Ian Thomson:
>I was surprised to read somewhere that all the crew are Red Goddess Initiates
Well, they are "Moon Boats", and she is the Goddess of the Red Moon...
I do like Peter Metcalfe's suggestion that the moonboat crews have a Darjiinian Lunar mythological bent though, with all that implies.
>This may have been only a semi-official source, but I think it was a Lore
>Auction transcription (not gonna bet my life on it tho)
You may be referring to my article (sensibly titled "Moon Boats") in CODEX #3, which expands somewhat on what I wrote about them in "Strangers in Prax".
>I answered the question of how they came into Prax by the incredible high
>energy use of special magics by the Priests on board, something that cost a
>great deal of POW and effort and was only used for special occasions
>(such as the arrival of the Coders and the removal of Sor-Eel after his
>dismissal from office due to the Cradle fiasco)
Moonboats can and do travel outside the Empire.
As they ride on moonbeams, inside the glowline where the moon is always full and strong, they are reliable and very fast.
Outside, they are subject to the vagaries of the waxing and waning moon. As their motive power depends on strength of the moon, as it fades they slow down markedly and become more difficult to control. Finally, on Black Moon Day moonboats cannot fly at all and must land.
Because of this critical vulnerability, unless the pilot knows of a safe refuge for Black Day moonboats generally stay within the magical borders of the Empire. For example, the moonboat that delivered the Coders was safe sitting atop the walls of Pavis during its "downtime". One of the riskiest moonboat ventures ever was the flotilla that defied the Syndics Ban in 1589, bringing Lunar missionaries to the Fronelan city of Eastpoint.
>3. They have stables for wyverns.(Strangers in Prax)
>>I don't think this is common to all Moonboats. Where do
>>the Wyverns come from anyway?
The wyverns in this instance were the personal mounts of the Lunar Coders, so don't read this as typical. I don't think moonboats have stables for wyverns; more likely they have a general purpose hold that can be used for transporting a variety of cargoes.
Cheers,
MOB
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