>the elves of
>David Dunham's Vralos are associated with earlier stages of the
>forest succession. Something, maybe damage by the God Learners, might
>have led them to stop peacefully negotiating a balance with the later-
>stage forest, and instead start using human-caused fires to settle
>disputes in their own favor.
While I guess that's a possible interpretation, I don't think it's quite that extreme.
I do think that the widespread and destructive God Learner burning has skewed the population somewhat in the favor of elves associated with trees that propagate better with fire.
The same burning also created large areas of non-aldryami woods. Within those areas, humans can live, and can burn trees - just not too many.
To me, these aren't really deviant elves. Unless the fact that they are raising a crop of pet humans makes them deviant. IMO the Vralos elves are willing to let their pet humans practice a lifestyle that doesn't encroach upon the aldryami woods, since they are useful tools against Fonrit. They need enough pet humans to be able to raise armies, so they need to tolerate agriculture. Slash & burn is probably more forest-friendly than plowing, so they can allow this, within limits.
They can also afford this, because they probably outnumber the pet humans. I don't think there are other parts of Glorantha where this situation exists (maybe over in Maslo?), and so the elves of Genertela have to be a lot more careful.
And Pamalt drove the forests out of the south, which is clearly different as well -- destructive burning as opposed to renewing burning.
The Enkloso elves are likely to be somewhat different, both because they have a different makeup, and a different history.
-- David Dunham Glorantha/HQ/RQ page: http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html
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