Jane, on ILH-2:
> That'll be very nice when it comes out (was that a pig
> I saw flying past? Carrying a message, even?). If
> you've got an idea what's in there, how about some
> clues?
Rory and Mark are better suited to giving exciting tidbits away (as in the Teelo Nori stuff). I'll see if they pipe up first!
> There is a small-ish Lunar unit in the field that has
> just been engaged in combat. How likely is it that
> what's left will get a message back to someone else
> fast enough for them to catch the Orlanthi force
> before they make it back to WW?
For an exact answer, I'm afraid I honestly couldn't say. In fact, even as a helpful aside I couldn't commit myself. Sure, a soldier of the Lasadag Lions can probably better escape an ambush than one of the Marble Phalanx, but there is always room for an accompanying officer of the Entalothosium, or an attached courier or party from the Field Colleges.
All I can say is there are many means to get a message back, magical or mundane, and it can be a risk as severe or minimal as the Narrator desires and the circumstance dictates; more so if dullwitted heroes go into any combat without thinking of this potential outcome. Sorry...
Vexillae:
> Now, if a unit's lare is destroyed, who
> will notice *immediately*? All members of that unit,
> present or not, I'd guess? Again, we have (very
> limited) instant communication.
A more detailed description of vexillae will hopefully appear in a forthcoming Lunar supplement, provisionally in the recently noted 'Champions of the Red Moon'.
They were discussed with Greg, and pretty much do all that everyone perceives -- provide a local guardian with functions, help coordinate magic etc -- working on what was instituted in 'Tarsh War', and further noted in ILH-1, etc.
However, there is one point that should be noted. Chris et al. in 'Tarsh War' have a system wherein the vexilla lare provides a replacement focus of worship for units taken away from their own regimental guardians. Greg wants vexillae to provide that very focus, but as an effective nexus that draws on the power of parent guardians (rather than as a pure replacement).
Thus vexillae lares allow the parts of regiments in a vexilla to benefit from their own guardians as if such were present. The specifics of all this are still being deliberated, but this may appear as a Blessing function, 'Nexus of Worship'.
[Yes, that is quite powerful]
So while soldiers of a regiment will notice if their guardian 'goes' on the field of battle, so indeed will soldiers of the same regiment serving in a vexilla elsewhere.
As to vexillae lares 'going', that could be more tricky. Naturally soldiers present may immediately notice that they no longer benefit from the lare's protection, nor feel the aid of their own distant guardians with the nexus gone (this is why it's especially important to take out Lunar vexillae lares).
Vexillae are flexible; and while we normally think of them as operationally independent units, they could themselves be parts of a bigger machine (I'm a big fan of temporary 'battlefield vexillae', consecrated for special magical assaults or roles). Higher-level guardians themselves might form an umbrella over several vexillae, and it might be possible that these guardians possessed an Awareness function that could note if a vexilla lare was in trouble.
Otherwise, I think it is more "A momentary disturbance in the Goddess' radiance, as if a thousand lunes cried out and then were suddenly silent" territory, wherein particularly devout Lunars might realise that something has gone wrong somewhere, without necessarily perceiving what it was.
Cheerio,
Stu.
Powered by hypermail