Origins of Spoken Auld Wyrmish

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_voyager.co.nz>
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 10:58:47 +1300 (NZDT)


Joerg Baumgartner

[Joerg believes that the Jrusteli must have had creative HQ before 573 ST (and not after the conquest of the Dark Empire as I suggested) because they were able to raid the cult of Drolgard.]

>>There's no indication that they did it by creative heroquesting.
>>All it says is that it was accomplished in a spirit raid.

>That's another word for a "I rob your powers" HQ. If the usual Western
>style of HQing is to bypass nameless guardians to rip off powers from
>nameless opponents, the accuracy with which the Jrusteli ripped the
>draconic speech from Drolgard seems a bit suspicious.

Who said they were nameless guardians?

>>The mythic relation IMO is a red herring here as cultures have always
>>had the power to create new myths in response to new challenges.

>Yeah. Where was the challenge to Jrusteli culture here? Why did they
>raid this heroine?

There is a Dragonewt Nest in Ryzel which would have been a menace to Old Slontos. Given that there are Orlanthi (even if they are unlightbringerized) in the region, a drolgard-based alliance of Orlanthi and Dragonewts would have been a potent foe of the Slontans. The Slontans know the Drolgard Priests are the link to speaking with the 'newts but are unable to convince any drolgard priest to teach them.

Enter the Jrusteli God Learners who are friends of the Slontans. They offer to solve the problems of the Slontans and thus capture the secrets of Drolgard in a spirit raid. Draconic-speaking emissaries from Slontos reach Ryzel and persuade the Inhuman King to adopt a more neutral stance with respect to the Orlanthi-Slontan War.

The Jrusteli, pleased as punch, then sail to Nochet where they know there is a sizable 'newt population nearby. They sell their secrets for a tidy sum to the people of Dragon Pass who have been unable to speak to Dragonewts before this (which rules out a Dragon Pass origin for Drolgard IMO).

>But I think I forgot the obvious way how Arkati secrets could have come
>to Jrustela: there were Arkati (missionaries or settlers) on Jrustela
>after Arkat's return.

How would they get from Ralios to Jrustela? The Seshnegi are hostile to Arkat and the Slontans remember (whether they were Orlanthi or Malkion) that Arkat betrayed them to become a Troll.

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