Estal Donge

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2001 13:09:24 +1300


Peter Larsen:

>f) [Estal Donge] is imprisoned in the City of Wonders in 1630.

This last bit sounds like a convienient fiction as the City of Wonders has already been sacked in 1624 and disappeared from the world forever. The true story of Estal's death is probably to be found in the Argrath Saga (KoS p28), where a debate is held over the fate of the prisoners before Mularik jumps up and beheads them.

>As usual, some of this is probably false. Mother or sister (or do
>the Tarshites go in for "fancy" marriages)?

Estal Donge is described as Pharandros's mother in the Tarshite History (KoS p128) and as his sister by the Sartarites (KoS p157).

My guess is that this muddle stems from the confusion over who is reigning in Tarsh as of 1621. Is it Pharandros having succeeded his father to the throne in 1610 as is stated several times in KoS? Or is his father, Moirades, still ruling? Moirades is mentioned as being king in 1621 according to the Genertela Book and KoS mentions him on two separate occasions in 1625. The first is sending a general to crush Grazer raids (KoS p152), while the second is the seizure of Aldachur (KoS p154).

My solution to the initial problem is that Moirades underwent a retirement from the world in 1610 but still acted as King from time to time. (IMO he's the evil king killed in the Grazer Raid mentioned in Argrath's Saga). The regent would have then been his son, Pharandros. Estal Donge, Moirades's wife, tired of being ignored by her husband decided to go travelling and fell in love with Temertain. She's keeping her royalty quiet in Sartar because if it were general knowledge that the Regent's mother was sleeping with an uncouth Sartarite pretender, there would be a terrible scandal. Something of her relationship with Pharandros is known but she quietens tongues by merely letting out that she's a distant blood relation.

>What was her
>relationship to Temertain -- friend, lover, mole, all three?

I suppose she is a lover but is blackmailed by Tarshites into keeping them informed of the Pretender's thoughts, plans and whereabouts. Note that what the Tarshites might know is not the same as what the Lunar Authorities might know.

>What did she do for Argrath's friends?

Probably nothing. What she and Pharandros do have is that Pharandros is married to Fazzur Wideread's sister (mentioned in Fazzur's bio up at glorantha.com). Onjur the Poet, the leading Tarshite Rebel, is Fazzur's son and to have them killed would stain Onjur with the blood of his uncle and great-aunt. That's why IMO there was such a debate about what to do with the prisoners. Mularik solves the gordian knot and Argrath, Onjor etc connive in a convenient fiction to soothe Tarshite opinion.

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