> While the Romanization parallel has been used before, I'm
> uncertain that any clearances are taking place. The scottish
> clearances involved the deportation of the population to either
> the cities or overseas. Where are the sartarites going to go?
I think Roger was thinking more of the "lairdisation" of the Scottish clans (let's not mention the yet-later "Demoralisation and Balmoralisaion" theses). I think that part, at least, of the analogy is pretty valid. To wit, you go in, deal with friendly chiefs (and in the medium term, make _sure_ there's a friendly chief), let him keep all his old perks, and give him a few more, for luck. Make tribal chieftains "Counts", and provincial kings Senators, or whatever sounds like a cool Lunar equivalent of his social position. Eventually Count Barbarian starts _acting_ like a Heartland Count, and imposing the corresponding values as a result.
There is, though, at least some scope for "clearances". The Lunar prediliction for "rearranging" Sartarite tribes and clans could possibly be an instance of this, in part, plus I suspect that in the longer term, there _would_ be a more toward (yet more!) urbanisation.
Plus of course there's always killing them in their all-too-frequent rebellions, having them flee as refugees, shipping them off to Riskland and such places, feeding them to the Bat, and other such jolly ideas. Dunno if any of these are very statistically significant, but taken all together they'd make room for the odd sheep. (Lunar oxen?)
> Secondly the Lunar Empire does not have any preferred system of
> agriculture.
That's theoretically true, but there's probably an aggregate preference among the bigwigs for a more "Pelorian" method. So if your local lord _is_ a Dara Happan, jetted in to help lick the provinces into shape, or is a local with increasingly "Lunarised" ideas, you might find him seeking to "improve" local farming.
This will tend to have the effect that the better land will be the more "converted", while the more marginal stuff is left to the oldfashioned backward Orlanthi methods. (C.f. the classic "hill farm".)
Slainte,
Alex.
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #94
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