Maybe it makes sense for the Durulz to have their 'capital' in the back of beyond? The confluence of the Stream and the Creeek-stream is an obvious place for someone to build a town or city -- though maybe it is too important a site to have been left to the Durulz? Or maybe there are sound nythic reasons why it is not a developed site?
Some Durulz do get involved in river trade, but surely the farmers, fishermen and other backwoodsmen outnumber the travelling salesmen by a large margin? Indeed if urbanisation and trade were that important to the Durulz (and if trade with the durulz was that important ot the rest of Sartar), surely the Durulz would also have attached themselves to a City Ring?
That or maybe the location of Duckpoint is a bit of Moscow/Ottawa thinking? Ottawa was less prone to attack across the lake than Toronto (which got attacked in the War of 1812), though the location of Ottawa (almost between Quebec and Ontario) also makes a useful point in terms of internal politics (rather like Washington DC, between the North and the South) .
Likewise for an invading army to get to Moscow they have to cross a lot of hostile territory first. St Petersburg did not have this same defensive advantage
Richard Hayes
From: Stewart <stu_stansfield_at_Fu8pF2mcrbx8y7GAf8VbQP8ovgOzSakVUZL4oDt45QUar2toV-tmwFUgonWZWFoCeOO4PyuzXMB9jE7FHWa2v2B2aXY.yahoo.invalid>
To: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 20 March 2012, 13:19
Subject: Re: The City of Wonders: an Investigation (Part 2)
Thanks for the thoughts, Joerg!
Joerg:
> Sartar was a hero for Issaries. I think he would have had a keen
> understanding on the requirements of trade, so if he builds a dead
> end highway towards the upper navigable point of the River, I
> expect him to situate the city in a way that it could contribute to
> the trade.
This touches upon a sauce of mild (okay, considerable) annoyance to myself. The pre-Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes abnegation of Duck Point as a wereduck settlement (i.e. this isn't aimed at Joerg, though I'm aware it might read that way - sorry!).
Obviously our little friends, with their Swim 80% and oldest published connection to the Water rune in Glorantha (read it and weep, Sea-monkey) wouldn't build a large settlement at the conjunction of their main arteries of trade, travel and life (the Stream and the Creek-Stream River).
No! That would be silly. The nexus of duck society will be a settlement in the arse-end of nowhere, with nary a sloppy bank in sight. (Retreat? Fine. But not main settlement.)
All this prejudice, and you don't even have the dignity to refer to ducks as a 'martial race'!
Gods know how they ever managed [very well, actually; Ironhoof's well cool - S.] before those Heortlings came along to show them how it was done!
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