Aeolians and How Dragon Pass Orlanthi React to Them

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 23:25:17 +0000


Chris Bell (an Argrath):

> I imagine the Aeolians being especially targeted during the Lunar
> invasion of Heortland/Esrolia.

May I ask why? Lunar propaganda could (and IMG did) make good use of their being Malkioni, defining the "last bastion of Orlanth" in Whitewall because the southerners did not count. After all, the "last Orlanthi" were holed up in Whitewall already in 1619, whereas Heortland was conquered only in 1620 by Fazzur Wideread, before his dismission from field command of the Provincial Army in Sacred Time 1621/22. (Apart from the siege forces before Whitewall, which belonged to Tatius...)

> Would Dragon Pass Orlanthi think of
> them as Meldeks, somewhat-meldeks, or just people with weird magic?

(I dislike the term "Meldek" - it doesn't appear to be used in Dragon Pass, judging from KoS.)

Some of each. Die-hard Pharaoh-haters will regard every Kethaelan as a soulless sorcerers, but these would be a real minority (much like the Urox cult). Aeolians displaying manifestly wizardous magics to an unsuspecting public will be regarded as sorcerers, although a proper greeting and exchange of Orlanthi blessings, gifts etc. might mellow this.

And then there are modernist Orlanthi who aren't averse to innovations. All those who might entertain the idea of joining the Lunars might also have considered joining the Aeolians if they had been prominent in and around their territory. (IMO the development in Heortland during the last 300 years led to a situation where the best land fell to the most flexible clans who arranged themselves with the new powers, displacing the less flexible clans into less favourable places - to wit, the foothills and upper valleys.)

If Orlanthi can tolerate troll-friends and duck-friends, weird shaman-chieftains and draconic magicians, and even Lunar turncoats, why not also Malkioni imitators?


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