The long years between the invasion and Fimbulwinter are about keeping the faith - encouraging hope, spreading the word of rebel leaders who continue the struggle, guiding the young, initiating new adults in true custom, marshalling your own powers, and strengthening the faithful for the season when the Hurricane of Change erupts and the Freedom Wind again blows strong. It's about keeping faith in Orlanth alive, nurturing resources so that when the Reaching Storm blows out of secret places, the clan will still have strength and will to fight.
This isn't to say there aren't major uprisings and significant chances for full scale military campaigning. While mainly a bread war, there is still plenty of scope for sword and claw. Word goes out whenever the Freedom Wind is summoned, and rebels from many clans gather to fight the foe.
In 1605 The Ghost Gors campaign in the Far Place in 1607 wipes out a Lunar army. This is followed by the Righteous Wind in 1611, also in the Far Place, where loyal Orlanthi and Elmali face a new foe in Harvar Ironfist, his Yelmalians, his Lunar 'advisors' and the still mysterious Bigger Wind. Even after the peace of Alone, the struggle there continues. Pavis falls in 1610, a city where many Orlanthi rebels have already made their home. The Poljoni of Prax have ancient links with Sartar, and welcome thunder rebels. To ally the other animal tribes would be a noble thing.
In 1613, Starbrow's Rebellion defeats an army before being tricked into compromise and defeat. The sword and claw rebels scatter, but the war continues. The Torkani crusade begins in 1613 - which side will you fight on? There is a war between the Culbrea and Cincina in 1615. At the Firebull Moot, the Sambari call all who worship freedom to join them in their struggle. In 1618 the Dundealos rebel, a brave and tragic act that ends in the utter destruction of their tribe.
There are also significant other armed uprisings, barely mentioned in our existing histories - The Season of Five Storms, the Black Arrow Callings (OID p.6) - because they happened to *your* clan and involved *your* feats of bravery and cunning.
So while an occupation campaign primarily involves keeping the faith, maintaining the rage, girding one's loins, sowing the wind, keeping the home fires burning and other wholesome, quotable bits of doggerel, there are *significant* opportunities along the way for outright military campaigning and battle. If you're prepared to travel occasionally - to Prax, the Far Place, Wintertop, Volsaxiland, - you could quite conceivably maintain a full military 'episodic' campaign from Boldhome to Iceland. In many - though not all - of these adventures, you may have to slink off quietly afterwards. Luckily, Orlanthi are never afraid to run away.
John
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