Caladraland politics around 1630 ST

[Squaredeal Sten]

I am looking at Caladraland as reflected in Tradetalk #5 and also Guide to Glorantha - and trying to project to about 1630 ST, five years after the Dragonrise:

There are a lot of political players in and around Caladraland (see list below) , so what are the likely events and conflicts (adventure hooks)?  There are thousands of ways these players can move.

I have some ideas about how this will turn out, but would like your opinions.

Personally at this point (subject to advice)  I am probably going to go with:

 

◊ The High King of Caladraland tries to find allies where he can and to buy influence internally so that he can stay in office.  Resistance to Solanthi and brown elf raids, and aid to the Hrennan tribe, will build his legitimacy but drain his treasury.  He has essentially no taxing power, but the Mostali are used to dealing through a High King.  He wouldn’t have gotten (or extended his tenure in) his position without Low Temple support, therefore High Temple tries to impede him, and he tries to get friends in the Three Tribes in order to affect High Temple.  He reaches out to the Spear and Plow faction by promising a strong government, but with little success because he also needs foreign help. 

 

◊ Solanthi raids from Maniria into and through Thomble continue.  But without Greymane they don’t have the unity to raise a big army and invade Esrolia again.  

 

◊ The Trader Princes of Maniria  (https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/the-manirian-road-and-the-trader-princes/  ) try to re-establish dominance over the Solungi and Ditali clans, but have little success in that beyond keeping banditry down.  They are peacefully inclined (trade is more profitable than war), but don’t have their pre-Opening revenue.  They have little interest in common with Nochet except access to Nochet’s markets, because Nochet trades by sea, undercutting the Manirian Road to the West.

 

◊ The Brown Elves of the Arstola forest harass the Solungians (NW Caladralanders) while they also quietly attempt to reforest and dominate Thomble.  Today Thomble, tomorrow the world.

 

◊ The Solungians (NW Caladralanders) look for help to anyone they can:  Esrolia, even Argrath;  and fund themselves through trade from Vinvale.

 

◊ Porthomeca and the Demivierge in Rhigos impede Nochet’s influence “just because” – and because Rhigos competes with Nochet. 

 

◊ The Demivierge doesn’t want to alienate Sartar or Heortland because she wants Sartar’s trade.

 

◊ Nochet / Queen Samastina wants to dominate all of Esrolia and to control exports from Vinvale and Porthomeca, and maintain Nochet’s access to the Caladran timber and obsidian trade.  Therefore Samastina wants to expand her influence in Caladraland but not to fight Rhigos and not have a public falling out with the Esrolian houses who are in the Warm Earth Faction.

 

◊ The Spear and Plow faction attempts to minimize Nochet’s influence, Argrath’s influence, the Demivierge’s influence – and also to resist the Solanthi & Ditali.  They don’t like Brothers of Restorations’s program either.  Isolationists, they are by nature opposed to having foreign allies in the long term, and Caladraland probably can’t resist all the foreign influences without either making some allies or instituting a strong central government.  Therefore they are inclined to support the High King if they can influence him.

 

◊ The Warm Earth Alliance and Rule of Hot Spear factions together resist most things Queen Samastina does.

.◊ Dark Doom faction members will try to kill any trolls (who are in short supply in Caladraland). They will also try to gain influence in Esrolia, however unlikely that may be given that Argan Argar is a Husband-Protector of Ernalda and the Only Old One was attached to Nochet for hundreds of years.

 

◊ Both Esrolian Warm Earth and Old Earth factions will oppose any re-formation of the Solunthi-Ditali alliance, and will send military aid against the Solanthi if asked.  

 

Political players Outside Caladraland:

○The Solanthi-Ditali alliance of Greymane can be expected to have fallen apart after his and his two sons’ deaths at Pennel Ford.  Both those Maniarian valleys were formerly dominated by “western” Trader Princes, and may be again; but there will also be Orlanthi relatives of Graymane (maybe younger sons?) who may demonstrate leadership and legitimacy by resuming raids or warfare against both Caladraland and Esrolia.  Thomble is presumably still depopulated / devastated and subject to their raids, though there is little to loot.

○ The Trader Princes of Maniria.

○ The brown elves of the Arstola Forest NW of Caladraland  (and question; Are there no elves IN Caladraland’s jungle-ey terrain?  Why?  Forests are forests.)

○ Esrolia, ruled by Earth Priestess Queens, with Nochet / Queen Samastina (Old Earth faction) controlling much of the north and Rhigos / the Demivierge of Rhigos (Warm Earth faction) controlling much of the south.

○ Vinvale, which has evidently changed hands between Caladraland and Esrolia, dominated by ethnic  Solungian Caladralanders, and is the source of the famous Vinvale Red wines exported to Esrolia and

thence to Sartar, mentioned in RQG.

○ Porthomeca, another border state “under Calandraland’s influence” whose ruler is titled “Warlord”.

 

Political players Inside Caladraland:  Caladran Factions include:

 

● Policy based factions according to Tradetalk #5:

○ Spear and Plow, want Caladran self-rule, especially popular in western Caladraland.

○ Warm Earth Alliance:  Solungians in Vinvale but also many Esrolian supporters including the Demivierge of Rhigos.  Anti-Lunar, anti Red Earth Alliance in 1615ST.  Politics may be redefining after the Dragonrise and death of Queen Hendira.

○ Brothers of Restoration, most numerous in Vinvale, want to find and revive Belintar.

○ Rule of Hot Spear, want to bring all of Holy Country under Caladran rule.  Members overlap Brothers of Restoration.

○ Dark Doom, want to attack the Shadow Plateau to prevent any troll resurgence.

○ Prayers for Twins: Low Temple priests (but adherents in every temple) who pray that Caladran heroes Moray and Telerio come back. 

 

● The High King, in the traditional but unimpressive palace at Low Temple, who seems to be turning a weak term limited elected office into his own possession for life. 

 

● The High Temple and Low Temple factions of the cult of Caladra and Aurelion, whose political split dates to the Second Age.  The High King must have the support of Low Temple but Low Temple does not need him very much, only uses him as a tool against High Temple.

 

● Tribes: These Include the Ajasi ( sea shore SE of the Vent), Hrennan (living around the Firepit volcano, and raided by Aldryami), Rillani ( SE of the Vent volcano), Holimin (cult of Caladril), The Three Tribes (Carrimin, Kralin and Serronan, around Holy Town), and Solungians (ancient tribal confederation of the Solung Plateau in northern Caladraland). 

 

● The Mostali of Gemborg, inside Caladaraland but not part of it, and somewhat attached to the cult of Caladra and Aurelion, with and through whom they trade.

[jajagappa]

2 hours ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

◊ Porthomeca and the Demivierge in Rhigos impede Nochet’s influence “just because” – and because Rhigos competes with Nochet. 

Central to the Demivierge's strategy (and therefore the Warm Earth Alliance) is that she is the lover of the Warlord of Porthomeka, who after Broyan's death is probably the most important military figure remaining in Esrolia/Caladraland. 

The Demivierge is not just impeding Nochet "just because", but because she and Samastina are effectively dueling to become the "avatar" of Ernalda and Queen of Esrolia (remember that Samastina is only Queen of Nochet and North Esrolia, not all of Esrolia as of 1625). Each will use the tools and allies they can to win that struggle (while trying to avoid devolving into Civil War again). 

Likely the Demivierge and the Warlord focus on conquering the Vinavale, maybe Thonble, and controlling South Esrolia. They'll encourage the Trader Princes as that should reestablish wealth for them. She might well accept refugees from Nolos and Pasos fleeing the Seshnelan conquests. Would she consider allying Harrek against Samastina? Or maybe she'll encourage the Grazers to raid Samastina's lands?

[metcalph]

I kinda think that politics circa 1630 has been utterly changed.  Perhaps a good comparison might be Roman Britain before the legions left and afterwards.  Given that in 1620, the Trader Princes were being supplanted by Greymane, I don't think anybody is going to remember them circa 1630.  

The main change is that Harrek and his Wolf Pirates rule the seas.  There's going to be loads of Wolf Pirates (think Sea People invasion) at the coastal ports, not just Yggites but also Quinpolics, Teshnans, Umathelans, Fonritans, Masloi and Teleosans.  All of them are seeking to make a name for themselves and quite of few of dreams of becoming a king of someplace.

Caladraland with its shitty coastline will be less vulnerable to Wolf Pirate raids than elsewhere BUT it also has the largest collection of diamonds in Glorantha.  So there's no way the Wolf Pirates are going to pass this up.  They will have likely seized Porthomeka and are using it as a base for sending epic armies into Caladraland.  I think by 1630, the low temple will have been besieged several times and sacked once but the High Temple and its treasury lies out of reach.

Given that the High King was a creature of Belintar, I really don't have much hope of its survival around 1630.  The High King with his crown was probably killed in battle and his head made into a drinking cup.  Power has instead become centered into the Dual Priesthoods - the civilized priests of the Volcano Twins and the savage priests of the Vent.  The main army of Caladraland is not the tribal militia but ironically bribed wolf pirates and prisoners-of-war recruited into fighting for the two Priesthoods.  With the demise of the High King, the local tribes are pretty much independent.  They do send their best fighters to fight for the Dual Priesthoods in return for access to worship at their temples but do so largely as skirmishers and raiders.  There's no sense of a larger country to fight and die for nor are they as daft to go fighting toe-to-toe with the Wolf Pirates.  Also assisting the Dual Priesthood is Gemborg in return for a steady supply of oil and coal.  Their aid probably comes in the form of iron weapons, and siege engines flinging disorder kegs and chained shot.  

Rhigos has probably been smart and paid hefty tribute to the Wolf Pirates in return for independence.  They would still have gangs of Wolf Priates doing pub crwals and the like.  

[Jeff]

Caladraland's main involvement in the Hero Wars is as a seemingly inexhaustible source of mercenaries.  Porthomeka and Vinavale are the main recruitment areas, and it is worth mentioning that they are the most Orlanthi (the Orlanth cult is nearly as big as Caladra & Aurelion there, and much bigger than Lodril). The Maran Gor, Humakt, and Yelmalio cultists are also sources of mercenaries. At first they fight mainly for the Esrolian cities, but as the Hero Wars progress they no doubt get recruited by Argrath's allies and end up fighting in Dragon Pass and Peloria.