More accurately, Avivath made the first big use of Sunspear that was written down. GROY says that Avivath called down a sunspear with only a "badly sung prayer and no sacrifice". This implies that others had called down the wrath of the sun before, but only after making great effort. But Avivath was so pious, OR his cause was so just, that the power came with little effort. (Another case of innate justice reasserting itself?) But Avaivath is surely the hero accredited with the use of sunspear in Dara Happa.
To the Dara Happans, the Sunspear is the divine smiting power of justice. The ability to call it comes from worshipping Antirius, who is emperor/justice aspect of Yelm. This pretty much includes most Dara Happan noble leader-types.
Grazers and Pentans also use sunspear, but I think David Dunham has written that only their chiefs may call on it. Thus, the sunspear is still an aspect of rulership,and one hopes, justice. Presumeably, they get it from the same source that Avivath did - by correctly worshipping the ruler & justice aspect of the sun god. Perhaps they each have a myth of how they wrested the weapon away from the Dara Happans, but they needn't. Remember, the Dara Happan nobles are decended from Pure Horse people who decided to settle down and lord it over the Lodrilli in the Oslir valley. In modern Glorantha this is a musty old Yelmic Secret, but it accounts for the similairity in magic between Pent, Dara Happa, and the Grazers. (It also explains why Dara Happans, who are basically rice farmers, would bother to revere horses, or be obsessed by star lore as measured by a "tent frame".)
> Summarize timeline of pure horse people(please correct)
> 1:Henjarl of Dara Happa/attack of dijigelm to Genert Garden
> 2:Jenalong Dynasty/domain of Lendarsh to Pelanda
> 3:exile to Pentan waste
> 4:Schism of Gongarilli(other cattle meat)
> 5:attack of General Kastok from Dara Happa
> 6:Arrowsmith Dynasty of Pavis
> 7:Sheng Seleris
> 8:Dragonpass Grazelander/Char Un
Sounds basically correct. But I think the theory goes that the Grazers were taken from Pent by the Empire of the Worm's friends to fight the Praxians, and they stayed in Dragon Pass. I think that would have been around item # 6 above.
Pam
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