Blue moon cycle

[Manu]

In the GoG, it is not very clear what is the cycle of the Blue Moon (or what is left of it). But as it has impact to the tides, I'd like to understand.

In the Guide

Quote

It climbs along the upper Sky Dome in an apparently random pattern. It only rises when the constellation Lorion is directly in the east. It takes between one and six days to climb to the center of the sky, from whence it plummets rapidly from the Pole Star down through Magasta’s Pool

It seems that the tides are not cyclic : 1-6 days, sudden drop,...

[Joerg]

11 minutes ago, Manu said:

In the GoG, it is not very clear what is the cycle of the Blue Moon (or what is left of it). But as it has impact to the tides, I'd like to understand.

In the Guide

It seems that the tides are not cyclic : 1-6 days, sudden drop,...

That's a cycle, too, in a sawtooth pattern. On average, you have two drops down Magasta's Pool in a week.

There may be a saying like "once in a quadruple Blue Moon" for a rare event. Triple one weeks are fairly frequent, as are single one weeks.

There is no info on whether the high water mark changes with the speed of the Blue Moon's ascent. The current tide can be predicted from the time needed from the plummet back to the average tidal level, add this much time again to prepare for an easy departure from port, or for the time by which your coastal fishing boats had better returned to shore.

Lorion's constellation is directly east once a day (or night), not necessarily visible to the naked eye. It sounds like Lorion picks up his wife at the Gates of Dawn for the journey up the Celestial River.

[scott-martin]

I still want to know who observed the rising cycle in the first place and then correlated it to the tidal cycle and the Streak. Who is watching the outside of the Sky and is then situated close enough to the Homeward Ocean to see the Streak and observe the tidal effects? And how did these weirdos communicate their findings to the rest of us?

Supposedly there are "mysterious worshippers of the Blue Streak" who have figured out the deep math, but who are they and how does this work? 

[Joerg]

There is this guy on that island in the Maslo Sea, for instance. There are the Ingareens. There were the Outer Atomic Explorers.

And  there are numerous heroic folk traveling up and down the Sky River. The rise of the Blue Streak hand in hand with the Sky River Titan should be a regular sight there.

No idea whether this was visible from the port that is visited in the Eleven Lights quest.

[scott-martin]

3 hours ago, Joerg said:

There is this guy

This is probably the most "rational" (and safe) explanation we are ever going to get. I like it enormously. Some nebulous figure once put all the pieces together or was told how the tides work, and then the information spread organically across the maritime community. It's just something the sailors say and it largely works. Anyone who asks too many of the right questions has an accident.

We know the Ingareens can navigate the tides that wrack their country. I just never thought of them as either a source or a conduit of astronomical observation before . . . they would understand what the falling Streak means but might not have the magic to see it on the far side of the Sky. Maybe they just "know" through some invisible channel.

And mentioning them, I wonder if a few of them were part of the colony planted on Jrustela. Makes sense in hindsight.

[Joerg]

When I said "There's this guy", I meant this one (Guide p.600):

Quote

Master  of   Tides:  This  touchy  ancient  maintains  a  hermitage  on  Chatan  Island,  nursing  his  afflictions  and  continuing  a  dialogue with Ludoch philosophers. 

But yes, he really is "this guy", no information where he came from or how he mastered the tides.

 

45 minutes ago, scott-martin said:

We know the Ingareens can navigate the tides that wrack their country. I just never thought of them as either a source or a conduit of astronomical observation before . . .

Prince of Sartar reveals that there is a moon affinity to their place and probably culture, and that affinity must have preceded the rise of the Red Goddess. Given the tidal nature of the place, I found a Blue Moon connection a lot more likely than any Sedenyic nonsense.

45 minutes ago, scott-martin said:

they would understand what the falling Streak means but might not have the magic to see it on the far side of the Sky. Maybe they just "know" through some invisible channel.

I don't think you need to see it to detect its magical pull on water. I am fairly certain that there is at least one instrument in God Forgot with glass balloons filled with various qualities of water on a swiveling base, following the Blue Streak as it travels up the Celestial River to Pole Star's home). Possibly with tubes allowing the liquid to wander between several such bulbs (or more likely on liquid of caustic Nelat water and another, immiscible one of similar density to fill the places absent the brine).

Possibly an entire set of partially functional instruments of this kind...

45 minutes ago, scott-martin said:

And mentioning them, I wonder if a few of them were part of the colony planted on Jrustela. Makes sense in hindsight.

As Olodo? We know that they were in contact with the Waertagi since before the Dawn (as was Nochet). There may have been some exiles or travelers on Waertagi ships, possibly during the drought of the Gbaji Wars.

[Sir_Godspeed]

Dumb question maybe:

Since the Blue Moon/Streak is palling it up with Lorion apparently, did the Blue Moon help Lorion invade the Sky back in the day?

[Joerg]

12 hours ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

Dumb question maybe:

Since the Blue Moon/Streak is palling it up with Lorion apparently, did the Blue Moon help Lorion invade the Sky back in the day?

Of course she did! Heler helped, too.

The Troll Gods cult of Annilla tells the story, as do the Artmali myths in Revealed Mythologies.

The Red Goddess and her previous blue incarnation Lesilla lack this Sea connection (the other "blue" phase Orogeria even lacks a moon). The only water connection I can find for the Red Goddess cycle is at Moonbroth. Which IMO had better been tied to Annilla, too, unless somebody did something there in/shortly after 1247. (Possibly sable-related?) Possibly a prequel to Alavan Argay.

There is a synchronicity between Sshorg(a)/Oslir(a) invading Dara Happa and Lorion conquering the sky. Unfortunately, all of that was hidden by the Golden Dome that shielded what would become  the star map (this happened 20,000 YS later, according to the Dara Happans and their Copper Tablets). The dome turned blue in the process, although I wonder whether this is a return to the earlier, hotter flame of Aether rather than the lesser golden one of Yelm. But then, the vertical departure of Lodril may have caused the decrease of sky heat.

I have come to believe that the Yelmic Sunstop occurred a good while into the so-called Golden Age, or that it was a great many local effects hiding the greater truth beyond.

One of the Gloranthan paradoxes is the existence of the Gates of Dawn and Dusk in a world where the sun hasn't made any recorded lateral moves.

Speaking of Annilla's point of emergence from the Underworld, is it the Gate of Dawn, or is it the eastern gate of the Southpath? They aren't that far apart.

[davecake]

16 hours ago, Joerg said:

Prince of Sartar reveals that there is a moon affinity to their place and probably culture, and that affinity must have preceded the rise of the Red Goddess. Given the tidal nature of the place, I found a Blue Moon connection a lot more likely than any Sedenyic nonsense.

Note that the area was underwater in the Flood era, and tidal powers were part of that myth cycle, where Vingkot defeated Worcha Rage from Whitewall. Its been connected to the Blue Moon since the before the Darkness. 

Of course, something could have happened to connected it to the Red Moon since (and Peter Metcalfe has a big theory based on a single artifact), but the Blue Moon makes much more sense as a connection to the land. Of course, it's mysterious and little understood, but thats the Blue Moon for you. 

As an aside, if you are one of the people that still uses Refuge in the Left Arm Islands as an analogue of Sanctuary in the Thieves World stories (as it was in original Chaosium house campaign, but is no longer in canon) the Blue Star Magicians are interesting as a basis for Blue Moon sorcerers, especially with their requirement to keep secrets. 

[Manu]

As we are a little off topic anyway...

Annilia (Blue Moon) is the keeper of secrets as is Asrelia. Or is Annilia keeper of 'knowledge' secrets and Asrelia of 'wealth' secrets?

is there a connection between these 2 goddesses (Myth)?

[Joerg]

1 hour ago, davecake said:

Note that the area was underwater in the Flood era, and tidal powers were part of that myth cycle, where Vingkot defeated Worcha Rage from Whitewall. Its been connected to the Blue Moon since the before the Darkness. 

Of course, something could have happened to connected it to the Red Moon since (and Peter Metcalfe has a big theory based on a single artifact),

An artifact of unknown provenance and without any dating. Given the tendency that deadly dungeons accumulate treasure in the form of magical artifacts brought by the explorers who succumb to the traps and denizens, I don't think that the item has been in the Machine Ruins that long.

 

The Flood in the Storm Age standing waves arching high above formerly dry land. Like the First River, this is an invasion of active water, not content to sit passively in puddles but with towering slopes of water rising above the neighboring lands, leaving only the mountaintops or the treetops of the Redwood above the water. In effect, two glaciers of liquid water.

Annilla's attractive powers might have helped, but they wouldn't have contributed cyclical tides. (And ironically, Mernita is depicted as a dry island in the Oslir Sea on the Flood Age map of the Guide) That map also shows the Trembling Shore with its disputed lands far to the south of Kero Fin. Sevid is roughly Esrolia and edges of Arstola.

There is no Choralinthor Bay yet - Choralinthor is the love child of Faralinthor and Esrola, and Faralinthor is the rather peaceful successor to Slarelos, cut off from the oceans.

Quote

but the Blue Moon makes much more sense as a connection to the land. Of course, it's mysterious and little understood, but thats the Blue Moon for you. 

I understand the Ingareens to have arrived on Waertagi ships. I am not entirely certain whether the Waetagi sailed the Slarelos Sea, so I date that arrival to after the Breaking of the World by Zzabur's Great Spell which pulverized the Spike. The Breaking of the World and Magasta forming his pool is also the prerequisite for the tidal cycle of Annilla.

 

Quote

As an aside, if you are one of the people that still uses Refuge in the Left Arm Islands as an analogue of Sanctuary in the Thieves World stories (as it was in original Chaosium house campaign, but is no longer in canon) the Blue Star Magicians are interesting as a basis for Blue Moon sorcerers, especially with their requirement to keep secrets. 

We already have the Third Eye Blue folk with a tattoo on their brow, and as goat herders the "molester of goats" thingy in one of those Lythande stories would be culturally appropriate, too.

I am open to suggestions that tie the TEB with Annilla.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Joerg
premature save due to instable browser

[Jeff]

The Tides

The tides play a defining role in the geography of the Rightarm Islands. Much of the area is intertidal, exposed at low tide but submerged at high tide. Extremely low tides expose large areas of marshland and some islands become landlocked. As a result, passage through the islands at this time is the most challenging. In contrast, during a very high tide all but the driest spots remain above water and an experienced captain can easily take a small ship from the Rozgali to the Mirrorsea Bay through a myriad of channels.

Two cosmic entities exert their influence on the waters around the islands. The Blue Moon, a once-powerful goddess was cast down from the sky during the Gods War. Though now diminished, she strives to regain her place in sky. As she climbs the celestial stairs, the world’s oceans rise with her pulling at her until exhausted she falls through Magasta’s Pool to the underworld to rest until she can begin her ascent again. The Blue Moon has been bound to this cycle since Time began; usually her strength gives out after only three or four days which results in only a moderate rise in the water. There are times however when she endures for five or six days, drawing the oceans even higher. Her decent is always swift, falling within a single day and releasing her influence on the oceans.

The apotheosis of the Red Goddess sent a powerful ripple through the Middle Air that resonated with the oceans of Glorantha. The effects are still felt today as a pulsing disturbance emanating from the Lunar Empire. The waters of Glorantha rise and fall in response to the Moon phase in a fashion similar to the waxing and waning of Lunar power. In the Choralinthor and the Islands the effect is greatest each Godsday as the heightened power of the Full Moon of the Red Goddess pulls at the sea. The sea returns with a low tide coinciding with the Dying and Dark phases of the Moon. 

As regular as the Red Moon, the seas breath a weekly cycle of tides, but the erratic pull of the Blue Moon has a profound effect upon severity of this weekly tide. As the Blue Moon ascends the waters rise, but this can be enhanced or diminished by the phase of the Red Moon. The highest tides are when there is a conjunction of the Blue Moon’s zenith with a Full Red Moon, known as a Two Moon Tide. Likewise the lowest tides occur when the Blue Moon’s fall coincides with a Black or Dying Red Moon, called a Black Moon Tide. For the islands this can dramatically alter the landscape, exposing extensive mudflats and making reefs extremely hazardous to shipping during a low tide. The most dangerous tides are when the Blue Moon achieves a sustained ascent of six or more days combined with a Full Red Moon; when this happens, much of the Islands are submerged.

Predicting an extreme tide is the remit of elusive priestesses of the Blue Moon, of which none are known to openly exist within the islands. Harrek’s Wolf Pirates however co-ordinate their raids with extreme high tides, but whether they employ Blue Moon priestesses or have acquired the knowledge themselves is unknown.

For simplicity the water levels around the islands will be one of five conditions but which may also be exasperated by local climate conditions:

•     Black Moon Tide. The waters are at their very lowest when the The Blue Streak coincides with a Dark or Dying Red Moon. This lasts no more than a day, but the waters level is dangerously low. All but the deepest channels are exposed revealing extensive mudflats between the islands. Travelling between the islands is nearly impossible and best avoided. Off shore reefs and shoal banks also pose hazardous to shipping.

•     Low Tide. Only the upper mudflats are exposed but much of the waterways are shallow. Passage by small craft is possible. A favoured time of the local stilt fishermen and shell pickers. Larger boats need to navigate known deep channels or risk running aground. 

•     Average. The water is at its median level. Only the reed beds and islands are exposed. Travel between the islands is simple with suitable craft.  

•     High Tide. An infrequent occurrence that submerges much of the outlying marshes. Travel between the islands is easy but care must be taken to avoid partially submerged reed beds that could foul larger boats. Large sea predators such as sharks and pleisiosaurs often take advance of high tides to hunt in the channels. 

•     Two Moon Tide. A rare event when a zenith Blue Moon coincides with the Full Red Moon. It begins with a Low Tide the previous Waterday and progresses with a steadily deepening tide for the following six days, completely submerging all the reed beds and flooding low lying islands. It is followed by a very sudden drop in the water level often pulling unsecured items out to sea. 

[Jeff]

Here's the more universally applicable version:
 

THE TIDES

 Once per tidal cycle, Annilla plummets from the top of the sky dome (via the Pole Star gate), through the atmosphere and straight down Magasta’s Pool. Concurrently, the tides precipitously fall from highest to lowest in a single day. At this time she can sometimes be seen by keen-eyed observers who know where to look and which spells to use. As a result of these sightings, Annilla is also called the Blue Streak in various languages throughout the world.

After its fall, the Blue Streak takes about a day to travel through the Underworld to the horizon and climbs along the upper Sky Dome in an apparently random pattern. It only rises when the constellation is directly in the east. Lorion it takes between one and six days to climb to the center of the sky, from which it plummets down again.

The Blue Streak commands the ocean tides. During its climb, the waters slowly creep up. When it leaves the Pole Star and drops through Magasta’s Pool the tides precipitously drop to their lowest point, remaining there for about a day before beginning to rise again. The longer the Blue Streak takes to ascend, the higher the rides rise, but no one except the mysterious worshipers of the Blue Moon have ever been able to successfully predict this.

Tidal Cycle: 1D6 days of rising tides +1 day of low tide

The Lhankor Mhy cult has noticed that there is a connection between the extremes of the tides and the cycle of the Red Moon. When the high tide corresponds with the Full Moon, there is an extra high tide; when the low tide corresponds with the Dying or Black Moon, there is an extra low tide. As a corollary, when the high tide corresponds with the Dying or Black Moon, the high tide is not as pronounced; similarly, when the low tide corresponds with the Full Moon, the low tide is not as pronounced.

[Joerg]

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

 

The Tides

The tides play a defining role in the geography of the Rightarm Islands. Much of the area is intertidal, exposed at low tide but submerged at high tide. Extremely low tides expose large areas of marshland and some islands become landlocked. As a result, passage through the islands at this time is the most challenging. In contrast, during a very high tide all but the driest spots remain above water and an experienced captain can easily take a small ship from the Rozgali to the Mirrorsea Bay through a myriad of channels.

You should rephrase that last sentence to "during a very high tide only the driest spots..." or otherwise "are covered by water" rather than "remain above".

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

Two cosmic entities exert their influence on the waters around the islands. The Blue Moon, a once-powerful goddess was cast down from the sky during the Gods War. Though now diminished, she strives to regain her place in sky. As she climbs the celestial stairs, the world’s oceans rise with her pulling at her until exhausted she falls through Magasta’s Pool to the underworld to rest until she can begin her ascent again. The Blue Moon has been bound to this cycle since Time began; usually her strength gives out after only three or four days which results in only a moderate rise in the water. There are times however when she endures for five or six days, drawing the oceans even higher. Her decent is always swift, falling within a single day and releasing her influence on the oceans.

Not the best analogy, really - her strength gives out but she reaches Pole Star anyway? That's not concurrent to my experience of walking uphill...

I guess that the Loper people and their Teshnan descendants have a myth about her driving or leading a herd of sea beasts up the Celestial River, and the more beasts she has in that herd, the longer the trek  up to Pole Star will take.

 

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

The apotheosis of the Red Goddess sent a powerful ripple through the Middle Air that resonated with the oceans of Glorantha. The effects are still felt today as a pulsing disturbance emanating from the Lunar Empire. The waters of Glorantha rise and fall in response to the Moon phase in a fashion similar to the waxing and waning of Lunar power. In the Choralinthor and the Islands the effect is greatest each Godsday as the heightened power of the Full Moon of the Red Goddess pulls at the sea. The sea returns with a low tide coinciding with the Dying and Dark phases of the Moon.

Choralinthor lies roughly in the same direction as Magasta's Pool.

Now we all know that Magasta's Pool really encapsulates the Void through which Chaos invaded after the Spike had been destroyed under the concerted attacks of High King Elf (who axed the shaft at its basement), Zzabur (who had sent the Breaking of the World) and the implosion of the Chaos invaders upon contact with the pure Law below the Celestial Palace.

That void is still there, and whenever the red glow faces towards Magasta's Pool, it gets attracted and is lifted up, drawing the Pool and all the waters rushing towards it upwards. Thus, the Red Goddess has no powers over the waters of the world, but her cycle affects the work of Magasta to keep the Void sealed.

 

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

As regular as the Red Moon, the seas breath a weekly cycle of tides, but the erratic pull of the Blue Moon has a profound effect upon severity of this weekly tide.

Ho hum. Even with the ascendance and drop of the Void within Magasta's Pool, I am unwilling to accept that this tidal cycle is the dominating one in Glorantha. That of the Blue Streak has been dominant for all of History and even before, probably since the Ritual of the Net. The following sentence puts this right. I would suggest to change the order of these sentences.

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

As the Blue Moon ascends the waters rise, but this can be enhanced or diminished by the phase of the Red Moon. The highest tides are when there is a conjunction of the Blue Moon’s zenith with a Full Red Moon, known as a Two Moon Tide. Likewise the lowest tides occur when the Blue Moon’s fall coincides with a Black or Dying Red Moon, called a Black Moon Tide. For the islands this can dramatically alter the landscape, exposing extensive mudflats and making reefs extremely hazardous to shipping during a low tide. The most dangerous tides are when the Blue Moon achieves a sustained ascent of six or more days combined with a Full Red Moon; when this happens, much of the Islands are submerged.

Enter two further factors that may contribute to the severeness of tides - Storm (mostly local storms, as the usual Great Orlanth wind direction north of the Pool is westerly and doesn't affect the southward coasts), and the big "Tidal Waves" allied to the Waertagi, like Sog.

Yet another factor might be the respiration of the Vent, which may raise or lower the surrounding land by a few feet at its extremes.

When all these factors combine, a Rungholt/Dunwich event of the second Marcellus Flood might be triggered.

(In Seapolis, the population might take shelter under the waves for the duration of such events.)

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

Predicting an extreme tide is the remit of elusive priestesses of the Blue Moon, of which none are known to openly exist within the islands. Harrek’s Wolf Pirates however co-ordinate their raids with extreme high tides, but whether they employ Blue Moon priestesses or have acquired the knowledge themselves is unknown.

Harrek has been to Maslo, although he doesn't seem to have raided the Maslo Sea where the Master of the Tides dwells.

The Wolf Pirates appear to sail in and out unmolested by the local Ludoch merfolk. It is possible that the Kethaelan ones have contact with (undocumented, but extremely likely) Ludoch around the Threestep Isles. Alternatively, they might have contacts to the Sea Trolls and their instinctual awareness of the dark goddess of the tides.

And their Dormal openers will most likely start the ritual of Opening as soon as they make landfall. (Even if that isn't strictly required after the rise of the Boat Planet in 1624.)

The Merfolk appreciate those high tides as well, as it allows them to comb the usually dry lands for stuff otherwise only available in trade (much like the local Pelaskites do to comb the mudflats for shells and crabs at low tide).

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

For simplicity the water levels around the islands will be one of five conditions but which may also be exasperated by local climate conditions:

•     Black Moon Tide. The waters are at their very lowest when the The Blue Streak coincides with a Dark or Dying Red Moon. This lasts no more than a day, but the waters level is dangerously low. All but the deepest channels are exposed revealing extensive mudflats between the islands. Travelling between the islands is nearly impossible and best avoided. Off shore reefs and shoal banks also pose hazardous to shipping.

•     Low Tide. Only the upper mudflats are exposed but much of the waterways are shallow. Passage by small craft is possible. A favoured time of the local stilt fishermen and shell pickers. Larger boats need to navigate known deep channels or risk running aground. 

•     Average. The water is at its median level. Only the reed beds and islands are exposed. Travel between the islands is simple with suitable craft.  

•     High Tide. An infrequent occurrence that submerges much of the outlying marshes. Travel between the islands is easy but care must be taken to avoid partially submerged reed beds that could foul larger boats. Large sea predators such as sharks and pleisiosaurs often take advance of high tides to hunt in the channels. 

•     Two Moon Tide. A rare event when a zenith Blue Moon coincides with the Full Red Moon. It begins with a Low Tide the previous Waterday and progresses with a steadily deepening tide for the following six days, completely submerging all the reed beds and flooding low lying islands. It is followed by a very sudden drop in the water level often pulling unsecured items out to sea. 

The Rightarmer and Leftarmer fisherfolk are likely to use permanent fish fences to catch fish that have strayed into shallower "valleys" of their islands, caught in the outward rush of the falling tide. Coastal fishing boats will remain ashore if the tide is still on the rise on Freezeday as the riptide when the Blue Streak  finally appears threatens to pull all vessels out into the Closing. They might even have different ones for zones of differently high tides...

 

I wonder whether the 8-day cycle of the Boat Planet interferes in any way with the tides, or the Tidal Waves.

[Sir_Godspeed]

Thanks for the info, @Jeff!

[Brootse]

12 hours ago, Jeff said:

 

The Tides

 

Thanks! I was just going to make a thread about the Gloranthan tides, because I'm planning to run the Sea Cave.

[kr0p0s]

On 11/26/2019 at 9:15 AM, Jeff said:

 

The Tides

The tides play a defining role in the geography of the Rightarm Islands. 

Wow, only just saw this explanation of The Tides. 

While it describes the effects on the Rightarm Islands, I imagine the effect is noticeable along a large part of the south coast of Genertela? This would be of some concern to the folks of the coast of Wenelia, and especially the sea-fear crazed inhabitants of Ramalia - the tidal cycles would be examined carefully lest the Sea returns to finish the job of drowning them.

[Joerg]

Speaking of tides in Glorantha - the sawtooth shape of the tidal cycle makes beaching your ship by pulling it just out of the water something you have to redo every few hours or so as the tide continues to rise, and then taking it to water again or be trapped on the highest part of the beach while the water plummets away, possibly with several ship lengths between your ship and the nearest channel.

Being marooned on a sandy beach or a sandbar won't usually have damaged your ship's keel or hull. Withstanding the surf, breakers crashing into your ship while it still cannot move with them, is what causes a major portion of the ship-wrecks in tidal zones like much of the North Sea coast line. There are an estimated 5000 shipwrecks just off the coasts of Jutland (including Schleswig-Holstein), amounting to two shipwrecks a year. Nautical maps even had these:

Quite the "Do you feel lucky?" message to navigators. I wonder whether Casino Town has a shipwreck lottery going on.

Reaping the wild wind was very much a reliable business in those parts.

 

The Waertagi had the perfect solution for this problem - they rode tidal waves they summoned, making both beaching and taking off again a painless maneuver. Hardly anyone got the chance to plunder a beached Waertagi ship prior to the Closing.

[Joerg]

18 hours ago, kr0p0s said:

Wow, only just saw this explanation of The Tides. 

While it describes the effects on the Rightarm Islands, I imagine the effect is noticeable along a large part of the south coast of Genertela? This would be of some concern to the folks of the coast of Wenelia, and especially the sea-fear crazed inhabitants of Ramalia - the tidal cycles would be examined carefully lest the Sea returns to finish the job of drowning them.

The Ramalians don't live within sight of the sea, and I suppose that means not within sight of the common high water mark.

Very little has been done on the Ramalians - they are supposed to be one of the most evil countries in all of Genertela, with a ruthless and self-absorbed ruling class and hapless helots (alliteration resulting from trying to avoid the term serfs).

Rather few parts of the southern coast of Genertely are actually inhabited. There almost seems to be a rule that there have to be offshore islands and/or deep bays or river estuaries for human habitation to exist on the Rozgali or Solkathi shores.

 

This slow tidal cycle also affects animals with an amphibious life-style, like for instance seals leaving their young on sandbars or easy to climb rocky slopes, and it will affect the benthic organisms of the tidal zone. In the uppermost tidally affected zones, crabs and other walking sea creatures may reign, with most of the wriggly beasts resigning themselves to the places that don't regularly fall dry for more than 48 hours.

Reliably dry salt marshes make for excellent pasture, doubling as salt licks.

Running a salt garden with less reliable tides sounds problematic, too. You might need something more than shallow irrigation dykes to make sure that the sea doesn't take back the salt that you robbed of it. I wonder which cults will be running salt gardens. Orlanth, celebrating the victory of storm over sea?

Does anybody use salt peat from tidal zones for salt production? It is almost a self-sustaining cycle, except that it consumes the very source of the industry - you burn the peat, using its heat to evaporate the lye you washed out of peat ashes, concentrating the salt content. Might be a God Forgot or Arolanit industry?

[jajagappa]

5 hours ago, Joerg said:

I wonder whether Casino Town has a shipwreck lottery going on.

Has to be!

 

[Joerg]

2 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Has to be!

 

Other than an insurance scheme, I meant.

Perhaps something similar to the cowpat bingo?

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, Joerg said:

Perhaps something similar to the cowpat bingo?

In one of the gambling houses there is a magical game board, a horizontal wheel, called the Eye of Polaris.  It's circular and seems to show a large circular ocean fringed with lands.  Small heavy lead figures - ships - each marked by a number rest upon the game board.  The Master of the Eye, who stands in the center of the wheel (the place called the Maelstrom) takes the bets.  You can either bet upon which ship will run aground (be spun onto the land), or not.  Or bet that your chosen ship can "circumnavigate" the Eye without running aground.  When all bets have been made, he sets the wheel spinning.  You win or lose depending on whether your chosen ship matched your bet or not.  Big winners for those who bet their ship can circumnavigate the wheel.

Edited February 20, 2021 by jajagappa