RE: (Verily) Cleaving geology in twain from Jeff Richard on 2004-03-08 (Whitewall)

From: Jeff Richard <richj_at_...>
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 10:39:44 -0800

Stu -

Mythically, I think that Whitewall is something Orlanth is responsible for - the head of a giant, something he had Larnste make him, or a big stone he put in the ground.

My key concern is that it looks something like the Acrocorinth. Consider it a pet obsession of mine. When I did my brief stint as a classicist (before I became a lawyer), I had an archaeological internship that took me to a variety of Mediterranean sites. The places I went and saw rekindled my interest in Glorantha. I remember being on the top of the Acrocorinth and thinking to myself, it is a shame there was never a really heroic siege here* - because if this thing was fortified right, it would be virtually impossible to take.

Well, that's Whitewall.

Jeff

*Note: I know that the Acrocorinth was captured by Otto de la Roche and Geoffroy Villehardouin in 1210 after a FIVE-YEAR siege. But that isn't as cool as Masada, Tyre, or Acre IMO*

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 10:29 AM
To: whitewall_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: (Verily) Cleaving geology in twain

(Apologies if this comes twice)

	It strikes me that there's been a good bit of chit-chat and 
	discussion the magical and mundane nature of the geology of 
	Whitewall... should we now try and pull some ideas together?
	
	Stabbing's done, now time for some hack and slash.
	
	Ian's quite right, of course. There's a little problem in
matching 
	worldly concepts with mythic ones. Personally, I do atually
think the 
	way it's been approached so far has trod the line carefully. 
	Allusions and references to real world rocks are always useful, 
	because in its 4.5 billion year lifetime, the Earth kind of has
a bit 
	of a head start on us in creative ingenuity!
	
	Start with a real analogy, and then monkey around with it until
it 
	fits the mythos. I would happily sever actual rock types from
our own 
	realistic modes of emplacement, and have done. Choose them on
issues 
	of appearance appropriateness, and the worry about other things 
	later. Our efforts have been quite productive.
	
	So far it seems we have two real suggestions for whiteness, of
stone 
	and cliff: karstic rocks (limestone, dolomiceous limestone and
chalk) 
	and crystalline pegmatites (think granite without the dark bits;

	strong in quartz and feldspar). I'll tag marble on as an
interloper 
	at the end. Aesthetically, they all look pretty nice and

appropriate.

So what do we choose, and how do we tie these to myths? Do we even

have to choose, or can we simply describe rocks in terms of their

hardness, lustre and colour (perhaps giving some potential examples),

and let Narrators decide?

And what of the larger mythic setting? What shall we plumb for? I

	apologise if I've missed lots (I've been preparing plates and 
	captions as I've contributed today!), but I think we have:
	
	Joerg: a plateau of hard white (feldspathic pegmatite) stone, 
	containing parcels of softer, cavernous rock (limestone). Into
which 
	has been forced pristine crystalline rock (quartzite) by a 
	mythological force (hot water sent by Vestkarthen, shock by
Larnste 
	folding up the Storm Mountains, a foe of Destor falling to the 
	ground), providing large irregular bricks of snow white
quartzite 
	would appeal to an artist to use it for fortress building.
	
	Pedro: a karst of whitish rock (domolmite), forged from the
bones of 
	the defeated denizens of the Sea, since eroded or uplifted to
its 
	present habit. It could well be fractured and have a spring
source 
	being fed from a higher location, or be remnant water left over
from 
	before Time that is trapped in cracks in the rock, or of course 
	trapped water tribe spirits that have somehow been coerced or
forced 
	into cooperating with Whitewall.
	
	Stu: the end of a gods bone, thrust out of the ground, and
weathered 
	to its present habit. The outer walls of bone are of crystalline
rock 


	(feldspathic pegmatite), which grades into stronger, pristine

stone 
	towards the centre (quartzite), enriched by the nutritious
marrow. 
	The marrow itself is of a softer material, richer in nutrients
and 
	carved and tunnelled by the flow of ancient water. Anyone with a

	greater knowledge in Heortling mythology who can suggest exactly

	*whose* bone it is will be more than welcome!
	
	All theories agree that there is water in dat dere limestone.
	
	Do we need to specify? Is there room to allude to several mythic

	origins, different between clans and tribes?
	
	All the best,
	
	Stu.
	
	
	
	The New World Is Born On the Walls On Whitewall. Come the

Hurricane!

The New World Can Be Healed. Whitewall Must Fall!