Peter:
> There *is* a modern tribe of the Galanini in the east
>wilds who were formed when Jonat visited Seshnela. (It's even described
>in Jonat's Saga but that is such archaic shite - it has people riding
>around in chariots frex - that only a few details can be assumed). That
>is why it is unsafe to refer to the Third Age Safelstrans or even the
>people of Galin as Galanini.
So, how do you call the citizens of Galin who follow the Horse God Galanin, specially if you have not read (andwill never read) Jonat's saga?
>I should expand upon my speculation about Galanini customs surviving
>among the Safelstran Knighthood. It seems to me that Ralios has a
>two-tiered system of cavalry. One is the standard Western Knight
>which rides Big Horses (the Fronan) whereas the burgher class would
>traditionally ride the Daron and be equivalent to turcopoles and
>serjeants.
If you take into account the cost of horses, most non-knights riders will be mercenaries, as nobody else will be skilled enough to fight well. That makes the equivalence with serjeants clearer. And the Safelster cities have trouble fielding big corps of heavy cavalry, so most such bodies will be the small Households of Nobles and mercenary bands, many of them from Seshnela, but also from the Castle Coast and Fronela.
The burghers, when forced to fight, will do it from the walls of their city, or in big militia units, never venturing far from home.
> I think the Nobles of Ralios would provide the Western-
>style Knights (with Ulianus Chivalry traditions or modern Rokari
>Thuggery) and the 'Knight' Caste the lighter cavalry with ye olde
>Galanini code of honor.
I feel you set too much store on Ulianus influence. He conquered only a part of Safelster (IMO Daran, Kustria, Dangim, Uron, Tarasdal, and parts of Azilos, Tinaros and Holut). He managed to extract tribute from all the states in the lake, but political control was feeble. This region is, IMG again, where rokarism spread to the peasants, and in some cases to the rulers too.
The nominal knight caste is what would be Noble too in the RW. That is why I prefer Lords and Knights, as they are both Noble (cf What my father told me).
>(The Galanini were too conservative for the Ralians; for
>example, they refused to adopt the Daron preferring their
>kindred Galana steeds. As a result they were gradually forced
>into the highlands by the Ralian Cities after the God Learners
>fell).
I suppose you mean by this the Galanini "neo-hsunchen" tribe that appears in Jonat's Saga. The Galana are (IMO once again) still going strong in Galin, one of the Ralian Cities, after the "rediscovery" of Galanin. I suspect the God Learners suppressed him for the cult of Ehilm. Most of what the GLs knew about Dara Happa was what they found from their indirect influence on Ehilm's worship in Galin.
>[...] the Ralians were eventually ineffective
>and some form of henotheistic malkionism took root.
No need to be ineffective, 500 years of Invisible God under the Dark Empire and the GLs are hard to forget. Specially as the magic is good.
>
>This faith was overtly replaced by the Rokari faith as a result
>of two Tanisoran invasions (Balifies and Ulianus III). So most
>of the nobility and the church in Ralios would have orthodox
>malkioni attitudes with the burghers and peasantry adopting a
>more heterodox attitude (with the precise details depending on
>the land in question).
What is Ralios there? I thought we talked about Safelster, the land where every city has a different sect, half a dozen secret societies, and cynical populace. And in many cases (cf Gcothw) the populace is rokari while the nobles (Lords AND knights) follow weird cults. No Tanisoran invasion ever got hold of the land.
>[...] But Maklamann just keeps on going and going...
Well, that is why he is a hero. Loyalty beyond reason or feeling...
Joerg (who agrees mostly with me, or I with him, so I will not repeat it)
>I am quite wary about the term "caste" in Malkioni context in general -
>viewed closely, caste more often than not turns out to be a feudal class
>rather than a rigid birth-place assignment. This way, noble houses get
>wizard kin and distant kin among the knights.
I know, as IMG castes are quite permeable. But that is the term we have in almost all the sources. And feudal classes are quite rigid, anyway. The advantage of descent is that almost anyone can claim descent from our lord Ehilm, Galanin the Horse Father, and the Old Bishop of Galin. And of course, to be a peasant you have nothing to prove. So in the end your social position will determine your caste. And Caste has IMG a big importance on Magic. That is why Secret Societies boom in Safelster, they bridge the caste barriers.
>The Forester Baron of Helby was a Galanini without Solar ancestors.
The requisites to rule in Helby are quite different than in Galin, where Solar descent is mandatory. And any imposter will be burnt to a cinder by Ehilm's sacred fire, that spares its descendants. So divine descent is easy to prove :-)
>Someone else (Peter?) mentioned that Enerali chivalry would be different
>from Seshnegi chivalry. I agree that there are several Enerali-derived
>traditions of chivalry which differ from the heavy shock cavalry of the
>Seshnegi. The cavaliers of Holut with their javelin salvos certainly
>are, and prove a constant thorn in the side of the Duke of Rindland. The
>Foresters of Helby are another variant of non-standard knighthood.
>Overall, the standard heavily armored knight will be found in most
>Safelstran feudal armies, though, for practical reasons.
The more important reason is that they are Seshnegi mercenaries:-) The Horse Lords of Galin have changed to become similar to the other heavy cavalry, but their special rapport with their horses is a big advantage.
The standard heavy cavalry in the West is the Seshnegi Knight, who is similar (tactically-wise) to the RW western knights of the XIVth century (an elite core of knights with heavy armor and barding, with sergeants and men at arms filling the ranks). That is present in Safelster in the tanisorian area of influence (more or less Ulianus' conquests).
The skirmishers of Holut resemble the turcopoles, or the muslim ghazi, or the spanish genitores, or the venetian balkanic mercenaries whose name I have forgotten. There is a heavy cavalry core, but they are seldom necessary.
The Loskalmi are a step forward, resembling XVth century knights. Few will be found in Ralios, except as participants in Kustria's Tournament. Jonatelans will be more frequent, and they will resemble the tanisorian heavy cavalry.
The Horse Lords of Galin, and other Galanin followers resemble the Polish Winged Knights, with plenty of feathers, and even some of them skilled in bow use from horseback, a tradition proudly kept.
Most of the other native knights will resemble in function the Japanese Samurai (without bows), skilled in both horse and foot combat, great besiegers, but with a weaker charge than the others. It is enough to break orlanthi shield walls or to chase chariots, however. They are more used to being honor guards than fighting in the battlefield, a mercenary's job anyway.
The burgher's prefer a crossbow from the walls of the city, and who is to blame them?
Jose
Powered by hypermail