> Orlanth is real and so is the afterlife. It certainly makes for devout
> worshippers.
The Seven Mothers are real and so is their afterlife. And Orlanthi are welcome to convert, enjoy the benefits of the Lunar Way in the here and now, then gain admission to the celestial paradise of the Lunar Sphere in the hereafter. What's the problem?
(I'm not rising to your IRA thread, because those criminal bastards have come pretty damn' close to hurting me three times and I can't help taking it personally).
> If the Lunar occupation of Sartar had lasted longer then I am sure
> they would have got around to the atrocities that you site.
Pshaw! That reminds me of the ancient Welsh martial art of Llap-Goch: "If we start murdering Lunar soldiers, raping their priestesses and mutilating their children *now*, they'll never have the chance to oppress us the way I'm sure they'd want to!"
> The once free peasants once ran the hill choosing thier own fate.
> During the summer thay could up stakes and go adventuering.
"Adventuring"? You mean stealing from their relatives, oppressing the ethnically-diverse indigenous peoples of Dragon Pass, looting tombs and meddling with Things Best Left Alone? Sheesh! Lucky we've got patrols from the Native Furthese Corps in place to stop that kind of carry-on! And the "once free" peasants are now richer and happier, living satisfying lives under the full employment which the benevolent Seven Mothers cult offers to all its members.
> I would be the last one to say that all Lunars are black hearted
> scum. But...
Says it all, really.
> If you don't see the Empire is bad in a Orlanthi based Dragon Pass
> then what have you got. I suppose the Pc could always wander the
> country preaching the good word of the moon handing out flowers.
I don't know what you mean by "a Orlanthi based Dragon Pass". Are you asking how being a Lunar merchant, soldier, diplomat or priest in Dragon Pass could be entertaining? The answer's self-evident! Look around you at "Home of the Bold": I guarantee the Lunar players aren't *pretending* to enjoy themselves! Or (if you're not in that game) come and play in "The Tarsh War" instead, as war-drums beat along the Bush Range and native unrest grows...
Why not try re-reading a couple of Asterix books: look how the Indomitable Gauls interact with Romans, and see the kind of adventures which become possible in an occupied barbarian country where the backward natives are encountering civilisation, and now have the opportunity to travel to all kinds of strange new places, meet unusual people and learn about them. (This is how the Greydog Campaign works).
If every Asterix book had depicted a grim, gritty, unrelenting terrorist war against the occupiers, I doubt they'd have been so successful. It's *because* the Romans are a fixture that they're so entertaining. You have to learn to get along with them: you can't just kill every Roman you meet (or every Roman small enough and weak enough to pick on, for that matter).
So, by all means beat up a wandering Lunar patrol that gets in your way ("these Lunars are crazy!"), but don't forget to talk to the commanding officers. Visit their amazing gleaming marble cities in search of exotic treasures: experience the realities of civilised life. And remember (when plotting) that the Lunars can be extremely subtle when they want to: scenarios based on "The Roman Agent" or "The Mansions of the Gods" could be entertainingly different for Orlanthi players. Go for meaningful plots: don't just kill people at random and pretend your religion justifies it!
Yours indomitably,
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