>Is there a difference between darkness and lack of light?
I think that your question is moot. Even if light is present, darkness is still there, hiding under rocks and trees and in the depths of pools and lakes and caves. Darkness hides from the light. If you walk outside on a sunny day you can see it for yourself: darkness uses you for protection.
Darkness is the firstborn of the elements, and is thus everpresent (1) in Glorantha. Light can never defeat darkness; it can merely make it go into hiding for a while. Also, most of the darkness on the surface world is weak ('wounded') compared to, say, Subere's darkness that has never been conquered by light. Ordinary surface darkness - i.e. shadow - is spineless and weak; it cannot bear to look into the face of light. The darkness in Shadow's Dance is a bit stronger since it doesn't flee from the Light of the Sun (even though it whimpers and prostrates itself upon the ground). Calling upon the powers of Dame Darkness (i.e. the spell Create Shadow) can strenghten surface darkness and give it courage to defy Light.
>What happens when a light source and a darkness source "shine" in the
>same room - do you see something which is light, dark, grey, pitch
>black?
It depends on the relative strength of the light and darkness sources. If the darkness is merely shadow it will flee the light. If the darkness is stronger it will not flee and more of the room will be in darkness. If the darkness is stronger than the light, the light won't illuminate anything, though the light itself can be seen. If the light is substantially weaker than the darkness, it will be snuffed out if it doesn't flee.
>What's a shadow?
Darkness which lacks the strength to defy Light. As enlo are weak and incomplete uz, so is shadow weak and incomplete darkness.
Thus i suggest a tripartite typology of Darkness:
>Does a dark cave emanate darkness?
Only if true darkness, i.e. not merely shadow, is present.
In Far Point, there's a place called Night Valley which is dark as night even during the day. Legends says that Argan Argar once rested there and a Darkstone fell out of his bag, which remains there. Elmali quest there regularly to find and destroy the Darkstone.
I hope this resolves your difficulties.
(1) Otherwise we'd have to figure out what an absence of darkness means. But since Darkness, the mother of all, permeates Glorantha, that cannot be; even the Sun has a shadow. If darkness is absent, what *is* present is chaos.
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #639
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