>>[The Lunar Empire] only burned down one [elvenwood]. The other was done
>>by the CharUn who are allies of the Empire at best, and were on the verge
>>of invading Glamour not so long beforehand.
>"After 50 years of loyal service, the Char-un received Erigia [ibid, p43]"
>Two generations is 'not so long'?
The reason for the deterioration in Lunar and Char-Un friendship is not known at this time. It may have been longstanding, as hinted by their non-appearance among the troop lists at the first victory against the Blood Kings mentioned above. A famous Lunar Vase shows a mounted warrior assualting Glamour but we do not know if this was Char-Un. Lunar Wane Chronicles: First Wane.
To put some dates into this, the CharUn converted in 1228. The first victory against the Blood Kings took place after 1250. The assault on Glamour is Jannisor's famous attack and that took place in 1275. The CharUn are given Erigia in 1279. They don't look so loyal now, do they?
>GB continues "The tribe was displeased,
>for it was elf forest. But in 1/32 the Skyburn spell poured liquid fire on
>the forests, and destroyed all the trees." The simplest reading of this
>passage is that the Lunars performed another of their astronomical wonders,
>like the Crater-Makers or the Twin-Stars, to help their allies.
Unfortunately we are told in the same source that I quoted that the Skyburn started after "Panishi stirred his own magics and created a fearsome weapon". Admittedly it does then state that "The ritual was [...] maintained by refugee priests from the cities of Yuthuppa who had taken refuge with the Char-Un Kahn." (I think they are captive slaves myself).
Then we are told that the Emperor ordered a Moonburn, modelled on the earlier CharUn event. The different magics used meant that the Moonburn took five years to complete, instead of two for the Skyburn.
>It may be the Skyburn was entirely a Char-un magic. If so, the Lunars still
>planted them there {as opposed to, say, Twice-Blessed} and the result of
>this Lunar arrangement was a destroyed elvenwood, and allies reduced in
>population and rendered dependent on mercenary service.
But did the Lunars actually intend for the CharUn to raze Erigia? I believe that they actually wanted the CharUn to exterminate _themselves_ in attempting to conquer Erigia and that they were quite astounded at the CharUn spell.
>>Dagori Inkarth warred against the Lunar Empire.
>This is a straw man. No political organization since Time has included
>all dwarves or all trolls, much less all of both. The Empire does,
>unlike many states, include both dwarves and trolls. AFAIK it includes no
>organized body of Aldryami (the Stinking Forest may be, but is not yet,
>the first).
The Gardens of Carresh in Oronin Satrapy:
The Third Age found a subtle Aldryami comeback. The first hundred years saw more and more of their vast forests razed, but at the same time there appeared exquisite gardens growing on old sacred territory. This time, though, the Aldryami were under the protection of the local humans. Examples of this phenomenon are the Gardens of Carresh, in the Lunar Empire... Cults of Prax p96.
The Old Centers of Rist:
The Elves [of Rist], caught without allies and in open ground by the Lunar Army, were killed or forced to leave their native land. They did kept their Old Centres which survived, but most of their race abandoned their roots and moved into haunted Dorastor. Lunar Wane Chronicles: First Wane.
And there's the Moon Elves growing on the surface of the Moon.
The Lunars also had the Moonbow regiment raised from Rist, but every man and elf of that regiment died in flames within five years of Rist's razing.
>>Given that it does not "contain" two elder races, there is no
>>reason why it should hate elves.
>"The Blue Moon Trolls have aided the Goddess since her lifetime and are
>widely held] to be a branch of the Emperor's secret police." [loc.cit.]
I assure you that the Lunars have no secret police and even if they did, they would be staffed by humans.
>At the least, they have some authority and influence in Glamour.
Not to the extent of directing the empire into vast and complicated magic projects against age-old race enemies. Such is completely anthetical to the Lunar Way.
>"Jord...is home to the largest group of dwarfs _in_ the Empire.[p.39]"
They live within the Empire but they are not imperial subjects AFAIK and they take their orders from the Decamony of Nida. Elder Secrets makes no mention of their subservience to the Empire.
>Presumably followed by Imther.
The Brass Mountains.
>And then there is the Dwarf Run prophecy, which claims the Red Moon is a
>dwarvish tool [ibid. p.56].
Elder Secrets also reports that the Silver Dwarves claim to have made the Red Moon. But what would they know? They can't even explain the purpose of the Red Moon.
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