Murex Re: Minaryth Purple

From: Toread DuDerysi <jakyer_at_kbBDndncsJfsjr_F6l4uNXIVBgZAmc4-eGWyfsKQwlB_3Pcu-h9OLlIYPLl_pDNuJ5zmT>
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:35:42 -0000

That would be my thought. Puprple is a really strange colour to find in nature. And while magic is fairly common in Glorantha, it seems mostly for 'helping things along' rather than creating them out of whole cloth - as it were. (The Blue Sheep wool is a good point though).

Murex is a pain to harvest, a pain to make, and its waste produces are nasty to dispose of. However, it makes an incredible dye. I got to see some fabric dyed with this 'traditional' material when I was in Turkey and the hue was simply incredible - I've never seen anything quite like it. It was deep, almost black, with an irridesence and depth about it. For this reason, I can now understand why organic dyes beat synthetics for complexity of colour.

Unfortunately, House Caroman, the new proprietors of Fay Jee have discovered that the pesky local clans and tribes don't actually like indigo all that much. They much prefer their tatoos and blue dye from the woad plant, despite its inferior hue and durability. There is a downside to living among a land full of ultra-traditionalists. That said, the dye is very popular in Esrolia and Pasos, and it is rapidly becoming a major export item. (Now, if the papyrus fields pan out, the family just might start breaking even).  

> > Sadly, Fay Jee, being on a river estuary, is very
> > much not the right
> > environment for these snails who love deep, clear
> > sea water. They
> > flourish in several other places such as in the
> > Manirian or Wenelian
> > Islands. No doubt some enterprising
> > merchant-adventurer will realize
> > this and become very rich (or very dead after
> > ticking off the Sea Tribe).
>
> Any guesses if Minaryth Purple (and his "Animals of
> the World 10W") know about this and have anything to
> do with it?

Quite possibly. The duDerysi family are from the eastern reaches of the Trade Road until their holdings were destroyed by Graymane about a decade ago. Many Trader Prince Houses are either in danger of destruction, under the thumb of local warlords, or scrambling desperately over the few remaining resources as the Trade Road collapses post-Opening. For the Houses, times they are a-changing!

Except House Basists, of County Basttis who live in Castle Bastis. They've got it made as they still control trade along a segement of the Noshiam River. B*astards.  

Oh, right, where was I? Minaryth may have provided the duDerysi with exclusive executive consulting as the duDerysi and the GoldGotti have a certain level of interaction and I am certain that I've seen Minaryth hanging around Auric Goldgotti's compound on a few occasions.

Jeff            

Powered by hypermail