> 1) Can sorcerers using Sandy's sorcery rules increase their arts and
> skills by experience.
Brithini are said to do so. Malkioni use the interaction of Saints, or take vows, cutting the tedium to train a skill to 100%+ within a lifetime.
With the recent information about the nature of mysticism, I have come to ask myself whether Sandy's vows (abstain from <activity> to gain magical oomph) isn't the mystic's way rather than the materialist's. I.e. practice in the Lunar Empire?
Opinions?
> 2) I was wondering whether the main written language used in
> Heortland was. Is it still Heortlander or do they use the language
> of their Western overlords instead.
What Western overlords? Do you mean the relatively short Rokari interlude of the Kingdom of Malkonwal under Richard the Tigerhearted and Bishop Vancelain du Tumerine of Nochet? Or do you mean the Aeolian nobility, which is as a rule of thumb native Hendriki families (except perhaps in the south, where proximity of God Forgot and passage to Prax may have brought some Ralian families in, or even have converted God Forgot natives conquered around 1350-80)?
> OR do they use both for different purposes like English and
> French were used in Medieval England?
The Heortlander written tradition is quite old, and (ironically) was reinforced by the God Learner incursions to Kethaela in the 2nd Age when they stressed the librarian branch of LM. Issaries might be using Tradetalk for keeping accounts, Esrolia surely uses some Earth-influenced Theyalan language for their Asrelian bank houses which probably are influential elsewhere in urban Kethaela.
The Aeolians in my vision of Heortland speak Heortlander with Western affectations - much like "modern" German keeps taking in English terms and even phrases and grammar (or lack thereof). I supposed that their scribes write their records in freeform grammar and freeform spelling Heortlander.
Official language usually is that of the rulers. This means that Seshnegi became the demanded language for official documents under Richard, and New Pelorian under Lunar occupation. LM and Issaries interpreters profited from these trends.
When Brian of the Volsaxi conquers the crown of Heortland, I guess the official language (if Brian ever had enough rest to decree such a thing) would be a more antiquated Heortlander, similar to the Sartarite dialects (and choice of vocabulary - I imagine German strewn with French or Italian loan words rather than English, to catch the lingo of the 18th and 19th century).
My two clacks...
Nick chimed in his:
>> OR do they use both for different purposes like
>> English and French were used in Medieval England?
> The latter is the more fun, and I embrace it.
> Remember that there have been "Western" influences in Heortland
> since the end of the First Age. It's not just King Richard's
> johnny-come-lately Rokari crusaders (although those *are* rather
> like a brutish Norman Conquest on their own) -- perhaps a fair
> comparison is:
> Second Age Heortland - like Anglo-Saxon England becoming
> converted to Christianity (Aeolian Malkionism):
> Venerable Bede Country.
Like Britain, in a number of waves. Here's a short hstory of Western influences in Heortland:
Heortland's earliest exposure to Western dialects lie in God Forgot and the Isles, when the Waertagi come and even drop off some of their Ingareen allies (whose language may become adopted by native Theyalans - the "dupes" of the "Brithini" system of God Forgot).
Then comes Arkat with his closest allies from the Ralian campaigns, including a number of left-over knights and wizards from Seshnela who made the same identification of the Crusade's enemy as Arkat had, and even (at least) one Horali companion from Brithos, and throws out Palangio's regime. Arkat's human companions live with the natives while Arkat undergoes his troll rebirth, and comradeship in arms after a successful liberation plus some confusion on the Orlanthi side about the nature of their religion (this is the same time Harmast preaches his way of worship to the broad masses) may have attracted first tentative contacts.
Some of Arkat's new comrades-in-arms remain even through his Dorastor campaign (or join him afterwards, coming in from the north in the wake of Harmast and Talor) and enter Ralios, experience the Stygian Malkionism of Arkat's Dark Empire, and return to Heortland. (This is how David Hall wrote the vita of "St." Aeol.)
Contrary to earlier claims, I have de-westernized my ideas about Heortland quite a bit. After a while, Aeol's sect becomes an obscure but persistent subcult of Orlanth among the (urban or close-to-urban) Hendriki, Orlanth Aeolus or Orlanth the Wizard.
Enter the Jrusteli and Slontoli merchants in the sixth and seventh century. Apparently the Jrusteli still needed to explore most of Kethaela around 700 S.T. when Hrestol Arganitis continues his travels through Kethaela into Dragon Pass. Seems like they entered Nochet after passages on Waertagi ships and just built up a presence there, enough to chance upon the cult of Drolgard around 670 and perform a spirit raid.
In 720 the battle of Tanian's Victory increased Jrusteli presence everywhere by several orders of magnitude. Three (known) Jrusteli cities were built in Kethaela, of which Lylket (on the base of the Shadow Plateau) was closest, and possibly most influential, to Heortland.
The Zistorite movement seems to have started in the late eighth century (Peter, when was the conquest of Dark Esrolia?) and impacted Heortland later when the Machine God armies conquered at least part of the land. This influence, and God Learner presence, terminated in 916 with the fall of Locsil, the Clanking City.
The Closing prevented a strong recurrance of Jrusteli merchants encroaching the land again after things had had time to cool down a bit. Instead, Ralian trader princes from Jorstland established a trade route through Wenelia and Nochet in the early 12th century, and came at least to Knight Fort. Their introduction of Ralian chivalry armour to the horse-riding nobility made Western ideas popular once more, and slowly increased Aeolian influence.
IMO the full expansion of Aeolianism in Heortland happened in the great civil wars around and after Belintar's ascension (which also prompted the resettlement of Dragon Pass). While it was supported by the Ralians, most of it was carried by native "converts" as a party in the civil war. Considering the strange aberrations in custom and habits of the English civil war in Chromwell's time (Tories and Roundheads), at least a strong western (Safelstran?) affectation in language may be expected.
The first Heortland civil war (1315 or earlier to around 1325 or 1350) was fought by progressive Aeolians against traditionalists. The progressive party eventually won when it switched to supporting Belintar, who didn't help much in cleaning up shop, though.
After 1350, a unified kingdom of Heortland (re-) conquered the God Forgot-held south of the land, including Refuge. While this brought in a lot of western(ish) speaking people, I'm not so sure how it affected the preferred language of the literate class.
As far as Ralian-descended landholders there may have been concerned, a feudal Hendriki kingdom would have been preferable to Talar rule, so they may have been allies within the conquered territory. I doubt they were a significant influence in the large picture, though.
Seshnegi influence on Heortland came through Safelster (which had been conquered twice by the Tanisoran kingdom of Rokari Seshnela, first under Bailifes the Hammer, later under Ulianus III). I suppose it was under Bailifes' regime that the Nochet bishopric turned Rokari (but then I just learned about the Irish archbishop who converted to Anglican protestantism without ever being deposed by the Pope, effectively filling the top office of both confessions for the remainder of his - very long - lifetime).
The Opening brought direct access for the Seshnegi in addition to the Safelstran-controlled overland trade routes through Maniria.
>Third Age Heortland - like late AS England being invaded by
>Normans (Rokari Crusaders):
>Hereward and Ivanhoe Country.
Ivanhoe Country goes especially well for the three years of the Kingdom of Malkonwal, or for southern Heortland where IMG Ralian Trader Prince families had settled the disputed region between Heortland and God Forgot. (Mt. Passant has seen both God Forgot and Hendriki overlordship several times in its history IMG.)
The period before Richard might be similar to Aethelred's (the "Unready") reign of England: friendly relations to the recent imports of Seshnegi merchant nobles and their knights since the Opening, and growing influence of Seshnegi individuals at the court even before Richard's arrival.
You missed out a parallel for Alfred the Great's introduction of written Anglo-Saxon as a scientific language (e.g. Orosius). Best guess would be the "reorganisation phase" in Lhankor Mhy libraries after the fall of Clanking City...
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #108
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