Greetings.
> The first question I have concerns economics and technology for
> Peloria in the Second Age.
I am having some trouble answering some of the questions because of the time element. The Carmanian Empire exists for centuries, and things do change. Nonetheless, I will try to answer things clearly.
Another difficulty is that (from the nature of your questions) I THINK you are often asking about Pelandans, not Dara Happas. Pelanda is approximately the region of the Oronin River valley and its tributaries, while Dara Happa is the Oslir River. So I am going to presume you mean Pelanda here when you had said Dara Happa. I have gone to the extent of replacing ?Dara Happa? in this with ?Pelanda.? It?s important to differentiate between Pelanda and Dara Happa. Pelanda is a region of small city states with a long history and prehistory of innovation, art and change. Dara Happa is huge, monolithic and stable to the point of being ultraconservative and unchanging.
> It seems we are looking at a feudal
> society (Carmania) conquering an (agricultural?) society. I'm unclear
> on this.
Not exactly so. The first problem is with trying set feudal vs.
agricultural. But here?re some guidelines.
The first Carmanians are refugees from Fronela, fleeing from God
Learner oppression. They are rather feudal, but by the time they get
to Lake Oronin they?ve marched 300 miles, lost half their original
numbers and picked up people from all along the way. Then they settle
in as mercenaries and (thanks largely to their superior horses) take
over one city after another.
They first settle in the land of Pelanda, a region of city states.
If you study the information in _The Fortunate Succession_ you might
be able to discern that innovations in art, etc. crept into Dara Happa
several times from Pelanda after it was conquered, etc. Then there was
a purge, during which most of the innovations were thrown out (at
least among the ruling classes.)
> What is the previous economic culture of Pelanda?
Small holding farms held by families in the cities.
> Is their
> technology more advanced than the Carmanian technology?
In some ways yes, probably in engineering but probably not in farming, etc. Almost certainly in art and sculpture, but probably not in military organization, especially the mounted heavy cavalry charge.
> Do Carmanians
> use Pelandan engineers or their own engineers to design equipment
> and buildings?
The Carmanians were deficient in engineers when they got there, and they found Pelandan technology superior and more than sufficient.
> Are Carmanians building cities as they conquer, or
> will they do that later?
The cities are mostly extant when they get there. Think of pre-classic Greek cities.
> I notice that Carmania uses Persian terms for government. Do you see
> Carmania as Persian or more Roman in concept?
Once empires reaches a certain stage they tend to be similar, with regional satraps reporting to the central authority, etc. If you can differentiate between imperial Persian and Roman governments, I can probably tell which characteristics are Carmanian. Nick Brooke is responsible for much of the ground-breaking work on Carmania and his insight has left its imprint here, so we go with the pseudo-Persian analogy. But the key isn?t so much in the government as in the religion, wherein Carmania became a dualistic religion, like Zorastorism. THAT is the real distinctive feature of the empire.
> Are Carmanians building roads as they are moving into Pelanda or
> are there already roads there, or something else?
Roads existed beforehand, although the rivers are (as always) the main thoroughfare where they can be navigated.
> Are Pelandan
> towns well protected with walls and fortifications? Roman or
> Babylonian in style?
Yes, and once again, picture early Greek style cities. City states, with lots of local rivalries, etc.
> Are the wars Carmanian conquest affecting trade between cities? Are
> Carmanians instituting coinage, changing coinage, or not using coinage
> at the present time?
There was plenty of intercity war and rivalry before the Carmanians came. They managed to unite the cities as they went and take everything over. The Carmanian overlords eventually issue their own coinage. I presume coins existed before they came, since they were in use in neighboring Dara Happa earlier.
> Are the size of the `cities' like small medieval towns or are they
> large like Jerusalem.
Small cities, probably a thousand or two thousand people at max.
> Which cities of Peloria are as large as
> Jerusalem or larger?
What size is that? But most were small. The ones on the rivers of course would tend to be larger.
> What percent of city population does Carmania
> leave as guards/sentries after it conquers a city?
Good question. I would think it varies. Some cities need few, since they would have befriended Carmania to get at at their rivals. Others might be very rebellious.
> Who is paying for the war?
Which war? The invasion of the land by the Carmanians? It is paid for by plunder from the lands conquered. The defenders have their various city governments taxing citizens for money.
> Are the common people buckling under the
> burdens of taxes? Is waste piling up in the streets? Is the disposal
> of bodies causing a problem?
Naturally these vary, depending on the time and place.
> Do bands of people follow the armies to
> loot and pillage?
Yes, as always.
> Are Pelandans becoming the common slaves of Carmanians?
In general, yes.
> Do noble
> Pelandans or priests retain their positions, or are temples burned
> and nobles and priests killed?
They largely retain their positions, subservient to the overchurch of the Carmanians. The underclass largely retains their way of life, except for being unfree.
> Is the building style of Pelandans wattle and straw, or primary cut
> stone?
Wood, I think. Stone public buildings and temples, and walls. Wattle and daub would be in the countryside among the poorest people.
> Is the Carmanian style of building different? Are Carmanians
> adopting the engineering styles of Pelandans?
Yes, the Carmanian style hardly touches the countryside. In the cities as I mentioned, there are too few Carmanians and virtually no architects.
> Has the flying
> buttress been invented yet?
No. That is invented elsewhere, not here.
> Have any alchemists discovered tin or steel?
There is an iron shortage, and tin is one of the basic metals.
> Do either Carmanians or Pelandans possess chariots?
Pelandan charito traditons exist, though I am not sure if they were used militarily when theCarmanians came. Up to you.
Thus my first pass here. I am sure that someone will cite more sources for you, but you ought to get _The Fortunate Succession_ which as the most material about Carmania that I have published.
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c/o Greg Stafford
1942 Channing Ave, #204
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
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