7 – Argrath faces the Lunars
The Marble Phalanx
The hoplites here are Dara Happans from the Marble Phalanx, one of the famed Stonewall Phalanxes. They are heavy infantry that fight in phalanxes, and who have the Polestar as their patron god. They are not effective as skirmishers, and it their use here as “tax-collectors” (in this case as organized plunderers) is a possible sign of the military incompetence of Governor-General Euglyptus Assiday (popularly called “the Fat”). Several years after this incident of the Starfire Ridge, several Sartarite tribes rebelled and temporarily overthrew the Lunar occupation in what is called Starbrow’s Rebellion.
Heroforming
Argrath here is surrounded by the “Hero Light” and is channelling the power of Orlanth, his personal god, to strike down the Lunar soldiers. That Argrath can perform such a feat without being a full-time devotee of the god is a sign of his magical potency (which was also demonstrated by the depth of his initiation quest).
Second last panel says “it’s,” should say “its.”
And this, kids, is why you shouldn’t be adding word balloons at the dead of night, you end up making typos like that!
Thank you for pointing this out, a corrected version is now uploaded.
Are those Lunars? They look like Yelmalions.
They are Lunars (you can usually tell by them having either the Red Goddess or the Moon Rune somewhere on them), more specifically these are soldiers from the Marble Phelanx. Looking back at it now, I think their shields should have been bigger.
It would make sense that phalanx troops had access to smaller shields (and shorter spears?) when on raiding duties. A full sized aspis would be an encumbrance in hill fighting, and cut down on the amount of loot you could carry.
Those are dara-happan, by their blond hair and blue eyes. Though I guess in their ranks there must also be some dark-haired pelorians. But why did they need to set the stead on fire? Silly bored lunars…
“Why are we doing this again?”
“No one’s invented video games yet.”
The Marble Phalanx is specifically mentioned in the guide as one of the ancestral regiments that were at the service of the Dara Happan emperors. If anyone would hate hill tribe Orlanthi, it’s these guys. What I am wondering however is if they would be worshippers of traditional Solar war gods like Saggitus, followers of Yanafal Tarnils, or those deities directly through their regimental hero cult.
Why did they burn the stead? Because Rebellus Terminus murdered the most perfect Emperor Murharzam and ended their golden age. If it were up to them, -all- Orlanthi steads would burn. Remember, these are the people who want to murder Orlanth, and see the death of that god as a means of restoring a fondly remembered golden age.
Glorantha can be a rough place.
For Argrath, this was the defining moment of his entire life and thirty-year war against the Red Moon.
For those guys, it was Fireday.
I really love the attention to detail, even the sheep look like a credible breed for an upland farm with bronze age technology