As with almost all blanket statements, what you have said here is untrue. I own a medical text which states that penile cancer is completely unknown in circumcised males. This doesn't mean I support circumcision for medical reasons -- I don't. The incidence of such tumors is mind-staggeringly low even among uncircumcised males, and clearly the damage of infection from circumcision far exceeds any risk of cancer. I'm just being picky.
JR Hutchinson
>I am wondering what the deal with the Pavis Mint is - what does it
>look like
It is a huge item of equipment, too big to move, and obviously very sturdy, since it's still sitting in the ruins (housed in a large stone building). I recall reading that it was found aboard one of the giant cradles which implies to me that its real purpose is not a mere mint, but something else. The fact that the gold wheel dancers have some connection with coinage, as well as with the giant's breeding cycle implies to me that the Mint might have something to do with them. Exactly what is obviously up to the individual campaign. Its exact appearance has never been described in any published material that I am aware of, so it's up to you. I always figure it's the size of a house.
>what is up with giants? They seem quite important in Gloranthan
>history, but little is written about their culture (which obviously
>was once more advanced), relations with other races, origins etc.
>except that they're big, mean, and crude.
The secret of giants is that they come in more than one variety. The problem is that mortals tend to lump all huge humanoid entities into the same category, failing to distinguish properly between Pamaltelan gray giants, jolanti, hoolars, even maidstone archers. Just counting the very most human of these creatures there are at least two types: the common hell-spawn creatures that eat people and are basically a monster, and the more cultured, intelligent, magic type such as Gonn Orta and his crew. The magic Rockwood giants are much much bigger than the cannibal type, and their babies are already 20-50 feet long or so.
Now, I admit it's possible that the difference between the
magic giants and the cannibal giants is cultural or mythical rather
than physical, but it certainly seems to be the case that the
cannibal giants are able to breed (though very slowly), while the
Rockwood giants only rarely produce a child, and their offspring
must apparently follow an exceedingly complex life-cycle involving
being sent to the Underworld while still an infant.
f6ri_at_midway.uchicago.edu
The magic Rockwood giants are basically all extinct now, their
children sacked by greedy God Learners during the Second Age. Only a
few remain, living in tiny groups or (mostly) alone as hermits and
they don't have a culture any more -- you have to have others of
your type to have a culture, otherwise you just have a personality.
They're available to meet and their reaction to humans certainly
isn't the gut one of the cannibal ogrish types, but on the other
hand there's no reason to assume that your typical magic giant is
going to be friendly to humans. What have humans ever done for
_them_?
Powered by hypermail