The Dinacoli tribe (Re: Sartar and the Far Pont tribes
Joerg Baumgartner (joe@sartar.toppoint.de)
Thu, 08 Jun 1995 19:52:34 MEZ
In Glorantha Digest 305 John Hughes aka jhughes@mgdestmx01.erin.gov.au
wrote (among excellent stuff about North Sartar):
> The traditionally Sartarite Dinacoli tribe joined with Ironfist during
> Starbrow's Rebellion in 1613, and have since joined the Alda Chur
> Confederation. They are minor players, and do not share the Tarshite
> language. Nobody likes them much.
Partly true. The Dinacoli had been part of the Jonstown City Federation
after initially being a common enemy of the Jonstown tribes (a detailed
account of this in the Jonstown Guide - plug, plug). They were a Tarshite
tribe with strong light worship, and they definitely speak a Pelorian
Theyalan dialect.
Of 1621 they worship Yelmalio (Divination from Greg for scenario of mine
set in a Dragon Pass, yet unpublished), but the usual questions about the
Elmal/Yelmalio schisma may be asked for the period before.
WRT the Yelmalio cult and its screwed-up geasa: IMO the Dinacoli are a
fine example case for the tribal Yelmalio worshippers. The Dinacoli have
no formal files, nor are they soldiers, they are warriors. Living in
the lush Donalf Flats makes them prime candidates for an "Orlanthi"
horsemen's people, stressing all the special ties the Yelmalio cult
has to horses - an aspect almost totally missing in Praxian Sun County
(except in Melisande's Hand, about the only use for horse empathy a
Praxian Sun Domer might be able to think up) or even in "Sartarite"
Sun Dome County - actually on former Kitori lands, thereby nominally
a part of the Holy Country, but a land grant from King Tarkalor (nobody,
not even Tarkalor, ever thought of them as a Sartarite people, IMO).
Reading KoS it becomes clear that all the horse related stuff is from
the Elmal cult elements ("married Ernalda's horse-loving daughter";
ever seen an Aldryami on a horse?).
For a horseman, all these "don't wear armour of this type" stuff still
is detrimental, but not that silly - not any more than for Humakti.
Especially for horse archer skirmishers, like the Bush Children of
Dragon Pass boardgame - in WB&RM these were marked as originally
Tarshite units, and their name indicates they come from the Bush Range
above Dwarf Run, but the Dinacoli could muster at least part of this
troop.
The vast majority of tribesmen won't be mounted, though - at least not
in combat. I view them as similar to the Celts of northern Italy, who
rode into battle, but formed their "ranks" on foot, to charge whatever
enemy made the mistake to wait for their "furor".
An interesting question is how the cults of Yelmalio and Orlanth Rex
combine in their chieftains and king - after all, as tribal kings of
Sartar they perform Orlanth Rex "classified" rituals.
Nobody likes them much - quite true, I suppose. Their mastery of
horsemanship and horse archery makes them very effective raiders for
cattle, which hardly will earn them any friendship. The
Darkness-worshipping Torkani have a special enmity towards the Dinacoli,
but the other Jonstown federates had their share of trouble with this
tribe until Saronil pacified them. Only their surprise entry into the
Sartarite host after Grizzly Peak made them acceptable to the Sartarites,
and that only for 31 years.
<rant mode off>
- --
- -- Joerg Baumgartner joe@sartar.toppoint.de
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