> I think Peter is right, not because Belintar swam
> ashore, but rather beause of the mermen. As airbreathers,
> they live (swim) _on_ the sea, more than _in_ the sea.
I don't think so at all. Most mermen can happily remain submerged for an hour without any ill effect. Now, even human swimmers gain an advantage when leaving the surface tension if they rely on the fluent motion which fins supply. Seals and whales swim up to speed below water, though they do surface for breathing or playful leaps.
Piscoi mermen would be even more at a disadvantage swimming on the surface since only half of their tail fins would be usable.
> Thus, if swimmers were affected by the Closing, they
> would have been in big trouble.
Jonat was sort of a swimmer when he moved from Fronela to Seshnela "riding" one of the hostile monsters which had come to the coasts of Fronela with the Closing. He seems to have encountered serious resistance...
Let's re-examine the known effects of the Closing: The Waertagi city-ships were wrecked if they weren't anchored (in clusters? as kaiums). The Waertagi were unable to maintain any traffic with their Fastships, which seem to travel below water at least part of the time. The Deri telepathy continued to work at considerable distance. (The limit of this distance is shown with the Deri in Dormal's company, who was crazed by loneliness because there weren't any other Deri in range. The Aftal fragment in Missing Lands shows how Deri act and speak in unison if close together.)
Ships caught by the Closing traveling on the sea were driven ashore (at unfriendly beaches) or drowned. Ships which left sight of land (or crossed whatever border the curse of the Closing had) suffered the same fate. It is quite likely that the border of the curse was subject to an analogy of tides.
(The fleet of Black Galleys maintained by the Only Old One was destroyed long after the dates given for the Closing, although the source for this (Uz Lore) gives wrong dates in several cases, including Belintar's arrival. _If_ the ships really were sunk after 1000, this could have been on a travel along the Poison Shore between the (safe) Mournsea and the Mirrorsea Bay, when the tides of the Closing caught up with the fleet.)
Sramak's River or the seas of the Underworld seem to have remained unaffected by the Closing. The Sendereven don't seem to have noticed anything amiss. (Would any Waertagi far out in the Western Ocean?)
The Ludoch of the Mirrorsea Bay and those of the Mournsea maintained contact, but they might have relied on coastal travel along the Poison shore. The Ludoch along the Solkathi Sea and the Ouori of the Neliomi Sea don't seem to have any contact. Neither seem the Ludoch of the Solkathi and those of Maslo or the East Isles have regular contact. Those in the retinues of the Sea Kings might, but they are likely to move through "the Godplane" or the Deeps.
The Malasp of the Marthino Sea don't show much inhibition in their travels between Jrustela and Umathela. They do have a magical leader, though.
Speculations:
Does the Closing only affect vessels "bound to the shore" (and possibly creatures - perhaps anything related to Dry Food)? Then why are the Waertagi of the Western Ocean affected, but not the Sendereven (who still return to their islands to make repairs, get children etc)?
Does the Closing have active guardians, or did it just invite monsters and currents from the outer seas a lot closer to the shores (to much the same effect)?
Does the Opening Ritual a) hide the fact that the vessel is Dry Food, or b) extend the safe waters near the coast outward to the course of the ship?
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #388
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