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> Being reluctant to go to war does not necessarily make one more "tolerant" or "less violent." The Esvularings, like the Orlanthi, do not insist (or even partic'ularly desire) that outsiders worship their gods. They are loyal to Belintar and his priests, dislike the Praxians, fear the return of the Hendriki and the trolls, and tolerate (but fear) the atheists of God Forgot.
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> The Esvularings have formalized codes of law with punishments imposed by someone other than the aggrieved party's kin; something the Orlanthi find barbaric and cruel. If I recall from the First Age, those punishments include slavery, execution, and even corporal punishment.
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> Historically, the Esvularings have always been a relatively small group and have rarely had an option other than paying off their neighbors with tribute and/or allying with a more powerful neighbor. That certainly makes them less likely to go to war, but I'm not sure if that makes them nicer people.
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> Jeff
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Well, I presume your sources go deeper than mine, but from what little has actually been printed about them I think their being less violent and more tolerant are at least defensible conclusions. For instance, HQ Voices has the Esvulari mother saying that while "there are some strangers we must oppose...other strangers we would prefer to greet as friends." Compare that to the Rokari father's "Do not trust foreigners...Use them as you would, but do not fall for their wiles, which are many." The Orlanthi father describes men as loving "to fight and shout and run all over the hill in battle frenzy" while the Esvulari mother uses the already mentioned "Dialogue is the first option, warfare the last." She also admonishes her son not to "try to force them(unbelievers) to heed the Word(of Saint Aeol);that is neither right nor sensible. We show our faith by our deeds, and let others come to us."
I suppose it's possible that a deeper look will show them to be less benevolent, but so far they seem to be pretty decent people, at least for Gloranthans.(admittedly, that last bit may lower the bar a little:))
Mark Mohrfield
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