Re: How many Argraths?

From: Roger McCarthy <r.f.mccarthy_at_HwJi9MVZeKd3fUmS3kyXKZQZg34T7GcnVFHiyGk7BsbvRxUe7AylkDNppT77hxw>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:40:15 -0000


The key statement is KOS p152 CHoDP:

'Argrath went back to Prax and with the White Bull Brothers and some
others, took the city of Corflu from lunar hands.'

If I am not mistaken this is the first mention of any Argrath in CHoDP (in which incidentally only two Argrath's ever appear: 'Argrath' and
'Argrath White Bull').

As it does not give any further identification (i.e. he's just
'Argrath' and not AWB or Argrath of Pavis or Maniskisson) it can be
reasonably assumed that this Argrath who takes Corflu is the same Argrath that the CHoDP was given to in 1640 and so is 'The Argrath'.

While clearly a problematic source the CHoDP authors are very limited in what they can make up - careful omission is fine but I really can't see how they can lie and ascribe actions well known to have been carried out by Kallyr or others to 'The Argrath' when actual participants in those events are still all around.  

The Annotated Argrath's Saga compilers do not have this problem which is how they can have Argrath leading the Dragonrise quest while the CHoDP has to admit that he had nothing to do with it.

So based on CHoDP and focusing just on Argrath's active in 1624-7 (further discussion about the Minaryth Blue 1627-31 material is probably pointless and most likely to be comprehensively Gregged in the Great Argrath Campaign):

  1. 'The Argrath' was in Esrolia in 1624 and presumably fought at the Battle of Pennel alongside Harrek and Broyan as the preceding sentences describe what Broyan and Harrak did after the battle
  2. However The Argrath in Esrolia in 1624 is not specifically stated to have any connection to the Wolf Pirates and to Harrek (but equally is not stated to have no connection with them).
  3. The Argrath in Esrolia in 1624 'went back to Prax' so had come from there at some point previously.
  4. CHoDP references to 'Argrath' and to 'Argrath White Bull' means that however tempting it might be to identify them as one man 'The Argrath' and AWB appear to be different persons.
  5. Thus the AWB who takes Pavis and then loses his army in early 1625 but pops up again as a supporter of Kallyr after Dragonrise is probably not 'The Argrath' of 1640.
  6. 'Argrath of Pavis' also has a radically different background to both AWB and Garrath and is mentioned by Minaryth Blue as a different person to Argrath and Argrath Maniskisson - so is evidently not 'The Argrath' of 1640 either.
  7. The 'Argrath' who liberates Alda Chur in winter 1626 and lights the flame of Sartar on Day 88 of 1627 is presumably 'The Argrath' of 1640 and is presumably the same Argrath who was in Esrolia in 1624 and went to Corflu.
  8. 'The Argrath' of Day 88 1627 reveals his ancestry in CHoDP and is clearly OiD's and Minaryth Blue's Argrath Maniskisson.
  9. It is a reasonable supposition (but not 100% necessary) that 'The Argrath' who can call on Gonn Orta for aid at the battle of Dwernapple in 1639 was able to do so because as Garrath he had defended the Cradle in 1621.

So what we do have for 1624-27 is three reasonably well attested and separate Argraths: AoP, AWB and 'The Argrath' (who is revealed in 1627 to be Maniskisson and who was probably either Garrath or one of his companions on the Cradle).  

So the really interesting question is where was 'The Argrath' in those missing two years between his appearances at Corflu in winter 1624 and at Alda Chur in winter 1626?

I have two hypotheses:

  1. Simplest is that he sacks Corflu and then sails off again to rejoin Harrek (while it is AWB who takes Pavis) and only returns to Dragon Pass in 1626 to exploit the vacuum caused by Kallyr's (first?) death.

As gadding about plundering the Pamaltelans or Teshnans while your fellow-Heortlings are fighting for their very existence is hardly very creditable, it's therefore no wonder that the CHoDP compiler has nothing to say about 'The Argrath' or his activities between the fall of Corflu in late 1624 and the liberation of Alda Chur in winter 1626.    

2. AWB could have been a temporary mask of 'The Argrath'.

Firstly, AWB is only attested twice (in early and in late 1625) which is precisely when 'The Argrath' is absent from the CHoDP narrative

Secondly, AWB disappears from the CHoDP narrative after the return of
'The Argrath' in late 1626.

So might the CHoDP compiler refer to AWB and Argrath as separate persons because after he took Corflu 'The Argrath' heroformed Jaldon (or was possessed by the White Bull spirit) and did things as leader of the Praxian horde that 'The Argrath' of 1640 does not want to held responsible for.

(one of which might include the embarrassment of losing his entire army to a single demon in early 1625).

Assuming that the Argrath who took Corflu had been understudying Harrek for three years - and had also recently spent time in Kethaela associating with past subjects of the Pharaoh's - you can well visualise him experimentally heroquesting to try and gain the White Bull's powers in a similar way to Harrek's acquistion of the White Bear's.

However what if it was actually Argrath who got possessed by Jaldon and who ended up berserking around Prax and Sartar for the best part of two years in the guise of AWB, until he finally regained enough control over his actions to be regarded as plain 'Argrath' again.

While more complicated this hypothesis clearly has much more story potential.                

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