They mayhave bragged about it, they may have displayed their frostbitten stubs of fingers, but it would be a(pardon the pun) hot topic of conversation. And troops from all over the Lunar Empire were there for the final Fall of Whitewall.
Donald Oddy:
But how many of those soldiers would know the
winter was
abnormal? Particularly those whose home is in the
Heartlands?
Alison:
Their own officers would be telling them that their enemies' magic was kaput. That the weather was abnormal, don't know. But I'd think that they'd put two and two together as time went on. Firstly, it took years to take out Whitewall. So the veterans would know what to expect come winter. Soldiers aren't stupid. Moreover, there'd be plenty of Tarshites there who know damn well that this isn't normal. Word would spread.
Donald:
Then again how much official credence will be given to soldiers' drunken tales. ... On the other hand records at higher levels are distorted by what the rulers want history to record.
Alison:
Then that would cover the lack of official records in the Lunar Empire that have wide enough distribution to last through the Era of Illiteracy. That paper stuff burns beautifully. Yes, people knew, but due to the FW being a snafu, it was covered up at higher levels. Bet there was plenty of gossip about it at the Eternal Party, though.
Guy Hoyle:
IMO, the reason that KoS didn't mention the
Fimbulwinter is that it
makes someone important (or his ancestors) look very
bad indeed. Who and why remain to be determined. The
section on Fimbulwinter may have been excised, or it
may never have been written, but there you go.
Alison:
Sure, I'd go for that (and already have as one possibility). That would most likely point towards an Argrath, a later copyist working with unique survivals, or a Harshax. People with the power to suppress records they didn't like. I wouldn't go for it being the various scribes who initially recorded events, because there were too many of them.
David Dunham:
Perhaps the so-called Fimbulwinter isn't actually all that bad compared to later events (about which King of Sartar is even sketchier)? We know there are major upheavals at the end of the Third Age.
That may well have been, but contemporary records would certainly have included the Death of Orlanth and FW unless there was compelling reason not to do so. Plus, I'd bet that future historians would also include these events, even if only as foreshadowing the even greater tribulations that they suffered.
Alison
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