>Currently he is trying to obtain Steam Power Engines in Glorantha (ref:
>the recent thread about Steam Power in the HeroWars list).
>But this request forced me (as a narrator) to think about a simple fact:
>regardless of the point whether you can obtain Steam Power in Glorantha
>by hot water or not (do Mostali use magical hot air or do they boil
>water in their steam devices?),
The Mostali aeolipile (GoG p58) is steam-powered and requires constant topping up from the water reservoir. But there's a big difference between using that - which the ancients did - and creating a steam engine. For starters, the amount of steam needed to do real work (as opposed to simply spinning around like an aeolipile) requires a bloody strong container to avoid rupturing like a burst cannon. Even in the early 20th century, boilers were still blowing up from time to time even when cannons had become user-friendly.
Now admittedly the Dwarves can solve the pressure problem (c.f. Cannon Cult) but they are the last people on earth to share their secrets. Secondly I believe each dwarf conclave has its own special technologies that they don't share with other dwarves. Given that the Dwarf with the aeolipile has a feather on his cap, it seems probable from Elder Secrets p15, that he's from the Dalamdring Conclave in Jrustela and hence IMO they are the only dwarves with Steam Technology. Thus if your astronaut wants to get his hands on a mostali steam engine - a visit to Jrustela might be in order.
--Peter Metcalfe
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End of Glorantha Digest
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