FW: Fazzursaga

From: Jeff Richard <jrichard_at_cnw.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 17:50:05 -0800


Howdy all,

        Boy have I been chatty recently. To keep in habit, I thought I'd = forward to the Digest some comments I made to Joerg on the "Fazzursaga":

>Around this time Moirades marries the queen of the Kero Fin wind =
children,

I know this is the compromise Feathered Queen, but I don't buy it. For = one, I'm not certain that there is much of a wind children population at = Kero Fin. For another, I find it somewhat silly. Why not simply state = that Moirades married the Earth Priestess of Kero Fin (the Sorana Tor)?=20

>and even gains some blessing of the Inhuman King, likely in exchange =
for a
>large number of slaves sent to Dragon's Eye (as per Dragon Pass random
>events chart). (This might also be the "inhuman cost" the dragonewts
>storming the walls of Boldhome were paid with.)

Sure, or the King of Dragon Pass Ritual was also partially successful. = Of course, even if it was, he probably still had to give the Inhuman = King a large number of slaves.

>Then Moirades invites his cousin, the Red Emperor, to the invasion of
>Sartar.

Persuades his cousin to support the invasion of Sartar. A client state = needs the "permission" of its patron to make such an action - otherwise = it isn't much of a client and its king is soon replaced.

>Moirades now turns his attention on the Feathered Horse Queen of the =
Grazers
>again.

After recognizing that Sartar had altered the King of Dragon Pass ritual = and transferred the "Ernalda figure" to the FHQ.

>Moirades has become King of Dragon Pass around or in 1610, after =
spending
>all of his country's wealth on this marriage. (He might even have =
loaned
>money from the Emperor, in exchange for a promise of peace in Dragon =
Pass.)

I like this. What are the obvious tangible effects of the King of = Dragon Pass ritual to justify expense this to Moirades?

>Around the same time, Fazzur invades Prax as Sor-eel's =
second-in-command. He
>prevents his commander from repeating the same mistakes which earned =
him his
>"recommendation" two years earlier, and leads the army safely to Pavis.

I like making Fazzur Sor-eel's second-in-command for the Prax invasion. = Was the invasion done at Euglyptus' planning or was it a Moirades' = strategem. I suspect the former, as a way of achieving the "important = policy goal" of a warm-water port, while preventing the Tarshites from = dominating Kethaela. Personally, I suspect that the warm-water port = objective has little if any support amongst the imperial aristocracy = [with the exception of the Emperor], who view it as a Tarshite = justification for expansion. Invading Prax allowed the objective to be = realized (and thus satisfying the Emperor) while thwarting Tarshite = expansionism. This Dara Happan/ Tarshite conflict can explain much of = the "Imperial" policy from 1550-1630. In fact, I strongly suspect there = was little enthusiasm amongst the Dara Happan leadership for the = invasion of Sartar.

Viewed this way, the "repression of the Orlanth cult in Sartar" may be = viewed as an internal political struggle disasterously manifested. = Possibly the Emperor was initially persuaded (against the advice of the = Dara Happan aristocrats) by Moirades to support his invasion of Sartar = by Moirades' crafty playing on the Dara Happan mythic symbol of Rebellus = Terminus - whom Moirades identified with the Sartarites. Unfortunately = for Moirades (and ultimately just about everyone), the Emperor and the = Dara Happan Imperial leadership identified Rebellus Terminus with the = "God of Sartar" - Orlanth. This despite the fact that a variant of = Orlanth worship was found throughout the southern reaches of the Empire. = This symbolic association is again repeated in 1620 during the invasion = of Kethaela. How's that for radical revisionist history?

>Fazzur does so, using the wealth he inherited from his father, and =
creates the most modern cavalry
>within the Empire (_not_ the Native Furthest veterans from DP; they are =
not listed among the Dragon >Pass units because by the time Argrath = invaded Tarsh, the Fazzurites had been alienated by >Pharandros' = intrigues).

What is this "most modern (?) cavalry"?  Did Fazzur develop a variant of =
the Macedonian "heavy lancers"?  Something akin to the cataphracti?  I'm =
just curious.  Personally, I don't think Fazzur even needed to develop a =
strong cavalry (the alliance with the Grazers should provide that). = I've always viewed Fazzur as developing Genertela's closest equivalent = to the legionaires - close order sword and shield soldiers. Think about = it: the Orlanthi are infantry soldiers who use thrusting/slashing swords = and a long shield. All Fazzur has to do is train them to fight in = relatively close-order (like the maniples of Hastati, Principes, = Triarii, Rorarii and Accensi described by Livy) formation and - viola - = Fazzur has a tactical equivalent of the Dara Happan hoplites with the = advantage of being able to recruited throughout the Kerofinelan lands. [Note: Joerg has pointed out that I have been Gregged on this one and = suggests a compromise - that the soldiers of Fazzur are essentially = dragoons.]

>The ensuing military campaign is well documented (in Wyrm's =
Footprints).
>Fazzur ended the rebellion by showing off the Lunar superiority, then
>treating the Orlanthi chiefs like a honorable Orlanthi chieftain would. =
But
>for the interference of the duck expedition to Seapolis, Fazzur would =
have
>been installed as gouvernor-king of Sartar, and might have attempted to
>relight the Flame of Sartar in his own name, but the surprise entry of
>Temertain spoiled this plan. This may have been one reason why he made =
the
>ducks the scapegoats of the Starbrow rebellion...

Great spin on the campaign of 1613.  After Euglyptus' inept Rebellus =
Terminus ranting, Fazzur's open and obvious tolerance (possibly even =
support) of the traditional Quivini godi and the clan-structure must =
have dowsed much of the religious fervor of the rebels. His showing of = gifts on the neutral chieftains and those who became neutral must have = also made all but the most loyal supporters of the House of Sartar quite = unenthusiastic about the rebellion.

>Ever looking for gainful use of his crack army, Fazzur sets out to =
prepare
>the conquest of the Holy Country, also in order to prove his ability to
>conquer the Holy Country, as he boasted 12 years earlier. He spends the
>first four years to solidify his position in the new provinces (leaving =
the
>Grazelands untouched, since they fall under Moirades' jurisdiction =
through
>his marriage).

Further, Tarshite finances are in desperate shape, and Fazzur is = feelling the pinch. Fazzur's war-machine requires either a rich land to = occupy (which Sartar ain't) or generous infusions of war-booty. Esrolia = offers both.

>Fazzur concentrated on the conquest of the Holy Country, now. By 1616 =
he had
>persuaded Moirades that a recompensation for his exorbitant bride-price
>could be earned in the Holy Country, and Moirades in turn persuaded =
Emperor
>Argenteus that the Lunar Empire required direct access to the Homeward
>Ocean, better than the meagre port of Corflu.

Moirades won this element of his long "feud" with the Dara Happan = aristocracy, but:

>Argenteus agreed, though for reasons of his own, and promised Heartland =
and Cavalry Corps troops to >aid the conquest of Heortland. He also = dispatched Jar-eel to remove the Pharaoh, thereby shattering >the unity = of the Holy Country.

I suspect that Moirades appealed to Argenteus on the "warm-water port" = objective; however, Argenteus was still motivated by the Rebellus = Terminus rhetoric that persuaded his predecessor to get involved south = of Tarsh in the first place. Moirades may have been as surprised as = Fazzur that the Emperor insisted that Heortland, not Esrolia, was to be = the primary objective. Further, I suspect that the Dara Happan = aristocracy had much more influence on Argenteus than Moraides did. . . =


End of Glorantha Digest V2 #402


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