> There are several Sun Dome temples in the Lunar Provinces, most of
> them in Aggar and Holay. The society in these regions, if I've
> understood it correctly, is still largely tribal. The Examples of Prax
> & Sartar Sun Dome temples suggests that Yelmalite society is not
> predominantly tribal, but organized around the temple hierarchy.
Let's start with this: http://www.herowars.com/greg/q-and-a/yelmalio.html
It will provide a reference point for people less familiar with this
subject.
Furthermore, the Lunar Map found at
http://www.glorantha.com/new/images/Lunar_Map_Final.jpg
provides us with the locations of the 1 extant temples: 1 in Sartar, 1 in
Prax, 1 in Tarsh, 3 in Holay, 1 in Imther, 4 in Aggar, 1 in Talastar, 1 in
Sylila, 1 in Vanch, 1 in Balazar.
And now to my questions:
>
> What is the connection between clans, tribes and Sun Dome temples in
> the Lunar Provinces? Are the Sun Dome temples embedded in the tribal
> society, or are they separate societal entities amid tribal society?
First of all, I do not think that there is one answer for all these provinces. The provinces themselves differ from each other, even if they are all Orlanthi. The harsh, infertile lands of Brolia, far from the core Empire, provide a very different environment than fertile, very Lunarized Sylila.
Even the two that we know quite a bit about are pretty different. Dragon Pass is a separate political entity, rather isolated by its "new religion." It was made up of many people that got together. Some of those were whole clans, many were individuals who joined into new clans or with etablished new families. As a result, I have always assumed that the clans are separate, dominating the local politics and working to influence on the temple hierarchy in a lively internal rivalry.
In Prax the temple was largely destroyed. I do not know if others have analyzed it in such detail to see that there are Praxians who are listed as its leaders for quite a while, implying that they ruled it. Surely they influenced customs there. But the key concept that continued was the temple itself, with its old god still worshiped. Thus I assume that the temple itself has been the dominant influence, rather ruling over the clans.
To quote the article cited above:
"As the EWF expanded the new Sun Dome Temples were among its military arm
and helped to enforce its rule in Peloria, Dragon Pass, and even far-away
Prax.When the EWF fell many of these temples were destroyed. Most the
remaining members were slain during the Dragonkill War as part of the True
Golden Horde. Most temples fell into ruin, or became isolated from the
world.
So, the other 13 seem to have been resurrected (not surprising for a solar god, of course.) Some likely had a core of worshippers who survived, hiding away and later coming back to the holy place to establish the temple anew.
> Thanks for any insights. :)
>
>
Having said all that, I will say that I do not have any facts for the rest.
May I solicit YOUR insights, opinions and campaign experiences?
--
Greg Stafford
Game Designer
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