RE: Re: The Watchful House of Saint Gaspodi

From: Jeff Richard <richj_at_...>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 13:13:17 -0700


Howdy -

> > Again, I doubt that Whitewall was a supply base and garrison for
> > Malkioni mercenaries of the Heortland kings or of Rikard. It just
> > doesn't make a lot of sense - Whitewall was reoccupied by Hardrand
the
> > Green and made the tribal center for the Volsaxi tribe.
> The AoT wasn't present back then. The Gaspodis might have been - a
few
> elderly monks and some recruits from unlucky caravan guards from
Wenelia.
> A bit like Gimpy's, really.
   

Gimpy's makes some sense as a public house in a cosmopolitan city of scum, refugees and treasure-hunters. Gimpy's would be completely inappropriate at Whitewall. Moreoever, I really doubt a handful of monks would have been able to preserve a meldek-shrine atop the big Holy Rock.

> I was thinking of Wenelian traders bringing along guards, and some of
> those falling on hard times. Of course, Whitewall was off any useful
trade
> route between the Dragonkill 1120 and roughly 1430. Possibly then the
> Vaulted Hall was more like a hermitage in urban rubble...
 

It seems to me much easier to say that the Vaulted Hall was a Volsaxi king's hall or tribal temple until Whitewall fell. Then it was given to the liturgists of St. Gerlant and Caspodi as a place to hold their rites without too much interference from the local Heortlings (given that Whitewall was empty and probably considered cursed by the local Orlanthi).

> A charter by Arkat and Hendreik might be sufficient grounds. I'm even
> inclined to make that charter part of the guardian's relic...
 

Come on. That's over a thousand years for the Heortlings to honor a contract requiring them to allow godless foreigners (and not very useful godless foreigners) to perform godless rites in the Hendreiki (and later Volsaxi) tribal center. Even assuming such an agreement existed, I doubt it would have survived the Tax Revolt. Remember, Arkat is a bad guy to the Heortlings - the Volsaxi start with a Hate Arkat rating of 17. I really doubt any agreement with him that was not obviously necessary (or capable of self-preservation) would have survived. Again, I think the much easier explanation is that the St. Caspodi shrine dates to after 1621. Not before.  

Look, I understand the desire to have lots of different cultures present at Whitewall during the siege, but I just don't think this makes sense.  

> > Yeah, Sanuel switches sides, but I suspect he has to give up Whitewall.
> To whom? By the time Sanuel fights for Sartar, Broyan is mostly out of the
> picture. Does he leave any heirs to the Volsaxi throne? Are they powerful
> enough to take it up with Sanuel?  

Following the Battle of Iceland, I think many Heortlings consider Whitewall to be a significant Heortling holy place. Many of the prominent leaders of the Rebellion bled at Whitewall - including Kallyr, Leika, and so forth. Somehow I doubt folk would be too pleased with that place becoming a Malkioni shrine!  

Jeff

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