Volsaxi and Trade

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2002 22:18:56 +1300


Joerg Baumgartner

> >I seriously doubt that the Pharaoh or the Kitori ever thought
> >in terms of blocking trade routes to punish people.

>While I might agree about the Kitori, the Pharaoh has been accused
>of this reaction in WF #6 (Intro to Famous Trolls of the Hero Wars).

Not having it, I could care less about what it says given that KoS does not repeat the statement that Sartar was an agent of the Pharaoh. I far prefer the alternate tradition that has its beginnings in White Bear and Red Moon in which Sartar is a man of wonder.

> >Secondly why would the Pharaoh allow the Kitori to exact tribute
> >from _his_ heortlings and thus alienate them? The Volsaxi revolt
> >was from the Pharaoh, _not_ the Kitori.

>Yep. And the Pharaoh's decision to isolate Wilmskirk was after the
>revolt, as far as I'm concerned.

There's no mention of this whatsoever in KoS.

>The Volsaxi would have ceased to be "his" Heortlings.

Um, Joerg, you are claiming on one hand that the Volsaxi revolted because the Kitori were allowed to exact tribute from them yet on the other, the Volsaxi were no longer his heortlings.

> >If there was anything like a total blockade of all trade between
> >the Holy Country and Sartar, one would have expected it to be
> >noticed in the KoS.

>Much trade went to Nochet, with the duck boaters as important middlemen.

That's not what's said in KoS which has the main route as Wilmskirk to Karse.

>Yep. Until 1495 when Sartar made his bid for King of Dragon Pass.

Wrong. This is stated in the CoDP as taking place after Sartar had become King of Dragon Pass. The only time that the trade routes are threatened is when Tarkalor was among the Volsaxi.

         Tarkalor Trollkiller was a son of Prince Saronil.  He got
         his name from the many wars which he fought in the south
         of the kingdom when the trade routes were threatened by
         trolls.
                 KoS p139

Nothing to do with Sartar being a high king. Nothing to do with isolation of Wilmskirk. No mention of it's alright as we can get new trade through the ducks.

>At the same time, Prince Sartar established the Grazeland trade
>routes to Dunstop and Bagnot.

Where is this mentioned and why would he do that?

> >[The cessation of trade] is news to the chronicler of CHDP.

>The same guy who didn't tell anything about the Volsaxi at all when
>describing Tarkalor.

Why should he? Tarkalor's Volsaxi deeds occurred before he became king of Sartar.

> >Nor is there any hint of reopened trade routes during Tarkalor's
> >time.

>Nor of any roads built by Tarkalor.

Wrong. The road from Wilmskirk to Duckpoint is clearly stated in the CoDP (p139 of KoS).

>(It took some effort to get the fact that Moirades lived past 1610 into
>print...)

It was already in print in KoS as well as the Genertela Book (KoS p152 for example).

> >Secondly Sartar only made friends with the ducks because he needed
> >someplace to establish a city and the Colymar didn't want it.

>That's his only reason?

As far as I'm concerned, yes.

>Or did he want to cement the peace of 1380 by giving them ducks a
>defined role in his tribal confederation, just as he had done
>with the Telmori?

Why would Sartar want ducks? If I were Sartar, I would have just risked perennial problems with the Upland Marsh rather than ducks in _my_ kingdom. But since he needed an extra city and had nowhere else to put it, the ducks had to be brought into the kingdom.

But what does this have to do with the duck trade-routes?

--Peter Metcalfe

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