TR mentions a mill as one of the buildings on 'your stead' Now that might be right or it might be a throwaway comment of the sort that used to populate all hamlets with an inn, stables, general store, magic shop, rent-a-temple etc. ;)
It just that mills dont quite sit with my image of the Orlanthi. Everyone else may well disagree of course but I would have thought that querns/handmills were more their level.
A quick shuffty on the web revealed the following 'facts' for reference.
Handmills in various forms existed from the stoneage and are still in use in many places today.
The Greeks probably used water power around 450BC Water powered mills were common in Egypt around 200BC They had spread round the med by the 1st century AD (It is thought that the waterwheel spread to the Mediterranean from Western Anatolia where the technology was borrowed from the Persians, who may have in turn, learned of it from those clever Chinese chappies)
By the 10th century waterwheels were working bellows and trip hammers. Soon after they were powering wood saws and metal lathes.
Windmills became popular in europe after the crusades (probably introduced from Asia Minor)
Handmills were banned in some parts, once mills were common, so that peasants had to use the mill, owned by their lord, for a cut.
End of iffy facts and start of 'type as you think' opinions.
Now from this the heortlings 'could' have water powered mills but these
need a fair bit of building especially when you add in the need for
millponds & millraces (to ensure a good strong, constant flow) in areas
without a suitable stream.
Such an investment would more likly occur on a clan level IMO
But I'm more inclined to think of each hearth (or woman) having their own
quern and perhaps the mill mentioned being an larger animal powered
affair or thrall powered for building up the muscles on those Conan
types :)
Watermills would be a dubious foreign idea possibly upsetting the local
stream nymphs and plagued with gremlins. (See TotRM#19)
Of course luner settlers/converts may be quicker to take advantage of
the possibilities
Any thoughts?
Chris Brown
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