Canid and Ermehn: tensions South of The Wastes - 1/?
I'm so curious about the Ermehn / Canid conflict repercussion South of the Wastes. Specifically, the tension that can take place between them.
There's two vastly different situations where it unfolds, one inside Aisling territory and one outside of it. On one hand you have an open conflict visibly stemming from a very old grudge. And on the other? Something of an uneasy truce or an awkward maneuvering outside a strong political imperative.
And its so interesting to me both these dynamics exists at the same time.
(In this post I'm gonna linger on the situation where it takes place outside of Aisling, because that's the most detailed side we have for now. But I may very well speculate on the alternative in another post. Onwards!)
It must be such a head scratcher for any canid outside of Aisling. Like, how do you deal with your mistrust, your resentment toward ermehn when in a situation where it could very much reflect on Aisling and the canid as a whole?
Because, while I'm sure on an individual level canid have just as much diverse opinions on image and politics than any other species, on a cultural and structural societal level? We're speaking of a militaristic, probably utilitarian and productivist society. While political conscience may very much be discouraged, or reprimended, discipline, on the other hand, is very much expected and required. You are part of a pack and your attitude reflects on the group. If you're in a position where your relationship with another species might be perceived as threatening or bloodthirsty (cuz you know you're not in your home turf where such a stance is accepted) then what do you do? You don't want to impose your views in an overt, violent way. You want people to see you as the reasonable party. And as far as we know, most canid seem to think they ARE the reasonable party. Now add to that the fact your nation (arguably) has the most powerful army in the four nations? What seems like a no brainer turns very quickly into a slippery slope. You can't just do or say whatever you feel like.
Quick solution to avoid any problems? You don't discuss it with non-canid. Hell, I'm sure such a topic of discussion is discouraged amongst themselves sometimes - at least in the army.
And for poor fugitives ermehn, how do you approach that canid fellow that visibly isn't in the military? Can you trust them to not cave in to prejudices? If so, how much? I'm sure most ermehn do not take chances. Even if someones isn't actively part of an armed group that hunts you down they could very well be supporting it - the army, as far as we know, isn't self sufficient, on the contrary it seems to very much rely on the broad citizen class to alleviate the war effort. So the mistrust is very much shared and present on the side of the ermehn as well. That canid across the street may not be your personnal enemy, but his actions may have an impact on the broader scale. Especially so if their profession sustains the military in some shape or form.
But it's also important to note that ermehn south of the wastes (and outside of Aisling) may not have a strong incentive to be personnally invested in that conflict outside of a direct confrontation or a personal vendetta. And unless they are in an ermehn collective, I'd imagine holding on to their grudge could be very damaging for their safety in the long run. Why antagonize a species that has an advantageous situation (as in, is part of the four nations) and a significant army force to boost? Why indeed. Survival is better than revenge.
That's why Nessa, and probably a large part of Navran's territory, is so interesting. The setting nullifies part of that tension, to the point where amicable relationships and even friendships can be possible between the two species. This also points to how much influencial vulpin society must be on the international level.
But it is also very interesting to note that the friendship we readers are presented with is between an omega and an orphan.
I'm pretty convinced that Cain, even with a lineage that could be perceived as prestigious, is so far removed from the chain of power and command that his views, his associations, do not matter in the slightlest. Simply put: he's poor. Even if some of his fellows might dissaprove, judge him for it, his stance has no bearing on the larger scale. Yurk is also in a situation that, while derived from the conflict, has no strong cultural, personal ties with it. He is Nessan before being an ermehn. They are both removed from that tenuous relationship because of their upbringing and social status.
That begs an interesting question surrounding the presence of the canid army outside Aisling and its influence on mentalities, as well as the extent of their possible action against ermehn, should they cross path...
I feel like Redwall Abbey would be full of queer platonic partners. They’re clearly the type of folk who understand that there are many, many different forms of love just as valuable as romantic. The concept of this is just so beautiful to me idk
Regarding Beyond the Western Deep: Does Navran got some sort of naval presence, even of it's just for selling/trading, or are they more or less landlocked to the desert? I'm- asking for a friend and not at all cause' I'm planning an oc in btwd's world (¬‿¬)
They definitely would for trade, since their nation is in the unique position of having (relatively easy) access to both coasts. There is also an organized vulpin navy, though it's not especially large - mostly it's a security arm for their trade routes. And in general, ships are a nice way to avoid using land routes over the mountains if you want to travel to Gair from southern Dunia!
If you follow me on twitter you may have already seen this, but if not I’ve got a treat for you!
We commissioned Knights of the Light Table to make a sweet animated intro for our Beyond the Western Deep vol. 2 Kickstarter campaign! It turned out so well we wanted to tease it a week out from launch. :D (Special thanks also to Nolan Markey for the great music work he’s done for us!)
This campaign is for printing a proper hardcover run of Volume Two with a meaty extras section, as we did with the first volume. But of course there are more goodies in store! You can follow the campaign here before we launch, but I’m sure I’ll be plugging it in the future and you won’t easily miss it. ;)
Caldus' youth: how to turn a Tamian into a military man
Caldus whole ''warrior mindset'' is so puzzling to me. I'm sure some of this stance was developped as a result of him fighting alongside the canid in the war but at the same time I'm looking over at Terria and I'm confused. Pretty sure Tamians had warriors of their own, even if they weren't a lot compared to other nations/species.
But one thing is made clear right at the start - Caldus is THE warrior. He seemed to have been respected by Clovis (if his reaction to his passing has an ounce of authenticity to it) and he had gathered great respect in his homeland. And this is where I'm kinda intrigued because if you recall, in the beginning of chapter 1, Quin reflects how he almost got disowned for choosing to be a scout. DISOWNED. And y'know that position is something that is arguibly made by Tamianfolk FOR Tamianfolk? Since they're literrally squirrel people?
Like how deeply the war against the ermehn must have affected Caldus for him to be so overtly aversed to something that could be described as a traditional Tamian custom? Even if he always was a partisan of martial stuff?
This seems like a minor stance in Terria, but still, the fact that Caldus was such a proeminent figure makes me wonder if it didn't gain traction during the years he served as captain.
