Re: Re: Tula

From: KYER, JEFFREY <jeff.kyer_at_...>
Date: Wed, 09 May 2001 09:18:28 -0400

Mikko Rintasaari wrote:
>
> <snip>
> Jeff Wrote:
> > Ring forts, those ancient bygone strongholds, are usually too big
> for
> > the village they hold and are used for the whole clan or tribe's
> > security in time of need.
>
> Is this a reference to the celtic style earthworks forts? I love
> those,
> and think they suit the orlanthi excellently. Isn't the Colymas
> Clearwine fort supposed to be such a fortification?
>
> Did you mean that they are beyond a single clans building ability, and
> that the tribeal resourser are pooled into maintaining the city
> confederations these days?
>
> -Adept

They were there when Dragonpass was resettled -- they are probably first or even Storm/Darkness age settlements. I can see them being a part of the Vingkotling heritage. By the time things got very nasty, such large and noticable fortifications acted as danger magnets -- most folks survived the latter era by hiding and being unnoticed.

Once its' built, a ring-fort's pretty easy to maintain but even with earth magic to help, dragging all those zillion bushels of earth up to form the ramparts is going to be a lot of work. Its probably a tribal thing. I don't see a clan being able to build them in a reasonable timeframe (which of course means that a generations long effort could be done). Partally built fortifications tend to attract the attention of rude strangers who try to make them into 'burned and destroyed' fortifications.

I like Ian's comment about them mirroring Storm Village -- which was a hillfort surrounded by a spiral ring of mountains. Excellent thought. I quite like it.

Ringforts, being probably central to the _TRIBE_ are probably a good place to put all those tribal specialists and shrines that can't be maintained elsewhere (Humakt, Yinkin, Gustbran, LM's library, and the local Issaries trader association). For economic and now ritual reasons. I like this. I like it a lot.

Jeff

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