Re: Heortling Mills, Thundermills

From: bethexton_at_...
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 19:36:53 -0000

Of course *whacks forehead* I've even seen pictures of that sort of set up! I don't know why I didn't recall it.

Even passing up on the gearing issue, I like the vertical axis primitive windmill better, but I think that amounts to a YGMV type situation (barring that an official adventure occurs in/around a windmill so has to settle on what it looks like). Heck, for that matter there may be more than one type used even within Heortland.

As to the thunderstone idea....I like the chain of logic, but looking at the information in TR about Hedkoranth I just find it a little hard to fit him together with mills. Mind you, it is amazing what a good bridge a small mythlet can provide. Again, this might be an association that some clan(s) or tribe(s) have, that other don't. (frex, a clan with a shrine to Hedkoranth may know myths about him that others have never heard, and honor him in rolls that others don't know about). Certainly the combination of the phrase "thunderston" and the view of the whirling sling being an analogy for the turning grindstones is evocative.

An alternative would be a windmill built as a holy site/folly, which was designed to both rumble and repeatedly strike together iron and flint (making sparks). Not a useful edifice, but one no doubt that would impress the neighbours (I'm reminded here of many mechanical marvels apparently used by egyptian temples).

One thing I'd watch out for in the association of a slinging god with wheels, gears, and mechanical advantage, is that some too-clever player is going to try and find a way to combine all these ideas into catapults!

--Bryan

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