But to be fair to Tatius - however an unlikeable character he is - he almost succeeded. Unlike Fazzur's rather more comprehensible and familiar pacification programme - a little divide and rule here, some targeted impressive violence there, some tax breaks and benefits in between, in short the usual array of carrots and sticks, effectively employed - Tatius adopted an all-or-nothing strategy. He came very close to establishing his TotRM, and if he had done so, then it would have torn the magical, mythical and moral heart out of the Sartari resistance. Orlanth would have been definitely killed or chained, and the bulk of Heortling magic would be gone. The entire field of operations would have been under the Glowline. This would no doubt also have begun to have bleed-over effects into other magical and natural realms. Kolat's winds calmed. Integration of Ernalda into the Lunar Way, Tarsh-style.
Of course, Tatius makes many errors. He is ultimately a DH bigot, his prejudices and arrogances magnified as you say by a permissive Lunar doctrine which encourages him to over-reach himself. Had, for example, he been able to retain Farrur or someone with similar military-political acuities and local knowledge to handle field ops while he concentrated on the temple, things may well have gone diferently. But he still came close...
All the best
Mark
Mark Galeotti
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