Waertagi ships

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 16:26:23 +1200


Ian Gorlick:

>One thing that has bothered me for some time about the descriptions of
>the waertagi is their lack of seamanship. These people seem utterly
>dependent upon the use of seamonsters or undines to get about on the
>water. This just doesn't make sense to me. A people that lives
>exclusively at sea ought to be the best seamen in the world.

The Waertagi have great seamanship! Seamanship =/= sailing. IMO The monsters they use to tow their boats are tame (like elephants) rather than magically enslaved. It's like using horse-drawn carriages upon land. Using monsters allows the Waertagi to avoid dependance on the winds which gives them an advantage over the others. By worshipping the Doldrums they are able to becalm human shipping whereeas their own ships are untouched.

On a less than serious note, I've always imagined the Waertagi in their fastships as Germans in their U-boats rather than model of goggled-eyed Deep Ones espoused by Nick B. This allows me to visualize their navy (as well as their larger society) better in terms of military ranks (OverMagast = Grand Admiral) etc.

On the sailing front, I thought that the Fonritans with their yachts and dhows were the most sophisticated in the field.

All IMO BTW.

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