Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Chirine,

This is why Tekumel is doomed to fade into obscurity, IMO. The so called guardians of Tekumel would sooner see it die than get over their insecurities and personal "butt hurt". What I don't understand is why Phil's widow doesn't step in and toss those Tekuweenies on their ears. Does she not have ultimate control of the Tekumel Foundation, or does she not care? Tragic, really.


Shemek.

Well, yes about the butt-hurt and the effect it has; I don't know about the obscurity part. It all depends on the fans - there' a lot of 'underground' stuff going on, and more then a little activity 'under the radar'. We'll see, I guess; I prefer to be hopeful and optimistic, myself.

Ambereen doesn't much worry about the problems of the Foundation. She's just one of the six Directors of the thing, and her only real power would be to cancel the Foundation's license to publish and retrieve Phill's collection (her property, last time I heard) from them. Tekumel was Phil's 'poker night with the boys', and she just wasn't all that interested in the thing over the years. She was pretty happy to be able to dump the whole thng off on them and move out of state to be with her family, and I don't really blame her. She's tried very hard to distance herself from all the screaming and shouting, and I respect that. I'm in the same boat; I, quite frankly, got what I came for back in 1976 when I made the digital back-up of all Phil's data, and I'm more then happy to let somebody else sit in the hot-seat. Being Phil's publisher was not a lot of fun, and soured me on games, gaming, gamers, and Tekumel itself for decades. I much prefer being the abbot of the remote citadel of scholars, quite frankly; this thread is the equivalent of the pilgrims coming to the Holy Mountain, ringing the bell, and the monks let down the basket. The pilgrims put their questions and such into the basket, it gets hauled up, and after a pause the replies come beck down.

I don;t know where it's all going to go, in the future. All I can do is keep talking about Tekumel with people and preserving the data for those who come after me.

Originally Posted by Bren

If you just wanted the metal, melting and/or hammering it into less awkward shape(s) would have helped. Maybe chop it up and fold it into some bars. Or turn it into a bunch of wheels so you could roll it down the hall. Stairs would have been a problem for wheels though.

That's what was being muttered down my end of the table, but Eyloa wanted the thing for the magical glyphs and inscriptions to it had to be kept intact. It's still down there, as far as I know.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Ahoggya - Not so much carrion as anything they can get their hands on. Which is why they are forbidden to go anywhere near Temples of Belkhanu, for example.

Ald - Oi! That's Vrisa's clan cousin you're talking about there, mate! The Vishetru clan is about as civilized as you can get, being descended from the Engsvanyali governors of what was then a province of the Priest-kings' empire. In person, he's quite a decent person - at least, he was to Vrisa and I - but there are just some things best not brought up in the conversation. He's quite occupied with forging an empire, and doing a pretty good job of it. Not a person to be taken lightly, or trifled with.

Poetic licence is all. I have no doubt the Baron is fine upstanding and noble person. No offence was intended.
Alas, carrion is easier to rhyme than "anything they can get their hands on".

Shemek.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Well, yes about the butt-hurt and the effect it has; I don't know about the obscurity part. It all depends on the fans - there' a lot of 'underground' stuff going on, and more then a little activity 'under the radar'. We'll see, I guess; I prefer to be hopeful and optimistic, myself.

Ambereen doesn't much worry about the problems of the Foundation. She's just one of the six Directors of the thing, and her only real power would be to cancel the Foundation's license to publish and retrieve Phill's collection (her property, last time I heard) from them. Tekumel was Phil's 'poker night with the boys', and she just wasn't all that interested in the thing over the years. She was pretty happy to be able to dump the whole thng off on them and move out of state to be with her family, and I don't really blame her. She's tried very hard to distance herself from all the screaming and shouting, and I respect that. I'm in the same boat; I, quite frankly, got what I came for back in 1976 when I made the digital back-up of all Phil's data, and I'm more then happy to let somebody else sit in the hot-seat. Being Phil's publisher was not a lot of fun, and soured me on games, gaming, gamers, and Tekumel itself for decades. I much prefer being the abbot of the remote citadel of scholars, quite frankly; this thread is the equivalent of the pilgrims coming to the Holy Mountain, ringing the bell, and the monks let down the basket. The pilgrims put their questions and such into the basket, it gets hauled up, and after a pause the replies come beck down.

I don;t know where it's all going to go, in the future. All I can do is keep talking about Tekumel with people and preserving the data for those who come after me.

Let's hope saner heads will eventually prevail and we start seeing some stuff. In the meantime I'll keep sending things up in the basket and hope for the best.

Shemek.

Originally Posted by AsenRG

That was a comment to Gronan; while I agree with his favourite thesis that we do all of it for fun, I think it important to emphasize that "fun" can be increased by doing the research.

I'm not quite sure where you got the idea that I don't do research, lad, or that "fun" and "research" are somehow opposed, but it wasn't from me.

Originally Posted by Bren

Less than 10,000 pounds. How much less would depend on how much copper was added create the alloy.

10,000 pounds? For six or eight pre industrial people in robes or armor, with no tools other than some ropes, pitons, and hammers? Down in a chamber deep in a labyrinthine underworld?

Oh, and Tekumelyani magic is HIGHLY allergic to metal. Which reminds me of the time the apprentice sorceror blew himself up, killed half his companions, and deafened the rest...

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

The historical model is that every few years, somebody comes swooping in, loudly announces that they are just what Tekumel needs, makes lots of noise for a few years, and then fades away with very little actually getting done.

"Seagull" management. They swoop in, flap around, squawk loudly, shit all over everything and everybody, and swoop out again.

Originally Posted by Bren

If you just wanted the metal, melting

No forge. No fuel, for that matter.

Originally Posted by Bren

and/or hammering it into less awkward shape(s)

No hammers, except light mountaineer-style hammers. Actually, with metal being SO rare on Tekumel, the pitons were bronze and I believe the "hammers" were actually old style wooden mallets with brass faces.

Originally Posted by Bren

would have helped. Maybe chop it up and fold it into some bars.

No chisels. No bending brake, either. Or anything much heavier than a mace.

Originally Posted by Bren

Or turn it into a bunch of wheels so you could roll it down the hall.

I assume you mean by magic. Metal makes magic backfire catastrophically, not just iron. That's why military magic is such a specialized subset.

My point (and I do have one) is that this was a seasoned bunch of adventurers, but we had adventuring gear, not something to extract a five ton object.

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Poetic licence is all. I have no doubt the Baron is fine upstanding and noble person. No offence was intended.
Alas, carrion is easier to rhyme than "anything they can get their hands on".

Shemek.

My fault!!! I didn't catch the rhyme!!! (I feel like a fool, tonight...)