> I have a hard time with the concept of leylines (and with the practical
> application that people try to do). Nature does hardly anything in a
> straight line - both rivers and lightning follow "the path of least
> resistance" - and neither can be called "straight" by any definiton of
> "straight". Straight lines are a freak of human engineering and viewpoint,
> and I, personally, find the theory that power flows in "perfectly straight"
> lines to be absurd.
I think the concept fits Glorantha pretty much because of the Mostali. The World Machine may be cracked, but the power still flows.
Still, I also like the Flows of Essaence stuff found in the Shadow World setting. The currents of magical force are just that, currents. On the map they look much more like weather charts or maps of sea currents. Nothing in straight lines there. Much like on Glorantha, the Flows also create Focuses, places where magic is strong and "reality" is weak.
I'd say Glorantha has both sorts. We have a rich tradition in the ley-lines (just look at Greg's maps), but we also know there are numerous "soft spots", spiritual soul-winds, and three separate otherworlds leaking into the mundane plane. Plenty of room for all exotic ideas.
-Adept
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