My admittedly hazy memories of ye aulde oop sources concerning the Galanini appear to put those peoples into some sort of fairly ambiguous position, where they appeared to be bartering their allegiances according to political expedience, strongly influenced by a hearty and not always 100% successful lust for survival.
Where I'm *not* following Peter, but Jeff instead, is that Ralios is indeed *squarely* within the realm of the Storm Tribe, despite the fact that the more detailed descriptions published to date concern the malkionised parts of the region, hence potentially fostering the false impression that these are Malkioni lands.
IIRC the old sources have described the Galanini as having been allied at various points in history with whichever group happened to provide the greatest opportunities for the continuance of maximum Galanini independence. Now, that sounds *very* Orlanthi -- but I would still agree with Peter's opinion that :
> If I understand Jeff right, an Orlanthi culture is one that adopts the
> worship of Orlanth and related mythology (such as the Lifebringer's Myth).
>
> I however take the view that more is required. It is not enough to
> simply worship Orlanthi gods alongside one's own, one must also
> integrate the Orlanthi mythology at the basic religious level/pantheon
> worship ie accept Orlanth as the King of the Gods. The Galanini took
> the first step but I don't believe they took the second.
...
What I personally believe is that the Galanini are culturally very *close* to the Orlanthi, and in all likelihood due to common history and shared inheritance -- but that they retain something decidedly un-Orlanthi as a core set of notions, beliefs, habits, and spirituality.
I'd probably cite the fact that cavalry requires some forms of extensive social support and likely a hereditary nobility, that are unlikely to be "Orlanthi" structures.
I'd agree OTOH that for most intents and purposes the galanini would "belong" to the Orlanthi, as being the best allies to prevent the malkioni lowlanders coming and and destroying them, as the Arkati very nearly succeeded in doing, leaving in their wake a strong fear and hostility towards malkionism among the Galanini.
Therefore, I would see the Galanini "being" Orlanthi only as a matter of History and cultural _necessity_, rather than one of cultural and religious _identity_.
Julian Lord
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