Dara Happa is more about father-son descent than any sort of "clan" thinking.
The Red Emperor has an important strategy in relation to almost every problem, which is to seduce and impregnate someone to get a solution. He did it to some demon to get Yara Aranis, to some woman of Doblian to get Hon Eel and the land of Doblian, Tarsh, Oraya, etc. He's done it in Rinliddi, and in Darjiin. He's a lover not a fighter.
It seems to me that most of the Lunar clans are either desendants of the Red Emperor, or successful sponsors of one of the successful people who become the Emperor.
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> --- In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, Peter Metcalfe <metcalph@> wrote:
> >
> > On 10/4/2012 8:44 AM, drscience3000 wrote:
> >
> >
> > > I'm sorry I wasn't clearer. I mean the old Darra Happan Emperors (pre Lunar) didn't just come from Raibanth but from across Dara Happa (so that Raibanth as a city might be the capital, but the clans from the other cities are just as important as the ones in Raibanth)?
> > >
> >
> > It's complicated. There's really only been five Dara Happan dynasties/clans
> >
> > Khordavu dynasty - claims descent from the Hero Avivath who lived in
> > Raibanth.
> >
> > Erzanestyu dynasty - claims descent from a minor house related to the
> > previous dynasty. The first Emperor of this dynasty however had to have
> > been available to the Orlanthi occupiers and hence probably lived in or
> > near Raibanth.
> >
> > Denesiod dynasty - claims descent from Raiba, God of Raibanth.
> >
> > Karvanyar dynasty - founded by a Lone Hero who claims descent from the
> > last Denesiod Emperor
> >
> > (Carmanians) - not Dara Happans.
> >
> > New Solar Dynasty - Yelmgatha is from Orlentos in south Kostaddi. But
> > the first emperor in his dynasty is one Spengatha about whom we know
> > little except that Yelmgatha was probably a relative.
> >
> > Subsequent Emperors in a dynasty have to be within four generations of
> > an Emperor or a God (the rule was relaxed after the Dragonkill if no
> > other candidate was available). This was usually a son of a grandson
> > and so I really don't see the throne being passed to clans around the
> > country.
> >
> > Hence I count three clans and possibly four clans with origins in Raibanth.
> >
> > --Peter Metcalfe
> >
>
> Well, I was going by the fact that Yelmgatha (who I've heard of) wasn't from Raibanth, the assumption that what really matters is passing the ten tests (though I guess they don't let just anyone attempt them), and that the clans may have relatives in other cities than their "main" city. (And, in fact, the clans are probably somewhat interrelated). So that someone with suitable blood might be in a clan in Yuthuppa, Alkoth, or another city?
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> I'm also assuming the dynasties, some of which are thousands of years in the past, may not all exist in present times. And, in fact, unless you count the masks of the Red Emperor, it has been more than 4 generations since the last one? So yeah, if suddenly Darra Happa needs a new emperor, then if you have a close relative of the last Emperor, there you are. But otherwise any of the important clans (who probably all trace Emperors and gods in the past) could have a shot at being allowed to take the tests? I would guess this would be true of he one you mentioned (Assiday) and the one that Jeff mentioned in Yuthuppa (Yuthmesha). (Though are dynasty names correlated with clan names? If a "Bob" of the "Assiday Clan" becomes emperor and starts a dynasty, that is the "Bob" dynasty, not the "Assiday dynasty"?
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