Re: Aftermath of Battle of Iceland from donald_at_h65B1KY3JfckLq4N6IELjezZemNESOlfWk9J_c21pz_zwFY4QSvuKsPRt9T3pUONik56u on 2007-03-10 (World of Glorantha)

From: donald_at_h65B1KY3JfckLq4N6IELjezZemNESOlfWk9J_c21pz_zwFY4QSvuKsPRt9T3pUONik56u
Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 01:31:11 GMT

In message <Pine.GSO.4.63.0703091227140.4358_at_6urvPGS1okjXwpYvpJGVJ0bAjnu5QmkFTg_WcqAVRSAo6f5AuLB2ih22zq1Ix-xsX4STlE0VF85xmwE05iOcleM9vdiJtnWvNAiUbBAS19If_vGONVwN6rV4V-0s6dM.yahoo.invalid> Michael Hitchens writes:
>
>Hi
>
>Re-reading Orlanth is Dead there's something I can't quite fit together,
>probably something I'm missing, but anyway....
>
>On page 64 of Orlanth is Dead it talks about the result for Virtuous
>clans, unvirtuous clans and Clans that converted to the Lunar way.
>
>I'm not quite clear what converted to the Lunar way means in this context.
>Is genuinely worshipping Doburdun converting to the Lunar way? Or does
>it require Seven Mothers, Red Moon, etc worship?
>
>On a specific example, Kangharl Blackmor and the Black Oak clan of the
>Colymar. Blackmor would probably have Lunar support to survive the
>winter, but what about the Black Oaks? Are they just unvirtuous? If they
>don't count as having "converted to the Lunar way" I can't imagine the
>number of clans that have is very many at all. On the other hand if they
>have, then do they suffer the fate of Lunar converts given on OID p64?
>If not, why not and if they do, how does Blackmor survive as Tribal King
>for the 3 years between the Battle of Iceland and the dragonrising?

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say I think the scenario results are Rebel propaganda. The whole Sartar Rising series is written from the point of view of a bunch of Rebel PCs. It fits that story for the book to end in a clear success for those PCs. This is also the way that the PCs will think - a clan will followed the way of Orlanth will benefit from our success, a clan which let the traditions slip will get by and a clan that converted to the Lunar way will suffer.

Objectively it won't be anything like this clear simply because every clan has some Lunar converts, some Rebels and a lot of people who didn't commit one way or the other. Further complicating the issue is Lunar support - when the winter starts hurting the Seven Mothers cult is going to be working to minimise its effects on their allies.

So how is this reconciled?
Clans which suffer badly will find Lunar traitors to blame and outlaw. Clans which do well will explain that they really supported the rebellion all along but couldn't get rid of Lunar appointed leaders. And the messy business of Orlanthi power politics will continue much as it always has with leaders like Broyan and Kallyr trying to hold a workable alliance together.

So what happens to the Black Oaks? Whatever you want. If you want a recurrent enemy to disappear from the story then the clan collapses and survivors flee to the Empire. Or they fight a last stand against your PC heros. Perhaps your clan accepts their women and children as thralls? If you want to keep the recurrent enemy then they survive fairly well and switch sides claiming to have supported the rebellion all along. Not that your PCs are going to trust those damn turncoats....

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