>YGWV, of course, but I think its worth pointing out that these things
>are both canonical. Indeed, the Loskalmi even have articulated plate,
>never mind platemail. Advanced siege engines are another military
>feature (although the Lunars aren't bad at this, either, from what I
>understand), as are improved defensive fortifications. The non-military
>field is less covered canonically, but I'd add spinning wheels (rather
>than iron age looms), three-field crop rotation, stained glass, and
>horse collars. OTOH an area in which they don't appear to be
>particularly advanced is ship-building, judging from the designs in Men
>of the Sea.
Loskalm is far away from my beaten path, but I do take an occasional
interest in what I think is one of the stranger regions of Glorantha.* I
certainly accept that the Loskalmi have articulated plate armor (presumably
for the 3500 Grand Knights of Loskalm and the 500 Knights of the Golden
Banner of Flame) and impressive high medieval fortifications. Although I'm
uncertain how the Loskalmi acquired such technological proficiency (although
perhaps Sir Meriatan's heroquests had something to do with it), but I see no
reason for such proficiency to be across the board. For example, Loskalm
does not need advanced agriculture to support a dense population (looks like
they've got an average population density of 30-40 people per square mile -
which frankly is about the same as the Heortlings.
I can't remember what the Malkioni plow is, but I suspect the Loskalmi use
the same plow as the Seshnegi. They might not actually have the horse collar
(heck, they have such huge horse demands for their knights, they might not
allow the use of the horse for any non-martial activities). They also might
not have three-field rotation (then again, they might). Of course they have
stained glass - they probably learned that from the Brithini of Sog City.
The point is that the Loskalmi have very advanced military technology. They
might not have equally advanced non-military technology.
Jeff
- BTW, has anybody ever thought that Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast could
easily be set in a great castle under the Ban?
End of Glorantha Digest, Vol 11, Issue 154