Nick Brooke:
>>>May I recommend my write-up of the New Hrestoli Idealist Church of
Loskalm,
which appeared in issue #13 of "Tales of the Reaching Moon", probably
available from your local Megacorp rep?<<<
I'm working on making snail mail contact with David Gadbois. I would love to get my hands on several of the TOTRM back issues.
Me:
> [Loskalmi] Nobles tend towards understated displays of station,
> following the example set by King Gundreken.
>>>Here I disagree with you. I think they tend towards *overstated*
displays,
especially when appearing in public.<<<
For this, I was taking as my inspiration some of the things I've read about Charlemange (and I hope I spelled that right. I don't have any of my notes or sources here at the office). Off the top of my head, I can recall one amusing anecdote: At a state function, Charles showed up in his understated doe skin clothing. He was so aggravated by the gaudy finery of his nobles, he proposed that the entire group go hunting, right then, wearing whatever they happened to have on. Naturally, after running around in the woods, the nobles finery wasn't looking too fine. Charles' leathers were holding up quite nicely. The King then proposed that they go straight from the hunt to church. At the church, he chastised the nobles for their clothing, saying something to the effect of "Whose clothing is the more useful?"
Me:
>Every Loskalmi king since the adoption of Hrestoli Idealism has risen from
>peasant parentage
David Hall:
>>>Actually, I suspect there haven't been any kings who have risen from
peasant
parentage. The current king, Gundraken, was a squire of Prince Snodal in the
time before the idealist church was formed - and therefore of good noble
parentage.<<<
Joerg:
>>>I kind of doubt that. King Siglat was the son of Snodal, and after his
death there were not many kings. Gundreken of Walsburg may well be the
direct successor of Siglat, the sources are quite silent about this.
Gundreken's main fame as a youth was to be Siglat's squire, a position
a peasant wouldn't occupy that easily even in the most egalitarian
society.<<<
Sandy:
>>>Actually, this isn't so. Every king has risen from peasant
_origins_, but his parents can quite easily be Lords and normally,
perhaps invariably, have been.<<<
Hmmm, three responses, and all three disagree with me. Which leaves me with the question: where is this information coming from? Unfortunately, all I have access to is G:GCotHW, and a few scraps in GoG and the Glorantha Book from the main rules.
Quoting from the Genertela Book:
"Despite their renunciation of the God Leaner principles, the Loskalmi
suffered heavily from the consequent damages wreaked at the end of the
Second Age. By 925 the Closing cut off the Neliomi Sea...The kingdom
survived the revenge against the God Learners..., and the paroxysms of guilt
and religious reformation. The result was the transformation of the kingdom
into a self-sufficient and confident political entity able to maintain
itself against all troubles. Not once during the ensuing centuries did son
succeed father as king -- each new king has risen from peasant parentage."
Dave, Joerg and Sandy, I would like to draw your attention the last sentence especially. "The ensuing centuries" leaves some room for interpretation. Here's mine: Since the two paragraphs I took the above quotes from seem to be dealing with the end of the Second Age, I believe that "the ensuing centuries" are from approximately 925 to the start of the campaign. In my case, that's 925-1621, or about seven hundred years. The last part of that sentence, "each new king has risen from peasant parentage", leaves little room for doubt about the parentage of each king. What I am trying to determine for the purposes of my campaign, is what effect would seven centuries of peasant kings have upon a kingdom?
Then again, it appears I am missing out on some information sources. Ah well.
Me:
> A Farmer's Lot in Life
[...]
> The Farmer knows that he can rely upon the Knights for protection.
> (From my admittedly limited understanding of Medieval Europe, the
> peasantry often had cause to wish for protection FROM the knights).
> Likewise, he knows he can rely on the Wizards for spiritual (and moral)
> guidance, healing, plow blessings, etc.
Joerg Baumgartner:
>>>These services need not coincide with the farmer's needs, though, so
there is still raw material for conflicts.<<<
Point well taken. I've come to the conclusion that there is a great deal of "raw material for conflicts" in Loskalm.
Me:
> One must first rise to the Knightly caste.
> Advancement past this caste involves becoming a weapons master,
> as well as a master of other battle skills. This usually means actual
> combat experience.
Joerg:
>>>Maybe since the Thaw, although Loskalm has seen no major battle since
then. Most "actual combat experience" the Loskalmi knighthood could gain
was either as occupational force on Ygg's Isles, harmless raids into
Oranor, staged battles against (numerically) hopelessly inferior Junora,
or grand maneuver battles (the only form of combat experience throughout
the Ban besides tournaments to prove individual combat prowess).<<<
Point taken. Pehaps the risk to life and limb is not as great as I had at first thought. However, the apparent risk has undoubtedly increased in the nine years since the KoW emerged.
Me:
> Rising from the Farmer Caste, into the Knight Caste, does not make
> one an actual Knight. Instead, one is a soldier.
Joerg:
>>>So you say that the 33,000 foot soldiers of the Loskalmi army rank
as knight caste as well?<<<
I'm going to go along with the 4.5 castes that Sandy suggests, with the Soldiers being in between Farmers and Knights. They are certainly more than the Farmer militia.
Me:
>A Loskalmi Farmer is not heavily taxed, and the taxes are not used
>(for the most part) to support an obscenely sumptuous lifestyle
for >the upper castes
Sandy Petersen:
>>>I play that the Loskalmi farmers are moderately taxed, and
that this taxation increases in times of danger. At the moment, I
believe that they are, in fact, quite heavily taxed. They don't
object, though, because everyone must do their part. The Farmers
spend their toil, the Knights their blood, the Wizards their
freedom, and the Lords their lives.<<<
That makes a great deal of sense, and fits in quite nicely with the image I have for Loskalm.
Sandy:
>>>WHY DON'T ALL FARMERS TRY TO ADVANCE THEIR CASTE?
WHY AREN'T ALL LOSKALMI NOBLES BUTTWIPES, LIKE IN TANISOR, THE
LUNAR EMPIRE, AND THE ORLANTHI LANDS?
Sandy:
>>>NOBLE BEHAVIOR
[snip] But
note that there are two ways of thinking that I'm sure both find
currency among modern Loskalmi;
FANCY DRESS [snip]
UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE [snip]
SIMPLE CLOTHING [snip]<<<
(See my notes above on Charles.) What I have in mind for the clothing of Loskalmi nobility is a mix of all three of the above. However, with the King setting the norm which the nobility try to emulate (ie:fashion), fancy dress is exceptionally uncommon (all IMHO, of course).
Thanks to everyone who has responded. I have borrowed many of the ideas given to improve Loskalm in my campaign.
Paul
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