Re: Casinotown

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_svAftF1nW1pMIou2TwzY0D9PRT5-5lFyRMvVtCdTeHkPizHAtwRGCZhq_bX8W2q0Dtr>
Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:56:21 +1200

On 8/11/2011 10:35 PM, Richard Hayes wrote:
> IIRC much of Godforgot is under the control of a Brithini Talar, whom I think was called Malaskan Philippe IV(?) in some old sources.
>
> Is Casinotown ruled by these Brithini too, or is it an independent city-state? (It could also be somewhere in between the two I suppose).
>
> Also what sort of people make up the city's population, and in approximately what proportions?
>

The governance of God Forgot is quite obscure and not helped by shifting sources over the ages (for example Refuge is said to be in God Forgot according to the Genertela Book but now is part and parcel of Heortland).

The presence of a single city labelled Talar Hold suggests a unified government under the Talar of God Forgot. I suspect that before Steelfall, the old rulers would have resided in Zistorela. What's left unsaid is what happened to the population in the territory that was conquered by the New Unity Army. The Esvulari helped the New Unity Army and so would have been appointed tax-collectors and the like over the conquered God Forgotten. When the New Unity Army fell apart, the Esvulari would have been in a strong position to become the rulers of God Forgot.

Fast forward to the Pharaonic Takeover. The God Forgotten are made a separate sixth while the Esvulari are counted as part of Heortland. If the Esvulari were ruling God Forgot at the time then it's difficult to how they became Pharaonic supporters. Ergo they must have lost control of God Forgot before that time.

When the Hendriki are in their expansionist phase after the fall of the EWF, they easily win tribute from Esvular and are far more concerned with the conquest of Esrolia. They seem to have lost that tribute after the Dragonkill for Finelanth (circa 1160 ST) is described as raiding Esvular. Around 1190 ST, Esvular is strong under the leadership of Delesus and the threat is put down with great difficulty. Finally in 1267 ST, the Hendriki are besieging Refuge and destroy its walls. So it seems to me that the conquest of Refuge marks the end of Esvulari hegemony over God Forgot.

The one thing I sense from all this is that the Esvulari (or the Hendriki) must not like living in God Forgot. It isn't a matter of the climate because God Forgot isn't very far from Heortland. Even if central government had collapsed, under normal circumstances power would have devolved to the local lords, who would have been Esvulari. That they are not indicates that there's either something strange with the people and/or something strange in the magical landscape that makes normal residence impossible for outsiders. I should qualify this by saying God Forgot in general is inhospitable to outsiders but there are certain magical points that are tolerable (Zistorela, Casino Town)

In the Middle Sea Empire, it was stated that God Forgot was under the influence of the Connectivists who examined the connections between the runes. In my opinion the magical landscape of God Forgot is dotted with runic locations and that Casino Town marks the site of the Rune of Luck.

--Peter Metcalfe