A candle in a box... (and a new Uz hero)

From: Dan McCluskey <daniem_at_microsoft.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 09:55:03 -0800


Trotsky:
>but what if you put your candle in a metal box
>and carry it about (possibly a useful tactic for an adventurer who's going
to
>need a light but doesn't want to get spotted sneaking around beforehand).
>Somebody's bound to have tried it, and the darkness inside the box is no
>stronger than that you'd get in a cave so by your logic the candle wouldn't
go
>out.

You put a candle in a box to protect it from wind and carry it into a cave...

How is this different than the real world???

Isn't a lantern exactly that -- A Candle in a Box? Of COURSE lanterns work in Glorantha. Now if one were to perform a wacky magical ritual like, say, sealing the "box" with lead (ie. making it air-tight) then the candle might go out -- you just cast "extinguish" on it ;-) -- or it might not... It is not easy to make an air-tight container that can be opened and closed at will. Orlanth proved that he can go darn near anyplace he wants. The dwarves can probably make such a device, but then they know how to make all sorts of "magical" artefacts. How can a gloranthan know that air cannot get into his jar... even assuming that it cannot. My belief is that though Gloranthan "physics" mostly LOOKS like the RW, the mechanisms are mythical, not "scientific." Fire can burn at night because Xentha is indulgent. Fire can burn in Most caves because Lodril conquered portions of the earth. But beware! there are caves where earth and darkness are strong (in the RW: Gas Pockets and Stale Air), and they might Kill you for daring to bring light to them. It is always a good idea to bring a bird with you into deep caverns, because malign spirits will attack it (as a creature of aether) first, giving you a few precious moments to escape/prepare. In glorantha. it's a matter of MYTH, not metabolism ;-) The effect may, or may not be the same as the RW, depending on what fits best with your story (and with what you consider to be the "relevant" myths). Though MOST RW effects should be paralleled in glorantha, you simply cannot assume that they ALL are. It's a magical world.

and, while we are on the subject of modern science in Glorantha... this thread just spawned a new Uz "hero"

In Dragon Pass, there is a Death Lord of Zorak Zoran named Schroedinger who delights in capturing the Alynx familiars of Storm Priests, and turning them into Zombies -- neither Alive nor Dead. A Priest may attempt to Resurrect the poor Victim (using Yinkins traditional ability to overcome death), but has at least a 50% chance of killing his ally pemanantly by the attempt. This Dastardly Uz claims that his actions make an important point about "truth" and the nature of the world. Most humakti will kill these "Schroedinger's Cats" on sight.

danm


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