>The capacity of refugees from Vormain to escape the
>islands is surely dependant on Open Oceans.
Peter M: Sailing between the East Isles does not require the Opening Spell.
Alex F: Probably so. To what extent particular islands in Vormain and the East Isles remained internavigable hasn't been 100% determined. I think that at the least, 'internal' communications in the Vorumai islands was greatly reduced, and to the outside largely eliminated, but the closeness of the islands together, and the 'fuzziness' of Vormain (the Hinter Isles) make this not entirely clear cut.
I wasn't sure that Vormain counted as part of the East Isles. I'd accept that they probably could be reached via the Hinter Isles without losing sight of land. I note that the wind direction is almost always blowing South in Vormain, quite often at Hurricane speeds, which may increase the difficulty of getting back there anyway. I also note that Kahar's Fog would often cover Vormain, making dangerous trips like this more hazardous. I certainly don't believe then the Dawn Winds protect Vormain at all.
>How did this xenophobic people learn Dormal's secrets?
Peter M: It's possible to find Vormaini in the Hinter Isles and teach them the secret. They can spread it around quite happily.
ME: I agree that this is possible, it just seems like an unlikely event. However, unlikely events nearly always happen eventually. I was under the impression that the Vorumai did nothing happily.
Alex F: To some extent, the Opening seems to be a passive effect in part; if people reach Vormain, it would tend to have a 'freeing' effect, even if no Vorumainin ever bothered or was able to learn the actual 'spell'.
ME: This is a shock to me. Dormal's secret just sort of rubs off on people! What is the Sea coming to? next you'll be saying that the Closing was just a confidence trick palyed on gullible humans by Yssabau.
>Before the closing it is my guess that relations with the major sea power of
>the time would not have been rosy: Waertagi, Jrusteli, Golden Mokato.
Peter M:
The Waertagi were long extinct, the Jrusteli were powerless in this
region and Missing Lands says that "Before the Closing, most of the
Fleets from the Empire had been withdrawn, leaving behind a small
and threatened network of tribute collectors behind" (ML p32).
I was thinking of the whole of history here where, it seemed to me, that one nation pretty much dominated the sea most of the time, be it the Wartagi in the first age, or the Jrusteli, until the closing. It appears that I may have been incorrect, therefore Vormain refugees could have slipped out to escape their dynastic feuds.
Keith N
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