Re: Re: Fazzur Wallenstein

From: donald_at_...
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:02:34 GMT


In message <gq3qou+tm8j_at_...> "jorganos" writes:
>Donald and me:

>>>In Dragon Pass terms, I am thinking of 3 to 6 units equal to the
>>>mounted Sartar city militia.
>
>> Which is a heck of a lot of cavalry to raise out of nowhere. It is
>> not as if Tarsh has a culture of horsemen.
>
>It does have a history of daring cavalry charges - compare the history
>of Yarandros (contemporary and friend of Derek Pol Joni).

Sure, but the basic culture isn't of horsemen. So to recruit cavalry you first have to train people to ride and then to fight from horseback.

>I don't necessarily limit the riders Fazzur recruited to Tarsh, either
>- if he brought in people from his other estates in Saird/Sylila, along
>with horses, he still could have offered the veterans small holdings in
>his Tarshite estates.

Same problem. The only people who can be recruited quickly will be the minority who already know how to ride and a high proportion of them will already be in the cavalry.

>> I would have expected a road southwards as well. At least from
>> Wilmskirk to Roadend. Looks about right for the border between
>> Sartar and Volsaxiland.
>
>Yes, forgot that one. Built by Tarkalor, and possibly continued all
>the way to Whitewall, but fell into disrepair when the Volsaxi tribes
>chose not to follow Terasarin.

So 30-40 years of neglect.

>> If there's a significant difference between the royal highways
>> and other major roads then the Lunars are going to have problems
>> getting supplies to WW. Unless they've improved that road.
>
>Royal highways are paved. Other roads are strips of open land where
>tracks avoid the worst mud - mediaeval rather than Roman roads.

This is important. It means that when Fazzur takes a Lunar army to Heortland he's going to trash the road. It doesn't affect him too much because he can get supplies from allies in Esrolia and conquered land. The army beseiging WW is different - whichever direction their supplies come from they have to go along that road. Looks like one of Tatius's first jobs is to rebuild the road so he can move troops and supplies. I think he'd probably take it as far as Smithstone. From the impressions I'm getting of Tatius he'd probably get followers of Hwarin Dalthippa from the CoM to do the job.

So that's a nice scenario. A lunar force protecting the priestesses building a replacement road by magic. The Orlanthi trying to disrupt the operation. It should probably be impossible for the Orlanthi to do more than delay the road's completion.

>> Not enough military resources to round everyone up. In any case
>> it would flood the slave markets.
>
>Ah, different economic interests in the Heartlands, that might be a
>good explanation. And the tax and rebel slave contingents make for
>a steady supply of Sartarites to the Heartland slave auctions.

Yes, I see variations in demand for slaves being a significant factor in how hard the Lunars crack down on rebels and tax avoiders.

>> I expect some Dara Happen has created a plan for the pacification
>> of Sartar based on that idea. Opposing it are the missionaries
>> and the traders. It isn't just a matter of who is in charge but
>> who is on the ground doing the work and when you get different
>> groups working at cross purposes generally not much happens.
>
>Sure. In addition to that, I see the Royal House of Tarsh as a major
>player much closer to the action, with as big a stake as any Dara
>Happan league may have.

From my understanding of Leagues and Associations the Royal House will be a League within an Association which includes Leagues from other parts of the Empire. Unless Moirades is trying to create a purely Tarshite Association but I think he will want some connections in Glamour.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/

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