>> "Hey, Orlanthi, feel used?"
> "Heck, no."
My own "take" on his new points would be that Argrath becomes more and more "Imperial" himself, in his attempts to overthrow the Evil Empire (my folktale of "Argrath the Stickpicker" makes this point), as we can see in King of Sartar (appointing Mularik Ironeye to run Tarsh looks like sending Palangio the Iron Vrok to run Dragon Pass). My praise of Argrath as the first "White Emperor" is only semifacetious.
> I doubt Shepelkirt was a willing participant in her "transform-
> ation" into the White Orbiter...
Agreed. My "Triumph of the Lunar Cosmos" is a post-facto document, explaining (from a Fourth Age pro-Lunar POV) how we "really" won, despite all the evidence. I'd take it as read that very few in the Empire would think anything like this was happening in the Seventh and Eighth Wanes -- though maybe the White Moonies cottoned on?
> In setting herself up as a Yelm replacement, the RG unwittingly
> took on Yelm's mythic role...
Aha! But the difference is that the Goddess suffered, died, was reborn, etc. *before* becoming Ruler of Everything, whereas Yelm started off as Emperor of the Universe and was then offed, etc.
> All that nonsense about Yelm "attracting Orlantus with his justice"
> in GRoY strikes me as an enormous justification.
Well, you *are* an Orlanthi patriot, High King of Dragon Pass, etc. It'd be odd (and career-limiting) if you thought anything else. :-)
> Orlanthi heroquests almost never turn out quite the way they're
> planned.
Hold that "almost", and I'll agree. (Ever notice how freeform refs only start a heroquest when there's nowhere else to turn?)
> To summarize, was it all a Dragonnewt plot? Was Argrath just a tool
> of the Moon's evolution? Do we feel used? Don't know, don't care,
> and hell no. The Lunar Empire ended up on the scrapheap, Sartar Ruled
> the World (for a little while) and all was good. Pass the venison.
What a fine summary! Civilisation kicked in, barbarians acting like emperors, and peace nowhere to be found. Pass the boiled rat. :-)
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Nick
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