Agimori at Night

From: Bob Stancliff <stanclif_at_ufl.edu>
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 17:56:32 -0500


> > Joe Mills:
> > how do the Agimori survive in Prax? RW deserts get very
> > cold at night. Drastic: Prax mentions temperatures as low
> > as 15 farenheit. I would think that the Children of Lodril
> > would be at such a severe disadvantage after the sun goes
> > down that the Agimori could not survive the inevitable night
> > raids by their rivals.
	Several issues and objections come to mind.
	The first is that the snow line is far to the north, so, while parts of
the Wastes get to 15F, that rarely happens in Prax. IMO the temperature ranges in Prax itself, are very similar to Florida... winter isn't eight weeks of severe cold, it is 15 to 30 cold days scattered across eight or more weeks. It is very rare to get more than 3 or 4 cold days in a row. The rest are only cool or moderate.

        Second, I consider Prax to be far from desert, except in the Dead Place. It is more like Nevada cattle range or African arid veldt. Clumps of grass are common and stunted scrub and bushes dot the plain. The Wastes are more like Arizona and also have more of a desert climate. I don't expect to find Agimori in the Wastes in winter.

        Third, the Agimori are described in Borderlands as living in caves along the edges of the river valley. Caves generally have a uniform temperature all year, they are very defensible, and the water of the river tends to moderate the air temperature as well as increasing humidity. The northern clans will migrate to the southern valley during the cold season.

        Fourth, there are trees and bushes growing along the river which can be burned for cooking and heat. Agimori are capable of gathering firewood for winter and storing it in their caves.

        IMO it is clear that Agimori might stay much closer to home during winter, but safety in numbers can overwhelm any simple raid. After all, the Agimori have no flocks or herds to steal from, only the people themselves, all of whom are fighters and hunters. If you've never run an Agimori, or fought against one, try it. With their stats it doesn't take much to make them ferocious fighters. They are considered the best pikemen in the region, so they can certainly defend against a raiding party, even mounted.

        As I recall, the RQ2 severe penalties for Agimori during cold are not repeated in River of Cradles. While they are sensitive to cold it should probably not be considered crippling.
Stancliff


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