For you Sciency Folks…
First off, I printed off the problem child Logrozana today for a closer look. Three pages in, and there is a lot of red ink already. So it is helping.
But I’ve decided to play around with the Marasran in Shadow and Soul a bit more to start getting them solidified. One of the stumbling blocks is their conception of time. Are they obsessed with it? Or–being immortal–does it simply pass them by unnoticed?
I finally decided today that they would be very careful to record its passing. As Guardians and Keepers, they would need to know precisely when things happened. For magic, it would be necessary to observe patterns also. Historians and time-keepers would be honored people.
But, here’s the rub. I’m sort of working on the assumption of a vast, intricate society long ago. The ‘Lost Race’ sort of thing. After that, there would be a series of global disasters. Think the Biblical flood, Atlantis, etc. And yes, it would be within 3000 years of us when the last of the Marasran would have disappeared.
Would it be possible for the earth to be moving more slowly? For the axis to be straight? How would that affect years and seasons? Would a larger part of the earth be completely shadowed?
If anyone has hypothesis or explanations, I would LOVE to hear them!
July 12, 2009 at 9:17 pm
The axis of the earth wobbles, darlin. That means the stars in the sky change positions. We’ve been able to date things from the Egyptians based on the positions of the stars in the night sky then as opposed to where they are now (Orion used to be a lot closer to the horizon). You also have the Mayan calendars that are EXACTLY precise about the dates, times, etc of lunar, solar and planetary events, thousands of years after they left their cities.
Also, if the axis were straight, there wouldn’t be seasons. It’s the tilt in the earth’s axis combined with it’s rotation around the sun that creates the changes in season.
Slowing the earth’s rotation would mess with crops and lengthen both the day and night. I believe it would also mess with weather patterns and sea currents. Probably make for some NASTY storms.