[2335] Daughters of Surma

[Eily]

After seeing the picture of Brinnie that Tom posted on twitter¹, where she has the blue glow in her hair for no apparent reason, I looked back to the comic and saw that whatever makes her hair shine like that seems to have no impact on anyone else, or even her skin and cloths (especially noticeable with casual Brinnie).

So until proven otherwise I think we should all agree that Brinnie actually has glowing hair 

¹This was definitely not just an excuse to share that image to whoever might have missed it. And if it was you can't prove it.

[TBeholder]

Jul 26, 2020 6:07:13 GMT wies said:

I am not a russian history expert either. I clearly confused Moscow with Kiev as the city that came to rule after the Mongols. Thank you for explaining.

It was more of… emergent thing. A bunch of principalities around major cities, most dependent on the Steppe allies or sea trade. Whichever first-tier city had a militarily and politically competent Prince was preeminent.
Kiev was big under Olga the "Regina Rugorum" back before Slavic and Germanic tribes fully assimilated. Then as the seat of Vladimir "Monomach", who allied with some principalities, conquered some others, made 19 peaces with Cuman tribes, using both military force and bribery. Not quite an empire, but close.
Then Kiev weakened to "first among the equals" again, while those steppe tribes paired up with available Princes (and much *dancing*, as OrzBrain would put it, ensued).
Novgorod was in danger of conquest by Teuton knights, and eventually countered this by enlisting as the Horde's vassal. Horde already pushed the Cumans out, so many other Princes were weakened by lack of old allies, and had to follow (by hook or crook — or by monk, since priests figured "Nestorians may be heretics, but they didn't even dominate there, so won't come with swords here").
With safer trade and no incessant mutual raids, they had surplus even after taxes. No external attacks, too. So even when the Horde had a civil war and could neither help nor enforce its "rule", the whole bunch maintained this as legal fiction (still paid taxes). But then it disintegrated, with whole rogue armies running around. Since the Nestorians lost the civil war, they ran, mostly North, many enlisted (good cavalry) and became lesser nobles, their children picked up traditions, but counted as Orthodox, thus strengthened the Russian principalities further.
Then Moscow led a fight with one ambitious separatist who tried to move in its direction, while the legitimate Great Khan arrived only in time to intercept reinforcements. So the balance of power shifted, and everyone knew it. Moscow became the Main Russian City while they all still formally were vassals of what was left of the Horde. Which continued its decline, so the Moscow continued its accretion of power.
Then it became strong enough that Ivan IV could make a "proper" empire around it, and take some remnants of the Horde while he's at it.

[wies]

One thing I love about the forums is that there are so many knowledgeable people here. Thank you for that summarization!