The speed of light is sufficiently high as to be virtually infinite in any normal human frame of reference. I feel that any significant deviation from this may make it difficult for people to get around in Glorantha. This is rather different from bendy light that takes a scale of many miles to show any effect. Besides, it begins to sound a bit too much like Terry Pratchett's Discworld (which I love, but I would never inflict on my gamers).
Slow light is a phenomenon which I would restrict to very special cases, like heroquests when people are outside the normal day-to-day physics of Glorantha.
On the other hand, fast sound or variable speed sound, might have a number of interesting "cheesy physics" possibilities. ("Blessed are the cheesemakers." - Monty Python)
A physical model for sound
I believe that sound in Glorantha is a wave phenomenon as it is on Terra. It is produced by vibrating bodies and requires a conducting medium. The nature of the medium affects how well it conducts sound.
Water conducts sound very well, sound travels long distances at high speeds. Earth or stone are also excellent conductors of sound. Air is a poorer conductor, but it is a noticeable fact that cold air conducts sound better than hot air. Can we construct a theory of sound transmission that links these facts? If we remember that hearing (the detection of sound) is the sense associated with Darkness then perhaps we can.
Sound is transmitted best in Darkness, that is why the creatures of darkness have specialized in hearing.
Water is the firstborn of Darkness, the two elements are closely associated. It follows that water is a good conductor of sound.
Earth is a protector of darkness, earth shelters Hell from the Sky. It is dark beneath the earth. Therefore sound transmits well through the earth.
Air is not a good friend of darkness, but they have been allies at times, so air is an indifferent conductor of sound. However, if the air is cold, darkness is stronger (cold and dark being related), and the air conducts sound much better.
This theory leads to a some predictions. First, air will conduct sound better at night. Second, sufficiently bright light will interfere with the conduction of sound. Thirdly, water in the air (humidity) could raise the speed of sound.
These in turn lead to further inferences that may have significant game effects.
Trolls have good reason to be avoid daytime activity even though light doesn't hurt them, their Darksense works better at night. In the daylight, they are half-deaf.
A Lightwall spell will act as a barrier to Darksense and Listen skills. The bright light will ruin the conduction of sound through the barrier. Fires and salamanders will also damage sound transmission.
A Darkwall spell will have some peculiar effects on sound. There will be reflections off the surfaces of the darkwall and refraction of sound if it impinges at an angle. (One could use Darkness to make sonic lenses and mirrors.) No doubt Trolls can use this to make darkwalls somewhat effective against Darksense.
Fog occurs when there is lots of water in the air. Fog is known to cause strange effects on sound, this could be due to the sound refracting as it passes through bands where the water content and the speed of sound are varying.
Can anyone suggest further implications?
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