Okay, on a more serious vein -- but a far less gritty and interesting one, I have another skill proposition for rangers (AND/OR possibly merchants aswell).
This idea stems from an arguement that arised with the last skill idea I proposed about how rangers should know where to locate sources of water. Sure they definately should, but will they even be clean sources of water? Will they not contain parasites or harmful viruses? What about harmful minerals like salt?
So anyway, it would involve the crafting filtration devices like small sand-cloth netted filters, or even small, sun operated distilleries (made out of some heat absorbing rock like basalt, or obsidian), in order to cleanse water collected from sludge both sewer and from geisers or rotten sulferic pools that can be found around the gameworld. Salty water and blood from the disected remains of scrabs or other creatures could be used. Any one should be able to use these things, but with limited success, in comparison to the ranger.
Filters could be made from all sorts of different materials:
:arrow: From the remains of critters like scrabs,
:arrow: From sand-cloth,
:arrow: To bone,
:arrow: To rocks like basal or onyx and glasses like obsidian.
Simply in order for less than drinkable water to be made pure, or atleast partially pure. Different types of liquids will require different types of filters.
Nothing too technical, nothing too complex.
My arguements on how Not All Oases Should be Completely Clean and Free from Taint:
:arrow: What if a defiler got his hands on a small oasis, and made the water it collected from then on be poisonous, and/or sulfuric?
:arrow: What if the oasis contained its very own strain of mutated flesh-eating parasites, or diseases or viruses?
:arrow: What if the oasis was on a bed of salt?
:arrow: What if it was contaminated by the wind blowing from the Red Desert, and was filled with salt, dust or silt?
:arrow: What if the ranger just found a murky pool, and simply wanted to increase the value of the water by purifying it, because he made all his coin on selling it?
:arrow: What if one Wall Dwelling human, like a noble or templar decided to poison one tribes oasis or supply of water, simply out of malicious intent?
:arrow: What if a merchant or ranger water-seller wanted to impose a monopoly on a tribe, so in order to do this, he tainted their watersupply?
:arrow: What if a Vivaduan magicker wanted to command more respect within his tribe, or wanted to be protected by it, so he has their well poisoned?
. . . And the list goes on.
I'm just making a point that not all water-supplies found in the desert should be clean and free of parasites and impurities. And for some hunters, their entire water source might come from the salty bladders or blood of scrabs or some other beast out in the wilds.
-'SidianSoul
Yeah. I'm actually thinking this Filter-making skill and the Recycle skill could go hand and hand. Rangers shouldn't be about hunting big large beasts -- that's where warriors come in. They should simply be about survival, survival survival survival. Survival on the barest of necissities.
Recycled water should not have to run through a filter unless it is overly salty or poisoned. But it might go just a bit further towards quenching ones thirst at any rate.
Also, parasites and poisons are in deep abundance both in ground water and well water throughout places like Africa and the Middle East. That's why people in those countries are so sick at times.
This could be a reason to bring back diseases.
No, these diseases should probably not kill a person. But they will not hold a symbiotic or beneficial impact on -humans- that swallow them. On animals that have evolved with these parasites, yes -- they would likely live together. Parasites that kill off their prime hosts are doomed to extinction, after all.
And for the parasites who hold humans or elves as their prime hosts? Well, what if the humans that drank from this oasis get sick and die, but the elves that swill these parasites are benefitted by them? Kinda like war-spice, or something? Magick water? Tribes removed from their oases might die out?
This would provide more conficting genetic differences between the tribes of elves.
All depends on the race or species that have lived off of the oases for the last few thousands of years. After all, things mutate on Zalanthas at a much faster rate, no?
So. This would perhaps make tribal elves that frequient these oases not harmed by these parasites, but humans might have to be a bit more prudent in that they must first filter out the water. (Visa versa depending on the species/race, sure.)
Also. Most of the time, diseases should be affecting peoples ability scores, not health-points. For playability issues. An ill person would eventually pull the maturing parasite out of their body, or excrete it, if they are not weakened by starvation or thirst.
-'SidianSoul
What makes you think that oases in game are full of pure water?
That's called hyperbole. It's rhetoric.
Besides, I'm still a newbie, so shoot me.
I have yet to even -see- an oasis in game, so I can only really assume. And no, I do not think all oasis' are readily clean, I don't expect them to be filled with a clear liquid if I looked into them, I expect to see "a greyish liquid". So what? I'm suggesting that with this skill, drinking from an unfarmiliar oasis in the South could be like eating an unfarmiliar fruit or fungus in the North. You don't want to try it unless you're forced to. You'd rather get it from a source you can trust, like the Dragons Temple.
(Atleast unless you have the right tools to make it safe to drink, that is).
-'SidianSoul
We players on this game have been totally spoiled by pureish water. The water was always clear even though more likely than not it probably wasn't. The oasis water, the water sold, most of it was and is probably yellow or greyish and I wonder if rangers would even both learning to make a filter if they are used to drinking yellowed or greyed water anyway. Basically, I doubt pure water is something many are used to except rich merchants, nobles or magickers.
Just my oppinion
Silt-laced water isn't that bad.
:P Gritty, yes, but you can't taste it.
Quote from: "Vesperas"Silt-laced water isn't that bad.
:P Gritty, yes, but you can't taste it.
How do you know? :roll: 8) :lol:
Have you tried it?
-'SidianSoul
Here, I've done a bit of research and I've found a few links. These should show the simplicity of solar distillation.
:arrow: Here is one design. . . (click the link for an image)
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/classactivities/SolarDistillerIntermediateActivityMar2002.pdf:
QuoteINTERMEDIATE
SCIENCE PROJECT: Solar Distiller
Questions: Can you distill clean water from muddy water?
Can you distill clean water from salty water?
Hypotheses:
You can/cannot distill clean water from muddy water.
You can/cannot distill clean water from salty water.
Materials:
Two large plastic or glass containers
Clear plastic wrap
Masking tape
Two small rocks
Two small glasses
Two tablespoons of dirt
Two tablespoons of salt
Water
Procedure:
1. Fill both large containers with one inch of water. Mix the dirt into the water in one
container and the salt into the water in the other container.
2. Place one empty glass upright into the water in the middle of each plastic container.
Make sure the glass remains empty.
3. Cover both plastic containers tightly with plastic wrap and seal them with tape. On
both containers, place a rock in the middle of the plastic wrap directly over the glass
but not touching it.
4. Place the containers in a sunny place for two hours. Examine any water that forms in
the glass. Record your observations.
Analysis and Conclusion: Did the solar distillers produce clean water? Can you devise a test
to determine if there is any salt in the distilled water?
Can you explain how a solar distiller works?
Can you imagine a situation in which this knowledge could save your life?
Page 2
:arrow: Here is another design. . .
http://www.zetatalk.com/food/tfoox104.htm:
QuoteSolar Stills operate on the same principles that produce rainfall. The sun is allowed into and trapped in the Still. The high temperatures produced destroy all pathogens. The water evaporates, and in this process, only pure water vapor rises in the Still, only to condense on the glass. The glass is sloped to the south, and the condensed water runs down the glass and is collected in a trough. The water is allowed out of the collector through silicone tubing, and is collected in 5 gallon glass jugs. There are no moving parts in the solar still, and only the sun's energy is required for operation.
:arrow: A simple idea. . .
http://www.shouldexist.org/story/2002/10/8/204510/282:
QuoteI am working on the idea of having a solar distiller that covers a back pack purifying H2o as you hike, The other is one that covers a side of your tent for night time purification through condensation.Bryan Keith owner/designer pluto krazo designs.2002
So what do you think?
I think it would be possible, even in a society without access to metals to fabricate one.
I think it's possible, as it runs on a very simple concept. Even a group of children in a school class room should be able to fabricate one using simple house-hold materials.
Solar distillers can be small enough to be fit inside of a backpack, or heavy enough to need to be strapped onto a kank -- all depending on what material it's made from (glass, obsidian, onyx. . .).
I personally like the idea, it would give an explanation of how some of these water sellers pull the grey water that all of the oases i've seen produce and get somthing worth selling.
However I would say that it would do little unless the IMMs decided to actually bring back diseases (which i kind of doubt) other then that any normal Ranger would rather just drink more of the water since it doesn't quench as well, rather then spend the time to filter it for that inkling of extra bit.
Also unfortunatly if for selling water comes up as an argument i don't see it ever being feasible for a PC to be selling water (except to other PC's). It would be just to easy for some random twink ranger to spend his days walking out to the nearest water hole filtering a bunch of water and then bringing it in to sell it. They would easily amass a quite bit of fortune for a minimum effort/danger.
Quote from: "daedroug"I personally like the idea, it would give an explanation of how some of these water sellers pull the grey water that all of the oases i've seen produce and get somthing worth selling.
However I would say that it would do little unless the IMMs decided to actually bring back diseases (which i kind of doubt) other then that any normal Ranger would rather just drink more of the water since it doesn't quench as well, rather then spend the time to filter it for that inkling of extra bit.
Also unfortunatly if for selling water comes up as an argument i don't see it ever being feasible for a PC to be selling water (except to other PC's). It would be just to easy for some random twink ranger to spend his days walking out to the nearest water hole filtering a bunch of water and then bringing it in to sell it. They would easily amass a quite bit of fortune for a minimum effort/danger.
I have personally seen how one non-magicker waterseller gets the clear water from the grey.
While I am on the front of the anti-findoutic group, this is sadly one of the places where you
should perhaps look into it ic'ly, come at it with Zalanthian thinking though, a common tribal has
little need to make the water more pure. It is even in the docs that Zalanthians have, through
adaption or natural selection, grown quite resistant to diseases. So most wouldn't care about a little
silt for texture. Now if you must because say, you want to sell water to nobles in the city, I say
first get your character to start educating himself maybe even send in logs to the unclanned imms
if your not currently in a clan. I promise if you roleplay trying to figure it out and spend the time
and real effort into it. Your character will make clean pure water out of they greyish mess.
Personally, I think all of you are WAY overestimating the level of technology and knowledge on Zalanthas.
I don't speak for the staff on this, but, in my mind, the concept of microscopic matter, much less biology as a science, don't exist in Zalanthas.
Most people drink dirty water because water is so hard to come by that they're happy to get what they get, and probably never knew any different from the beginning of their lives. Want pure water? Hire a Vivaduan.
Quote from: "daedroug"However I would say that it would do little unless the IMMs decided to actually bring back diseases (which i kind of doubt) other then that any normal Ranger would rather just drink more of the water since it doesn't quench as well, rather then spend the time to filter it for that inkling of extra bit.
If not diseases, then atleast an introduction of parasites to the game-world? Parasites shouldn't kill, should they? But they should lower ones ability scores a little bit. . . They might cause afflicted PC's lose a bit of endurance strength, ect. -- until they are either pulled out by a physician, or given a mild poison to kill the parasite.
I imagine some of the worse parasites could mildly cripple a person until its removal occured. Just like IRL. . .
-'SidianSoul
Sounds like somthing that your normal zalanthan physician would think is a disease, not sure they would be able to tell the difference between ailments from a disease and your bodys reactions to a parasite.
Quote from: "daedroug"Sounds like somthing that your normal zalanthan physician would think is a disease, not sure they would be able to tell the difference between ailments from a disease and your bodys reactions to a parasite.
Aw, give them some credit, parasitic infections can be quite obvious when severe. And once you've seen some severe cases, it isn't much of a leap to recognise mild and moderate cases too.
Not safe for work:
http://curezone.com/image_gallery/parasites/http://curezone.com/image_gallery/parasites/Quote from: "http://www.und.nodak.edu/org/bridges/hpr-gadfly.html"There seems to be a never-ending list of exotic parasites. "Parasites" is a mesmerizing book about creatures great and small that live only inside other creatures. Tapeworms as long as 60 feet live in our intestines, made up of thousands of segments, just eating away at us in comfort and privacy. There's no need to diet with a large tapeworm chomping away. In medieval times people would sometimes pass tapeworms -- to their absolute horror. But they had no idea how they got there because they had never seen them crawl into anyone's mouth!
Then there is the filarial worm that causes elephantiasis, a disease which can cause a male's scrotum to swell up until it fills a wheelbarrow. A female's legs often swell to the size of small barrels.
Zalanthan parasites could be quite horrifying, given the tendency to gigantic creatures. In Zalanthas, tapeworm swallow you! If you happen to be walking by a mekillot when it passes a worm you could be in a world of trouble. :P