Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Bearing grease.

I actually found the real thing in the attic out at Phil's when we were cleaning out the house after he passed away. It was hanging on the wall of the little room off the attic office, and scared the crap out of me when I read the label.

It was a fire extinguisher! It was a metal sphere, just the right size for throwing, with a safety bad around it with a pin with a big pull ring, just like the one you found all those years ago. The idea, according to the label, is that when you have a fire, you grab this thing, pull the pin, and toss it into the heart of the fire.

It's full of a carbon tetrachloride compound. The sphere falls into two halves, the thick black goop inside gets heated up by the fire and more or less explodes, and supposedly puts out the fire.

Phil was still surprising us, months after he passed away!

And I thought of you, and all those nights so long ago...

Originally Posted by Zirunel

Chirine, I had a question about something you mentioned a while back. Empress Dashiluna. You said her antics caused you a lot of trouble. Was that just referring to her legacy of nasties, or did you actually go back and meet her at some point?

It was a lot more complicated then simply dealing with her 'friends'. I'm currently writing about this in my book - volume IV, "Across the Sea of Worlds" - and telling the full story. In short, the Empress had left behind an artifact - three of them, actually - that threatened the Tlakotani dynasty and the Seal Imperium itself. As usual, when the apocalypse impends, the Imperial family (a pretty dysfunctional bunch of siblings, if there ever were!) sent for Yours Truly and told me to Deal With The Problem.

I did, in what could be described as spectacular fashion, in what became known as The Affair Of The Malchairan Emerald.

And yes, I did meet her. (shudders)

Originally Posted by Hrugga

I can't wait to hear how the Ssu react to these relics of the Ancients...I'm go for some type of online game too!!!

H:0)

The steamer: So, the party finds the thing, and gets to the point where the greyish vapor is coming out. It gets shut off, and hauled around the underworld until the group sets an ambush for the pursuing Ssu. The device is set up in a room that the Ssu have to pass through, and started up. (The idea was to do what I usually did, which was cast 'Creeping Fog of Doom" as a sort of 'land mine' to deter pursuit.) The room fills with fog, the party runs for it, and the Ssu come crashing in to the fog. They came out unharmed, but with their wrinkled loose skins all neatly un-wrinkled and looking very sharp.

And they took the machine, too. Ssu zoot-suiters. Who would have thought?

The bomb: Well, it looked like a grenade, hefted like a grenade, and had a pin like a grenade, so why not? Gronan soon put it to the test, nailing a Black Ssu with the thing right between the Ssu's eyes in an absolutely perfect throw. To everyone's annoyance, it didn't explode, but covered the Ssu with a thick black goop that we assumed was some sort of bearing grease - we thought that this was a set of axle cups, rather neatly packaged for use. Once again, the party runs like hell. (See note above, for what this thing might really have been...)

We laughed our fool heads off, too. Both times.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

I actually found the real thing in the attic out at Phil's when we were cleaning out the house after he passed away. It was hanging on the wall of the little room off the attic office, and scared the crap out of me when I read the label.

It was a fire extinguisher! It was a metal sphere, just the right size for throwing, with a safety bad around it with a pin with a big pull ring, just like the one you found all those years ago. The idea, according to the label, is that when you have a fire, you grab this thing, pull the pin, and toss it into the heart of the fire.

It's full of a carbon tetrachloride compound. The sphere falls into two halves, the thick black goop inside gets heated up by the fire and more or less explodes, and supposedly puts out the fire.

Phil was still surprising us, months after he passed away!

And I thought of you, and all those nights so long ago...

Still surprising us indeed.

And cheer up, at least we didn't try to eat it like those clowns in FLAMESONG.

Carbon Tet was also used in "fire grenades" in liquid form too. In 1963 the barn in Lake Geneva had them in the hayloft, along with post and tube wiring (in a HAYLOFT?). Both were replaced quickly.

And a few years ago at a Chicago and NorthWestern Railroad Historical Society meet, somebody put some in the auction... complete with the railroad name and "Ball and Bar" herald molded into the glass!

Originally Posted by Greentongue

Is it WRONG to want to "tread the jeweled thrones"?
To go all Sword & Planet on Tekumel?
=

Let me rephrase it.

The real problem was that I had a "special snowflake" character; everybody else was a mainstream Tekumel character, and my Flemish knight was a very, very odd "odd man out." The problem with that is that the odd character becomes the focus of the game in a way unfair to other players. That's the problem with "special snowflakes." I would never do that now.

See, Dave ran multiple times a week, and Gary at one point was running Greyhawk literally seven days a week. So if your character was an oddball, you'd just play solo. For that matter, Greyhawk was rather gonzo as a town; if a Balrog, a Shoggoth, and a Rabbi walked down the street together, the locals would hardly notice except to say "Looks like one of those stupid Incredible Journey movies."

But Phil had trouble squeezing out two nights a week for gaming, and he didn't really have time to deal with "special snowflakes."

Clearer?

Originally Posted by Hrugga

Excellent!!!

I was actually going through my spell list looking for something suitable to protect us...Alas, Lord Asen did the deed.

On a different note, question...

Would you have any more information on the Tomb of the Lord of the Black Mould(The Book of Ebon Bindings Pg15)? Who or what he is and any details of his great treasures?

Thanks,

H:0)

I actually just came across to another reference to the tomb elsewhere. Something about it being located in the secret city of Schyak in far away Nluss. Any more information would be appreciated and welcome. Thanks again.

H:0)

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

From some of the ways he handled his collection of Indo-Persian weapons, he'd gotten some sort of formal instruction in their use at some point in his life; I'd bet on his time as a Fulbright Scholar, studying there, and being out in rural South Asia.

Phil was at least two or three inches taller than me, with shoulders to match, and I'm a six-footer. By the time I met him he not only had the arthritis, but he told me early on he was nearly legally blind even WITH his glasses. I saw him walking across the University mall one day and as he approached a stair he slowed down and groped for the handrail.

IN his 20s I'd bet he was fairly a robust lad.

And I was too enamored of the ironmongery at the time to notice, but yeah, he handled his various artifacts like he was comfortable with them.

The one that goggled me was the damn flamberge. I was in my mid 20s, about 180 pounds, and definitely fit; not "Big 10 College All Star" level, perhaps, but pretty solid. The real one handed swords I've handled, both Phil's and others, are much easier to handle than an SCA rattan replica. Phil's flamberge, however, was quite simply a motherfucker. I'd have needed to spend some serious time doing weight work if I'd wanted to wield that thing for any amount of time. I can also see why they were called Dopplensoldaten and paid double; if you got that thing moving, it would be virtually impossible to stop.

Though I never DID figure out how to use that damn Balochustani camel rifle, and Phil never was able to explain. I conjecture -- and it is ONLY a conjecture -- that you pointed it rather than aimed it, a la some schools of "quick point" short range pistol combat shooting.

http://www.armscollectors.com/darra/afghanold.htm Two examples, bottom of page.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Though I never DID figure out how to use that damn Balochustani camel rifle, and Phil never was able to explain. I conjecture -- and it is ONLY a conjecture -- that you pointed it rather than aimed it, a la some schools of "quick point" short range pistol combat shooting.

http://www.armscollectors.com/darra/afghanold.htm Two examples, bottom of page.

But what does the gun stock rest against? The shooter's stomach, his saddle, the camel's hump?

Originally Posted by Bren

But what does the gun stock rest against? The shooter's stomach, his saddle, the camel's hump?

Part of the confusion!

Near as I remember, it tucks under your armpit! You fire the damn thing from the chest, not nestled up to the cheek.