Re: Enter, The Bat

From: Gianfranco Geroldi <giangero_at_...>
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 04:48:22 -0800 (PST)

John,
I've even found a reference in FS pag. 78 that corroborates (IMO) my suggestion.
Orlanthi myths and Yelmic myths were crossed in Dorastor by Nysalor(i) in Dawn Age.
The (Mythic) Roles of Rebel to Orlanth and of Emperor to Yelm were assigned there and then.
But Nysalor wanted to heal "thereupon" Orlanth and "thereupon" Yelm by teaching them the opposite of their philosophy:
He taught to Orlanth to stand and to Yelm to change.

That's what happened at Whitewall, after all.

Maybe, by stopping at WW, Broyan triggerd an ancient Nysalori event that *called* upon the Crimson Bat (Dorastor and Chaos are a bit related, and the Bat is the Mundane Most Chaotic Nysalorish Monster available in 1619, AFAIK).
Also, I don't buy figuring the Bat as standard operational procedure in the Lunar occupation of heortland.
Maybe the Lunars called It (for exceptional reasons: it was time for the Bat to take Vingkotling meat again since its defeat at Boldhome) but the reason why Broyan was so effective in "dispelling" it lies in the fact that Broyan' acts were instrumental in calling the Bat.

Call the above, my refined theory about the Summons of Evil performed by Broyan.
That explains (to me) while the Lunars underscored WW before the Bat went there, why the Bat went there even if the town was secondary (and the Bat was not a standard military weapon), why it was defeated at the beginning of the heroic phase of the campaign and still the outcome was against the initial winners.

Parides won the contest of the three goddesses at the basis of the myth of Ilium war, but he never predicted that after ten years and many trojan victories, that innocent match of wit and courtesy would bring his own death and the fall of his people.

More or less I agree with what Peter said about the Kill of Orlanth or Enslave Orlanth ritual. The declaration of intent was definetly softer (by Lunar/dara Happan standards) before 1619 than the outcome of 1621. Things hardened steepily thereafter. But probably, as always, responsibility stands primarily on the Orlanthi shoulders.

Strategically (and not mythically) the Lunars HQ took profit of a bad move made by Broyan and they killed Orlanth because their own military (Yanafali) aspect took precedence during the battle of WW over their general heroquesting strategy of Celestial Religion Dispute.
That's why no big Lunar heroquesters are mentioned at WW: it was a military fact for the Lunars and they didn't need heroquesters on the battlefield against a small fortress.
When this fact becomes clear to Broyan in late 1620, he recognizes his mistake and graciously sends his chief heroquester (Kallyr) away.
Then (1621) it's a matter of climactic warfare, whereas Orlanth is the unwanted Casualty of war at whitewall.
That negates the experimental heroquesting issue at WW, either (another thing I'm not convinced upon, yet).

Ciao,
Gian



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