Richard:
>If we go down this line we could rapidly end up with a world so unlike
>the RW as to be unrecognisable
Exactly what I agree with. Glorantha is not, to my knowledge, and never has been, a bizarre alien universe where simple concepts that we recognise don't work. Dealing with it as a gaming universe means that things like "unless you're human you need not breath air" would be very odd. Better to come up with Gloranthan mythologies to explain the world around them in new and cunning ways than rewrite physics. Oh, and it's easier as well : )))
>No argument with that from me but I do think you have to consider
>what the great sages of history will have come up with given the
>basic laws of Gloranthan physics
Agreed. As I said, coming up with rational reasons for Gloranthan physics is far easier than the other way around.
Robin Mitra:
>One reason could be indeed the Great Compromise. But that would mean in
>the moment of the first dawn the anatomy of almost all living beings
>would have changed dramatically.
Why... yes. It's a kind of magic you know.
Actually, I'd say that during the time between the Compromise and the Dawn (the Grey Age) the new generations were born with these anatomical changes, so their ancestors, if they were around today, would be fine. Maybe really ancient Mistress Race trolls don't need to breath 'cos they were born before the Compromise. Even better as an explantion is that before Time you didn't NEED to breath, and you didn't NEED your lungs to live (although without them life would be far more difficult I'm sure...). The only reason pre-Time creatures had lungs was because of Grandfather Mortal and the fact that he had them. As creatures like trolls, humans etc... were all created from GM then they all had lungs. Why did GM have lungs? perhaps the Air Gods did have a hand in his making. Perhaps he was just given them to smoke his pipe with : )
Basically, I think most Gloranthaphiles are on one of two sides. Either Glorantha myth is an explantion of the world as it is, or the world as it is is due to Gloranthan myth. If you are in the first group then I'd say that Gloranthans would observe an effect in the world around them (needing to breath) and then make up a myth to explain it, such as the Great Compromise. In the second case then you believe that all myths are "how it actually happened" - and if you believe that then I'm sure that your Glorantha should have no problem with all races after the dawn being born with a different anatomy. After a war of gods, and the recreation of the cosmos, I don't think an extra internal organ here and there matters so much.
All IMHO,
Nikk
"If absolute power corrupts absolutely where does that leave god?" --George Daacon _______________________________________________________ ------------------------------
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