Re: paper

From: Andrew Larsen <aelarsen_at_facstaff.wisc.edu>
Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2000 22:34:12 -0500


> From: Topi Pitkanen <tzpitkan_at_mappi.helsinki.fi>
> Subject: mostali make paper
>
> Mostali have paper-machines. Mostali have small paper-factories!
> And aldryami HATE mostali for cutting trees to make pulp and paper.
> Aldryami of the Stinking Forest have a darkness age myth about horrible
> wood-harvester machine the mostali unleashed upon them. (RQA6)
>
> I believe that mostali produce a significant amount of paper.
> In my game paper is a product mostali trade in Dragonpass Dwarf Mine and I
> think
> this contributes for example to the lunar bureocrasy...
> (Lunar provincial goverment gets exclusive buy of the paper produced and
> usually
> little is left to others seeking the "first choice of a writer")

    Hmm, if paper is a Mostali product, it's presumably quite expensive for the Lunars to buy it. Why would they want expensive paper is parchment or vellum is more readily available and presumably somewhat cheaper. The reason that paper won out over parchment in the RW is that it's much cheaper (and perhaps a little faster) to make. Take away the cheapness and parchment becomes a preferable alternative, since it's so much more durable. As Peter Larsen point out in an excellent speculation on Gloranthan writing technology, there might be a problem with the necessary inks for writing on parchment, since they require iron (interesting fact--didn't know that), which is only readily available through the Mostali. But I doubt that it balances out the paper issue, since a bureaucracy is going to go through reams of the stuff. More likely, they use some other substance to substitute for iron (such as bronze, as Peter suggested).

Andrew E. Larsen


Powered by hypermail