Re: Re: Orlanthi miles?

From: Andrew Solovay <asolovay_at_...>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 14:31:04 -0700

jeffrichard68 <richj_at_...> wrote:
>> But mythically *and* historically, the Orlanthi were always a
>> barbarian people in the shadow of a civilized empire.
>
> This isn't completely accurate. At the Dawn, the Orlanthi were the
> *most* advanced people around. I'm not sure the Jenarongi dynasty
> of horse nomads ruling Dara Happa were more advanced than the Dawn
> Age Heortlings (in fact, I kind of doubt it).

This may be digest-fodder--but I assumed that even then, the Dara Happans were still advanced and civilized. They were ruled by barbarians, like China being ruled by Mongols--but they were still Dara Happans. (The Chinese didn't burn down all their cities and start drinking mare's milk when the Mongols conquered them.)

So at the dawn, weren't the Orlanthi a "barbarian people in the shadow of a civilized empire that was ruled by barbarians"? And perhaps "shadow" is the wrong word. When the DHs were weak, they presumably didn't exert much influence over Dragon Pass, to say nothing of Heortland--but the Orlanthis would still be aware that there are all those snotty-nosed ponces way up north who have writing and money and silk robes and all of that.

(Hey, *do* the Dara Happans have silk? I assume the Kralorelans do. Is the technology widespread? No, never mind, I'm sure that's Digest stuff...)