In message <ctdrgh+dgo3_at_...> "Sam Elliot" writes:
>
>
>wrote:
>> Doesn't this beg the question of whether we can consider evolution
>(of anything in any way) to be a valid force in Glorantha? A place
>where time travel and lamarkian genetics for want of a better term)
>occur? And aren't I raising questions best left on the digest, and
>already discussed 10 years ago?
>
>Possibly, but the thought process should at least raise some
>interesting possibilities - are elves truly green or is it a
>symbiotic relationship with an alga, are trollkin due to something
>like a sex-ratio distorting bacterium (in which case they need to
>find the plant with the right antibiotic properties), do tuskriders
>represent a hybrid zone, are all those island-specific gods/spirits
>in the Eastern isles akin to darwin's finches and if so, what are the
>selective forces on each island, is Mallia evolving towards higher or
>lower virulence, is there parasite-induced behaviour in broo, does
>worshipping Thed increase or decrease fitness, is there a magical
>equivalent to DNA fingerpinting and who swapped the tubes, and so on.
It's possible that you could heroquest to introduce genetics into
Glorantha but I don't know of anything which works this way.
Until then, Elves are a plant lifeform, trollkin are a mutation
caused by a failed heroquest which damaged the wombs of the troll
race, tusk riders are the result of using great magic to enable
humans to interbreed with trolls and Mallia is a great spirit
which introduces spirits of disease into the world.
As for swapping the tubes, any Mostali will tell you that's the fault
of humans messing with the World Machine (which they don't understand)
and if you'd stop interrupting him with silly questions he be able
fit the correct tubes and something might work properly for a change.
--
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/