Re: The Dundealos

From: bethexton_at_...
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 14:14:38 -0000

> >
> > In addition remember that creating refugees is a valid strategic
> > move. Consider the Pol-Joni - they have blood-ties with the
>
> Very good point. :)
>
>
> IMG, some of them headed for Heortland instead. They're in for
> similar problems, exacerbated by the fact that they fled in winter.
> So they'll have a long wait before they can raise crops in their
new
> home. What's worse, the Lunar army is going to invade before they
can
> get these crops in. They're in big trouble...
>
I would guess that the refugees would have headed off to all points. The highest casualties of the uprising would of course be from amongst the men, and probably the higher percentage of the executions were again from amongst the men. That would of course create a lot of widows and orphans. Some of them would have relatives in other tribes. (even if "everyone" marries within the tribe, I'm sure that is an Orlanthi "everyone"). Those that did would likely be most inclined to try and join those families.

Some would head to the cities, in hopes of finding employment there....and most likely ending up swelling the ranks of beggars.

Given that it is winter some wouldn't have the equipment or food to travel far, and may throw themselves on the mercy of neighbouring clans, even if they had to become stick pickers or even thralls it might be better than starving to death. These would commonly be the people who were at the bottom end of the social structure in the first place.

A note too that a lot of families may well split up. Grandma refuses to leave her hearth, and Rana is due to give birth any day and can't travel, besides which her husband is dead. Rana can take care of Hiorl and Ailene's youngest two, and their daughter who is 13 can stay and help but we'll marry her off outside the new tribe as quickly as possible. Ailene has kin amongst the Pol Joni, and the trip there might be easier, so she'll take the older of the boys, since the Lunar's might target them, and Hiorl's unmarried younger brother will travel with her for protection. Hiorl will head south to Voxalisland to carry on the fight. etc, etc.

Of those that attempted to flee I imagine that a goodly number would die along the way, from starvation, exposure, bandits, and other random dangers. So if three thousand fled the tribal lands, at a guess 10% would have some sort of kin in other tribes that they could throw themselves upon and another 20% would try to join other clans or go to the cities in whatever capacity they could be accepted in. Given the conditions 10% dying before they got anywhere would not be unreasonable (as usual these would most often be the young and the old, as well as some of the wounded). Looking at what is left and you have maybe 1000 adults and a little less than that number of kids split between the trails east and west. That is still a lot of people to absorb, but it isn't *quite* as bad as 3000 people landing on the Pol Joni doorstep (or tent door).

I would imagine that of those who stayed behind there is a disproportionate number of elders and young children. They might have enough food to get through this winter easily, but the new tribe may be heavily dependand on Lunar good will to get through the next few years. Naturally the lunars aren't too upset about how that binds the new tribe ever more tightly to them.

All just IMO of course.

--Bryan