Question about the House of Saronil

[RandomNumber]

Hi there,

I'm re-reading GS2 in preparation for the next stage of my RQG campaign. On p.27 the House of Saronil is shown with italicsed dates next to each of the Princes of Sartar (PoS) which in many cases are different to the dates for their reign as shown in the Sartar King List on p.26, KoS and GtG p.172. For example:

• Saronil reigned 1520-1550 but was PoS 1520-1552 (i.e. was PoS for two years after his death?)
• Jarolar reigned 1550-1565 but was PoS 1552-1557
• Jarosar reigned 1565-1569 but was PoS 1557-1561 (ie he had finished being PoS before he was crowned)

... and so on.

The dates align for Terasarin (1582-1600) and Salinarg (1600-1602) but drift again with Temertain who is noted as being installed in 1613 but shown on GS2 p.34 as 1614-1624 (albeit not as PoS).

Could someone kindly explain the meaning of the italicised dates on p.27 of GS2 please?

Thanks

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by RandomNumber

[metcalph]

The text box on p26 of the Sourcebook is an in-gloranthan document.  Thus it's allowable for errors.  

The two year discrepancy could be due  to the difference from when a Prince's reign began and when he was acclaimed.  A scribe not knowing the convention make make erroneous judgements about who reigned and when.  In other cases, an outright fabrication may have made which was then taken seriously by subsequent scribes.

A reconstruction of what happened might be:

Saronil dies in 1550 ST.  Jarolar, his heir and successor is not acclaimed as Prince until 1552 ST.  Thus there are two different dates for his accession.

Jarolar dies in 1557 ST, slain by Phargentes.  His son, Jarosar, is known as Hothead.  Being unpopular, many of the tribes stay away from Boldhome so that he is never acclaimed as Prince in his lifetime.  

After Jarosar is killed in murky circumstances, there is a lengthy interregnum which is eventually resolved in Tarkalor, who was dominant in Boldhome as early as 1561 ST..  Imposing some dignity on his predecessors, a funeral is held first for Jarosar, which fixes the year of his death as 1569 ST (the year of Tarkalor's ascension).  Since Jarosar had ruled for four years, the date of his ascension becomes erroneously calculated as 1565 ST.  

 

[Darius West]

I agree with Metcalph.  The sub-plot of King of Sartar is that you are a sage reading over sources about King Argrath, after hundreds of years of lozengial illiteracy due to the death of Lhankor Mhy.  The documents that remain are somewhat fragmentary, and open to error and interpretation.