Re: exposure difficulties

From: JEFFREY KYER <jeff.kyer_at_...>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 15:20:17 -0000


Ah. Well a description of climatology and the effects of geography on
the weather...

>
> First comment: I screwed up those numbers, they should all be a
> magnitude higher. But my point was not the absolute values, just
the
> delta between Dragon Pass and molten iron doesn't seem far enough.

Remember, there's a semi logarthmic function in the masteries. Orlanth, who has a 10w9 magic might, is not 9x better than the fellow with 19 in an affinity.

And, when you get down to it -- boiling oil, boiling lead, boiling iron are all, um sort of in the same order of unpleasantness.  

>
> When I lived near Grenoble (French Alps) I learned a bit about cold
> winters too, although just about everyone there lives in the valleys
> (under 500m/1500ft). Maybe this is part of the reason I'm back in
warm
> North Carolina at a comfortable 350ft.

Altitide has a much greater effect on climate and weather than lattitude. And geography plays a great role as well. Toronto has much milder winders than Buffalo though its 150 miles further north. Buffalo is 400' higher up and back onto the Pallisades, which give them record snowfalls.  

>
> Which is why I've never been on a glacier, especially not in winter.

The pay was incredible. I'm missing part of one toe though.  

> What got me going down this path was the difference (5w or so) from
DP
> and Iron seemed small. Carmania is listed as cold. I think I read
(fan
> material, no doubt) that Carmania has snow 45% of the year, and was
> closer to 60% before the Lunars started attacking Valind. (I think
that
> Carmania qualifies as Sub-Artic, although I have no idea what the
actual

Sub Arctic -- colder than Scotland (actually, due to a fluke with the gulf stream, Ayr is more balmy than much of south england -- the palm trees are very charming. But again, geography is overriding lattitude.

Scandanavia is sub-arctic. Anywhere there are conifers trees and long
winters. The taiga of northern Canada would be that too, but it slowly blends into the arctic. We consider the arctic to be beyond the tree line. Its more of a climate boundary.

> definition of that would be.) Shouldn't Carmania be worse than
Dragon
> Pass? Shouldn't Valind's Glacier be worse still? And shouldn't
being

Dragon Pass has two things "Going" for it -- its about a mile up. Evern seen pictures of Mt Kilimanjaro? The peak there never loses its
snow. That's the difference 10,000 feet can make. Carmania is a plain, moderated by the Sweet Sea and sheltered by the Brass Mountains

And by the Kalikos cult. In more ancient times, it was quite cold.

Carmania reminds me somewhat of Russia in the St.Petersburg region. Cold and snowy but survivable -- as long as you dress warmly and lie on a stove afterwards.

Dragon Pass would be like Switzerland or the Appalacians (sp!), very nice summers but the winters are intense and deep-- well, you don't leave the stead. Lots more snow too.

And both of these are considerabely south of that area.

Valind's Glacier should be pretty bad too but its lower and doesn't get much snow. Its probably a 'cold desert'

A fascinating thing you can do in the US is visit the Grand Canyon. We went in early January. At the bottom, the Bright Angel Ranch is desert country. Temperature was t-shirt hot. By the time you get to the top, about 5,000' you are in pine forests and snow -- there even was an ice-storm while we were basking down in the canyon.

> put in molten iron be yet another step up? I just think that a
total of
> 5w means those steps will be baby steps.
 

Not sure what you mean here, sorry. For more on climate from a game-building/world building standpoint, Questworld has some very good
explanations. Or check out any basic book on geography. They have some very useful information.

Hope my explanation was of use.

Jeff

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