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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 9615047" data-attributes="member: 7737">Commentary:A swamp that’s considered dangerous by our archmage dad must therefore be the safest route into Saven.This type of nonsensical statement is frequently trotted out in genre fiction: that the super dangerous route is also the safest. No. That is logically contradictory. The super dangerous route may be the most unexpected, but it cannot be the safest.Even the ancient oaks on the western boundary of Wealwood seem to recognize the ominous quality of the adjacent marsh…Dalris raises her eyebrows “as she steps into the fog of the most forbidden region of druidic folklore.”A region that is forbidden by druidic folklore yet borders the woods where the druids live would be CONSTANTLY ventured into by foolishly brave children trying to prove their mettle to each other. Even if the taboo held for the druids themselves, it wouldn’t apply to the refugees who also inhabit Wealwood. Especially given that by definition, refugees have nothing to lose. (Except their lives, but when has that stopped people from taking foolish risks?)…the adjacent marsh, which is shrouded in yellow clouds of stinking sulfuric fog.Sulfur thick enough to form a fog would be extremely bad for any air-breathing creatures that entered it. People have died from the sulfuric fumes around volcanoes, which are present in much lesser quantities than enough to form a visible fog!(Also, this numbered section is the same one we turn to if we take the route to Yellow Marsh directly from Wealwood, pre-boat-trip. Which is why this section assumes we just entered the marsh from the forest, rather than flew deeper into the marsh being carried by a roc.)Dalris chimes in that the dead trees are a good sign because it means there’s not enough vegetation to feed any purported giant monsters.Or “it could also mean that only meat-eaters can survive there”…None of whom breathe air, apparently.That aside: I’m not sure a region with so little edible vegetation could support enough herbivores to in turn support “meat-eaters”.…we ruminate on how egocentric psuedodragons can be: “Any time a human within his telepathic range of several dozen feet thinks something…”First: total lack of self-awareness that Carr would ascribe egocentrism to ANYONE else.Second: we finally get a range for Rufyl’s telepathy: “several dozen feet”. Of course the word “several” is vague, but if “2” is “a couple” and “3” is “a few”, then “several” has to be 4 or more. Which means that Rufyl can sense thoughts in a sphere with radius (at least) 48 feet, or a volume of over 463,000 cubic feet.Put another way: the stereotypical average home in the United States has a square footage of 2200 across two stories, so 1100 square feet per floor. Say it’s 24 feet (and change) on the short side and 45 feet on the long side (generally the street-facing side is the long side).This means that from the center of the house, Rufyl can sense the thoughts of:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">everyone inside the house (on both floors)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">across the driveways separating the house from its neighbors on either side</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">into both neighboring houses and about to the middle of their houses</li> </ul>If we think back to when we were trapped in the tower, Rufyl’s telepathic range couldn’t quite reach the top of the tower (50 feet), but he could easily sense our thoughts and communicate with us as soon as we descended one flight of stairs.(27) to use a spell we’ve memorized,(61) to use a greater spell from the traveling spellbook, or(96) “if you decide there’s no real point in wasting a spell”.Our two remaining greater spells are Contact Other Plane, for information gathering, and Enchant an Item, for doing just what it says on the tin. Neither seems useful here, but for amusement value (and so I don't forget to do it later) I will explore what happens when we use them.Also pay attention to the wording of that third option and imagine the size-L thumb on the scale.</blockquote>

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