> The Crossline is the boundary of the Holy Country - Belintar never
> claimed the lands to the north of the Crossline (he certainly
> possessed the resources to conquer the troublesome Quivini if he so
> chose).
It all comes back to Belintar.
Although Esrolia: land of etc and History of the Heortling Peoples are all very informative texts but when trying to understand the political and spiritual currents of the Holy Country, we have so little information that the inscutably draconic EWF is a lot more understandable. I understand the Volsaxi. I understand the Hendriki. I understand the Esrolians, the Uz and the God Forgotten. I can even understand the Esvulari and their support for the Living God (Iraqi Christians come to mind) But what I don't get is how the Holy Country worked as a whole.
For example, Belintar seems content with the territories that he has making no major advances into Dragon Pass or Maniria. Yet as soon as the Opening occurs, he's making overseas conquests (or attempting to) and only renounces them once the Kralori sink his fleet. I may be over-analysing the statement in question but there is little to check it against.
Belintar's rule over Heortland (as compared to Esrolia) seems awfully tyrannical with accounts of governors being killed in revolts or being dismissed as being too gentle or too popular. Having a major part of the Country being in semi-permanent rebellion is a major problem but I'm left wondering why Belintar doesn't summon his army to put an end to the Volsaxi nonsense once and for all.
An answer to this might be that the Esrolian material focuses on Nochet to whom Belintar has been quite nice too and we do not see the numerous power struggles between the Living God and the Council of Grandmothers. The political unrest of the Uz of the Shadowlands are quite easy to comprehend (Only Old One, Iron Sword Run Through) and so too can the Caladralanders (eg Mola Ram). The problems of the Rightarm and Leftarm Isles can be imagined with some thought.
Belintar's governing philosophy is quite opaque. He's using God Learner systems of government but what really is his reason for rule? What does he publicly proclaim his mission to be? He is the Living God but for what purpose? As things stand, it looks like he rules for the sake of ruling as opposed to say the Emperors of Kralorela or Dara Happa.
For example, I mentioned the possible political problems in each of the Sixths earlier. Yet a common feature is that these are all reactionary problems, they are caused by the native resistance to the imposed rule of the Living God. What I don't have a feel for is any political problems caused by the spiritual and religious decisions of the Living God. In the Lunar Empire, the bad stuff of the empire can be summed up in one word; chaos. In Tanisor, it's the Castes. In Safelster, it's Arkat. In Loskalm, it's the Knights. But what's the Holy Country's major problem?
In addition, there's a general lack of political intrigue and division. The Lunar Empire has Fazzur, Phargentes, HonEel, the Great Sister etc causing trouble for the Red Emperor even when his authority is unquestioned. For the Holy Country, there's only Doragrestol of the amusing pseudonym who's presented as a one-off occurence.
My last issue is the lack of any feel for the magic of the Living God. I suppose Belintar might have created something akin to the Proximate Holy Realm of Orlanthland (which would explain why he was content with what he had but was beastly to the Volsaxi) but there's little information on what his officials and servants can do.
I post all this not as a criticism but to illustrate what's missing from our knowledge of the Holy Country to make it a nice place to adventure in. Even in campaigns where the Holy Country is gone, its institutions and history will still influence the people that it once ruled.
--Peter Metcalfe
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