Post-Dragonrise Politics of Alone

[Ryan Kent]

What is the post-dragonrise politics of Alone and the Amad, Bachad and Tres tribes? The section on Alone and Herongreen in Pegasus Plateau states:

"When Harvar Ironfist died in 1625, his mayor fled, and the city now operates with an interim mayor. ... Despite paying tribute to the Lunar Empire, Alone is a haven for outlaws, known rebels, and other criminals."

"Herongreen is a fortress of the Dinacoli Tribe, it is garrisoned by a company of Lunar Silver Shields who watch against Sartarite activity."

Did the Lunars maintain a tenuous control over Alone and Herongreen following the dragonrise and post-dragonrise general uprising? How is this playing out? Does it change following the Battle of Queens?

(I am thinking of running a game prior to the Battle of Queens where the Lunars are attempting to enlist the aid of Brangbane in the upcoming battle and the party must figure out their plan and stop them.

[Lordabdul]

AFAIK from published sources and posts from Jeff, the Alone Confederation has historically largely been left... well.. alone by the Lunars. Harvar Ironfist (who is backed by the Red Emperor) put everybody in line when he violently took power in 1611, and got the Alone tribes to pay a heavy tribute until 1625. But there was never a permanent Lunar garrison in Alone, because the Lunars had more important business in Sartar, where all the real money is. Harvar didn't bother having hoplites there either on a permanent basis IMHO. All there is (in my game) is a Seven Mothers shrine, for good measure, and for a bit of local recruitment (with little success). Lunars and Harvar's soldiers would however wander the lands around Alone on occasion to chase leads about Sartar rebels hiding there... which there was quite a few of since it's a nice place to lay low when you can't get to Prax. So by and large, the local tribes were mostly keeping their heads down, paying their tribute, and sneaking around to clandestine Orlanthi temples with some occasional rebels.

After the Dragonrise, Harvar Ironfist is supposedly dead (he was present at the Lunar temple in Chaosium's Glorantha) but the Lunars (through their Tarsh king) take no time moving in to Alda-chur, which is an important trade site, and which is pro-Lunar at this point anyway. Again, Alone is not very important: the trade routes to Prax or to the Holy Country don't go through it (but they go through Herongreen and Alda-chur). They also need to make sure the new warlord who liberated New Pavis isn't going to go through here, and that the Sartarites (disorganized and in turmoil but nonetheless newly free) aren't going to move either. Kallyr, Broyan, Argrath, that's what concerns the Lunars. They keep an eye towards the east and south.... which means they have potentially a blind spot for the Alone tribes. These tribes aren't wealthy or big enough to pose any military danger, but an alliance with Sartar to do a pincer move on Herogreen might be worrying enough. I imagine that the tribal kings in Alone are thinking about it, and that the Lunars in Alda-chur will be reminding them who's the boss, and who has been the boss for the past 14 years, and what happened last time there was a rebellion in the Far Place. Wildcard: the trolls of the Indigo Mountains, who might be convinced to act one way or another, and can largely tip the scales. In Chaosium's Glorantha, it's Argrath who eventually comes here and conquers Alda-chur and the Far Place, but who knows what is left out of the history books.

The Lunars attempting to enlist Brangbane's help is a great idea for an adventure IMHO. The Bachad clan centered around Day's Hope (which I call the "ghoulwatchers") has a big Humakti cult (they have temple nearby) who specialize in undead fighting. They know the area very well compared to any Lunars, so stopping the Lunars would probably rely on help or information from those in that clan.

Edited February 14, 2022 by lordabdul

[Ludo Bagman]

Jeff posted 2020 some notes on the Lunar Army in Sartar and Alda-Chur post Dragonrise:

https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/facebook/2020-10-runequest-on-facebook-october-highlights/#ib-toc-anchor-1