Me>> which implies that
>> leonophobia was not a characteristic of the Loskalmi.
>I can't see why not. The lions, surely, killed people? Were these people
>fearless of them? Unlikely.
This was a civil war that happened some nine hundred years ago. Since that time, the Loskalmi have had no contact with the lions apart from a largish raid by the Carmanians seven hundred years ago that never even reached the borders of Loskalm proper.
So to imply that the Loskalmi have maintained a rabid fear of lions that manifests itself in the Kingdom of War is like claiming that the modern day Englishman has a hidden rabid fear of Popish Plots. Furthermore the Loskalmi later revolted against the God Learners and kicked their butts out of Fronela, so I would exepect some revisionism viz-a-viz ancient prejudices (to wit 'Talor was a good bloke!' etc).
I think it more likely that the KoW reflects Loskalmi perceptions of the chaos of King Siglat's struggle for the throne which the Loskalmi have been blanking out.
>> Also it is unlikely for Syranthir to leave any sufficient numbers
>> of lions and troops behind that could survive the next two ages to
>> become incorporated into the Kingdom of War.
>But the Kingdom of War appeared during the Syndic's Ban, seemingly from
>nowhere. It incorporates no part of the physical world as it previously
>existed, surely, despite the blatant unrealism of this idea.
The Q&A said that the KoW was originally inhabited by inhuman demons (Uz?) from the land of the dead. The KoW is now mostly human because it has converted its enemies into fighting for it. So if you want Basmoli in the KoW, a group of them would have to be in the vicinity of the Black Forest circa 1612-18 ST when it thawed IMO.
>Also, in reference to a later message : Are all knights who paint
>dragons on their shields fearless of dragons? Surely not !!
This does not follow. If they have conquered the dragons and thus gained the right to paint the motif on their shields, then it follows that the knights themselves are not afraid of dragons. Given that the struggle against the Lions occured in 1st Century Seshnela and resulted in their extinction/assimulation, the impact of an imported leonine order into Loskalm would largely be heraldic (cf the Grand Order of the Swallow - are swallows vicious animals?).
>My present conceit is that there are men of the Kingdom of War who use lions
>as steeds ("tame" lions). They worship Basmol, and are indeed Basmoli,
although >they may suffer from some kind of magical damage from the fact
that they are >the embodiment of the fear and loathing of the Loskalmi (ie
they use western >armour and weapons, etc...). The Loskalmi look on them as
being Evil Knights.
I think you would be better placed arguing this as a fear of the _Arrolians_ whose sufferings at the hands of the Carmanians are more recent. As well as being devastated by Lion Warriors seven hundred years ago, they suffered a hundred year long occupation a century and a half ago. Remember the KoW embodies the fears of all Fronelans, not just the Loskalmi.
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #75
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