bernuetz.oliver_at_... wrote:
> I think the most immediately obvious differences are that the villages
> are square shaped, as are all of the buildings due to the Earth
> connection.
Isn't that slightly exaggerated ? I mean, surely the temples and maybe the chieftain house could be square shaped (and only the Earth Godesses' temples, not all the other ones), but why would entire villages and all the buildings be so ?
As far as I know, Heortling villages aren't spiral shaped, they aren't either a harmonious mix of spiral and square. They are naturally grown things, adaptated to the local geography. So should Esrolian villages, I think. Rune symbolism isn't so omnipresent.
Now, as the Storm Realm is storm-rune shaped, I suppose that the Esrolian Earth realm is (a) square. But that's a sacred place, shaped by divine power, outside the mortal world. I see Esrolians as being as pragmatic as Heortling on this : you follow the natural earth shape. Use river curves if you can, or sacred grottoes, hills and woods, stone pillars, whatever. Natural earth is soft, round...
> Another big difference is that nature is farther away in Esrolia for
> the most part. Nature has been tamed there and you have to wander pretty
> far or out of the way to leave farmland behind. Much more built up and
> developed than Sartar.
Yes, but maybe there are gardens, flowers everywhere, trees between houses (olive trees, orchard), vines on houses, little places with shrines to diverse aspects of the earth : flowers for Voria, and so on. So nature have been tamed, but it may be seen as sacred all the same : grain godesses, flower godesses ?
Benedict Adamson wrote:
>
> Does Esrolia have a drier, warmer climate than Sartar? I think so.
> I'd say more true villages, rather than steads. With some mud brick
> buildings rather than timber. With the buildings crowded together, I
> think buildings would have more party walls rather than being
> isolated.
I see them as mediterranean villages :
white walls, flat roof, open windows. Sleepy cats (and dogs ?).
Old people looking suspiciously at newcomers...
Philippe
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