>True, but my brandy-new map of the Lunar Empire shows no less than 4 (!) Sun
>Dome Temples in the hilly, forested lands around the Angry Lake.
The Angry Lake is in Aggar, not Tarsh, and two of those temples are in Holay. Since Tarsh only has one Sun Dome despite being the biggest province, I don't think they have much of a problem with Elmali.
>The
>terrain seems unsuitable for an Alexandrian-style phalanx to me. Perhaps
>these temples are those that have developed different traditions from the on
>in Prax?
It might be (the map concerned represents the most detailed advance in our knowledge of Aggar since God-knows-when). Most Sun Dome temples IMO would come from a single source (Monrogh's revelations in Dragon Pass) while one might have an alternative origin either in the Second (as do Balazar and Sun County) or even the Dawn Age.
I think the Temples thrive not because they provide phalanxes but because they provide better government than the traditional Orlanthi methods. Under Yelmalio, the tribes might keep their promises, refrain from raiding each other or even settle their differences by peaceful means (The cardinal flaw in Orlanthi eyes is that it's no fun). Thus the King of Aggar might have encouraged Sun Domes in his country to bring it to some semblence of order.
The Temples might still muster out in phalanxes IMO but since they don't fight each other, they don't recognize the error of doing so in a hilly country...
--Peter Metcakfe
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