It is with great sorrow that I have read the recent disparaging remarks by a noted Lunar scholar usually referred to as "The Crimson Nick", in which he lays the Imperial goal of destroying Orlanth and the blame for many of the empire's greatest atrocities firmly at the feet of the Dara Happans, whom he claims have somehow managed to subvert the Goddess' magnificent empire.
While many over-zealous young Dara Happans may look back at their distinguished history and decide that the world would be a better place without the southern barbarians' complex array of petty storm gods, they would certainly not find a history of atrocities to emulate.
Although the ancient Pelandans, (a culture which provides many of the roots of modern Lunar philosophy), suffered many bouts of violence with the elven races over land use, the Dara Happan model for dealing with elves was framed by the Emperor Khordavu, who made friends of the elves and established boundaries benficial to both races.
As to the genocide of the feathered people in the south, I would remind our readers that it was Lunar soldiers and magicians who invented genocide, and first used it to eradicate the intelligent life of our own lovely Oslira, the heartriver of Dara Happa. The Red Emperor's own daughter, Hwarin Dalthippa, defined her godhood by defeating rivers and southern river peoples. A great river people themselves, the Dara Happans have traditionally looked fondly on the little peoples of the mud. The genocide of the "ducks" in the south is most certainly not a Dara Happan idea!
Attributing the ravages of Sheng Seleris to Dara Happa can only be the wildest and most vengeful stretch of the imagination. Dara Happans have warred with horse barbarians since the fall of Murharzarm, long before the Pelandans had learned to rub two sticks together. Any accusations that the Pentans gave preferential treatment to and even recruited peoples of the sun are nothing but spiteful rantings from a newer culture that was not nearly so proficient at withstanding horsemen!
Unfortuneately, there is a marked tendancy among Lunar scholars to attribute the troubling consequences of their philosophy to the ancient shortcomings of their subject cultures, when instead they should be looking to their own lack of history.
As the Darjiini say, "A tree cannot grow to the sky without very deep roots".
Anirzanelm of Darleep,
(soon to retire to a celestial tower)
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