Well yes, this is true but I was talking of melee - since you bring battlefield tactics into it - lets look at an Orlanthi clan in battle - their Chief is protected by his Huscarls who are all good warriors and usually contain a Rune Level in bigger clans. When fighting trolls - plainly without Orlanthi honour - the Orlanth Wind Lord is not going to fight them one to one fairly. Tis always amused me about the ZZ cult in Cults of Prax that they would get solitary Humakti to fight them one to one then gang up on him on their holy days. It amused me because I'm quite sure the Humakti in the Temple would say "Hey old Farnath Battleblade went into an alley to fight a troll and sixty others jumped him and beat him to death." At which point the Sword would reply - "Serves the stupid bugger right - did I not teach him that honour is among our folk, not in others and skill includes the use of intelligence as well as a strong sword arm?" I think they would see this kind of stupidity as being natural selection processes at work.
Likewise, the troll slinging the Wind Lord - I suppose the Windlord is going to stand out in front of his men reading poetry? Not so. Also I can't see a ZZ Death Lord actually pausing in battle to say to his trollkin - "I don't like the look of him - you can take him down for me my little buddies"?!?!?!?!?!? I don't think so - the trollkin would be stomped flat if they got in the way of his headlong attack. Trolls may be good guerilla fighters but on the battlefield they are headlong warriors and the Orlanthi know this which is why they aren't all dead and trolls don't rule the universe.
As for the lunars blowing a fellow away with a ballistae - hmmm, I don't think an Orlanthi warrior is going to issue ritual challenges to a foreigner. Orlanthi challenge because they know that they war with their _own_ and give _honour_ by doing so. The Varmandi are honourable to the Orlevings in their own way, even if they hate them but to some Broo or trolls? This honour is _not_ given to strangers/foreigners who will be subjected to every sneaky Orlanthi trick imaginable - like not being in Whitewall when the attack comes, like Arim bringing the hills down on a lunar army, like Argrath freeing Sheng, like numerous other instances of Orlanthi strategy and tactics being shown quite clearly - these are not stupid people and they are weaned on war and raid. This should never be forgotten when comparing military capabilities.
Rune Lords of warrior cults are the tanks of Glorantha - they are deadly in attack and defence but also vulnerable if left exposed - hence any society worth its salt at fighting would have numerous ways of keeping their RLs safe until the "moment of decision" as Napoleon would term it.
Martin Laurie
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