Re: Nice Anybody?

From: Peter Larsen <p3larsen_at_qwiYKeZuBODZGUrGgj5nZ3w4UMrhvwWmlrKPGqxUwYI-W1VCjWdzf2KPMG9p5AOK5yN>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 09:33:28 -0400


On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 9:01 AM, Sean Foster <ebaninth_at_ZCZDjbkE8ycFFF68ny3FA6tCF1P_sC2yyUERC-08mlqUIVDwtiUpcTDOyQ7pCAiln-yEhPGdAT-ZF9nzfEs.yahoo.invalid> wrote:

> I do realize this is the case, but it would useful be to have a couple of
> 'good' things about the Sartarite/Hendreiki Culture. Too much grey can be
> bland, like porridge without sugar!
>

Good things about the Sartarites (full disclosure -- I do not like the Sartarites all that much):

  1. They are loyal to their own. Somewhat brutally enforced, with outlawry being a kind of death sentence, but Sartari are very loyal to their bloodlines and clans (slightly less so to their tribes). Sartari support one another, knowing taht if they let some die, they risk having all die. Contrast that with the familial infighting that might go on in a Lunar (or Esrolian) setting.
  2. Within their limits, they accept diversity. There is a fair amount of room in Sartari culture for people who do not quite fit in. The real rebels are forced out, of course, but there is plenty of room for adancement of women, acceptance of sympathetic outsiders, and roles in society for people who are unable to be "normal." Esrolian and Praxian people (as examples) have fewer options, I think.
  3. If they are overly traditional, they have good historical reasons. No one can accuse the Orlanthi of not learning a lesson! They are accutely unconscious of balance, but they preserve the moral and natural order in their own way, something that the Lunars, who are theologically obsessed with balance, are much less likely to do in practice.
  4. They are egalitarian. There are thanes, but very few hereditary nobles. You can, to same degree, pass your station on to your children, but if they don't have the qualities to maintain it, they will fall to a lower social rank. Similarly, the son of a stickpicker can, theoretically, become Chief by dint of character and effort. In practice, this works a little less well that I depict it, but compare with the governmental structures of the West.
  5. They know the value of a cow. Don't laugh, not everyone does.

Peter Larsen

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