Re: The Emperor's Mines 1360

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2003 11:50:50 -0700

> This seems an excellent idea, but (and this is just a personal quibble) it
> seems to me that 1360 is a bit too late for Dragon Pass to be viewed as an
> uninhabited wilderness, even by a civilised Lunar. Arim is established
enough to be
> able to defeat a Lunar army two years from now (in 1362), and Mitchuinn
> Moonhater is also established, for example. Arim has been established for
30 years
> and Sacred King for 12years. I would agree that there are large areas that
are
> haunted ruins, returned to nature, full of tusk riders, dragonewts,
spirits,
> undead, trolls, beastmen, aldryami, grazers, primitive subhumans, but
there
> are also bits with Heortlings and Alakorings, assorted Pelorian refugees
and
> other semi-civilised types.

Well, I haven't nailed the date down solidly, so there is wiggle room, but I do want to start at Mirin's Cross (standing in for Zanzibar/Cairo/St. Louis/other "last Vestige of Civilization"), so it has to be after 1347.

And "uninhabited" isn't the atmosphere I'm looking for - "inhabited by savages" (Orlanthi, Trolls, D'Newts...) is closer. I doubt that there is much in the way of Imperial presence *in* Tarsh, let alone *below* it, so little knowledge of the Southern invasion will have reached Imeprial ears, except maybe as rumors.

I'm thinking of giving the Grazers the attitude of the Masai - "We own all horses" - so taking horses down into the Pass gets them taken away from you (if you're lucky - if you're not, then they make you into Vendref...). Basically, I want a reason for Bearers rather than wagon trains or pack animals. In Africa it was the tsetse fly and sleeping sickness. And of course this is just known from rumors, not direct experience!

RR
It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has done what he has done.
- Richelieu