|
Civitatis Ar, Plus!
Places
Margin of Desolation
It gradually became clear that the
road was becoming less traveled. Weeds were growing between cracks in the
stone flooring of the highway, and the ruts of the tharlarion carts had
all but disappeared. We passed several crossroads, but I kept moving
generally in the direction of Ko-ro-ba. What I would do when we reached
the Margin of Desolation and the broad Vosk River, I didn't know. The
fields of Sa-Tarns were thinning out. TARNSMAN OF GOR-, (1) Page
113-114
For several days, to the sound of
the caravan bells, we made our way through the Margin of Desolation, that
wild, barren strip of soil with which the Empire of Ar had girded its
borders. Now, in the distance, we could hear the muffled roar of the
mighty Vosk. As the caravan mounted a rise, we saw far below us, on the
banks of the Vosk, a sight of incredible barbaric splendor - pasangs of
brightly colored tents stretching as far as the eye could see, a vast
assemblage of tents housing one of the greatest armies ever gathered on
the plains of Gor. The flags of a hundred cities flew above the tents,
and, against the steady roar of the river, the sound of the great tarn
drums reached us, those huge drums whose signals control the complex war
formations of Gor's flying cavalries. Talena ran to the foot of my
tharlarion, and with my lance I hoisted her to the saddle so that she
could see. For the first time in days her eyes filled with anger.
"Scavengers," she said, "come to feast on the bodies of wounded tarnsmen."
TARNSMAN OF GOR-, (1) Pages 129-130
I knew then we were within the
territory of Ar, and must be high over the Margin of Desolation, a barren
area, now recovering itself, which, years ago, had been cleared and
devastated, that the northern fields of Ar by such a natural barrier, by
such a wall of hunger and thirst, might be protected, presumably from
invasion from the north or, more likely, from the incursions of Vosk
pirates. In the reign of Marlenus, prior to his exile, and later, after
his restoration, the Margin of Desolation had been deliberately left
untended, that it might recover. Marlenus had set a swift fleet of light,
Vosk galleys to clear the river waters adjoining his Ubarate of pirates.
They had been successful, or muchly so. Seldom did Vosk pirates ply their
trade where the Vosk bordered the regions of Ar. Other cities, to the
north, of course, looked with apprehension on Marlenus’ permitting the
Margin of Desolation to recover its fertility and shade. He may have been
only intending to extend the arable lands of Ar. On the other hand, under
Marlenus, it became clear that Ar no longer feared for her borders. Also,
the ambition of Marlenus, the Ubar of Ar, said to be the Ubar of Ubars,
was well known. If it was now possible, or soon would be possible, to
bring a land army easily southward to Ar, once the Vosk was traversed, by
the same token, it would be similarly possible for Ar to bring, swiftly a
considerable force of men northward, to the very shore of the Vosk. Of
tradition, the northern shore of the Vosk was disputed by various cities.
Ar, among others, had mde her claims. CAPTIVE OF GOR-, (7) Pages
255-256
Marlenus, who has seen his city
threatened by a league of cities in the time of Pa-Kur, doubtless views
with disfavor the rise of the Salerian Confederation. To be sure, at this
time, it is relatively weak. A Ubar, however, must think ahead. On the
other hand, it is commonly suspected the major threat of the Salerian
Confederation is not to Ar's security, but to her ambitions, in the person
of Marlenus. The great margin of desolation which once flanked Ar on the
north, just south of the Vosk, has not been maintained. It was a long wall
of wilderness, an empty, unpopulated, desertlike area without water and
beneficient vegetation a thousand pasangs deep. Wells were poisoned and
fields burned and salted to prevent the approach of armies from the north.
Now, however, in the last years, it has become green. New wells have been
dug, peasants have moved into it. This, said to be a plan to bring more
arable land under cultivation, is generally viewed as being an opening of
this territory to large-scale military passage. It is even being stocked
with. game and wild bosk. It retains now of its old character only its
name, the Margin of Desolation. We had had no difficulty in traversing it,
on the great road leading south to Ar. As the Margin of Desolation, no
longer an artificially maintained cruel wilderness, has flowered, it has
been said the eyes of Ar have been turning north. Indeed, some claim the
Salerian Confederation has grown as well as it has because the cities of
the north fear the possible imperialism of Ar, Whatever be the truth of
these intricate geopolitical matters, it seems clear that Marlenus, for
whatever reason, does not see fit to encourage the growth of the Salerian
Confederation. SLAVE GIRL OF GOR-, (11) Pages 145-146
Most of the major towns on the
Vosk are on the northern bank. This is undoubtedly because of a one-time
policy of Ar to maintain a margin of desolation to the north, one
stretching to the river, across which is would be difficult for an invader
to bring an army. The major route south was then, as it is now, the Viktel
Aria, which by means of its camps and posts, Ar then controlled. Thus,
supposedly, Ar could move north with ease, but it would be difficult for
other forces to move south, unless challenging Ar for the Viktel Aria. The
margin of desolation however, has not been maintained for years. Its
military significance declined with the development of large-scale tarn
transport, capable of supplying troops in the field. Too, as Ar’s
population increased she began to move northward. Indeed, her interests in
the Vosk Basin are well known. In the past few years, particularly under
the governance of Marlenus of Ar, the policies of Ar have tended to be
expansionistic. Accordingly, it seems clear that in time the strategists
of Ar came to view the margin of desolation less as a rampart than a
barrier. RENEGADES OF GOR-, (23) Page 442
Kudos to you, Mr. Norman for writing the Gorean series!
A rich, yet utterly simple saga; a world, a time, a people;
those of the Counter-Earth .. the planet .. Gor.
Thank you!
The material presented herein was researched and compiled by me,
naia{Saul}.
The material referenced comes from John Norman's Gor Series, The
Counter-Earth Saga.
This is a work in process.
Please, do not take, copy, duplicate, or use this work as your own.
If you find it valuable enough to share, please .. share the link to this
page.
To Top
|