Re: The Glorantha Digest V8 #135

From: Coridan <coridan_at_shai-net.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 00:56:57 -0000

>
> :A different way to look at this is that Orlanthi society tends to put
> :all its hero eggs into the combat basket. Other societies have a much
> :wider range of heroes -- bureaucrats in Peloria and Kraloria, ascetics
> :in the West and Kraloria, religious sculptor/architects in the East
> :Isles, etc. Which means that the Orlanthi tend to excel at beating
> :things up but not at having, say, a stable political or legal system (or
> :hot water or roads). Sartar is a notable exception.
>
> I do think that the orlanthi recognize heroic lawspeakers, farmers,
> smiths, cow midwives... and not for their combat skills.
>
> The orlanthi aren't too god at building and maintaining kingdoms and
> empires, because that is not what they want. They are anarchistic and
> individualistic. Besides, they have already tried that twice (theyalan
> high counsil and EWF).

Also, let's not forget the fabled Kingdom of Tarsh, which until the Lunar conquest was a classic Orlanthi kingdom, with a strong line of kings, powerful magic, and regal traditions.

Being fairly pro-orlanthi myself, it seems to me that the various Heortling peoples have a vibrancy and vitality that is unmatched from anyone else on the Genertelan continent. The difficulty with the Lunars is that 'heroes' are more likely to be deliberate creations or extension of the state political apparatus, as opposed to being walking and talking expressions of Orlanthi culture, as most of the Sartarite heroes are. Both the Lunar Empire and the Kingdom of Sartar have this vibrancy, but I'm under the general impression that the Lunar Empire is in a period of decline and decay, with the fond wishes of the Citizenry and the Lunar Nobility that the wealth and comfort of the Empire be enjoyed and that peace and plenty be secured by whatever means possible, and part of those means include subduing those damn barbarians to the south. The Sartarites, on the other hand, are up against the wall... they don't want to
see their culture effectively destroyed like that of the Sylilans was, and they
don't want to suffer the same fate as Tarsh. Thus, Heroes are born out of desperation.

>
> Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000 23:38:27 GMT
> From: donald_at_grove.demon.co.uk (Donald R. Oddy)
> Subject: Farming Heros
>
> In message <200011241945.LAA09369_at_chaosium.com>
owner-glorantha-digest_at_chaosium.com (The Glorantha Digest) writes:
>
> From: Kmnellist_at_aol.com
>
> >The point being that Dara Happan peasants (Pelorian peasants, more
exactly)
> >don't stop being peasants until they are dead. Orlanthi peasants, OTOH,
often
> >stop being peasants and become Heroes, fighting Dara Happan Soldiers.
>
> I reckon you've just upset a lot of Orlanthi, they're free farmers not
> peasants. Peasants are tied to the land they farm and subject to their
> overlords.
>
> I would dispute the "often" regarding Orlanthi farmers becoming Heroes,
> the fighting Hero is the exceptional fighter, the 1 in 100 or 1 in a
> 1000 who makes a difference and can count on the support of the 99 or
> 999 others. We accept an heroic lawspeaker as a poor fighter and
> leader, what's the difficulty with accepting an heroic farmer has the
> same limitations?

What is the definition of 'Hero'? What differs a Hero from, say, someone who has
a normal leadership position, powerful magic, or is the leader of a community?

I suspect this will be a weighty question here on the Digest.

Chris Bell
argrath_at_agoron.com
coridan_at_shai-net.com

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