From: Sandy Petersen (SPetersen@ensemblestudios.com)
Date: Fri 12 Sep 1997 - 01:56:02 EEST
Gloranthan coinage.
For what it's worth, the "official" coin weight and size is:
1 Lunar = 10 grams (a U.S. dime is about 11 grams)
1 Wheel = 13 grams
1 Clack = 7 grams (I think - don't remember perfectly)
1 bolg = 5-20 grams, depending on the priest making them.
Mike M. sez:
>My size and weight ratios came from real world models. Look at 18th
century US or British >coins
Ancient coins were far smaller than 18th-century ones. Look at a
Roman penny or Athenian coin. The "average" weight for most Gloranthan
coins is around 10g.
Peter Linton Tracy asks:
>** SATYR/BROO **
>What is the connection between these hybrids?
>Both are Goat-men. Both are 'horny'. Both are promiscuous.
Broos are not actually goat-men. Goat-headed broos are in fact extremely
rare in Prax, for instance. There, they hybridize with sables, antelope,
bison, jackrabbits, etc. Even in Sartar, I personally believe that
ram-headed broo are as common as goat broo.
BUT ... the similarities are still too close to be totally
coincidental.
>I'd like to know, about Satyr breeding.
Satyrs mate with humanoid females of almost any non-chaotic
species. The offspring are typically normal individuals of the mother's
species (though usually with certain personality traits of their
father). It can be argued that satyrs are, in fact "male nymphs", but
it's doubtless more complicated than that. I think that satyrs come from
the same place that nymphs do - i.e., sometimes there is a mating, but
sometimes they just spontaneously generate in appropriate places.
>If they are related to Broo, is there a chance of Broo-birth?
No. Humans are more closely related to ogres than satyrs are to
broos, but humans don't spontaneously birth ogres. Unless they're really
wicked humans ...
>Whom do the Satyr worship?
They aren't really a "race", like elves, or ogres, or broos.
They're more of a nature spirit. They aren't normally gregarious -
Ironhoof's Satyr skirmishers are quite an anomaly. They probably mostly
worship the local Land Goddess (i.e., Esrola, Pela, Seshna, Ralia,
etc.), but may also worship other prominent earth gods known to the
area. I'm sure they show up for all the fertility ceremonies.
>If a Satyr commits an act of rape, is the child a Broo?
The offspring of rape isn't a broo. The result of rape is that
the _offender_ has a chance of becoming a broo, not his children.
Simon Bray
>>IIRC Sandy said that the colour-coding occurred during the Closing.
Stephen Martin
>I just happen to disagree with him on this point.
Okay. Here is what Sandy actually currently believes: the color-coding
was present before the Closing, BUT the tribes were not separated out
into mutually hostile groups. Instead, they lived and worked together.
It's obvious from their birthing process that they are all one tribe.
Incidentally, I believe that the Teleans are definitely Kralori
stock, not Agimori.
SHOVELTUSKERS
Stephen Martin wonders where they are found in Pamaltela. It is believed
that they were associated with water, eating water-plants, etc., (their
dentition and skull are so weird, that's the only explanation so far
that makes sense). They live in the eastern swamps and in the jungle.
They are not as big as modern elephants, but are still pretty enormous.
They are a frequent sight along jungle rivers, IMO. Other weird
pamaltelan pachyderms include the gomphotheres (four-tusked mastodons -
doubtless with some connection to the maidstone archers) and
deinotheres. Gomphotheres are more common in the jungle than the
savannah, and deinotheres are found both places. "Ordinary" mammoths,
mastodons, and elephants are most common on the savannah.
Peter Metcalfe
* the Lopers apparently worshipped the planet Mastakos (the source
of their teleporting
* >powers) >and not the Blue Moon
Nonetheless, they are Veldang. Not all Veldang worship
the Blue Moon any more than all Warerans worship Orlanth. The Artmali
Empire went down before the Great Darkness - that's a heck of a long
time for all the Blues to still be worshiping Artmal & his mom.
Oliver B.
>In that case what is their herd structure?
Same as human; groups made up of extended families and
friends, led by older, more experienced individuals who derive their
power from the support of others. It is not a pecking order, or alpha
male type situation. Pair-bonds are fairly permanent, with some degree
of promiscuity.
>What's their intelligence level? Are they as smart as wild
primates or cattle?
INT = 6. They are smarter than cattle, not as smart as
baboons.
>Are there wild or feral herd men?
No wild ones. Few feral.
>Would they pick up weapons to use without training?
They might throw rocks or wield a stick temporarily.
>An added question are herd men calves as helpless as RW human
babies?
Yes. Because they're humans, just with fixed INT.
Simon Bray
* Fonritans were exporting Lucans to Kumanku? What do prople do
with ten foot tall lumbering >beetles? I thought that perhaps they were
used to deforest areas or as heavy slave labour, >perhaps event their
grubs are eaten.
Their grubs _are_ edible, and they make useful slaves. Also good as
guards. Deforestation might be useful in Laskal, not so much Kumaku.
>There are occasional references made to an intelligent creature called
a Trimane in old >Gloranthan books, does anybody know what they are?
They are the maidstone archers.
>I was wondering what type of sailing vesselthe Trowjang Pirates use and
how. I picture them in >small junk-like craft, they attack by
surrounding their enemy in numbers and demand that they >surrender. If
they don't they call on Tolat to smite the ships captain (Sever Spirt?)
and again >demand a surrender. If the ship isn't compliant they leap
aboard and kill all but the healthiest >men and any women.
I think they use fancy sailing ships like the Khmer Empire. I don't
think that they rely on magic to beat their enemy. I see them as being
magic-weak, combat-strong. I believe that they attack by attacking their
enemy, boarding at once and slaughtering everyone aboard until the
defenders shriek for mercy. At that time, they may or may not kill their
prisoners. I think that they have no special compunction against killing
women.
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