<< How easy is spirit-borne communication at intercontinental ranges? >>
difficult:
SPEED: spirits aren't that fast; [RQ rules mechanic alert!]= 3km/hr per POW;
eg 20 POW spirit moves at 60kmph.(16 hours from Glamour to Furthest)
DIRECTION spirits would have to find their way through the spirit plane, which I assume is either pretty featureless (especially across Oceans) or rather dangerous (predatory mershamen?), and could easily get lost (you cannot hand a spirit a map). At the desired location (if/when found) the spirit could manifest only to find no one there. This brings to mind a ruined Temple surrounded by message spirits waiting to manifest when the High Priest turns up. (a bit like e-mails after a holiday, rather spirit messages on a holyday)
MESSAGE do spirits have good memories for messages? possibly for religious doctrine but not for the price of herring? language could be a problem. Also, over distance and with Gloranthan timesense some messages could be out of date or meaningless or both. "In the third year of Belintar's rule..."
INTERCEPTABLE - spirits can be caught and (presumably) interrogated
All of the above could be used for MGF.
<<And hence how widespread?>>
I would only use spirit communication if the message was not important; eg
" congratulations from the redlands on the Emporers latest conquest"
" your tax demand is on it's way, protected by experienced and trustworthy
guards" at this point the spirit starts giggling, he has met the PCs.
or desperate:
" HELP, we're stuck in the middle of Prax trying to deliver your taxes to the
Imperial Tax Collector surrounded by sceaming bloodthirsty Impala Riders"
<< Are the dwarfs of Iron Mountain in touch with those at Greatway?>>
If they are then I doubt if they use spirits. I cannot recall a single reference to dwarves using discorporate spirits. I view them as masters of material things, their own "souls" are just zaps of energy after all. But there are supposedly tunnels underground that connect most Mostali places. Of course they cannot connect through/under bottomless ocean. This is where concrete ships and submarines come in. Tunnels would be very slow, but then "the mills of Mostal grind slow, but they grind exceedingly small" .
<< Ditto those on that island off Pamaltela whose name I forget?>>
ditto
<< Can messenger spirits be taught the Open Seas ritual? >>
erm , I dunno.
Keith Nellist
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