militia.
>>> I would also have expected Heartland units to be given priority >>> for return home when the active campaign ends because of their >>> higher status. Also if troops are wanted on the Pentan frontier >>> it makes more sense to use Heartland troops.
>>I think that Tatius is only too happy to let those untrustworthy >>provincials leave his command.
> Yes, if we're just talking about a regiment or less of elite
> troops.
IMO Tatius could either declare the campaign into the Holy Country finished, or else he would have had to deal with Fazzur's plans for placing the Lunar Temple in Nochet rathen than where it made a snack for the Brown Dragon.
My old Heortland campaign made a difference between Dara Happan "smite all barbarians" occupation forces, and Tarshite "We all are us" integrators (who were occupation forces nonetheless). After all, Fazzur planned to get his own kingdom in the southern Pass region, and apart from Tatius intrigues surely would have succeeded.
>>> Another angle is that if Fazzur has achieved this level of loyalty >>> he has done so in opposition to the Seven Mothers cult in Tarsh >>> who should be making sure that the army is loyal to the Emperor >>> and the Goddess. So they've failed, but that failure is part of >>> the story and we need to write it. >>The problem here is that Fazzur ranks high in the Seven Mothers cult >>of Tarsh, and so do many of his closest followers. And in Tarsh, >>loyalty is to Goddess, Emperor, and King - Moirades is something like >>a living saint of the Lunars. Fazzur has achieved this loyalty with >>the sanction of Moirades. Moirades has been the head of the magical >>forces of Tarsh for years, and Fazzur had become his best military >>leader. His Sylilan family ties make him less of a provincial by>>provincial standards, and apart from his undiplomatic, very Orlanthi >>pride he has been the model Lunar commander.
> It looks like we need to define the associations involved - the ones
> for the Assiday family, the Tarsh Royal Family and Fazzur's family.
> Then we can make sense of the politics. I've got a few ideas for
> the Assiday's.
Great. I see Fazzur having connections to Jillaro, for horse-breeding, and having several leagues of manufacturers both in Sylila and Tarsh working to equip his forces.
>>> From the map in Dragon Pass there seem to be few clans that far >>> away from a road
>>There are roads, and then there are royal highways, and there is a >>great difference between these.
> I'm assuming that any road marked on the map is adequate for wagons.
> I'm not sure which are the royal highways.
Duck Point to Wilmskirk, Wilmskirk to Roadend, Wilmskirk to Boldhom, Boldhome to Swenstown, Boldhome to Jonstown, Jonstown to Dangerford, Dangerford to Ironspike, Ironspike to Alone, Ironspike to Aldachur
>>Using hill paths that may be sort of secret to the clan occupying >>the tula.
> Who outside the clan is going to be interested for the most part?
> Nearby clans who might raid and lunar mappers is about all I can
> think of. Even the former will be more interested in how long
> it takes for the warband to respond than the exact route they take.
Routes to keep watch on, and where to intercept raiders as well as traders.
>>There is a reason why Issaries traders use mule caravans >>rather than wagons.
> That's assuming they have enough goods to justify a wagon. I don't
> see the traders who travel between clans as carrying much bulky
> stock. Anything a clan can't produce itself is going to be
> expensive which means low demand. Large quantities are going to
> be arranged by the merchant and delivered later. Also I think the
> trader will often travel to the bigger steads, probably accompanied
> by the clan reeve. Those may not be accessible by wagon.
My impression of backcountry Sartar is one of no wagon traffic for transorting goods, or even taxes.
>>> I expect Lunar patrols often visit clan centres >>> just to keep an eye on the chief and make sure he knows they are >>> watching. >>I expect this level of surveillance for the tribal level, but not>>for just about any clan chief's hall. Troublesome clans may call >>this on themselves, though.
> I would expect a missionary post at tribal level. With number of
> guards depending on how friendly the tribe is. There's only a
> couple of dozen tribes.
That missionary post at every tribe would be there if the leadership wasn't interested in showing the bloody followers of Umatum their proper place ground into the dust. With Dara Happan management, I wonder why the population wasn't simply enslaved wholesale and shipped off to toil in the Redlands, or be used up for entertainment as well as ritual purposes in Imperial games.
The Lunars appear to believe that the tribes are more strongly tied to the cities than they do in reality - after all, in their culture the tribes would be extensions of the cities. That's where most of the missionary activity will be.
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