> The Alakorings & Yelmalians link still bugs me. People
> who have fought so long and hard against a (pseudo) Dara Happan
Empire
> don't seem like the type to worship a loyal son of Yelm.
>
If I read correctly what John wrote, I think he was suggesting that
the early settler did not worship a "loyal son of Yelm" Rather, they
worshipped _A_ son of the sun. Probably the one who had helped them
survive the darkness (as good a reason as any to worship him), whom
they'd loyally worshipped ever since. Since they were 'hill
barbarians' they'd mostly been able to quietly go about their old
ways ever since the dawn, periodically ruled by one empire or other
but never getting too involved. Many of their neighbors were
Orlanthi, but they were used to each other. When these son-of-sun
worshippers told their orlanthi neighbors that they worshipped a son
of the sun, who had left the Emperors shattered court and then
protected them throughout the darkness, their neighbors probably
nodded sagely and said "ah, they worship Elmal, that is what he did.
They are strange for that, but not evil dara happans" In turn, the
son of the sun worshippers may not have had a villain in their myths
that matched up with Orlanth. So their neighbors worshipped storms,
which was clearly inferior, but really who cares so long as they keep
their hands off of your sheep?
But the lunar empire was different, it wanted to absorb everyone and teach them new ways. Most likely all sorts of traditionalists fled them, many were alakoring Orlanthi, but some were other stubborn folk who had co-existed with Orlanthi neighbors for a long time, including the son-of-the-sun worshippers.
Hence it was only after the resetlement, as the lunar empire caused more communication to happen across its southern frontier, that various son-of-sun worshippers ended up finding out about each other, and trying to hash out if they worshipped the same god or not, and if so, how he should be worshipped. It so happened that during this process, the lunar empire backed a god that some called Yelmelio. This probably had wide mythic reverberations as this particular god was strengthened, and it led to issues in Sartar as well.
So....I could be reading John all wrong. But as I said, that was what I pulled out of that piece.
--Bryan
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