Kevin doesn't read my post carefully enough:
>I think the Chinese, the Russians, the Poles and the Hungarians would
>dispute that only the english had effective bows. The Monglos did quite a
>number on them, but they also tended to campaign in mid-winter (So the
>rivers were frozen solid). I may be mistaken, but I think that most
>Russian and Northern European winters are not characterized by calm gentle
>breezes.
Aha, I agree that the Chinese and the Mongols had very effective archer
forces, but the Chinese rarely employed them in offensive situations -
usually they were used in seiges and on defense (sometimes tactically as
Agincourt, et al), and the Mongols - while they had a very effective bow,
the design caused a very "whippy" release, much more like a XBow than a
longbow. (I would assume Pentan forces would be similarly equipped.) This
neccesitated shorter, lighter arrows (probably also due to their mobility)
which were practically stymied by decent armor.
I think most historians would agree that the advantage the Mongols had was
in their generalship, their strategic mobility, and their aggressiveness -
not dominant bowmanship.
Anyway I wasn't discussing whose bows were effective, I was discussing
DOMINANCE on the order of that exhibited by English (Welsh) Longbowmen, who
psychologically transfixed military thought for several centuries. This
hasn't been seen in Glorantha, not that they don't have effective archers,
just none that have been DOMINANT in that way.
Sorry for the digression....
><< why aren't there more cases in Glorantha where gods with different
names in
>different parts of the world are generally recognised to be the same being?>>
>
You're assuming people are as mobile and worldly in Glorantha as in the RW
- - not true at all. Joe living in Apple Lane has *heard* that Boldhome is a
fabulous city, but would never want to go there - too many people. And he
knows someone who once went to Duck Point, but they were robbed by some
Duck toughs.
He himself has actually been to the next valley, when the warriors from his
stead got together to hunt a wolf that had been taking sheep, but he didn't
see anyone.
And just 2 seasons ago, a stranger came through town, but she talked funny,
and didn't even know how to make the "friend" gesture that EVERYONE knows.
She left pretty quickly.
In this world, how many people would be travelling and comparing the
obscure points of correlation between religions? "Lessee, I'm here and I
worship Yelmalio - well, there's a temple to Elmal over there. Guess
there's no place for me to worship here..."