Re: Seshnegi Questions

From: David Cake <dave_at_2SBC6JAPz2hwCqLv-akPqFwQhUlY4MDEZepZ-woI5m6cmBrYZVleWsofvepz419KN9LbEer>
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 10:22:00 +0800


At 10:02 AM -0400 4/11/10, Scott Mayne wrote:
>Interesting stuff... Seems prejudicial to my knighthood
>preconceptions, but interesting :) Out of curiosity, is this
>material being developed for a product, like background information
>in the mapbook or an article in Gloranthology? Or would this have
>been in Sorcerer Knights if it had been published? Has Hrestol's
>Saga been updated or rewritten?
>
>These Men of All, when they fought did they sometimes ride around on
>horses with heraldic shields and lances?
>

        Personally, I'd suspect that the Men of All did ride around on horses, but proper heraldry and proper lance combat were later developments. This was the First Age, things weren't fancy. More a guy on a horse with a personal insignia on his shield (not yet part of a formalised system of heraldry), and a big spear. Something like a Roman cavalry two handed contos perhaps, rather than the under arm couched lance of medieval Europe (I see that as more a Second Age development, but I could be wrong).

        There probably is a discussion of exactly what sort of stirrups and saddles got introduced when that figures in here, but I'm sure there is someone who knows far more than me about that.

        It is worth noting that the West has had big horses capable of carrying a mounted warrior pretty much forever, since Danmalastan. As Jeff points out, the Dawn age Dronan were not fast when carrying a mounted warrior, but certainly could. I'm guessing on mounted warriors being pretty much always a major factor in Western armies, but the full on lance charging cataphract style only really emerging in the Second age with the breeding of Fronan horses.

        It is possible, however, that when Fronans are bred and super heavy cavalry become used, that this is seen as a return to the tactics once used in Danmalastan with the prehistoric deluskval horses.

	Cheers
		David

           

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