Re: Kralorela; Knight Fort; Cradles from Nick Brooke on 1998-02-03 (Glorantha Digest Vol 05)

From: Nick Brooke <Nick_Brooke_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 07:38:01 -0500

Nils worries that I'm getting at him. To straighten this out: I have the greatest possible respect and admiration for Nils Weinander's work in Kralorela and the East Isles, and earnestly strive to uphold his original discoveries and insights. I feel there is a balance to be struck between the two camps -- Continuity (the Kralori Golden Age as inspiration for the modern Empire) and Change (the impact of the book-burning, the False Dragon Ring, and other historic events on said Empire). I would devoutly hope that nobody is taking this to excess ("Kralorela today is *identical* to its Godtime state" vs. "Kralorela today is *quite unrecognisable* from what it looked like ten years ago"). And I feel that Peter and Stephen -- mostly, let it be said, Stephen -- have escalated a reasonable dispute about the relative merits of continuity vs. change into an unpleasant slanging match which I don't really want to follow.

Stephen writes a proposal that Ralian nincompoops built Knight Fort because it'd be too expensive to stop, then asks:

> Is this something like your idea for the place?

Not really. As I posted and recently reiterated, I think it was built in the Middle Sea Empire period by God Learners as a buffer protecting their settlements in God Forgot (inc. Casino Town and Machine City) from raids out of Prax. Then reoccupied over the years by a variety of tenants, including Heortlanders, Trader Prince entrepreneurs, and most recently Sir Richard's Rokari mercenaries. I do like your "Western Explorers in Prax" notion, and would love to hear this story from the Praxian side -- and, of course, to discover their remnants out on the High Plaines. (My guess: they blundered into the Dead Place and lost all the sorcerous benefits they had brought with them).

Certainly the Trader Princes could have "refurbished" the ancient God Learner stronghold -- it's unlikely the Praxians could do much by way of slighting such a fortress. And *this* might be the (lesser) expense they thought it worthwhile seeing through to the end, despite the loss of a potential Praxian market. (NB: let's not forget that the Trader Prince strongholds through Wenelia are in a rather vulnerable position: it could well be that by the time the Praxian Venturers' Company were about to up sticks and head back to their home fortress, they learned that they didn't control it any more -- a "hostile takeover" by natives or by neighbouring Trader Princes can ruin your whole day! At which point, they're stuck on the Praxian Marches with current possession of a rather nice fortress -- plenty of incentive to settle down.

> One idea is to have this long-lost Cradle's magical defenses activated
> when The Cradle floats down the river. Many people see the magic glows
> and hear the strange sounds, but most are too scared to investigate.

A *great* suggestion for why it's rediscovered now. Not only does this make it easier to find the Cradle today: it also allows you to make it easier to access (i.e. if some of the awakened defenders have tunnelled out, or even if the whole Cradle is beginning to excavate itself). Nice one!

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Nick
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